THE CHURCH AND REFORM.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLII, Issue 87, 9 May 1916, Page 2

THE CHURCH AND REFORM.

dwindling attendances. Declining church attendance was a matter on which the vicar of A.I I Saints'. Archdeacon Calder, had something to say to his parishioners at the annual meeting at Auckland (.says the 'Star'). It had been argued by critics, he said, that the Anglican .service wan too formal, that the first lesson had no relation to the second lesson, and that then l was a break of seven days' lessons between those read on successive Sundays. About 1.5 years ago the clergy were permitted to select .special Psalms instead of adhering to the Psalm for tho day. He was always eager to ex]H)iiud the Psalms, which, though apparently dull, had a. hidden meaning; but .some Psalms there were which he did not think possessed' much educational value. The difficulty of making any alteration, said the archdeacon, w .'us to nre.servo the dignity of the Church of England service, a change which, he was afraid, would mean losing many Church people. The war, he be" leived. wotildi effect a change in the prayers, which he believed would be more personal in character. On the other hand, there were prominent Dissenters who had declared that the Church of England service had a power of compelling devotion which, the nonAnglican churches did not possess. The vicar concluded l by admitting that he was at a loss to know what would be a remedy for non-church-going. He was, however, prepared to accept, any suggestions of ,i>-teverent character. There were, two classes to consider—the restless, dissatisfied people who were always running after a strange preacher, and the steady folk who attended church and did not ask for any alteration. He was anxious to conserve what was worth conserving and to welcome the radical element in so far as it was valuable.

Complaint was expressed by _ some parishioners that nowadays children were not brought up to a/"end church, and it was suggested that this was a contributory cause of tho decline in church attendance. Children, it was contended, were, not now impressed witli the sanctity of the Sahhath, and were allowed to run about just as on a week day. One parishioner contended that the churchgoers themselves were to blame by the laxity of their parental control.