EDITOR'S TABLE. 



125 



forms three main functions : it pro- 

 vides means of worship, it imparts 

 religious teaching, and it interests 

 itself in charitable work; and what 

 it has to do, according to Canon Bar- 

 nett, is simply, in each department 

 of its activity, to plant itself at the 

 modern standpoint so as to meet the 

 needs of the men and women of to- 

 day. 



In the matter of worship this 

 writer observes that " the words and 

 forms remain the same as those 

 which helped the people of three 

 hundred years ago, although the fash- 

 ions, the thought, and the whole 

 organization of society have been 

 changed. " Cathedrals are little more 

 than "the hunting ground of anti- 

 quarians and the practising places 

 of choirs. " The Church should " use 

 the art and knowledge of the time 

 as aids to worship." " It might," con- 

 tinues the writer, "by showing the 

 wonders of science, open the eyes of 

 the blind to see something of the 

 height and breadth of the universe " ; 

 and the result would be that readier 

 access would be found to men's minds 

 for those sentiments of justice, char- 

 ity, and mutual forbearance on which 

 the peace and welfare of society must 

 rest. Canon Barnett is quite right 

 when, speaking of the social strug- 

 glers of to-day, he says that " conceit, 

 pride in their own methods and aims, 

 restless vanity, selfish anxiety are 

 elements in the present confusion " ; 

 nor are we disposed to disagree with 

 him when he says further that "the 

 majority of people think much of 

 themselves, because they are not con- 

 scious of One before whom they are 

 as nothing, because, in a word, they 

 do not worship." Here is where the 

 true work of religion comes in, not in 

 opposing the conclusions of science. 



" Let science grow from more to more," 

 as Tennyson has said, 



" But more of reverence in us dwell." 



The two are not incompatible, and 

 !anon Barnett seems to feel strongly 

 that it is through neglect of duty on 

 the part of the Church, especially the 

 duty of keeping in touch with the 

 times, that reverence is not more act- 

 ive and influential among men than 

 it is. 



Turning to the subject of teach- 

 ing, this writer is very outspoken. 

 He says in effect that we must find 

 the teaching required by the times 

 in a study of the times. The follow- 

 ing quotation will illustrate his mean- 

 ing : " In the first century slavery 

 was common, and was accepted with- 

 out question both by Christ and by St. 

 Paul. . . . These teachers, however 

 (the antislavery leaders of the early 

 part of the century), found the spirit 

 behind the words the Christ of the 

 nineteenth century behind the Christ 

 of the first century. In the name 

 of a contemporary Christ they con- 

 demned slavery and convinced their 

 hearers." The reverend gentleman 

 does not observe, as he might have 

 done, that those who appealed merely 

 to the text of Scripture were among 

 the strongest upholders of slavery. 

 The reformers were more or less ra- 

 tionalizers, not pinning their faith to 

 texts, but seeking a spirit and prin- 

 ciple of life. The following remarks 

 on religious teaching are much to the 

 point : " Teachers have been too often 

 stewards who bring out only the 

 old things from the treasury, words 

 spoken thousands of years ago, and 

 acts fitted to another age. They go 

 on using a phraseology which is not 

 understood, preaching sermons about 

 dead controversies, and condemning 

 heresies long forgotten. They teach, 

 but the people, tried and troubled by 

 thoughts of duty to the rich or duty 

 to the poor, find no help in their 

 teaching. . . . Bishops might with 

 advantage set candidates for orders 

 to read modern books, and in exami- 

 nation test their powers to observe 



