2.— MONDAY, JANUARY 21st, 1918. 



The Right Hon. the Earl of Halsbury, F.R.S., President, 

 in the Chair. 



Statement by the Lecture Secretary. 



The present meeting, like that of last week, is special to the pro- 

 gramme of the Victoria Institute. At the close of to-day's proceed- 

 ings the subject will be open for discussion. We should expect 

 those who join in the discussion to be such as have expert know- 

 ledge of the subject. Those who are personally acquainted with our 

 men at the Front, either as chaplains, or as officers, or men, are the 

 persons to whom we should primarily look for remarks, in one form 

 or another, on Canon Hannay's addresses ; and as a considerable 

 number may wish to take part, it is necessary for speakers to 

 restrict themselves to five minutes each. 



Second Address. 



IN speaking last Monday I insisted on the existence of the 

 religious spirit among the men of our empire. There is a sense 

 of the Divine in the common man. He is not without God in 

 the world. I hinted at my own belief that the Church may fairly 

 claim that the nation owes its religion, such as it is, to her. So 

 far the Church may congratulate herself that her teaching, her 

 prayers, her life, have had their effect. But I take it that the 

 Church at present is in no mood for self-congratulation. Indeed 

 it is the characteristic of the Church of England to-day that there 

 is in her very little pride and very much self-reproach. The 

 best of her sons, clergy and laity alike, are saying, "See how we 

 have failed." While others are acutely conscious, sometimes 

 sadly, sometimes it seems joyfully conscious, of the Church of 

 England's failure, she is chiefly conscious of her own. No doubt 

 the Church's mood is both wholesome and hopeful. That man 

 went down to his house justified who beat upon his breast and 

 said, " God be merciful to me a sinner." No doubt also the self- 

 reproach is just. The Church has largely failed. The religion 

 of the common man is real, but desperately imperfect, very far 

 indeed from being fully Christian. 



Consider what St. Jude called " the faith once for all delivered 

 to the saints," that short list of simple elementary truths about 



