11 SEPTEMBER 1869, Page 3

The Archbishop of Canterbury, who is always sensible, has been

telling his clergy that they need not fear lest Parliament should make any changes in the Prayer-Book without the consent of Convocation, since the only difficulty will be to persuade Parlia. ment to legislate on ecclesiastical matters at all. The Archbishop is right. The more than indifference of Parliament to Church questions, its genuine shyness and dread of such questions, is a far greater obstacle in the way of any reform of the Church, than even the conservative prejudices of the clergy themselves. This is not, however, a very encouraging state of things. We wish there was more danger than there is of Parliament taking up earnestly the question how to get the highest efficiency out of the Church.