LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
SIE,—Your delightful article in the Spectator of Feb- ruary 5th on the Bishop of London's triumphant use of the "interview" should help to make us of the parochial -clergy more careful of our claims on our Bishops' time, and a little more ashamed of our national habit of acting as though we were Bishops in our own parishes. But there is as usual another side of the question, and one which is growing in importance every day, and will go on growing. 'The Church revival is getting down in the social scale, and very many quite poor people are becoming very enthusiastic Church people, with, among other things, a very real belief in the divine grace transmitted by means of the Apostles or Bishops of the Church. In the ordinary course of Church life in the past, what has a Bishop been, say, to a working man or a little maidservant ? As soon as such people believe that our Church life is intended to be exactly the same as that which they read of in the Acts of the Apostles, they naturally honour their Bishop in quite a new way, and desire to hear his words, and to worship with him. If the parish priest desires to represent his people, it is natural that his. duty to them should make him inclined to ask for more confirmations and for more frequent episcopal visits. We must have many more confirmations, and to this end many more Bishops ; sick people must have regularly the oppor. tunity of receiving the grace of confirmation on their death. beds, if they are unconfirmed ; and the Bishops, suffragan or otherwise, must enter much more into our parochial life. I believe our people are beginning to call for this, and that this
ie the secret of the too frequent demands which harass our overworked Bishops.—I am, Sir, &c.,
J. ANDEEWES REIM '
The Rectory, Lambeth, S.E., February 6th,
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