SOLDIERS AND THEIR RELIGION.
[TO MR Boron OP THE " SPECTATOR:1 $m,—I shall be glad if you can allow me space to comment on two of the paragraphs in the letter under the above heading in your issue of June 17th. They arc: (1) " That the laity take a larger share in the cenduct of Divine worship. There is no reason why all services except the Sacraments should not usually be conducted by laymen. Fewer
clergy would then be needed." (2) "That all candidates for Holy Orders should earn their living as laymen for a couple of years after leaving their Theological College." I am of opinion that what is needed is not to give laymen as laymen more to do in the Church, but vastly to increase the number of ordained ministers. The proportion of priests and deacons to laymen is far too low, as is also the proportion of Bishops to laymen, but the latter evil is at present more generally recognized. An increase of the diaconate must, of course, come first, and it would enable the Church to abolish such spurious ministers as lay readers and Church Army captaina. There is no good reason why more than a very small percentage of deacons should be paid ; let them, and also many of the priests, earn their own living until such time as the Bishops might require of them to devote their whole time to the work of the Church. Those who are called to the diaconate should, if possible, leave their work temporarily to attend a Theological College, and some would need financial assistance during the period; but some would find it impossible to get away, and these men should be instructed by corre- spondence and at locally arranged week-end retreats. The palaces in existing dioceses might well be used as theological training centres for the new group of dioceses formed from the old ones. I hope your readers will not picture to themselves a vast increase in the number of men to be seen wearing the garb now recognized as clerical. Let them, instead, hope that except when they are performing their priestly or diaconal offices priest and deacons will dress like other men.—I am,
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