Sir: Mr Angus Maude's article (30 May) was an eloquent
expression of the fears which are felt by almost all Catholics of the confession of Canterbury at this time. We have witnessed with immense sorrow thy decay of ritual in the Church of Rome—the neglect of church music and the slovenly attitude of priests towards ceremonial—but we had hoped the English Church would continue to conduct its public worship in a manner befitting man's corporate worship of his maker and his Saviour, present in the Blessed Sacrament.
But, it seems, 'modern' Anglican priests will not rest content until they have con- verted their churches into Protestant preach- ing houses and have relegated all beautiful ceremonial and music to the House of Lords and the concert hall! Their new creed tells them that candles and lamps must be dis- carded, nave altars must be erected, Mass must be celebrated facing the congregation, and that all mystery and dignity must be ousted by harshness and vulgarity.
However, the new iconoclasts have not succeeded yet in smashing down the Catho- lic faith completely. Several societies such as ours now exist to counter these pernicious
and destructive movements within the Church of England, and to promote the preservation and restoration of the full Catholic Prayer Book ritual, in all its mag- nificent solemnity, throughout our Com- munion. We are, indeed, concerned to 'com- municate'; but we believe, with Seneca, that man believes his eyes rather than he believes his ears. Catholic Christendom must speak to man through his eyes as well as his ears if its worship is not to degenerate into the sour and barren coldness that is Puritanism.
Francis Bown, Chairman Stephen J. Kern. Treasurer The Cambridge Ecclesiological Society, Jesus College, Cambridge
A selection of letters on Ludovic Kennedy's article of 7 June appears on pages 816-817. —Editor, SPECTATOR..
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