Eton and Eton men and the parents of Eton boys,
and the House of Lords and the nation, have been quite in a nervous flutter all the week about a very harmless visit of Messrs. Moody and Sankey to Eton, which took place on Tuesday. The dignified calm of Provost Goodford was indeed so ruffled by Mr. linatch- bull-IItigessen's stern remonstrances, that the very names of Messrs. Moody and Sankey,—which their introducer, Mr. Graham, says he most explicitly announced to him as those of the persons who were to attempt to make some religious impression on the boys, —had completely escaped the Provost's memory, and he seems to have laboured under the impression,—at which Mr. Graham expressed his profound amazement,—that it was Mr. Graham and not Mr. Moody who was to address any Eton boys who might be persuaded to attend. The subject was brought before the House of Lords on Monday by the Marquis of Bath, when Lord Over- stone in his most impressive tones declared that the Head Master or the Governing Body, or both, should interfere to save the Eton boys from this great peril. The Head Master, Dr. Hornby, however, did not lose his presence of mind. He gave no sanction to the Moody and Sankey meeting, and declared that he could not have allowed the Eton boys to attend anything like a series of revivalist meetings, but he saw no more occasion to prohibit their presence at a short sermon by Mr. Moody than at a sermon by any Methodist or other minister in the neighbour- hood. The Eton lads are not prohibited from attending places either of instruction or of pleasure where there may be much more danger for them than at a short revivalist meeting, and Dr. Hornby saw no reason to curtail their liberty. The Governing Body, which met on Tuesday, were wise enough not to interfere with Dr. Hornby's decision ; and the House of Lords have apparently recovered from the shock to their nerves, as no Bill has been subsequently introduced to define the distance within which Mr. Moody may not approach any of our English public schools.
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