Prayer Book
Sir: I could hardly believe my eyes when I read the Diary by Mary Soames (4 July). Here she was stating that we are doomed to a continuing malaise in our religious life and that those of us who cannot stand the Alternative Service Book should cease our campaign and 'lump it'. I am thankful her father did not take that line in June 1940 when he told the House of Commons, 'We shall never surrender.'
May I also remind Lady Soames that, like me, her husband signed the famous 1979 Petition to the General Synod which expressed deep concern '• . . for the Au- thorised Version of the English Bible and the Book of Common Prayer? They belong to our continuing story as a people and are powerful reminders of who we are. To neglect them is to lose touch with our language in its first simple and supple splendour. . .
The petitioners implied that one could not just make the best of the ASB and cease lamentation but should ensure . . 'the widest possible knowledge and love of these texts especially amongst the younger generation. Our concern for the whole spectrum of human aspiration includes our own birthright and patrimony.' The Prayer Book Society wishes that it did not need to exist, but so long as the Book of Common Prayer continues to be treated as a second-class citizen in the household of faith it does and 'we shall not flag or fail . .
C. A. A. Kilmister
Deputy Chairman, The Prayer Book Society, 40 Great Smith Street, London SW1
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