The Churches and the Churchless in Scotland. By the Rev.
Robert Howie. (Bryce and Son, Glasgow.)—Mr. Howie gives thirty-nine elaborate tables, and a not less elaborate introductory statement explaining and modifying those tables. Ho is not concerned, he tells us, to magnify one Church against another ; it is in the " Churchless " that he is chiefly interested. We may extract, however, some noticeable figures. Five wholly Lowland Synods (Lothian and Tweeddale, Mersa and Teviotdale, Dumfries, Gallo- way, Glasgow and Ayr) have, in a population of 2,514,006, 322,033 members of the Established Church, 150,631-of the Free Church, and 131,683 of the United Presbyterians. Now, as a considerable proportion of the Free Church members probably remain faithful to the principle of Establishment, wo can see that the bribe of Disestablishment which has been offered to Scotch electors will not prove a profitable affair. We may oven hope that all the- rural Lowland constituencies will follow the example of East Lothian. On the other hand, we find that two wholly Highland Synods (Ross, Sutherland and Caithness) have, in a population of 97,978, 2,042, 81,229, and 285 respectively. This, again, suggests, the thought—if we are to have "local option" in religious matter, as Mr. Gladstone's Welsh policy would seem to show, why not apply the principle to the Lowlands and Highlands ? In Skye and Lewis there are not three hundred Established Church members; why not begin with them ? Of course the principle is absurd, and could never have approved itself to any sane politi- cian but for the exigencies of party warfare.
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