25 OCTOBER 1946, Page 5

The announcement that Spurgeon's Tabernacle at Newington Butts is to

be rebuilt on a new site seems to give some excuse for recalling the story of the Baptist fish Spurgeon was passing a fishmonger's shop in South London and noticed on the slab a curious fish which he had never seen before. He stopped and asked the shopkeeper what it was. The fishmonger, who knew his man, replied, " Well, Sir, we call that a Baptist fish." " Why?" asked the Baptist preacher in some astonishment. " Because it goes bad so soon after coming out of the water."

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