[To ens EDITOR Or can " Srerryro...] wish I Lad
the ability to give you an idea of the heart- ache and eoul.hunger that possess many thousands of men and women to-day and the failure of the Church to satisfy their longing. How true it is, as " Expeatans " in your issue of February 27th says, that "the extreme parties have ruined the Church's life." An hour after reading the letter referred-to I weit to our parish church, and the vicar in his sermon said: "Luther, Martin Luther, a German! did more barns to the Church and Christianity than any man whoever lived; his teaching was simply this, 'the more you sinned the better you were.'" And this from a man who has not given us a spoon- ful of spiritual food for years. I worship in a beautiful old church, the service when given in a reverent manner is worship. but when a term of reproach ("a German ") which is to-day the lowest form of obloquy is applied to Martin Luther all the indignation of a righteous revolt tempts the query : "Why do I go to church ?" A recent sermon was on "The Church," "Holy Church," "Mother Church," and all she has done for us. Not a word of the old Gospel; Christ might never have lived and died, and of course the only entrance to Heaven is through the various Sacraments. We men in the street bare had a little education now, and if our minds are only opened to a small extent, our hearts require a correspondingly intelli- gent participation in the things that are of eternal moment The mystery to us is that men of culture and training are so self-blinded as to imagine that they are dispensing words of life. I write in deep sorrow, not captious criticism.—I am,
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