7 DECEMBER 1907, Page 31

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—The Rev. Henry T.

Hooper, whose letter I was glad to see in your last issue, denies that the Methodist Recorder is "the official organ" of Methodism, and affirms that the "Prayer-book " is in use in every Wesleyan church. These are two questions of fact. The remainder of his letter is matter of opinion only. If you think it desirable in the interests of accuracy, and relevant to the subject of Prayer-book revision as affecting the Free Churches, perhaps you will allow me to say, first, that if the Methodist Recorder is not the " official " organ in the strict sense in which Mr. Hooper evidently seeks to interpret that term, it is undeniably the most representa- tive organ of Methodism, and its views are entitled to corre- sponding weight; and secondly, that what is in use in every Wesleyan church is not the "Prayer-book," but such portions of what I more accurately described as "a Service-book founded on the Book of Common Prayer" as relate to the Sacraments and certain other special services. This I did not deny, but asserted, as the fact is, that this book is little used in "public worship," a term which I was studiously careful to use as distinguishing the regular Sunday morning and evening services from those occasional services mentioned by Mr.

[We cannot print any more letters on this subject.—ED. Spectator.]