After briefly reviewing the stages' through which the Book of Common Prayer had passed before finding its present form. members of the C.E.M.8. continued their discussion on Tuesday March $1, paying special regard to the various changes which had taken place in the appearance of our churches and the: conduct of our services since the Reformation. Much interest was shown in the history and interpretation of the "Ornaments Rubric" which stands at the forefront of the; services and which orders that the Ornaments of the Church and of the Ministers thereof.".. shall be) retained and be in use as were in the second year of Edward VI's reign. In spite of the frequent, and at times almost general, disregard of this rubric each subse quent revision of the Prayer Book had retained it as a witness to the standard of "decency and order" which should be aimed at in public worship.
We have heard a great deal of the religious awakening of England, need of religious awakening. Sir David Beatty's letter. which' was read at a recent meeting of the 8.P.C.K. is a good example of the) mind of a hard-headed and largehearted sailor. He writes:—
"May I say that your Society is doing se much to bring the war to a successful conclusion ea any Society or Union! Surely the Almighty God does not intend this war to be just " hideous fracas, a bloody, drunken orgy. There must be purpose in it all; improvement must be born out of it. In that direction France has already shown us the way. She has risen out of her ruined cities with her may revived religion, which is most wonder.
fal. Russia has been welded into whole, and religion plays a greater part. England still remaina to be taken out of the stupor of self-satisfaction and complacency in which her great and flourishing condition has steeped her, and until she can be stirred out of this condition, and until religious revival takes place at home, just so long will the war continue. When she can look out on the future with hambler eyes snd a prayer on her lips, then we can begin to count the towards the end. Your Society is helping to this end, and helping to bring the war to an end, a successful end, and without success it cannot end."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.