Holy Communion held in this place were not large, but they were larger than they would have been if we had been compelled to hold the service in the captain's cabin. Among the things which are worthy of notice in the Navy is the resuscitation of Morning Prayer. I do not think that, as a rule, Englishmen are aware of the fact that in every one of Her Majesty's ships we have the daily Morning Prayer. We thought it a new thing some years ago when it was introduced, but it was only a resuscitation of the practice of Queen Elizabeth's time, when the Navy was in its most glorious condition. I will conclude by pointing out that one of the great difficulties we labour under on board ship is, that we have to deal with several churches. The Roman Catholic Church has established a rule, which I think is a mistake, that the members of that church should always withdraw from our service, but the other religious bodies agree that their people should all attend the National Service. In this, I think, we to some extent realise what we all long for-the time when our altars will not need to be put on wheels.

Mr. J. CLISHAM, Quartermaster of the Royal Scots Fusiliers.

As I am not a sailor, although I was one in my younger days, I cannot say much about Church work in the Navy, but of the Army I can speak with experience, as I have had the honour and privilege of passing through the ranks, and I can tell you exactly how the soldier is situated in regard to this great question. I am not here to make a speech, but to tell you what we soldiers want.

Many in this Hall will, I dare say, be surprised to hear that for the first ten years of my soldiering I never was spoken to by a chaplain of the Church of England! You may say that it was my own fault, but I think that if any of you were placed in the same position and had the same ideas as I had, you would have the same story to tell. My idea was that if I wanted to speak to the chaplain I was obliged to be accompanied by a non-commissioned officer, or that, in his absence, I must have my small book in my hand. I look back with pleasure to the time when I first became acquainted with a chaplain. I found that chaplains were approachable and would not bite the nose off your face. The gentleman who first took me in hand is on this platform, and he is reverenced by every soldier, and every officer too who knows him, in the British Army. I was not taken in hand before there was occasion for it. Not that I was a bad kind of a chap! I went to every meeting that was held during the week, and to three on Sundays, and I was so much bothered with meetings that I had come to the conclusion to go to none at all-because everybody told me different things. But, thank God, the soldiers' friend, Dr. Edghill, took me in hand, and I altered my mind. Now, I would say, in the first place, if you want the soldier to love his Church service, do away with the fuss and parade of that service. Deprive him of his Sunday head-dress and of his side arms, and let him go to Church in his tunic, or dressed as if for walking out in the afternoon, with a book in his hand. Do not let him consider all the time he is in Church that he will be inspected on coming out; do not let him think that if his trousers are white with pipe-clay from his gloves he will get three days confinement to barracks and, there is another thing I would ask for let there be a little more sympathy shown to the soldier when he goes to a parish church. I am not going to abuse the clergy, but I will tell them what disgusts the soldier with the Church. When I was sergeant-major I happened to meet an officer's servant I knew-a "masher." I walked with him to Church, and we entered and both stood still. My friend, "the masher," was taken up immediately to the front, and Tommy Atkins, because he had on a soldier's coat, was allowed to find his own place. What do you think I thought about that church? Do you think I went back to the barracks and told my comrades, "Come to such and such a church, they are so kind there?" There is no man who feels it more than does the soldier when the right hand of fellowship is held out to him, and there is no man who wants it more than the soldier. What we want is sympathy from our civilian friends, and more especially from the churchwardens and the beadles. Let me tell you what happened to myself in London eleven years ago. I was in London on leave, and seeing a crowd of people going into Westminster Abbey, I followed with the stream. I got to the door and saw that the place was crammed, all the seats being apparently full. An old man held_up_his hand to me, however, and presently a way was made for me through the crowd. The

old man said, "Come in, my boy. You are a national man, and you are in a national church, I will find you a seat.' What do you think my feelings were in that case? Was I not pleased and proud? I said, " Somebody, at least, does like the soldier." Afterwards, I learnt that the man who had found a place for me was an old soldier himself, and had fought at Waterloo! Another point I wish to put before you is that we want to make churchmen of those who are nominally "churchmen." I do not wish to proselytize, but I say that when a man, on coming into the service, puts himself down as belonging to the Church of England, we should get him to go to church. Then there is the question, how are the soldiers to get the means of talking to the chaplains? This can be done by building Church homes in all our garrison towns, so that all the men would be able to meet the chaplain without having to go into his drawing-room, or the chaplain calling for him in barracks. There is such a place at Aldershot. There are those who remember when it was started in a room over a butcher's shop. Thank God, it has now grown into a large building owing to the support of church men and women too, and I would especially mention the support of friends at Reigate who have done much for the Institute at Aldershot. We soldiers want the Church, as the national body, to help us, her national children. We want from you only what we consider is our due, and that is your support for such institutions as that at Aldershot. I will give you one case (and there are many) which occurred at the Institute at Aldershot a few years ago. A young man of the Army Service Corps came to me one evening and said, "Can I speak to you." He told me he never was baptized, but should very much like to be. I took him to the chaplain, who instructed him, and eventually brought him to the font, and I had the great pleasure of acting as sponsor. That young man, through the chaplain, and the kindness of a clergyman from Reigate, who takes a deep interest in the spiritual welfare of the soldiers, was the means, under God's blessing, of afterwards having his brothers and sisters baptized. I am sure you must agree with me that that was sufficient encouragement for those who are labouring for the Institute. Then what we want is that you will assist those who are working for this cause, and if other towns would do what the people of Reigate are doing, there would soon be a building worthy of the name "Church of England Soldiers' Institute" in every garrison town.

The Rev. THOMAS STANLEY TREANOR, M.A., the Mission to Seamen Chaplain of the Downs, off Deal, Kent.

I STAND before you as the representative of the Society of Missions to Seamen. Your attention has, up to the present, been so much occupied with the Army and Navy, that I am afraid you will hardly find room in your thoughts for that vast army of men who may be described as our Merchant Seamen. There are 360,000 of these men; that is to say, more than the Army and the Navy put together. The work of the Society is not confined to our Merchant Seamen. Our chaplains visit, with the sanction of the commanding officers, training brigs, gun boats, and many other vessels of the Royal Navy which do not carry chaplains, while our Readers do valuable work, under the naval chaplains, on board the Queen's ships of every size in this, the first naval port in the world, and in other naval stations at home and abroad, as far as Yokohama, in Japan. But our chief efforts are directed towards our Merchant Seamen, both by reason of their vast numbers, and their lack of other spiritual provision. We occupy and work with our chaplains and readers in the British islands and abroad, fifty important roadsteads and seaports, and in most of the latter we have church-ships, churches, institutes, or mission rooms for seamen in docks or ashore. But for the most important of our stations-the eleven great roadsteads such buildings on shore would be of no avail. In these roadsteads, all round sea-girt islands, merchant seamen of our own and other nations, are to be found in great numbers on board ships anchored from two to five miles from shore, waiting for fine weather and fair winds, or for orders. They are then most ready to listen; they are perhaps taking their last look at their native land, and will not be allowed to come ashore; there their hearts are most readily touched; therefore we go to them. I have sometimes seen in the Downs ships, the crews of which I estimated at 4,000 men, and I have been told by others of no less than 7,000 men being in the Downs at one time. Many of these never enter a parish

church. I ask, then, is all your support to be confined to the men of the Army and Navy? Have you not a place in your hearts for our merchant seamen? Ought not the Church to reach out her arms to embrace these men? This is a Church Society. We are in strict connection with the diocese, and in harmony with the parochial clergy. We use the Book of Common Prayer on board ship, and though many of our congregation are non-conformists, they never object to its use.

Not that because

we are churchmen we wish ill to any who work for our Lord Jesus Christ under any banner; but still this is Church work, and it is carried on in a field, which, for magnitude, importance, and variety, has no rival. I leave out of consideration for the present the hosts of foreign sailors who come to these islands, but who, in common Christian charity, we cannot, and dare not, and do not pass by. Leaving these out, however, there are 360,000 merchant seamen belonging to England and her colonies, who, as compared with the Royal Navy, are in the most outcast and destitute condition, both as regards Church privileges, and as regards food, accommodation, and manning of ships, that it is possible to imagine. Let me tell you what we do. First, as they cannot come ashore, we bring them the living agent. We hold services, and we preach to them what it is the duty of the Church to preach, not herself but Jesus; and in that preaching of Jesus to our fellow-sinners, we do realise that we are their "dittos," as has been so well said to-day. We tell them of their need of a Saviour, of their ruined condition, of their need of regeneration by the effectual working of God the Holy Ghost, remembering our own need of Christ crucified, and our share in all the benefits of His Passion by living faith. I ask you, my friends, is it not this, the message, which it is the duty of the Church to preach? "We preach, not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord." Then we circulate the Bible and Prayer Book. Our sales of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer during last year, to seamen, were over 9,000 copies. We press the temperance work, and in the last six years we have enrolled 42,000 men in our Missions to Seamen Branch of the Church of England Temperance Society. I was told lately, by a seaman, that of ten men who had signed the temperance pledge in one ship some years ago, one man kept it till he fell overboard and was lost, and the others all stood steadfast for two voyages, when my informant lost sight of them. I need not say that I was surprised and rejoiced at this. I ask you as Englishmen and members of the Church of Christ, to help us. I ask you who stand on the shore to take hold of the Gospel net, and help to drag it through the troubled waters of life, so that we can bring its precious cargo to the good land of everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mr. WILLIAM CAMPBELL, Sergeant of the Royal Marine Artillery, Eastry Barracks, Portsmouth.

SEVERAL things have been said respecting the responsibility of the Church towards the soldiers and sailors, also the responsibility of soldiers and sailors to the Church; but one thing seems to be left out of sight, and that is the responsibility of the soldiers and sailors to themselves. I think it is hardly wise to leave this point out of consideration, for sometimes I find that if we get too much nursing we want still more. I belong to the Marines, who are both Army and Navy, and therefore I have some experience of both. It has been suggested that the Church parade should be abolished, but I am bound to say that if I were to ask the men in uniform in the gallery whether they would like to see it done away with they would say no." I, for one, say "no," and I should very much regret to see the Church parade discontinued. Of course there are some men who dislike it; but I believe there are many who now thank God they were ever forced to go to church. As to the chaplains; in the Marine Artillery a chaplain remains with us for three years, as in the Navy. No doubt the chaplain has a great deal to contend against. Of course my position will not allow me to speak as freely as I should like to do on this and other points, but I disagree with what has been said about somebody coming forward to take the place of the army Scripture-reader. One of the former speakers said it was essential to have a class of gentlemen who would be the means of bringing the men to the chaplains. Is there any reason why the chaplain should not come himself to the men, instead of getting somebody to bring the men to him? I heard a non-commissioned officer say this very week that he had not seen a chaplain for fifteen

years, except on Sunday. I am not blaming anybody. I leave the matter for other people to work out. If our Lord Jesus Christ had stayed in heaven and never have come down to teach us, where should we be? I, as a non-commissioned officer, am willing to do anything I can, not for the chaplain, but for the Lord Jesus Christ; but let it be remembered that we have in the service that abominable thing to contend with-red tape. Of course we do not think as much about saluting the chaplain as you do, because it comes naturally to us. I would just as soon salute the chaplain as any other officer, and I do not begrudge him the salute. As regards the parish churches, I can only say I have never had the cold shoulder given to me in any church in this town. There are clergymen in this town whom it is a great pleasure to go to and to work with, and who have always treated me with respect and held out the hand of fellowship to me. But I believe the soldier is of a very sensitive nature, and perhaps when he complains about the treatment he receives in churches he ought to complain about something a little nearer home. I would appeal to my comrades who are present to come forward and help the chaplains. As regards Spiritual work in barracks, I find we do not get encouraged in it, but if we go just outside, strange to say, we get on wonderfully well. I would urge that we should remember the great characteristic of our Lord Jesus Christ—I mean humility. I find now-a-days that those who wish to teach men will not always go to them, and I would have them bear in mind the humility of our Lord, also these words, "Thou must be true thyself if thou the truth would'st teach." I thank those who have spoken so kindly about the Army and Navy. I sometimes think that we soldiers are too fond of imagining that civilians treat us as if we were this, that, and the other. I do not believe they intend anything of the sort. You often hear it said that the Army is different from what it was twenty or thirty years ago. This I must say, that the moral and spiritual tone in the barrack-rooms has not improved during the ten years I have been acquainted with it. I know that when I was a young

fellow in the barrack-room the tone was better than I find it now. There is one or two other subjects I should like to talk about, but my time is up, so I must retire.

The Rev. J. C. EDGHILL, D.D., The Chaplain-General of the Forces.

IT is my duty to sum up what has been said about the Army, and I think we may congratulate ourselves, first of all, upon this large and enthusiastic meeting. Ten years ago, when I attended a meeting of the Church Congress at Stoke-upon-Trent, and there was a meeting about the soldiers and sailors, we certainly had not thirty people in the room. We may, I think, regard the aspect of this hail as a sign that the Church is recognising more and more her responsibility towards our soldiers and sailors. Colonel Walker has rightly pointed out that this responsibility is just the same as that which she owes to any other part of the community, and that it is the responsibility of a mother towards her children. The responsibility of the Church seems to me to be first a responsibility of observation. The State makes a compact, so to speak, with the soldiers, and pledges herself to give him everything that is needful for his material and spiritual well-being. She provides chaplains. Every soldier has, in theory, his chaplain paid by the State. She provides also churches and rooms for the performance of divine worship. She instructs the chaplains to teach the young, to visit the sick, and to care for their flocks. All this the State, in theory, orders the chaplains to do, and it seems to me it is the duty of the Church to see that the State and her chaplains fulfil these obligations. It is certainly a responsibility of observation. The Church of England has failed to fulfil this. I do not hesitate to say that the Church of England has done less for her soldiers than any other body of Christians. Take the Roman Catholics (I only speak of things I have learnt from the public papers). The Roman Catholic soldiers are cared for by the Roman Catholic Church in a manner that ought to shame us. Not long ago it was customary for only the Church of England chaplains to sail in our troop ships, but the Roman Catholic body said, "Our soldiers are unprovided for in these ships, and it is the duty of the State to see that these men have chaplains sent with them." I should like to know when the Church of England would have said that to the State, when it would say, "Our men are without chaplains; see that they have them." What is the result? Year

by year the number of Roman Catholic clergy thus required is increasing, for their Church takes good care to make its wants known at head-quarters. I hope there are some members of Parliament present; it must have struck everybody who read the papers to see how frequently questions have been asked in the House of Commons about Roman Catholic soldiers and chaplains. Some time ago a return was called for of the number of chaplains serving in Egypt, and it was found that the Roman Catholic chaplains were only one less in number than those of the Church of England, although the proportion of Roman Catholic soldiers is only one to three compared with those belonging to the Church of England. They had taken good care that their interests were looked after, whilst we had been asleep. We have now concurrent endowment in the Army. We pay every denomination that has a certain number of men. I have learnt to regard this as satisfactory. I hope the time will come when the State will pay Baptists and others who are outside the Church of England as she does now the Wesleyans. You may not be aware that the Presbyterians and Wesleyans have Standing Committees who look after everything relating to the well-being of the community. I do hope that before long we shall have a Standing Committee to look after the interests of our soldiers, as far as Church privileges are concerned. If the mere fact that there is a Chaplain-General is to absolve the Church from all care and all responsibility, then I, for one, say, "Perish the Chaplain-General, and live the Church." The Chaplain-General by himself has but little power, but if he feels, as I feel to-day, that he has the Church behind him, he is really a power. Although I am a servant of the State, and am paid by the State, I am glad to say that I have received such encouragement at the hands of the Church, from the Archbishop of Canterbury downwards, that I feel I never could be put in a position of closer connection with the Church. Let me appeal to members of Parliament to take under their care the wants of our soldiers, for until they do we shall have to record, as we do to-day, much failure among much that is successful. The War Office can only do that which Parliament sanctions, and we want all the help our friends in it can give us in demanding for the Church of England that to which she is justly entitled, even with the principle of concurrent endowment conceded. The Church must also accept the responsibility of active help, especially in the matter of buildings. Here in Portsmouth we have a grand garrison church-a church in which, I am happy to say, we soldiers do not do that which it has been said civilians do to soldiers elsewhere-a church to which we welcome civilians, and in which every soldier tries to make them comfortable and at home. If we had such churches elsewhere our efforts might have a better result in the Army. When we have such miserable places in other garrisons, we cannot help expecting that discredit will attach itself to the efforts of the Church. What we want, more and more, is good buildings. Here are we chaplains anxious to do our work, but having no place in some garrisons to do it in. I may point to the example which has been set by Her Majesty's Guards in London. There the Government gave a little towards the restoration of the chapel, and the Guards completed the work at their own expense. At the present moment they are trying to get two other edifices erected and beautified with the help of the Government, but mainly by their own contributions. In Woolwich also a church has been built, the shell being given by the Government, and the building being beautified by the Royal Artillery. But what do we see at Chatham. There are there one hundred young engineer officers at the School of Instruction, besides a large number of rank and file, men whom I have always loved, men among whom I have more friends than I have elsewhere. And what have these fine fellows-men who may influence the Army-got to worship in? A wretched chapel school, in which Roman Catholics also worship. I want sometimes to preach there on a Sunday evening. But I have to get the whole service over in an hour, so that the school may be cleared for Roman Catholic service. We are accustomed here in Portsmouth to have our church crowded in Lent for two hours and a half every Sunday evening, but at Chatham I can only have an hour, and "after meetings" are impossible. Will not the Church help us to make these buildings what they ought to be. It is a responsibility of active help. Oh, you who have any influence in this nation, do help us. It will pay you to do it, because it will enable us to put before the soldiers the only way of escape from the evils around them, and the only help and strength which will keep them pure and sober. Then, again, we want Soldiers' Institutes. Here we have not only a large institution for sailors, but we have a Home for soldiers, and I do not think we ought to allow this meeting to pass without thanking Miss Robinson for what she has done for the soldiers. True, it is not a Church Institution. We have, however, one at Aldershot, and I do commend that to your notice most earnestly; it is the first attempt of the Church to meet the responsibility of providing a home for her soldiers. The