the Church joining with their clergy to uphold her interest, and do the best to defeat the attacks of her enemies. It will be no use if a few, and those perhaps the inferior portion of the laity, join together; we want all, great and small, rich and poor, layman and parson to join themselves together into a union,-let us call it a Churchman's Union,”—and undertake under that name the work of the Church. Such a society, too, should not be confined to one town; it should be universal, having a head and officers, and throughout the whole kingdom lesser societies dependent on it. It should have its Church Magazine published monthly, or even oftener, and each branch should have its monthly paper of proceedings. It should have, too, its "work and responsibilities;" whilst its religious points are more dwelt upon and acted up to, its social advantages must not be let drop to the ground; and yet we must watch carefully that these latter do not take the place of, and throw in the shade, the former. Let such a Union take the lead in the town in which it is formed of all the Church is doing in the town; let each parson belong to it and consult with it on any and every Church matter. One great drawback now is that inexperienced and impulsive parsons, by doing things which they have not well considered, set the laity against them; whereas, by a little management, they might have gained them to co-operation and usefulness. Unions such as these would obviate

anything of this kind, to a great degree, and in the place of strife and enmity engender peace and concord. The lukewarmness, too, about the clergy and principal laity must be fought against, their energy stirred up by appeals, their wavering spirits re-established by real work done. It is scarcely necessary to point out that the Union Societies now do not at all come up to this point; they attend more to the social opportunities which their meetings offer, than they do to their religious duties. For instance; in one report, the Bible class is obliged to be given up, and the Council have to confess that they would "gladly welcome" any one who could take it. True, in the majority of these Bible Classes the principal thing often centres in turning out parallel passages, a thing no doubt most conducive to scholarship, but quite inconsistent with a class such as is usually gathered in our towns. This doubtless for one thing would bring the class to an untimely end. Then, perhaps, other classes will fail, and this most likely because they are theoretical rather than practical. The classes in these Unions must be plain and simple; hard questions not entering into the business of every-day life will find but little favour in the discussion class, and unpractical, unreal teaching will soon destroy any Society which may take it up.

Our Church Societies should have a depôt in every town, and the "Union" might, through the person in charge of the rooms, (and I presume it would be necessary to have some one acting in such a capacity) take all the necessary business of these Societies. It may be urged that such a course as this would entail expense which would be but ill met; the Church Societies would probably all of them be glad to contribute something to the maintenance of a depôt

in each of the larger towns of the country, if conducted in this way. There is another thing which seems to come amongst the functions of a" Churchman's Union;" why should they not work up a welcome in the town whenever a Deputation from some other Union is announced, or wherever some movement is arranged? Want of energy, or zeal, or of something material to its well-being, must be the cause of this. Something, however, has been done tending to advance this in many Unions; they admit members from other Unions on presenting their cards of membership. This is a step in the right direction; but what is wanted is, that Deputations should be solicited from other Societies, that meetings should be held not so much for social as for religious purposes; and wherever held, that strangers should be received with all the welcome and all the courtesy the resident Union may be capable of.

To carry out its work, too, there must be more frequent religious addresses, or rather meetings for addressing the members. The Saints' Days and the holy seasons of the year will afford ample opportunities and subjects for this. There will ever be found earnest and zealous parsons to take part in them and conduct the Services. They should be conducted in the Parish, or one of its District Churches, and not in the rooms of the Society. In a private room the Service of course would not be the same as that used in a Church; and it would be deprived of much of its solemnity and usefulness. After Service there might be an adjournment to the Society's rooms for general conversation on the subject of the day or season; a celebration of the Holy Communion would be of great advantage either the day before or on the morning of the meeting. If the attendance be scanty at the first of these re-unions it need not be a matter of surprise or regret; the members will increase as the meetings are more frequent. The members must be urged to attend; it must be pointed out to them how they can encourage one another in their work by uniting together in the same place, and in the same wellknown and time-honoured words in prayer for each other and all men. All must be urged to attend, for we know that scanty congregations and low-spoken responses consequent on them, do not conduce either to solemnity or earnest prayer.

With regard to lectures, no Society thus formed seems to ignore them, yet they do not seem to be frequent enough, nor do they appear to embrace in their programme the subjects which would seem to be most interesting and useful to the members. For instance; take twenty-six lectures given at one of these Unions in the winter of 1861 and 1862; there are many on Travel and on Church History, with miscellaneous subjects, but none on Natural History. Now this last ought surely to occupy some place, for it would illustrate and speak of objects daily falling (especially in rural districts,) under the eyes of the members; it would remove much superstition which is now connected with the Natural History of our every-day life, and could not fail to interest, amuse, and enlighten those who heard them. Our country parsons, many of them, at all events, are able, from their

observation of country life in their every-day walks, to give lectures with ability on all subjects of Natural History. Another year, in fourteen lectures, there is one on Natural History, but that not on a subject connected with our own country; and there is only one on Church History, but that, too, on the progress of the Church in a far distant land.

A Church Union, moreover, should not watch that which is going on in its own immediate neighbourhood only, it should look further from home: at all times, sad as it is, there are bills brought before the Houses of Parliament, by those who think it their mission to meddle with the Church under pretence of doing her good, detrimental to her interests and subversive of her intentions; and there are ever Societies of men and individuals on the look out to support these measures, and present petitions in their favour. Why should not our Church Unions be always on the look out to withstand these attacks, to do their best to avert them, and to get up petitions against them?

The observation is often made, that the best way to destroy a thing is to take no notice of it; but active and energetic measures, such as we continually see brought forward by some one of our leading statesmen, can only be met by active and energetic measures; and who so fit to do this as a body of Churchmen formed into a Society to advance themselves, and the interests of the Church to which they belong. One thing in these lectures must give satisfaction to all, the illustrations with which some of them are furnished; a journey through some foreign land, a scientific lecture, or one on Ancient History, must be of much more use, and more easy to be understood, if accompanied with diagrams pointing out the route or object. On the other hand, the social status of the Society should not be lost sight of in the religious, though of course this latter should take the prominent place. Athletic games and amusements will be the best things to promote mutual good-will amongst the members, especially the younger ones. Through a long Public School and University career, I have ever found this the best means of keeping all together, and promoting good feeling and good taste. Those who have been first in manly pursuits and athletic games have been generally (of course there are exceptions to all rules) first in the class lists, and often foremost in the advancement of their Church, and in the social-religious proceedings of their fellowcountrymen. Hunt amongst the opponents of our beloved Church, search the list of subscribers to the Anti-Church Societies, and you will seldom, if ever, find a name that has gained or contended for a prize in boating, cricket, or running. They whose names appear in these ranks are those who as public school-boys have moped in the corner of the play-ground with their hands in their pockets, and shunned the football; or who at college have had but few friends, and they, men who have been late at Chapel, late at lecture, and who have taken their after position from what they are pleased to call sudden conversion.

One of the more immediate benefits arising from such a Society as this is the shielding of young men from the general temptations of a city, or the more individual ones arising from their ordinary companions. It was supposed some years ago that the Volunteer movement would in great measure accomplish this but as far as improving the moral state of the young men joining it, it appears to have totally failed; in fact, it seems rather to have filled the public-house after drill, and to have afforded facilities, by hiring rooms for the transaction of business at public-houses, for drinking and dissipation. In a word, there is no moral influence in the one; in the other there is all moral and religious influence at work; it does not seem probable, it is not likely, that a young man should be induced to go to the public-house, or spend his evening in dissipation after he has left the reading room, or been attending a lecture. It will be well, if possible, to allow ladies to be present at the lectures, and to admit them, where they have a father or brother belonging to the Society, to the Classes. It is a kind thing, too, even if no good follows, to allow visitors to the town in which the Union is formed to use the rooms and library, on the introduction of a member.

The "Churchman's Union" proper to the town in which this Magazine is published, has adopted for its motto the most beautiful words in the finest of 66 prayers: That they all may be one." No passage could more forcibly express the work and responsibility of a Union of men professing Church opinions, loving her teaching, and defending her doctrine; a prayer that all may be united together to take upon themselves the work of advancing all that she would have them advance, in unity and concord; teaching all that she would have them teach, with energy and perseverance; believing all that she would have them believe, in faith and hopefulness, "That they all may be one" in undertaking the work and accepting the responsibility which their profession lays on them, a responsibility which we all incur in common who have taken upon ourselves to be members of "Christ's Church militant here in earth."

Obstacles may prevent a Society of Churchmen being formed in many parishes as a Union for work together; but even if this be the case, each one may do much by himself in his own parish, especially in villages. Ladies, too,—our wives and daughters,-may contribute their portion, and it is often no small one, to the advancement of the great work, each one looking on herself as one of the " all," determined to do her share of the whole task in unity, co-operation, and mutual help.

Every grain put into the sack helps to add a little to its weight; so every new name added to the lists of those who interest themselves in Church work will help, if it be but a little, to advance it, if they will but understand that the responsibility is as real as the work itself if they will remember that they may each, if they like, be one of the all; if they will but believe that in joint work and mutual help they "all may be one."

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