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ing; the modest, the retiring, the poor in short, might be squeezed out to the worst places, while having no right of their own to any places; and in course of time it might be a chance whether any room at all would be left for them. And here, too, it must be borne in mind that all such habits of occupation must unavoidably tend to become practically rights.

It seems to me, therefore, that it may be quite as much in the direct interest of the poor themselves as on any other ground, that some other system than that of simple non-appropriation may be desirable. And I turn to the only other principle which appears to me practically to be possible, and which also I believe to be in substance that of our existing common church law. I know, indeed, that there is another view, which I have once, but only once, seen advocated, and maintained to be not only sound, but to be that of our law. It is this, that together with entire non-appropriation, it should be provided that at every service the churchwardens, or some one acting with their authority, should be in attendance, and at their discretion place all the congregation, parishioners or not, in the church, as is now done. by the vergers with strangers. But on this I shall not dwell long. That it is the actual law, I think can hardly be seriously maintained; and that any parish should agree to such a system, any parish officers undertake so difficult and invidious a task, by whatever standard they might be guided—whether that of classes, or, as I have heard it suggested, that of preference to the more regular church-goers or communicants, or any other-seems to me incredible.

Now, as to the actual law, I will state what I con

fidently believe it to be in its spirit, and what I believe it pretty nearly to be even in its details; but I am not versed enough in Churchwarden's law to say that it positively is so, and I only beg to be understood as advocating it, or at least pointing out how it should be worked, as I state it, and in no other way.

The law is, that the churchwardens shall assign places to all the parishioners. They do this, subject to an appeal to the Ordinary, that is to say the Bishop; to which I shall not again refer, as it applies to the whole subject throughout.

Now it should be clearly understood, that what the churchwardens in this manner give to any, is not in the full and proper sense a right at all. It is leave to occupy a given number of places in a certain part of the church, on certain conditions, and as long as the churchwardens see fit. It is no doubt a right in this sense, that as long as the churchwardens do see fit, and as long as the conditions remain unaltered, no other person can occupy those places. But this is all, and the distinction is very important, as will soon appear.

The right must be given to a resident parishioner— to one who has a house in the parish. But it is not the case, though it is often supposed to be, that the same house should always have the same number of places. What the churchwardens are to consider is not the capacity of the house, but the number of persons living

in it.

A. B. lives with Mrs. A. B., and a great number of little A. B.'s, in house C. He is properly assigned a large number of places; for it is entirely right that families should be together in church. But A. B. and

his tribe go away, and are succeeded by D., a bachelor, with neither wife nor child. It is now the absolute duty of the churchwardens to dock him of all the places which they had given to A. B. in respect of his flourishing family. The places revert to the churchwardens, to be by them assigned, at their discretion, to whomsoever they see fit. If D. should at any time acquire a Mrs. D., &c., it gives him no sort of claim to the identical. places in question. He must take his chance, and get from the churchwardens a new set of places if he can.

But, according to the reasonable construction of the law, the limitation of this right goes still further. It is a right which is only good as long as it is claimed, used, and exercised. When it is not, it is, as we say, in abeyance, and should be transferred temporarily to others.

This, too, may be made very simple by an example. Suppose an A. B. again, with many children, and many places. But of the children a large proportion are big boys, who, happily for him, are under discipline away from home for about eight months in the year. For all that time he has no fair right to the places assigned to them. They should be at the temporary disposal of the churchwardens, to put persons there, whether parishioners or strangers, who want room. Whenever he himself is away, or any of his family, or when he has no guests with him, the number of places which was assigned to him in respect of such inmates should be looked on as proportionately diminished. It is, or should be, easy to come to an understanding with the churchwardens on such points.

But, moreover, it ought certainly to be held that, when a place is not occupied by a reasonably-early time

in the service-I should say the fession-it cannot be retained.

beginning of the ConNothing looks worse

than a church half empty, half crowded. The dog-inthe-manger principle is seldom good: certainly not when the dog is a Christian, and the manger a pew.

As has been said, however, this plan cannot be literally observed. And I revert to what I have above intimated, that the only resource seems to me to be appropriation, as I have just described it, but of a twofold kind part of the church being allotted on the individual or the domestic principle, part on the collective principle. I have advisedly described it in this way, different from the usual way, and I lay the utmost stress on the difference. However sanctioned by the language of Acts of Parliament, or of Church-Building Societies, the term, “free seats,” is at best very loose and misleading; that of "unappropriated seats" is utterly and mischievously incorrect. They ought to be as carefully and precisely reserved and assigned as the rest, only to a certain specified body of the people, instead of to certain houses or households. Those who have assigned places, still more non-parishioners, ought to be no more allowed, as they commonly are, to walk into any of such places than into the most exclusive, high-walled, greencushioned, locked-up, brass-rodded, bestoved or befireplaced pew in the most unreformed church in England. Whatever is done, beyond all question the whole parish have an exclusive right to the whole church.

Now, how should the arrangement be made?

Undoubtedly the present practice is, that the upper and middle classes have the distinct places, the lower class the collective space. This moves many excellent

persons to great wrath. Well, for myself, I will only say that I should have no objection to the plan being reversed, and I would even run the risk of disgusting or alienating the two former classes; but I would not reverse it, for the reason to which I have already alluded, and which I think quite conclusive-that I am very sure it would be distasteful to the poor themselves. I would speak similarly as to the question of the relative goodness or badness of places. It seems to me there should be made as little difference or inequality as possible in this respect. But as it must needs be that some places will be better to some extent than others, I can but repeat, that I would not give all the best places to the poor, for the same reason, that rightly or wrongly I am sure they would themselves dislike it.

I fear that this system is seldom fairly and strictly carried into effect-especially as to resuming and reallotting seats according to changing circumstances. I have heard of a parish where the people meet once a year to do this. This would do pretty well: but it obscures and supersedes the functions of the churchwardens, whose right and duty it is to do so resolutely, not only once a year, but on each occasion as it arises.

There are several details in this matter: such as the amount of space to be left for the poor. This, by the conditions of the case, needs not to be co-extensive with their full number, as they cannot all come at one time. It should perhaps be the first question to settle; but it applies to the rest of the church as well, and this and other points need but common sense and mutual consideration to adjust. I shall not detain the meeting upon them.

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