Show the english church two centuries ago age it if you were to ask any person specially interested in the church of england not necessarily a clergyman of 0 that church which was the deadest dearest and lowest and feeblest period of the churchs churche existence he would without the least hesitation reply that the reign of george II 11 covered that period it is certain that the churches were what la Is commonly called ugly that is s to say they were built by wren or were imitations of Us his style and had gothing to do with early english or decorated r or even perpendicular also it Is certain that the congregations sa sat t in pews each family by itself that there here were some few pews of greater dignity city than others where here sat my lord mayor or the aldermen or the sheriffs or the tha masters of the city compan companies les it I 1 is also certain that all the churches had gall galleries 1 that the services were performed from a three decker that the sermon 0 n was preached in a black gown and that the clergyman called himself a minister and ID not ota a priest all these forms are area abominations to the latter half of the nineteenth century there were also pluralists the tile poor were left very cry much to themselves and the parish was not worked according to modern ideas walter debalt in ilar harpers |