from each other in new and infinitely more numerous combinations. The ideal of one time and people is widely different from that of another time and people, and the attempts to embody the one prove utterly inadequate to express the other. The "high places" of the sun-worshipper, the sacred hut of the African savage, the temple of the more educated polytheist, the holy place of the Jews, the cathedral of the mediæval ages, the parish church and the chapel of our own fathers have, in their time and place, served to express in some degree that ideal which, had he been able, each worshipper would have realized for himself. Nevertheless each of these places has failed to satisfy all the desires of the succeeding age. Dissenters themselves are now, in many places, feeling that the meeting-houses which ministered to the wants of their forefathers are not adequate to express the ideal which they are forming of the dwelling-place of the Church.

The dwelling-place of the Church. Herein lies the great difference between the true nonconformist and nearly all others who have erected places of worship. When a people have passed out of a state of simple fetish worship, and begin to regard the Deity as an intelligent being, they also begin to localize this intelligent being, and to say, "God is here more than He is there; this place is holy, that is profane." Whether-as before-it be the African keeping watch over his God, or the Greek inquiring of the Delphic oracle, or whether it be the Jewish high priest entering the most holy place, or the Sacramentarian Christian bowing before the eucharistic emblems in the chancel, all agree in acknowledging that God is before him in some special and super-ordinary manner. Now it is the characteristic of all reformers, and of all good men, in their higher flights (in many men often recurring) when they rise out of their creeds into a personal communion with God, that they repudiate with energy this narrowing aspect of God either with regard to His being or to His goodness. It is the especial province of modern dissent to assert this principle of the universal and all equal presence of God. The very key note of dissent, apart from its political aim, is this, that the individual believer

himself, and he only, in any special sense, is the temple, the dwelling-place of God. The influence of this belief upon our ideal of a chapel should be that, whilst all other worshippers are bound by every sense of congruity and reverence to bestow their richest and their best to beautify the house of God, His immediate dwelling-place, the dissenter is, in a like manner, bound to look most closely after his inward life and outward conduct, but must have some other motive for building his chapel.

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Widely different have been the ideas as to the work of the church as well as to its treatment of those within and without its pale. But all must admit that the church is itself but a means to an end-the end being to bring all men into conformity with the will of God, and to a resemblance to the " press image of His person." By whatever name we call ourselves, and whatever may be the articles of our belief, we adhere, or should adhere, to that name and subscribe to those articles only because we believe them to be useful as 66 levers in the building up of character." That character is the character of the perfect man in its restitution to that original likenessthe likeness of God-in which, it is said, he was first created; created with all his wants, with all his capabilities and powers, with all his yearning after an infinite truth, an infinite knowledge, and an infinite love. The work of the church is to supply those wants, to develop those capabilities, to satisfy, as far as possible, those infinite yearnings. The church has done but a fragment of its work when it has brought men within its fold. It must feed them when they are brought in, and, moreover, it must offer food to all who are not within the fold. As a building grows little by little until it is perfected, so should all inen "seek to excel to the edifying of one another in love." Wherever, then, there is an opportunity of raising men, of breaking the chains of poverty, of lifting men out of the slough of ignorance and the deeper pit of wilful sin, there is work for the church, and the duty of the church is to accomplish that work. If this be true-and who will deny it?

our ideal chapel will differ very much from what it would have been if we had been content with a narrower idea of the duties of the church.

We must defer till another time the consideration of limits to be imposed upon this general principle, and the cautions to be observed in its application.

In detailing the work of each church our first thought is naturally directed towards that which is the mainspring of all our actions. Whatever of kindly feeling and of generous impulse we may have, it is the accepted gift of God. He is the single source of good. Inasmuch, then, as all springs from Him, the central desire of all Christians is to praise Him for His goodness, and to press the claims of that goodness upon those who do not recognize them. The building devised for the direct attainment of these objects we will, as usual, call the "Chapel," preferring, in the present instance, in accordance with the necessities of the English language, to apply the term "Church" to the " company of believers."

It has often been urged as a reproach against dissenters that they lay too great a stress upon the exercise of preaching to the comparative neglect of other portions of the Christian service. Whatever truth there may be in this, we must try and rectify the error without falling into the opposite error of rendering our building inefficient as a preaching place. We may, however, assume that, for all congregations who do not use a liturgy, the same qualities which make a chapel a good preaching place will also make it a good house for prayer. For such congregations as do use a liturgy the house for prayer will be none the less serviceable for being a good preaching place. We will, therefore, consider the points necessary for securing this latter object. The first upon which we insist is that there shall be nothing external to divert the attention either of worshipper or listener. All grotesque ornament and all unusual display, all, in fact, that will provoke criticism, should be rejected. There should be complete harmony and repose; not the stillness that can be "felt," as in many of our Gothic cathedrals and parish churches, but that stillness which is present without obtruding itself. All arrangement of seats which are likely to divert attention should likewise be avoided, such as side galleries or other seats which conspicuously bring the faces of the

congregation at right angles or opposite to each other. Large pieces of furniture, such as organ cases, highbacked chairs, and seat curtains, when placed in full view, are liable to divert attention. All such possible obstructions should be minutely considered. Care should be taken to secure ease of posture both in sitting and kneeling, ease without that luxuriousness which begets langour and sleepiness. It is further necessary that all the congregation should, so far as the building is concerned, be enabled to hear without effort. There are many aids to the attainment of this object which are generally recognised by those who are acquainted with the science of acoustics. Correct shape and proportions in the building and its details; the avoidance of large rectangular recesses and of lofty horizontal ceilings; the breaking up of large wall surfaces; the use of dry boarding in large buildings, and occasionally, perhaps, the discriminate use of cloth or felt hangings; these, and other devices, may be brought to determine the acoustical properties of a building. In connection with this question, the relative position of speaker and hearers is of great importance. This may possibly be best determined by experiment, though in a building planned syminctrically the best position for the speaker is, generally, the one common in dissenting chapels, on the centre line of the building. Very few of the audience should be behind the speaker, either to his right or left. The intensity of sound is greatest in its initial direction; in fact experience proves that the best lines of hearing and seeing are identical. The floor of the chapel should be inclined, and, as far as other conditions will admit, this incline should be a modification of Mr. Scott Russell's "Isacoustic curve." The end gallery, if there is one, should be constructed upon the same principles, and the height of the speaker's platform must be calculated with reference to both sections of the audience.

In preaching it is unavoidable that the speaker should he the central object of attention; and we must trust to the message and to the method of its delivery for hiding away the speaker. Not so, however, with prayer. It is altogether incongruous that he who leads the prayers of the people, should

himself be the object of attraction. Let him rather descend from his high platform and find a lower place, more on a level with his fellow worshippers, raised above them only just enough for his voice to be distinctly heard over the whole building.

With regard to the celebration of the Eucharist, we, who regard the bread and the wine as emblems, and the supper simply as a commemoration, should at once refuse to raise the communion table above the general level of the communicants, or should raise it only to enable the elements to be seen in their simplicity. As Baptists our position differs from that of other Christians. Maintaining that the sacrament of baptism is the public avowal of faith by the intelligent believer, the gist of the rite, as a rite, lies in its publicity. It is therefore incumbent upon us to provide means for its performance with as little disturbance as possible, in the sight of all present. The baptistery should, therefore, be raised considerably, and should be in full view of the congregation. Vestries for dressing should be close at hand, with the floors on the same level as the platform.

The musical portion of the service presents many difficulties. Whether the system at present in vogue amongst dissenters is conducive to devotion is

open to question. There can be no doubt that with many "the singing" is regarded as a physical relief, or as an agreeable opportunity for exercising, sometimes of displaying, their vocal or critical powers. That it is popular is equally beyond doubt. We must, however, bear in mind, that it is probably impossible, certainly unusual, for a building to be at once acoustically effective for speaking and for music. There are two reasons for the introduction of music into the service. On the one hand-as is attempted in the cathedral services, and in the choral services of our Ritualistic and Romish fellow-Christians-it is sought to produce musical services of a high class which shall, by their beauty, touch the hearts and soften the thoughts of the audience, and so bring them more into harmony with the object of worship. This is a distinct aim, and with many it does produce the effect intended. On the other hand, following the congregational theory, we may desire that

all should join in the service, and that each one should feel, not so much the effect of the music, as the effect and meaning of what he himself is singing. This, too, is a distinct aim. We must, however, confess that any attempt to combine the two results in failure. According to the inclination of the individual congregation the aesthetic or the intellectual worship suffers. There is, however, a certain effect to be gained by congregational singingthe contagious effect of heartiness. If this effect, combined with due decorum and reverence is to be obtained, the tunes must be well known and simple, without being monotonous. If an organ is used it should only be to give such a body of tone as may serve to collect and lead the voices of the congregation; it has, surely, no business to be in any conspicuous place, or to be set up as a handsome piece of furniture. The same principles will apply to the choir, if there is one. The ideal choir would appear to be one distributed over the congregation as so many centres, all in time and tune with one another, the result of previous practice.

Other matters requiring attention in planning the ideal chapel are—(1.) Lighting this should be subdued in quality, and not too great in quantity; either excessive or glaring light induces weariness and comparative blindness by the pain it gives to the eyes. (2.) Ventilation: this should be arranged so as to avoid cross draughts, and the means of effecting it should be capable of regulation. (3.) Warming: this should be similarly capable of regulation; the warmed atmosphere must not be too dry.* (4.) Wide passages, doors opening outwards, staircases without winder-steps, and spacious lobbies, are indispensable, and should be supplied in abundance, so as to admit of rapid exit in case of panic. (5.) It is highly desirable, especially when the chapel is situated in a frequented thoroughfare, that there should be a large forecourt, so that the inevitable loiterers of the congregation need not intrude upon the convenience of the general public.

*It would appear from scientific considerations, and it is also a curious instance of "correlation" that the atmospheric conditions best calculated to effect any one of these objects, viz., good hearing, good seeing, efficient ventilation, and agreeable warmth, are, at the same time best suited for effecting the other three.

But when the chapel is built, what will be the nature of the preaching work that goes on within? At the time of the consolidation of the Established Church in England, the Tudors, especially Queen Elizabeth, regarded with marked disfavour the preaching of original sermons. Two books of Homilies, to be read by the inefficient and disaffected, were prepared, containing "godly and wholesome doctrine," and were "judged" "to be read in churches by the ministers, diligently and distinctly, that they may be understanded by the people.' The training of the Universities, which is the usual precursor of the ordination, does not designedly develop latent powers of speaking. This and the system of presentation, by introducing to livings. those who have no special qualifications for the ministry, have doubtless had considerable effect in maintaining amongst a large section of the clergy a considerable repugnance to essays of pulpit oratory. The result has been, that, in by far the greater though happily decreasing number of parish churches, the sermon has assumed the form of a short essay or disquisition, more or less critical; in few cases can they be said to be impassioned addresses. Dissenters, on the other hand, more generally desire that the sermon should be eloquent sooner than critical, and appealing rather to the sensibilities than to the reasoning powers. But a religion founded simply in the sensibilities is too liable to prove very ephemeral; to use the simile of the great Teacher, it is like seeds which fell on stony ground, "forthwith they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth; and when the sun was up they were scorched; and because they had no root they withered away." We need to turn up the undersoil of our faith, and expose it to the healthful influence of sun and air, if the seed is to bring forth "much fruit." But in a chapel of any considerable size, this very size is a bar to an inquiry of a more discriminating character. Again the ethical and the theological are by no means the only branches of truth, the study of which tends to raise and to purify men. There are questions in Sociology, in Politics, in Science, in Art, many and subtle, which, if fairly and reverently discussed, tend to this great object. These questions, though

they fitly occupy the attention of the greatest minds, afford at the same time strength and encouragement to the humblest. The church, if it is to fulfil its work, must also provide accommodation for this, which may be called the philosophic teaching. The chapel will be too large for this, seeing that the audience will be limited, and the attention given must be direct and penetrating. A smaller room (call it the Lecture room) should be provided and arranged upon the plan of the most approved lecture theatres of the learned societies. The seats, semicircular on plan (or nearly so), should rise above one another upon the curve before mentioned; the table, with space for apparatus, should be on the floor level. The accommodation need not be more than one-fifth of the chapel. Connected with the lecture room there should be a small ante-room and cases for scientific apparatus and specimens.

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That the necessity for the church to take up this branch of its work is not exaggerated, is evident if we look round and read the signs of the times. When a few years ago there was a conference in London as to the reason that the "working classes" did not more numerously attend places of worship, there were continual complaints by the "working class" representatives that the churches neglected the questions which are now moving society. Many of the objections were doubtedly frivolous, but many were substantial enough, and clearly indicated the undercurrents disturbing modern society. There can be no doubt but that, on whichever side truth may be found, these objections need be only freely stated and freely canvassed for the truth to be manifested. But, with all the greatness of its mission, if the church leaves its work undone, it may rest assured that its influence will decay, and its power pass into other hands, whilst new combinations will be formed, religious or non-religious, to supply the wants and satisfy the spirit of the age. These searchings and upheavings are to be found not only in the so called "working classes;' everywhere they are abundant. Were every church to prove herself a priestess of truth rather than of a creed, and not only welcome, but, according to its power, give free scope to the fearless discussion of every

honest inquiry, what a power might it not become! It would not be the engine of any party, but with a strong and loving arm it would help the bound and struggling to the attainment of a higher destiny. Then, indeed, might the church be but the state under another aspect, because the honest and earnest men of every faith would be its willing members, and the loving members of one another.

A necessary corollary to the lecture room is a reading room, news room, and library combined. It would doubtless be an advantage if the chapelkeeper could supply tea and coffee. Smoking and strong drinks should be forbidden.

Much talk and considerable action is in some places taken on behalf of young men; but do the churches do wisely in doing so little to elevate the young women of their congregations? We refer to the young women employed in factories, shops, and domestic service. Would it not be highly useful to provide for these a room (with access to the library) for reading and working? These young women could find here society and a place of rest without being obliged to seek their companions in the streets, and their recreation in places of questionable

amusement.

What we urge is, that the church should take the initiative in providing wholesome pleasures and pleasant places for the non-capitalist classes. It would be an immense power for good if those who now seek in public houses and elsewhere the benefits of society, of warmth and of rest, could find those benefits equally well and at a less cost in places free from the evils attendant upon the places to which they now resort. It is not urged that the members of the church should supply these comforts gratuitously, but that they should start these institutions, and supply the means whereby they may become permanent; the participants should provide for current expenses by a small subscription, but the church should retain a decisive voice in the management, for the prevention, if necessary, of disorder and immorality, and for the maintenance of equality and freedom.

Intimately connected with the education of adults is the education of children. Sunday schools have been

called a 66 necessary evil." If they are an evil, they are nevertheless useful in counteracting the greater evils of parental incompetency, laziness, and neglect. Wherever the value of ground will permit, the school buildings should be separate from but adjacent to the chapel. Boys, girls, and infants should be separated, if possible; at least two class rooms each, for both boys and girls, are desirable. The school rooms should be divided out for classes, not too close together. Forms, with reversible backs, or with backs turning over to form tables, though somewhat expensive, will be of great convenience.

A day school should be established by the church, not for the promulgation of its doctrines, but as a recognition of its duty to the people. The cry is, "Educate! Educate!" If the church had but responded to the call of the times, or, better still, if it had but looked forward to the times to come; if, instead of waiting until the disease was epidemic, it had vigorously and in time applied itself to remedy the evil, we should not have had this pitiable demand for Government enforced education-a demand proceeding from men all liberal and anxious for good, but who, in common with all reformers, feel at last obliged to cut this most difficult knot, seeing no way of untying it.

The children's play should not be forgotten. Play helps a true development as much as book learning. The play-ground, placed behind the chapel, should be asphalted. When the cost of land is so great as to suggest the propriety of placing the school room under the chapel, there should be all round the building a wide asphalted area, excavated a little way below the level of the school floor. Means should also be taken to prevent the transmission of sound from the school room to the chapel.

Where people can be found willing and able to undertake the management of technical education classes, the church would do well in recognizing these efforts, and afford some means for carrying them out. The nature of these classes will of course vary in each district, but in no case would the expense be very great. Let a small fee be paid, but, in return, see that the classes are not spoilt by "makeshifts."