THE PRAYER BOOK

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 113, 10 February 1928, Page 9

THE PRAYER BOOK

AMENDED FORM APPROVED BY HOUSE OF LAITY CHURCHES PRACTISING RESERVATION The House of Laity approved the amended Prayer Book by 196 votes to 80. The revision has to be taken yet by al! the Houses sitting together. By Telegraph.—Press association. CoPYRIGHLondon, February 8. Addressing the Church Assembly the Archbishop of Canterbury said that the bishops believed that the number of churches ’.n which continuous reservations were practised was well under seven hundred. This figure represented between 4| and '5 per cent, of the total number of ; churches in England. Replying to Canon Partridge, the Archbishop said that the percentage was calculated on the number of parish churches. Replying to Lord Hugh Cecil he said that continuous reservation was practised in about eighty institutions, including hospitals and such like. He was unaware how many had any form of devotion. The House of Laity approved the Prayer Book bv 196 votes to 80. Most of the'speeches fell under one of three categories—(l) A plea for general approval, leaving details for Thursday’s revision stage; (2)- a refusal to approve the measure because of the legalised continuous reservation; (3) an appeal to postpone the measure in the hope of securing general agreement, and thereby obviating the risk of the House of Commons again rejecting the book. Lord Selborne, who presided, said that when the House of Commons rejected the book it acted within its rights, but the action was unprecedented. There was a pro-book majority among the English members, and the opinion of the English people would prevail in the long run, not the opinion of the Scots, Irish, and Welsh. He appealed to the delegates to forget Parliament. They were responsible only to their constituents and consciences. All the Houses will take the revision to-morrow.—A.P.A. and “Sun.”