CORRESPONDENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 146, 22 June 1877, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

LONG SERMONS. To the Editor o? the /Evening Mail.' Sir,— As the writer of a letter on the subject of sermons which was published in " The Week " last Saturday I wish to reply to some remarks upon it made by " A Looker On " in this morniug's paper. Passing over all personal allusions as being foreign to the subject under consideration, I assert that " Looker On " had no right to «individualise," as he calls it, and to jump at the conclusion that my comments had reference to a particular church, because, in Dutting a hypothetical case, I happened to select 500 as the number of a supposed congregation. Two thousand would have suited my purpose just as well, with 1820 as the proportion of them who prefer short to long sermons. My remarks were intended to be of general application, although I admit tbat they were called forth by a special occasion. Notwith- - standing th'ff anger displayed by my critic, I maintain the same position that- 1 took up last Saturday, namely, that short sermons would be much more acceptable to the large majority of the congregations that assemble in our churches, arid would be far more likely to make a lasting impression upon those to whom they are preached than long ones. I fear that the clergy, as a rule, regard the men and women who compose their congregations as they would have them to be rather than as they are, and I therefore think that ; this little it carried out in a temperate man ner] may be the means of doing some good in the direction of giving to our Ministers^ a larger acquaintance with the views of the people on a subject that the latter natutally feel' some little delicacy in touching ujpon when conversing: >ith their pastors, lf lam shown* to be wrong, which Ido not for a moment anticipate;: l shall be quite willing to admit it, but if: those who are in the habit of attending outyeburches will oaiy speak out publicly as freely^as they do when talking among themselves,! feel sure that both preachers and hearers will have cause to ;be thankful to me for having broached the subject. I have only time today to write, very brieflv, but I could not allow the letter of " Looker On." to pass unnoticed. f If, however, there should be any disposition to continue the discussion I shall be quite prepared to take my share in it. I have only to express the hope that, should others enter the lists on the same side as " Looker On " they, will not follow their leader in indulging in impertinent and uncalled for personalities. I am, &c, Church Goer.