THE divisions in the House of Laity during the discussion of the proposed alternative Communion Service indicate on the part of a considerable number of members, who are neither Catholic nor pugnaciously Protestant, both confusion of thought and a desire for compromise. The Protestants began with a motion to omit the Holy Communion Office altogether from the revised scheme. This was defeated by a narrow majority, a large number of members not thinking it worth while to vote in this most important division. The importance which the Protestants attached to it is shown in a letter from Bishop Knox in last week’s Record, in which he referred to the motion for omission as a means “for the preservation of pure doctrine and worship in our Church”. Then Catholics in their turn proposed a motion agreeing with the proposals of the House of Clergy. This, too, was defeated, and much more decisively. Again there were a large number of abstentions, and apparently some of the members elected by Catholic votes did not vote. A proposal that the 1549 Prayer Book should be the alternative — as is well known, this is favoured by some of the bishops and by at least one leading Catholic layman — was also rejected. And then, despite the protests of the Protestants, the House agreed by a large majority to accept an alternative form that provides for the use of vestments and for Reservation for the sick only. The new House of Laity, like its predecessor, has now definitely accepted the principle of Reservation, and it is remarkable that less than a hundred votes were given against it. On the whole, the proceedings in the House seem to us entirety unsatisfactory. The few speakers speak far too often. It is unfortunate, as our representative pointed out, that the members are all middle-aged or very elderly, but it would certainly be well that the voices of less known members should be heard more often, and that the loquacity of Sir Edward Clarke and his friends should be occasionally curbed.~

The Church Times digital archive is available free to subscribers.