THE IRISH CHURCH.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")
4SIH,—Tbe Irish Church is badly off at present, not only for funds, as you remark in your last number, but apparently for sympathy too. To the Bishop of Elphin's complaint that men rolling in wealth look placidly on without contributing a shilling to its re- endowment, you remark that such a thing is not at all unnatural, and that it is well the Irish Church should learn "that it is the support of the poor, and not of the rich, that gives life to a Church." Sound doctrine this, no doubt, but may I suggest that it will hardly be the more palatable to the community for whom it was intended, coming as it does from one of the most strenuous organs -of that party which helped to impoverish the Irish Church three years ago? "Blessed are the poor, my friends ; therefore let us make you poor, and you will find your loss of worldly goods largely -compensated by an increase of spiritual life." It may be that the person who holds this sort of language says a thing that is per- fectly true in itself, but coming from him it has rather the effect of irony. Besides, however true it may be that you have increased the intensity of spiritual life in the Irish Church by taking away her endowments, it is obvious that you have dimi- nished the means by which that spiritual life can work upon the -community. And who is to replace those means, now that the State itself is of opinion that they ought to be taken away ? For my own part, I ass by no means surprised at the abstention of many wealthy men from doing anything to refill the coffers of the -Church. I am only surprised that any men with money to throw away should think fit to give it to a religion which is now positively discouraged by the Legislature.—I am, Sir, &a., 78 Delaney Street, N. W., October 20. JAMES GAIRDNER.
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