One hundred years ago
Canon MacColl has achieved a re- markable success in the City by uniting with him the Nonconformists of his parish in an earnest effort to enlarge the usefulness of his church in Botolph Lane. On Thursday, the Dean of St Paul's preached in that church a sermon of rare beauty and power on the con- stant struggle between the downward and the upward forces at work in our world, — the steady decay and the steady renovation, — throwing out a curious hint, which he did not develop, that men may hope not only to attenu- ate some of the most permanent of the disintegrating causes at work in Society, but perhaps absolutely to extinguish some of them. We should like to know to what the Dean referred in this last suggestion. After the service, a lunch was given in Fishmongers' Hall, under the auspices of the Fishmongers them- selves, in which the unique feature presented itself that High Churchmen and Dissenters appeared together in hearty co-operation for the spiritual good of the parish whose church had just been restored and beautified. There were able statesmen present. Lord Napier and Ettrick spoke with an ability which made men wonder at his habitual silence in the House of Lords; and one of the youngest, Mr G. W. E. Russell, made two speeches as humor- ous as they were earnest; but, after all, the feature of the festival was the striking mutual respect and good-will between Canon MacColl and his Non- conformist ex-Churchwarden, Mr John- ston, who spoke on the charity which there ought to be amongst Christians.
Spectator, 1 November 1884
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