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good Queen Bess . Ecclesiastical architecture is emerging from its recent disgraceful and degenerate estate—our new churches are less like stables than the structures erected half a century ago ; but if the modern Gothic emulates the reputation of our brother
Christopher , we have nothing new which can compare with the Abbey of "Westminster , or with the Cathedrals of York , Canterbury , or Salisbury . The genius of the past yet sleeps . But to return to purely professional matters , —What is the public to do when professional advisers differ among themselves ?
First of all , are these differences important ? Many of them certainly are insignificant , still the results may be serious . It cannot be , for instance , a very momentous question in itself whether goodlysized was candles should stand upon the communion-tables in our churches or not . In all , or most of , our Cathedrals and Collegiate Chapels , candles have stood quietly on the altar for centuries , and we never heard of their setting fire to the building , nor , till lately , of
their lighting the bad passions of the clergy into a flame . Now and then a London fog will , for half-an-hour in . the day time , so far obscure the " dim religious light" of a parish church , that it is a most convenient thing to have a pair of candles ready placed on the table : but we know clergymen who would rather prefer that the service
should stop than that such a " remnant of popery" should pollute his domain . On the other hand , there are very warm advocates for candles being not only at hand , but always lighted , even in the broad glare of day-light , as an indispensable symbol of some doctrine otherwise in danger of being overlooked . ¥ e confess we had rather trust
this question to the common sense of mankind than to professional , or even episcopal , decision ; for the bishops as well as the inferior clergy can be very furious when the question in dispute is utterly trifling and ridiculous . Unimportant differences in opinion may be traced through all the professions , and contentions about them have doubtless their influence in determining the respect due to professional theories .
But , again , important questions are not unfrequently at issue between professional combatants : and in courts of law every gentleman who addresses the jury is anxious to explain to them how
egregiously his " learned friend" has mistaken the bearing of the evidence ; and this often when an immense amount of property , or human liberty , or even life itself is at stake . And yet if to these worthy expounders of the law , a case is sent for a private opinion , it is about as certain that they will agree with each other as it is certain that they will disagree about the same point , or any other point , if it
come before them , or is about to come before them , m open court . Now , whether the diverse lights in which these questions are viewed in court be owing to the arrangement of the windows , so different from those dingy , dusky nooks called " Chambers , "—or whether it bo that the human mind is quickened in . its operations by the presence of an interested audience , and thus inspired to flights of magic eloquence after the manner of the Athenian orator who frankly told
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
good Queen Bess . Ecclesiastical architecture is emerging from its recent disgraceful and degenerate estate—our new churches are less like stables than the structures erected half a century ago ; but if the modern Gothic emulates the reputation of our brother
Christopher , we have nothing new which can compare with the Abbey of "Westminster , or with the Cathedrals of York , Canterbury , or Salisbury . The genius of the past yet sleeps . But to return to purely professional matters , —What is the public to do when professional advisers differ among themselves ?
First of all , are these differences important ? Many of them certainly are insignificant , still the results may be serious . It cannot be , for instance , a very momentous question in itself whether goodlysized was candles should stand upon the communion-tables in our churches or not . In all , or most of , our Cathedrals and Collegiate Chapels , candles have stood quietly on the altar for centuries , and we never heard of their setting fire to the building , nor , till lately , of
their lighting the bad passions of the clergy into a flame . Now and then a London fog will , for half-an-hour in . the day time , so far obscure the " dim religious light" of a parish church , that it is a most convenient thing to have a pair of candles ready placed on the table : but we know clergymen who would rather prefer that the service
should stop than that such a " remnant of popery" should pollute his domain . On the other hand , there are very warm advocates for candles being not only at hand , but always lighted , even in the broad glare of day-light , as an indispensable symbol of some doctrine otherwise in danger of being overlooked . ¥ e confess we had rather trust
this question to the common sense of mankind than to professional , or even episcopal , decision ; for the bishops as well as the inferior clergy can be very furious when the question in dispute is utterly trifling and ridiculous . Unimportant differences in opinion may be traced through all the professions , and contentions about them have doubtless their influence in determining the respect due to professional theories .
But , again , important questions are not unfrequently at issue between professional combatants : and in courts of law every gentleman who addresses the jury is anxious to explain to them how
egregiously his " learned friend" has mistaken the bearing of the evidence ; and this often when an immense amount of property , or human liberty , or even life itself is at stake . And yet if to these worthy expounders of the law , a case is sent for a private opinion , it is about as certain that they will agree with each other as it is certain that they will disagree about the same point , or any other point , if it
come before them , or is about to come before them , m open court . Now , whether the diverse lights in which these questions are viewed in court be owing to the arrangement of the windows , so different from those dingy , dusky nooks called " Chambers , "—or whether it bo that the human mind is quickened in . its operations by the presence of an interested audience , and thus inspired to flights of magic eloquence after the manner of the Athenian orator who frankly told