Versicles, and Collect. The ferial office of Prime contains another set of preces leading up to the Confession and Absolution. Löhe gives both these forms in his Agende. The Evening Suffrages are the preces at Compline (8th "hour") without any changes. The closing Collects in both our forms are from other sources than the Breviary. The direct Lutheran source from which these prayers were transferred to our Liturgy was the appendix to Luther's Catechism.

It is to be noted that in the Roman Offices from earliest times both the Pater Noster and Credo are said in secreto as far as the sixth and seventh petitions in the prayer, and the two final clauses in the Third Article. These parts are used as Versicle and Response. In the General Suffrages the original use in the prayer was followed except that it is not said silently. The adherence to ancient usage is seen in the omission of the doxology of the prayer. By resolution of the Joint Committee the doxology was allowed; but none of the three Bodies inserted it. In the shorter Suffrages the prayer and Creed are said by all. Löhe preserves the ancient use.

The Anglican and American Episcopal Offices of Morning, and Evening Prayer have a mutilated remnant of the Suffrages in the preces there included as in invariable part of the Office. The American Order is the shorter, containing no Kyrie and having less Versicles and Responses. In both Orders the Creed precedes the beginning of the preces. While the English preces consists of six Versicles and Responses, and six Collects in each Office, the American has only two Versicles and Responses in the morning preces, no Lord's Prayer, and seven Collects; and in the evening, six Versicles and Responses, and seven Collects. The Collects vary for the two Offices. There is no Benedicamus in either form. Freeman, Blunt and others endeavor to show a parallelism between the consecutive sets of Versicles and Responses and the Collects which follow.

The rubrics of our own books are worthy of consideration.

any.

The General Suffrages have the rubric, "May be used at Matins or Vespers in the same manner as the Litany." The question arises whether it would be proper to use this prayer in place of the General Prayer as is done with the Bidding Prayer and LitThe rubric in the Chief Service says, “or a selection from the Collects and Prayers, or any other suitable prayer, (See pp. 132154).'* This would seem to include the use of the General Suffrage at least. The other form, it can be seen readily, does not contain sufficient of the elements of the General Prayer. The special rubrics for the shorter forms contain a fruitful suggestion: "At the Morning Prayers of the household" and "At the Evening Prayers of the household." The original Matins and Vespers were held in private houses-especially after the persecutions ceased,and in the history of our own Church these Offices have been used principally in the schools, until the adoption of the Vesper Order for the Sunday Evening Service by the American Church. Might not our pastors find in these prepared forms an aid to their efforts to re-establish the salutary but waning custom of family worship?

The Suffrages may be sung or said; and the Lutheran musical authorities quoted in connection with the Litany will be found to have provided also for the Suffrages. The observation of Löhe as to singing the Litany on Sundays and saying it during the week is equally applicable to the Suffrages.

It will be noticed that nearly all the Versicles and Responses are taken from the Psalms. How they came to be selected and how they gradually took form we are unable to explain but they seem to be a remnant of the more abundant Psalmody of the early arrangements of the Offices.

The etymology of the word is interesting. It comes from the Latin suffragor, "to support with one's vote or interest;" hence a suffrage is "a vote in support of some measure." Thus it comes to mean assent. In the liturgical sense of the word we The G. S. and U. S. S. have the rubric but do not specify the pages.

give a suffrage whenever we assent by the Amen to the Collects, Prayers, Confessions and Hymns of our Services. In this particular form of prayer we give assent to the statement of each Versicle by the Response. It is not hard to understand why these should be called "General Prayers' nor to realize how their use tends to emphasize not only the universal priesthood of all believers but also their essential unity in thought and aim and life.

We can now appreciate slightly the helpful treasure which our Church offers her people in these three forms of responsive prayer. A little study, a little interest, a little thought, a little. explanation, a little use will soon reward us as pastors and people with large and numerous blessings. Dare any one charge the Lutheran Church with rigid formalism and deadening similarity of Service when these variables in prayer joined with the other variables of our Orders offer us the opportunity of an almost countless variety in our Sunday and Weekday Services?

Allegheny, Pa.

CHARLES KRAUTH FEGley.

THE USE OF STAINED GLASS IN ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE.

WINDOWS are the eyes of a building. As the eyes determine the character of a face for beauty or ugliness, so the windows are dominating factors in the impression which the structure makes upon the intelligent onlooker. There is nothing more aggressive in the inanimate world than light and light modified by passing through glass. On entering the House of God, the light by which it is pervaded, by its impression upon our senses, speaks to us the first word, whether we are conscious of it or not. While we are within the sacred walls, its influence is continually with us; and, on leaving the gates of beauty, it sends after us the last message we carry away. It is well worth the while, then, of those who are interested in the beautifying of the sanctuary and in the embellishment of its Services, to give earnest heed and sincere attention to the use of glass in ecclesiastical architecture.

This subject may be viewed from a number of standpoints. The study of its history is intensely interesting and profitable. Many valuable books have been devoted to this branch of the subject. An exhaustive study of glass in the decoration of churches would naturally open with a treatment of the history of the subject. After this there would logically follow a discussion of the technical processes involved in the making of the glass and its composition into the decorated window. It is not the design of this paper to enter upon a consideration of either the historical or the technical phase of the subject, but simply to define the more important principles which must be ob