Page:Dr Stiggins, His Views and Principles.pdf/75

 sang us "The Holy City," and I said a few words on "Institutional Christianity: or, It Doth not Appear what we shall be," words which I trust may not be altogether fruitless. Your interest is very kind: I merely demonstrated that we had good reasons for believing that Christianity, which in the earliest days was a pleasant social club on a liberal basis, would probably return to these lines after centuries of error, and find its centre in the social tea, the true sacrament of our enlightened times, the Agape of the Protestant Christian. Well; to return to this especial gathering; harmless games were resumed by the young people in the dusk of the evening, the garden resounded with their simple mirth, and so a happy day came to a close. Will you believe me, I searched the morning papers in vain for any account of our proceedings; and yet in one paper there was a long review of some work on the Early Fathers by a Dean of the Establishment, while another contained an article not only advocating Socialism, but (by sly hints), dogmatic Christianity!