The million-peopled city
Garwood, John
1853
Lay Agency in a peculiar manner important with these Men.
Some of the foregoing circumstances are exceedingly painful to allude to. But they show the importance of every effort for the religious benefit of these veterans. The allowance of beer referred to in the previous extract, as existing in , has been since reduced from 3 to 2 pints a-day. | |
It is probably with men of the stamp of these pensioners that the importance of lay agency in imparting religious instruction has been remarkably shown. The importance of 2 chaplains is great, but it by no means suffices, without subordinate helps. These old men require very plain and familiar treatment. They are extremely fond of social meetings for prayer and exposition of the Scriptures, and will attend them with great frequency and in large numbers, when they will not attend daily prayers in the chapel of the Hospital. Having nothing to do also, it is really agreeable to them to have some one constantly among them, with whom they can converse without restraint. They will bear a much larger amount of religious visiting than other classes, and it is most important that they should have it. | |