272 DISTINGUISHED CHURCHMEN
there was nothing in the church that could be called up-to-date or attractive, Mr Molyneux, who, by the way, was my uncle, was responsible for it being crowded in those days. It is interesting to recall that Mr Molyneux preached regularly for more than an hour, and people never found it too long except the worldly ones. I say it is interesting to recall that, because now, you know, according to the decision of a judge who was questioned on the point, clergymen should preach for twenty minutes, with a leaning towards mercy !
" And what was the condition of the parochial organisation in those far-off days ? "
" I hope it will not be considered deprecating when I say that Mr Molyneux was essentially a preacher. He would not appear upon the public platforms, and there was no parochial organisation. But there were splendid collections on particular occasions. Mr Molyneux was followed in 1873 by the Rev. C. D. Marston, but he died suddenly in 1876. Strange to say, the moment I saw the announcement of his death, I was led to pray every day without knowing why, for I was perfectly content in the family living on my father s estate that the right successor might be appointed to this church. In about eight weeks, much to my surprise, I received the offer of the living from Sir Charles Freake. On coming I found that Mr Marston had attempted to organise work for his people. One of the things he did was to take over
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