of this that the church as a building may speak to devout hearts.

{37}

_Arrangement and Furniture of the Church_

A person coming into one of our churches would recognize at once a
difference between its interior arrangement and that of many other
places of worship. If he thought out the purpose of this arrangement,
its adaptation to various forms of divine service and religious uses,
he would feel that "here is a place where people are taught to worship
the Lord in holy rites, and where forms and spaces and objects are
themselves teachers of holy truths."

From the door a broad alley (commonly but improperly called an aisle),
running lengthwise of the building, leads to the chancel. It suggests
that the approach of the people, for the blessings and {38}
consolations which are dispensed there, is made convenient and is
invited.

The place of prominence in the furnishing of the church is given to the
_Altar_--a table of stone or wood on which the sacrament of the Holy
Eucharist is celebrated. It is raised several steps above the level of
the choir and is railed in. Covering the Altar is an _Altar-cloth_,
embroidered, and varying in color with the seasons of the Christian
Year. The portion covering the front of the Altar is called the
_frontal_; that covering the top of the Altar and simply a few inches
of the front is called the _super-frontal_.

Back of the Altar, and raised above it, is a narrow shelf, called the
_retable_, upon which the several ornaments of the Altar are placed.
In the center is the _Altar-cross_, that this holy symbol of our Faith
may be constantly before the eyes of all who worship. The _vases_ to
hold the flowers with which the Altar is beautified on festal occasions
stand at either side of the Cross. The _candlesticks_, in churches
where lights at the Holy Communion are used, stand at the ends of the
retable.

Behind the Altar, in many churches, is the _reredos_--a carved or
sculptured screen of wood or stone, frequently extending the whole
width of the {39} sanctuary. Sometimes a painting takes its place, or
a _dossal_--a decorated curtain of as rich material as circumstances
will allow.

On the south side of the Altar is a small table or shelf, called the
_credence_, on which are placed the elements of bread and wine until
such time in the service as they are offered for consecration on the
Altar. Here also the _alms-basin_ is placed before the Offertory, and
the _