in the
substitution of Moveable Tables for fixed Altars about the year
1552, which determines its interpretation to exclude the north
end. In those churches where the Table was placed with its long
sides north and south, the Priest moved with the table, and stood
at the same part of it as he had stood in the use of it as an altar,
that is, at the centre of one of the long sides, though he no longer
faced the same part of the Church, and now looked to the south
instead of the east. But when Archbishop Laud pressed the restoration
of the table to its ancient position,--a restoration which has
become universal,--the question at once arose as to the position of
the celebrant, and some of the High Church clergy placed themselves
at the north end of the table placed 'altarwise,' alleging that
they were in this manner conforming to the rubric. They were at
once met with the reply that 'side' and 'end' were not convertible
terms, and it was urged that the rubric could not be complied with
at all, unless the table were set with its long sides north and
south. It is thus clear that the use of the end was disputed from
the first, and treated as an untenable innovation. Now that the
altars are universally placed so that only one of the long sides
is accessible, the rubric can only be literally complied with by
the celebrant standing at the northern portion of that side.

It seems, however, absurd that when the altar is restored to its
place, the Priest should not be restored to his. It is further to
be noted that the regarding the word 'north' rather than the word
'side,' and the placing the Priest at the north end of the altar,
has the disadvantage of making the practice of the English Church
unlike that of all the rest of Christendom. For all the ancient
historical Churches place the celebrant in front of the altar,
while the Protestant sects, even those that seat the communicants
round the table, place the Minister at the centre of a side, and
not at one end.

There is no direction for the Celebrant to kneel on reaching the
altar, and it is contrary to general Catholic usage to do so. Any
private prayers he may use then, he should say standing.

It should be remembered that the service is for the congregation,
not for the Priest alone, and therefore they ought not to be
detained for his personal convenience. He has not the same liberty
of private devotion as the individual members of the congregation,
and should carefully r