platform behind it, on which are semi-circular seats for the priests, who face the congregation. Side altars are rarely used. The priests celebrate barefooted. Communion is in both kinds, and is administered to very young persons. The vessels, censers, and covers of books are silver. Crosses are used, but I saw no crucifix. There are shrines containing relics, and many pictures, the chief picture that of Our Lord in the attitude of Benediction. "For what purpose," I asked, "do you use pictures," and pointing to one of the Virgin Mary, "for adoration?"
"Oh no," was his reply, "God will have no worship paid to any but Himself, His only Son, and the Holy Spirit."
There are no organs, but bells and cymbals, with triangles, are used; no images; their sacred calendar is much the same as ours, but contains many local saints. Of all Christian communions, the Copts alone have a day—January 18th—to commemorate our Lord's baptism.
The Copts number more than a million, the direct descendants of the first Christian churches in Egypt. Their conversion took place about the time of Diocletian's persecution, 300 A.D., and included the whole population of Egypt. At that time the native language was the ancient spoken language of Egypt. It did not exist as a written language, except in the form of hieroglyphics, which had long ceased to be understood. No one could read them. It was necessary to give the converts the Bible, and a Liturgy, which was in the main the Liturgy of St. Basil, and other Christian documents, and as the letters of the Greek alphabet were known by the people, they were used to represent the sounds of the old-spoken language, the ordinary
