Another much diminishing store of treasure belonging to our churches is the church plate.  Many churches possess some old plate—­perhaps a pre-Reformation chalice.  It is worn by age, and the clergyman, ignorant of its value, takes it to a jeweller to be repaired.  He is told that it is old and thin and cannot easily be repaired, and is offered very kindly by the jeweller in return for this old chalice a brand-new one with a paten added.  He is delighted, and the old chalice finds its way to Christie’s, realizes a large sum, and goes into the collection of some millionaire.  Not long ago the Council of the Society of Antiquaries issued a memorandum to the bishops and archdeacons of the Anglican Church calling attention to the increasing frequency of the sale of old or obsolete church plate.  This is of two kinds:  (1) pieces of plate or other articles of a domestic character not especially made, nor perhaps well fitted for the service of the Church; (2) chalices, patens, flagons, or plate generally, made especially for ecclesiastical use, but now, for reasons of change of fashion or from the articles themselves being worn out, no longer desired to be used.  A church possibly is in need of funds for restoration, and an effort is naturally made to turn such articles into money.  The officials decide to sell any objects the church may have of the first kind.  Thus the property of the Church of England finds its way abroad, and is thus lost to the nation.  With regard to the sacred vessels of the second class, it is undignified, if not a desecration, that vessels of such a sacred character should be subjected to a sale by auction and afterwards used as table ornaments by collectors to whom their religious significance makes no appeal.  We are reminded of the profanity of Belshazzar’s feast.[33] It would be far better to place such objects for safe custody and preservation in some local museum.  Not long ago a church in Knightsbridge was removed and rebuilt on another site.  It had a communion cup presented by Archbishop Laud.  Some addition was required for the new church, and it was proposed to sell the chalice to help in defraying the cost of this addition.  A London dealer offered five hundred guineas for it, and doubtless by this time it has passed into private hands and left the country.  This is only one instance out of many of the depletion of the Church of its treasures.  It must not be forgotten that although the vicar and churchwardens are for the time being trustees of the church plate and furniture, yet the property really is vested in the parishioners.  It ought not to be sold without a faculty, and the chancellors of dioceses ought to be extremely careful ere they allow such sales to take place.  The learned Chancellor of Exeter very wisely recently refused to allow the rector of Churchstanton to sell a chalice of the date 1660 A.D., stating that it was painfully repugnant to the feelings of many Churchmen that it should be possible that a vessel