“There is,” says the parson, “as you will see, only one parish church, though as the town has grown other chapels have been added in other quarters, each of which is under a vicar who is one of the general body of parish clergy. The whole town forms one parish and the whole body of parochial clergy sit together to deal with the spiritual affairs of the town, while all the free burgesses meet in common to deal with the temporal interests of the parish. No, there are no denominational divisions. Each town as it is founded is made up only of those of the same religious convictions, and thereafter none is added who is not of the same belief. Denominationalism is inconsistent with unity of action, coöperation and true democracy, and however much the laws and customs of the Walled Towns may vary (and there is no little diversity) in this there is complete unanimity. No one is of course constrained to go to church or accept the ministrations of the clergy, although refusal is practically unheard of. There have been cases of those who have lost their faith, but sooner or later this means their withdrawal from the town itself. The parish church is actually the centre of spiritual life of the community. Its services are very numerous, particularly on Sundays and holy days, and it is, as you have seen, a sort of synthesis of all the arts raised to the highest attainable level. Each guild has either its own chapel or altar, and once a year it holds a great service at which its members are bound to be present.” “The relationship between the Church and civic life is, I suppose, about what it was before the Reformation. Religion enters into all the affairs of life as it did then, and the visible manifestations are pretty much the same. You will have noticed the many shrines and statues in all parts of the town, and you can also see within a few days’ time one of the many festival processions through the streets. In the Walled Towns religion is not a hidden thing, nor is it segregated in a few places and confined to one day in the week. In the world outside the walls, where the old sectarian divisions still continue, this realization of religion would be impossible; but within the walls, because of the unanimity of conviction on the part of those that are drawn to any particular town, it is not only possible but inevitable.”