text:  The churches of England and Scotland during that period have improved to an astonishing degree in vigour and efficiency: new life a warmer spirit a holier ambition has been breathed into the Establishment; the dissenters of all denominations have vied with them in zeal and effort; churches and chapels have been built and opened in every direction; and though they have by no means in the manufacturing districts kept pace with the increase of population yet they have advanced with a rapidity hitherto unheard of in British history