Those two great hellfire-breathers, John Calvin and John Knox, demanded that the Ecclesiastical College at Geneva deny baptism to children whose parents were not in good church standing. They failed, but ever since, the subject has risen periodically to plague Protestant parishes. Can any child be turned away from the font, however lapsed or feckless his parents or godparents may be? Yes, indeed, say some hard-boiled clergymen.
In England, the Anglican Church Times put the problem on to boil again. "It is common knowledge that, in the present state of England, many parents bring their children to the font to be 'done'...
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