Provinces.--The name given to certain grouping together of two or
more Dioceses for the more convenient management of the work and
legislation of the Church. The chief or presiding Bishop of the
Province is generally the Bishop of the metropolis or chief city
and therefore he is styled Metropolitan, and also Archbishop. In
England the Church is divided into two Provinces, Canterbury and
York. The Church in the United States is practically only one
Province. But the growth and increase of the Church here have been
so great, it is being found more and more necessary to seek a proper
division into Provinces, and steps have already been taken to this
end.
Psalter, The.--The name given to the Book of Psalms as set forth
in the Prayer-book for use in Public Worship. The Psalms were
originally set forth to be sung, not said, and this is the only
proper way of rendering them in the Church's service. The colon to
be found in each verse of the Psalter is put there to facilitate
chanting them. The present method of reading the Psalter arose
simply from lack of musical facilities in the early days of the
Church in this country; and because this method still prevails in
many places, the average Churchman thinks this is the proper way of
rendering them. This is a mistake, and in many parishes this mistake
has been corrected; the Psalter for the day being sung just as the
detached Psalms, such as the _Venite_, _Jubilate_, etc., are sung.
It is to be noted that the version of the Psalter {222} is not that
of the Authorized Version of 1611, but that of the Great Bible of
1540. This was retained in the Prayer-book because the people had
become familiar with it, and because it is more rhythmical and suited
to chanting. The Psalter is divided into sixty portions to be used at
Daily Morning and Evening Prayer and is thus designed to be read
through once a month. (See DAILY PRAYER.)