Litchfield enquirer., 1836-03-31

-. . ""S SEc"teo me congregation in
the bowery. At half-past ten eEtored .
gateway-mounted a stair--Opened a Joor
aud found myself in small, neat rects~,
gular room, divided into two parts. With
about dozen of ladies, neatly dressed
sitting around large table with green cloth.
at the upper end of the room. 7 always
consider myself in civilized society when I
find myself in the presence Of colored bon
nets, with feathers on one side, or moss
rose on the other.
Around the tables were arranged about
dozen bibles and hymn books. AT the
upper end stood a silver cup with two
handles-and a slice of common bread on
salver-also small box with an aper-
TUE. Outside the enclosure number of
pews were created, each having also bible
and hymn book. Beyond this was stove
to Keep the apartment warm. The heath
en-, the unconverted, and the pretty Young
girls about two to ten years of age, sat out-
side. l sat among the latter cherubs. as
eager, as curious, as simple as the children
themselves.
AT the proper hour, the Chief of the COM
gregation entered, tall, good looking per-
sonage. He turned to the left, and after
bestowing kiss on one of the prettiesr
girls present, (piety has always a natural
attraction to pretty faces) took his seat at
the upper end of the table. He immedi-
ately stood up-read chapter of the New
Testament, aud afterwards said " Men and
brethren let us pray" A very good prayer
was the consequence. After this was clos
ed, he began sermon, which was short
and sweet. This done, he read a passage
from the New Testament, autllorising the
" breaking Of bread" then taking up the
slice Of bread from before him. he broke
of small pieee--put iatO his mouth, and
handed the remainder TO his left hand
neighbor. The slice then went round the
table in this way, each breaking off small
bit, as il had been wedding cake, till it
reached the Administrator, at the head of
the table. Another prayer. and another
hymn.
The Chief then took up the cup, which
was filled with wine-repsated text of
scripture-put the cup to his lips-tasted
it, and then handed it to his right hand man
who did the same, going round the table
precisely as the bread had done. The
bread and wine, it will be observed. goes
against the sun.
Another prayer-another hymn-anoth-
err small discourse-and then come the
browning glory of The whole ceremonies
the " Kiss of Charity" The leader got
up and said, "brethren and sisters, let US
greet each other with the holy Kiss of
Charity" This said, every person, male
and female, arranged around the table,
kissed each other right and left, men and
women-women and men. 1t was not Ell
Their mere dry buss Of the cheek-but a
regular teaM-power smack. that struck
home to the ear most charMingly-a real
meeting of lip to lip. almost said invol-
untarily-~ CAD wish were commune
cant for one day. by particular desire-I
should take my stand right between these
two pretty girls in white feathers asd braid
ed hair''--but being only heather, sat
and incurred among the children beyond
the outer railing, as the ancestors Of Ma
ior Noah did by the Eivers Of Babylon.
! After the kissing operation was closed,
the whole church fell to work and sung a
pretty psalm Of praise for the mercy voush-
safed in that delightful ceremony. It is
remarkable that some Of the principal GER
emonies in every religion are eating, drink
ing, kissing, embracing, &c. The natural
functions Of nature are invested with di-
vnily which do hedge them in for relig-
iousness.
/ knows nat the name Of this new sect
but they profess to reject all Catholic-all
Protestant doctrines and practices with
equal pertinacity. They avow themselves
to be actuated as the early Christians were
before Christianity became associated with
politics, statesmen, emperors, kings. or
worldly ambition. They deny any author
ity from Heaven to build churches, or ex-
pend money in endowing clergymen. Re
ligion is a matter of domestic use. Every
mans house ought TO be his church, as it is
his Cas,le-every man ought to be his own
clergyman-every man-every head Of a
family has right to take the bible and
form his own creed, and to construct his
own ceremonies. Religion, according to
this sect, is not monopoly to be confined
to any particular set of men called clergy.
They are mere intruders upon the natural
rights Of society, and their conduct too fire.
quently show the effect of bad association.
For some time past, this independent sys-
TEN of religious association has been maxi
ing great progress among US. II is going
ahead like steam power. 1t is return to
original purity. In the first years Of Chris
tianity every mans house was his church
ard the head of family the priest there
of. What do parsons and priests by pro-
fession, know more than wet We have