Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1845-08-09
PRAYING AGAINST TIME.


PRAYING AGAINST TIME.
We are glad to see tina, the infection Of long
prayers has at last elected groan from suffer
ing Christendon. We have been bored with
endless prayers beyond endurance. 1t is high
time for The press to take the pulp, in hand
We have suffered much by this species Of
mar,yrdom, in tho mines. The nuisance of
long prayers has become so intolerabe, that
hundreds have been driven thereby from al
tendance On public worship. II any thing can
insul, and DISCUS, the majesty Of high heaven.
i, mus, be to listen by the hour 10 the fusomo
adulalion and solemn barney Of man in a
black coat, who is all tho while praying for
" Buncombe." The following communication
on this subject We extract from the New York
Tribune, and we have no doub, DO, tho sen,i-
ment Of tho writer will be heartily responded
to in every part Of the Union, for the nuisance
has become universal -
To the Editor Of The Tribune:
Between three and four thousand
persons were assembled at the Broad.
way Tabernacle the other evening TO
hear temperance lecture from the
..iya.~i NJ Ga.,sL Th@-.
" long robed doctors" enough to have
constituted standing army. The Rev.
DR.. 49,, who opened the meeting with
prayer, got through in the very short
space of three quarters of an hour but
it was full long enough TO knock the
spirit Of the meeting into q F." cockcd
hat" Many persons left the house
long before its close, not thinking it
+" would pay" as the Yankees say, to
brave the heat and fatigue for what
they already knew and one Old gen
tleman, who sat Immediately opposite
the pulpit, hearing deep sigh, fetched
out melancholy "oh !" The preach
er told the Lord what n fine world he
had made, what large city New York
was, with its four hundred thousand in
habitants; what nice and brighs things
the stars were, what large Ocean the
Atlantic was, and how many large fishes
it contained, with full and extended
description Of his Maker, Of the ter
restrial and celestial worlds, as il He
who made them did not know what
they were like, until the whole audi
ence, tired out, became uproarous, and
blowing Of noses, coughing, and sundry
other noises became universal, until the
close of this everlasting prayer.
This reminds me OF an aged minis
ter in the State Of Virginia, who also
had this bad habit Of uttering long
prayers; moreover, he was rather deaf.
A pious stranger, who was passing u
couple of days at his house, was invi-
ted to conduct family worship, but ex-
cused himself on account of excessive
fatigue. The old man then undertook
the business himself, and prayed so
long that the stranger woke up one Of
his sons, who was snoring next to him,
and asked him whether he thought the
old gentleman had nearly got through. :
The youth inquired whether he had
got to the Jews yet. "No," says the
stranger, "but Pm very sleepy, and
wish to 60 to bed" "Well," said the
son, q when he gets to the Jews he is
just half way through, and no more,
and Pm going to sleep again.
"Then," said the stranger, a" I'm off"
and he left the room and went 70
bed. PUSGEST.
or We have no knowledge of the
particular case referred TO by our cor
respondent, but the making Of long
Prayers in public is very common
and most pernicious error, often fatal
to the spirit and intoot of prayer. We
trust this hint will be taken in good
part and acted upon.-[ Ed. Tri6.
On THE DRUNKARDs !-Potatocs
contain considerable whisky. Gener-
:. LIZ er.onlin fhn, .rn 40 I'LL