The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1845-05-26
Pen and Ink Sketches,


The BOSTON Atlas is publishing series Of exceed
nsy interesting articles, regarding celebrated Eng
lishmen, under the lite of "Pea and Ink sketches bg
cosmopolitan" The paper of Saturday has one
of the numbers. devoted mainly to description of
the person, and characteristics of the gifted
Baptist clergyman, RoBERT HALL Below are few
extracts.
Hrs PERSON. My father happening to hold the
office of Deacon in the Church where Mr. Hail was
To oflicatc, went Tin him, OIL the evening in ones.
ton, 10 he lace Of worship, and accompanied him
before the service commenced, into the yestry The
building although wanted yet an hour to the time
fixed FOR commencing the service was densey throng-
ed IN every part-and perhaps intellectual as
semblaSe had never been gathered together. So
popular was tho great oratorthat il no uncommon
thing for the Professors Oxford and Cambridge to
ehTe their respective Universities Saturday even
ings-pnst to Leicester some huadred and fifty miles
or so, hear two sermons from Hall, and return 10
their homes after the evening services thus sactf.
cling two nights rest for the sake of INDUCING in what
considered TO be one Of The highest intellectual
treats.
On entering the vestry found large number Of
ministers, and other sentemen assembled and whit
ing the arrival Of Mr. Hall.
Aner we had waited for about quarter of an hour
Mr. Hall made his appearance lie was rather be-
low the average height, stout, and incinng TO cor
pulency. His chest was very broad AMI capacious-
the face large,& its features massive II is eyes were
!nrge, dark and FULL and his forehead high and broad
The head which bald, except at the back, and
over the temples,ha Undesirable grandeur about
it. The worst part of his face was the mouth, which
was very large, aud the under lip somewhat proirud-
ed; the chin was large and PROTECTING This gave
an appearance of heavness to his general aspect
BrOugham said of his physiognomy, "Rober
Hall has facelhe upper part of which belongs TO
an angel, the lower to n Demon This was perhaps
describing it little too slrongy--bu the Ex-Chan-
cellor is not IN the habit Of mincing his phrases.
Hrs MANNER-HIs POWER. The services pre-
liminary 80 the sermon Ind nearly gone through and
the last verse of hymn being sung, when Mr.
Hall assembled slowly and thought YEARLY, the pull
pit stairs. No one, looking at his somewhat un-
wiedy and rather uugraceful fgnre,would have been
in his favor; and he sat down IN the
pulpit, and looked anguidly round on the congresa-
lion, experienced, know not why, a feeling of dis
appointment.
lie and read his teAt:'The Father o: Lights"
AT first, his voice scarcely audible and there APP
pearcd some slight hesitation but this off,
and as he warmed with his subject, he poured forth
such continuous stream of eIoquence, that il seemed
as if il flowed from inexhaustable source. His
tones were, although low, beautifully moGulated; but
owing TO affection in his throat, his speech
at short intervals, interrupted by Short spasmodic
cough. During the delivery Of his brilliant para
graphs the most breahless silence regned throughout
the vast assemblage ;but his nIomentary cessation
the signal Cor general relaxation from attention so
intense that it became almost painful 1t was curious
to observe how every neck stretched o,t that
not word which fell from those eloquent lips should
DO lost And the suspended brea,hngs of those u
round me evnced how intenty all were hanging on
his charmed words. Mr. Halls Auency was wonder
full, and his command of language unsurpassed. |
will not mar the beauty of his discourse by attempt
ing to describe ii; but followed him, whilst. by
his vivid imagination he conveyed his hearers through
The starry Skies and reasoned, from those lights of
The Universe, hat the Father Of lights must be,
became los; in wonder and admiration But the
browning glory of his sermon his allusion to the
heavenly wcrld, whose bea,ifc glores he expatia
ed on, with almost the eoquence OF an angel lie
,eemed like one inspired ard las he guided US by liv-
ng streams, and led over the celestial fields, he
,eemed carried away by his subject, and his face
,eaincd as iii reflected Heavens own light And
his was the man no, but an hour before, had lain
Town on the ground in the excess OF his agony; and
Who, from his earliest years. had constantly endured
he most eacrutia,ng torture which man can be call