The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1845-06-15
NEW YORK HERALD
Church-BuIiding and Cha,ch-csoipg IN New
York.

dence of superior goodness, New York may Ger
tainy be justly regarded as a city Astounding IL
grace. Costly and spacious temples, dedicated &c
the service OF Christianity, springlng upl all di.
reconS The difleren. religious denominations are
rivang one another in church building ,andthe grand
struggle appears TO be, not so much which can be
most orthodox, as which can erect the most magnl-
ficent places of worship. Almost all the old, plain
and unpretending edfces in which the plous citi-
zens of the last generation prayed and dozed, have
been torn down. and their places are now occupied
by the stores and warehouses of the followers of
mamuon, whilst uptown, in the fashionable far.
bonrgs, new churches decorated outside and inside
like the palaces of kings, open their gates TO tie
gentcel children Of Zion. And New Workers are
not only churchbuilding but also church-going
people. II is decidedly vulgar not to go to church.
A wellcushoned pew in St. Paul's or DIR. Skin
ners, is as essential TO responsibility as box at the
Operaa drawing at "the Sprngs''in the season.
or black servant in blue and red flannel with silver
gllt buttons And so on every Sunday in this godly
city-the genteel churches are we-filled-silks and
satins rustic bravely in the crowded aisesin soft
and sleepy tones, the rounded periods drop like no.
ney from the lips of the oily preacher and the fash
ionable congregation is cold, as formal, and as
dead as ldy-mindedness can make it. Heaven
pites-Hell laughs-and the angels veil with their
wings their saddened faces and their weeping eyes
Often have contrasted the aspect of one Of
these fashionable temples, with that presented in
some humble country church far away from the din
and turmoil of the crowded haunts of men. One OF
these scenes comes up now wildly before us and
II may not be amss TO try and paint lit was
lovely Sabbath morn, and all nature sang hymn in
honor of the sacred day
The bridal Of the earth and sky
As we proceeded to the village, the tinkling of the
church bells fell with clear, soft cadence on the
ear, and borne far away among the hills, where
il was heard echong like the faint Of distant
music. Every farmhouse was now contributing its
group TO the. numbers proceeding to the house Of
God, and by the time we reached the outskirts ofthe
village, the road was thronged with the assembling
congregation. No snowy equlpage came rolling
by-no sleepy son of acknowledgements, nor rich
born daughter of luxurious Incidence glorying IN
her tnselry, were there. But the children OF toll
and industry assembling there to kneel at the
free affairs erected by their fathers for the worship OF
the true God-mayhap on spots erst deiied by hea-
then sacrifice. The majority of those pro-
ceeding TO the sanctuary were on foot; occa-
sionaly, however, plain, but commodious and COM
Portable four-wheeled wagon slowly passed con-
veying family from distance, or invalids and ell
DERBY people; with due accompaniment of chill
dren. When entered the village, the public
services had not yet commenced, and the people
were standing in little crowds on the green in
front of the injecting house." Little knots of the
fair and blooming farmers daughters, arrayed in
modest robes of dazzling wilderness, were inter-
changing friendly greetings, and occasionally some
lighthearted damsel turned for moment, with a
sly glance, or sunny smile, toward group Of
young men, standing so seriously, with an air OF
awkward solemuity, and evidently conscious of the
unwonted restraint Of their holiday apparel But
"the minister approached from the 'sesslon-house,
and with a modest dignity entered the church,
which was soon filed with worshippers.
After brief and expressive prayer, psalm was
sung by the congregaton-the whole assembly
joining in the sacred melody No pealing organ,
scientific choristers, there; but the strong
cle,r voice of manhood, the melting tones of wo-
man, the soft accents Of YOUTH and the feeble notes
ofsge all mingled in solemn, heart-bom song OF
praise. The tune TO which the sacred words were
sung,was of those paintive airs which tradition
records as having been in frequent use among the
suffering Covenanters, in the stormy days of the
Scottish persecution, and what thrilling interest
psalm! The minister next announced the text
from which he intended to discourse, and sound
like shower of leaves in autumn rustled through
the church, as old and young turned over the pages
of the Book, in seeking for the passage After the
sermon, another psalm was sung; and then tn,
minister, in low voice, said" The parents may
now present their children for baptsm.' sub
dued murmuring sound throughout the church was
ha,rJ ,r
mein, slowly walked up the middle aisle toward
the fl INT of the pulpit where the fathers took
their helpless offspring in their arms, with
an awkwaidness that had wthal solemn and
touching pathos. As the pastor descended from
the pulpit, TO perform the simple rite, there was
general movement in the gation-foms were
seen bending over the humble galleries, and Joyous
young faces where awe and curiosity were strange
ly blended, peeped from behind the pews but when
the names of the infants. MARY and "Joseph .
pronounced, and the baptism was finished, there
was perfect stiffness throughout the assembly,
seemed as if an angel had overspread the people
with his wings, so hushed and holy was the calm
We have the naughty supporters of faith ''by
law established" assemble on the Sabbath in tur-
reted and consecrated cahedrals; have witnessed
the deroti0s Of purse proud OF successful com
merce, in marble and gilded ediiices-but we never
saw among them the holy iervor OF the simple wor-
ship offered within the woodruff walls of that
owly village church
And such is the fervent, simple and heartfelt man
in which, on this blessed sabbath day, the great
Creator will be worshipped in hundreds and hun
dreds of churches throughout the land The people
Of America-the great in fluental middle classes
ale religious people. Worldly vanity, and cold
and formal Pharisaeism may be met with in many
of our city churches, and also throughout the land
but we do believe that hypocritical professions of
hgion are confined in great measure to those viii
ted sepulchres, where mammon and fashion yield
the lip, but not the heart, to God And SO it is, that
IN city and country--every where throughout the
broad territory of the republic-we find the honest,
upright, industrious middle classes-they who es-
chew violent party politics, who laugh at the