Sunday dispatch. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1845-1854, 1852-03-28

turned upward, I saw Calvin Peterson ME
face ali wet with psrspiration; and it was
his voice / heard
''Now brethren let us pray
And CalviD's too was the voice of prayer.
It was 3 violent. decLamstory, passionate ap-
peal to the Creator, who vas spoken to in
an earnest but familiar style. and invoked
many times to come there, and be present in
the midst Of his worshippers. Nor was Cal
WINS prayer without feeling. He supplicated
for all, for his own children, (Tom was with
me, but had not the grace TO feel the least
ztfacted,) for all the wicked, the poor, and
he ignorant. Most of all, however, he
wished an indescribaole something- which
-5E'E,~--~-7vt GO &c 6Da most Important requisite
N making men what they should be-
"TOuch our hearts with fire, 0, Lord
break the rebellious rock make US to see
how wicked and utterly vile and helpless we
are without Thee 0, send down thy spirit
to he here, and dwell in the midst Of US Thy
spirit is what we most need, and having that,
20 have all - Is. SO
! Toward the last Of his prayer, Calvin strug-
gled violently for he had got the steam up,
and was under full headway The other men
inside Of the altar, and around it, they too
s1ayed their bodies like trees IN the wind.
And many an Amen and emphatic groan
we're interpreted from these, during Calvin's
prayer And even if it all we're without the
formality and literary refinement of some
other devotional outpoulings-a as it came
| thus fresh and genuine from the heart, Why
can we not suppose that it was as effective in
che estimation Of the Deity as even the most
polished and elegant applications
! The altar was fronted by railing in the
shape Of crescent and this railing had at
its foot wide cushioned step, stretching the
whole distance
KneeliUg on this step, as close together as
they could be, were many young girls, and
women. their faces bent in their hands, and
some of them sobbing violently. Occasion
ally one of the men inside the railing would
bend down and whisper to the girls, who
however, appeared to make no answer.
Pray for them, brothers, O, pray for
thcm!" said Calvin, pointing to these girls,
and to number Of men and boys. also, who
we're kneelng and crOuching; some Of them
fat on the floor, all around the space near
the altar
And Calvin would occasionally come out
and walk around among them, and, here and
there sto0p down and speak to them.
1t was good deal matter Of impulse with
Mr. Peterson Once, for example, at the
close Of hymn, he spoke cut in q loud voice :
"Let all those who love the Lord, rise from
their seats "
There was o pause, and, sad to relate, on
ly one individuaf, pale, shamefaced young
men, tailor's apprentice, responded to the
appeal
Then they sang. This was the best part
Of 1t. For they sang with will; and loved
best the wild, almost grotesque tunes that
there are so many Of IN America. What g
strange charm there is in the human voice
40 far ahead Of instruments, TO produce Ger
tain effects
could have listened to their singing ali
night. There was one song, in particular
intended to describe contest between the
SOULS inclinations to religion on the one side
and worldly pleasure ca tho other.
so, come NY s u and / q US take,
AuevemnS walk becoming thee,
But waitaer dosf thou choo. e. We shall lake
cur course,
o, 10 Calvary or Getasemsne
''But CALVIN IN o vnouata'n h eb,
I'll too d ficulG % ts k or INC,
Aua have hesTd shere arc lious In the way,
And tar inTk On the pa % Gathsem aus'
ouvtT vvrO tiso- opening " r-s75 UHI7
popular old camp-mesting song, which then
vent on to describe, in a manner worthy Of
J ohm Bunyan, the struggle in The heart be
oosed to the dictates of duty. These stro0g,
even vulgar, allegorics always seize hold Of
the general feelings; and as for me, love
them yet
In the singing, all joined who were so dis.
posed end, though TO what is called cul-
Civated ear, there would probably be discord
enough, the congregation present at meet
ngs of this sort, have nothing Of that
TO annoy them. Nor am l sure but what
truly cultivated musical taste would have
experienced an unwonted charm in those
fresh, quaint tunes and hymns.
At an advanced hour Of the night, when
all parties we're pretty well exhausted, such
q revival meeting as have above described,
broke up, and the congregation poured forth
on their way homeward.
The revival meeting have described, was
as I remember them when Tom Peterson and
myself, boys of fifteen and sixteen years, used
to 20 Of Sunday evening, and sometimes
during the week, to these assemblages They
are petty much the same to this day.
Since We we're grown up, however, both
Tom and were mere delicate about going;
for Tom had a very natural idea that his
father did not make any great accessions to
his dignity by his conducE at these revivals
1t was on his return from such q meeting
| having been out pretty late myself, in a
different scene-that met Wiggleswortb.
rae old man was in high state Of excite.
mant attributed it to the religious fever
Rhich had now altogether penetrated him.
C jack" said he, taking my hand, and
sp saking in a very earnest, hurried manner,
want to have serious talk with you
My dear old fellow" answered, cit will
a' prove useless / fear l shall prove a
nner for some wears vet y
No, no. he cried, in a still more i'm
passioned manner, g it is nothing Of that
sort. 1t is about sin, to be sure, for it is
about Covert 0, Jack shall unravel the
most rascslly tricks Of that man to you --t the
most"
But, Wigglesworth, am not Coverts
keeper These things do not concern me.
'Ah there you are wrong again." cried
the old man. they do deeply concern you
they concern an innocent and much wropged
orphan, whom that scoundrel has in his
house, in position little better than ser.
want. They concern your birth and fortunes
0 they concern many things"
cold man. l said, little excited now
myself, "you are certainly out of your
Wits
''I do not blame you for thinking So" he
answered, " for | confess it is lwondrous
strange. But only hear me Promise to
come to my boarding house, and have talk
with me-let me see--the night after to-
morrow, and you will change your mind
To pacify him and start him homeward, as
much as with any hope of learning what
would interest me, / gave the required
promise Wigglesworth made me repeat it,
and then went his way without another
Nsad