Washington sentinel., 1854-02-07
Wastingtnn grntinsl.
Gerrespondence Of the New York Observer.
Irenaeus In Greece--a Sabbath In Athens.
ATHENS, Dec. I, 1853.

Perhaps you will get as clear an idea of the
religious movements here by sketch of sin
gle Sabbaths services as from more detailed
and historical notice of the missions in Greece.
The services in the Greek churches are
usually held at very early hour of the day,
often at seven in the morning butlast Sunday
there was a special service in honor of some
dead saint, and it began later. We went at
nine, and the sermon was already begun. 1t
was the church Of st. Irene, and there was
some reason to expect the king to be present.
He is Roman Catholic; the queen is
Lutheran; and their children, if they have any,
are to be educated in the Greek faith. The
king has the services of his church in the
royal chapel; the queen has hers in the same
place; and they both attend the Greek church.
To-day they did not come; but the house was
very full. The people do not sit, but stand
around generally; and the singular variety Of
costume, eastern and western, and mixture Of
both, gives motley yet picturesque appear
ance to the assembly. The poor, in their shag-
gy coats and dirty leggings, stand close by the
gaily-dressed dandies, who walk with strut
ike turkey cocks SO proud do they seeem Of
their white kits, red stockings, and darklaced
jackets, all surmounted by red cap and long
tassel. The women are not allowed in the
body of the church, they are standing up there
and then the men are looking wistfnlly up. A
priest in the pulpit is preaching earnestly in
the Greek tongue, holding his sermon in his
hand and reading it, with animated gesture
and good voice; while the people stand close
around him, and give fixed attention to his
words. The language is smooth and comes
fuently from his lips but with an accent SO diff.
ferent from the ancient Greek, as we pronounce
it, that / can catch only here and there word.
The moderns make no distinction between the
long and short and when the accent comes
on another vowel in the word, and this COM
pletely changes the sound of all the prominent
words in the sentence. We stood for half an
hour, and, as the preaching was all Greek to
us, we looked about at the pictures, which ~ere
meant to adorn the church and perhaps excite
the devotions Of the people. More conspicu-
Gus than any other was one Of the Trinity, in
which the Father was painted as venerable
man with a long white beard, the Holy Spirit
as dove lowering beneath him, and over the
head Of the Son. The Virgin Mary was very
we'll drawn on another picture, and then came
saints, male and female, to whom had no in
PRODUCTION, and could not learn their names.
After the sermon doleful wall was set up by
few men near the altar, or where the altar
would be in Romish church; probably it was
supposed to be singing, but such q groaning
and grating sound l had never heard under
name Of music. 1t was continued until to hear
it was intolerable. A company of gorgeonsly-
robed priests, in a room partitioned from the
church, and which might be the Holy Of Holes,
now marched around a table, bearing lighted
candles, and bowing themselves as they passed
before an image Of the Saviour crucifed This
was prolonged until we were sick and tired of
seeing it, and we came away The streets
were as full of people as the church had been.
Many of the shops were open, although the
law requires them to be shut during hours of
service on Sunday-a sort of license to have
them open the rest Of the day.
We walked up q narrow lane, and knocked
hard upon small gate in high stonewall,
which was Immediately opened and found our
selves in the garden before the humble resi-
dence of DR.. Jonas King. On another side of
his enclosure he has chapel where he for
merly held public worship on Sunday, but he
thinks it more prudent to have it now in his
own house. In long room on the ground
floor, we found company of thirty or forty
Greeks assembled, chiefly men-some Of the
members Of the University, one or two of them
occupying positions Of influence in the city
several females well dressed, and all sitting
with apparent solemnity and earnest attention.
DR.. King rose, and all stood up while he offered
pleasing tone of voice, that answered well to
the state of feeling in the room. Then he read
portion of Scripture from the New Testament.
Holding the book in my hand, was now able
to follow him, and to watch the countenances
of those who heard. 1t was an impressive
portion, embracing several Of the parallels of
our Lord, the marriage supper and the talents,
and was heard with great interest by the whole
assembly. He then took his text: aAnd the
door was shut" from which he presented the
necessity of immediate exertion to gain admis-
sion into the kingdom of Heaven before it
should be too late His manner was earnest
and often very impressive, as he pronounced in
that most melihuous of all tongues the word
Of life, and begged the listening souls to enter
the door without delay.
A ine-looking young man, sitting immedi-
ately in front Of the speaker, was greatly
moved. At one time thought he would start
from his seat and ask the preacher to take him
by the hand and lead him in. DR.. King has
SO long been accustomed to the eastern modes
of thought and expression, that he has happy
facility in illustration, which renders his ad-
dresses at once Ineligible and interesting In
the midst of his discourse, one of the officers of
the army in full military dress, entered, and,
declining thSoffer Of chair, stood with fixed
eve till the service was concluded. After SER
mon was prayer and the benediction, when
the company retired with decorum and solem-
nifty; as it appeared to me, impressed with
what they had heard. It was decidedly a mis-
sionary scene The strange costumes, the
foreign tongue, the singular manners, all
brought before me the sight had SO long de-
sired to see ; and it was special qualification
to me that the first scene Of the kind met me
in Greece, and under the preaching of this ven
cradle man of God, who had suffered SO much
for Christs sake, and whose name is so dear
to the churches in his own land. To be in
Athens is an event in any mans life, but to
hear Jonas King preaching the gospel at the
foot of Mars hill is JOY to be cherished in
memory even in Heaven.
And there was another scene less imposing,
but not less interesting, that followed that pub.
lie service. In a small room adjoining the one
in which we had been assembled, found
young lady, the daughter of DR.. King, seated
on low bench, and a group of Greek children
sitting in circle around her, each with aBible
in hand, while they repeated to her the pas