American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1855-08-11
From Tie Pdrlor Visiior.
A FASHIONABLE CHURCH.

in imagination ut least, to fashionable
church.-one with an organ, choir,
carpeted aisles, rented pews-with a
two thousand or twenty-five hundred
dollar ID. ID. ,--ProgreSsionist or Young
American as Pastor. Aud that you may
not charge us with hypocricy, lot US GO
as others do, "to sec aud be seen !"
put on, therefore, your best apparel, and
let us go early and take prominent
position. that we may the better observe
tho multitude, as ostensibly. they
| "Comc up to tho worship of God"
We are there: but finding no conduc.
tor, or sexton, seat ourselves about tho
centre of the house. Presently, how
over, very thin man, whose features
in fact, are whitfield off to the very point
of mental attenuation, informs us. 1.-The
pew you occupy is mine; please let my
friends here, and my family have it,
So politely indeed are we invited out,
that we almost feel obliged to the gen.
,leman; though fortunately for our e.
1nanimity aud comfort, an acquaintance
across the way beckons, and we enter
another seat, soon to have our attention
arrested by tho firm, elastic step of
plump, sleek, red completed, woll.fed
looking gentleman dressed in black,
bearing in his right hand kid glove.
a smooth silk hat, and white handker-
chief; in his left silk umbrella, gold
headed walking stick, and bunch of
rose geranium. He approaches, and
seats himself in the sacred desk, and for
a while we muse on the vanity of all
earthly professions and wish for some
one to reconcile the lavish cost of the
magnificent church edifice with the be-
lief in the eternal loss Of souls for
want of the bread of life-which, from
the extra cost of the rich voluto, hypert-
BYRON, and entablature, might have been
conveniently furnished to thousands of
persons who will otherwise perish in
their sins. But
| "IIark, that rustic of n dress,
| Stiff with lavish costliness,"
worn by one who, with lofty air, sweeps
along, and after eliciting general atten-
ton, reaches the door of her pew, and
twcrls herself in it.
After reading the 9th Psalm, "Let
the people praise thee. o God,-lot all
tho people praise thee. o let the ma
tons be glad and sing for Joy" ETC.,
the preacher announces the hymn. The
deep tones Of tho organ are beginning
to reverberate along tho walls; and
looking up, we see that all tho 7,rctfy
girls and a0elI.dresscd gentlemen, have
approached the railing, are standing O.
rect and singing delightfully."-. "Let ILL
the people praise thee" said tho Psalm
ist,-those in the choir, constitute only
a portion of the people present. Why
do not the others sing2 In the mean
time, however, the widows and orphans,
the common people such as more Than
once heard Jesus gladly-and the poor,
suoh as in the days of the Apostles had
the Gospel preached unto them, are seen
crowding into the aisles, and impatient
iy waiting for the too slothful sexton to
furnish them back seats. accustomed and
beneath the gallery. But see their con-
fusion. What means their halting &?
looking back, and swaying to and fro I?
All. see now! tits all explained; for,
Here comes one whose cheek would flush,
But to have her garments brush
'Gainst girl whose fingers thin
WoVc the weary 'broidcry in,
And in the midnight's chill and murkc,
Stitched her life into the work;
Bending backward from hor toll,
Lest her tears the silk might soil;
Shaping from the bitter thought,
Hearls.caso and forgct-mc-not;
Satirizing her despair
With the omboms woven there 2"
All seated, the minister holds up his
hands, and the people Of tho congrcga-
ton rise to their feet, and the preacher
very prettily tells God where he is-how
long lie has been there-what he has
been doing, and probably that some of
the people will expect film here soon,
etc, etc. During the prayer, lovers ex.
change glances, ladies observe each 9th
ers dresses and bonnet trimmings, and
the gentlemen, many Of them doubtless
think OF tho cost of wife and daughters
JeweIry, aud the hard times. The toxt,
from the 2nd verse of the Psalm lust
read'-" Ihat My rays may DC knD,oa
upon earth,' etc, becomes the apology,
the preteXt, or to speak more clerically.
the basis of lengthy dissertation upon
, Natural Philosophy and the wisdom of
the world in general. In the discourse
there is no place to rear the cross, and
nothing which points to Christ.
Another flourish of words, denomina.
} ted prayer, and which scarcely touch
es upon the real wants of the audience,
and we hear from the pulpit
=" Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below"
And again the organ sends forth deep
and sonorous tones, and few Of the
members of choir who slept during ser.
: vices. added to those who Glanced to be
sufficiently interested to remain, now
chime in; but they have it all TO them