Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-08-23
sleeping in Church.

makes the following remarks on this subject;
Il have great sympathy with sleepsrs. Not
that the tendency 10 one Of my trials, bat that
have few times 10 church known tho paSg Of
resstible a. the lull Of opium or chloroform upon
the senses But II has been very seldom.
Generally the tendency 10 within our control,
that is, Of those Of us whe are not compelled 10
work hard or to carry the: labors of the week al
most into tho Sabbath. wschoose "to break the
keeping late hous on Saturday night, Of course
We must expect to ba sleeping In church. But
whose fault 10 itf Then with many, Sunday be-
ing leisure day. moro time 10 given to eating
and drinking, instead Of acting on the well known
principle that when we do not work We need loss
food. Also those who really desire TO avoid ba-
ing sleepy should take light meal at noon and
more food later in the day. for IL Is almost impoa-
sible to cit down quietly after o full meal and
keep mind and body awake. lsr EtF
"Another soporAc is dull preaching. But fre-
quently the fault is "a much with the hearer "a
the preacher; n want Of interest apparent In the
hcarer dscourngos and throws pail over his best
efforts. Still ii must be confessed thore is sOoth
ing effect in q monotonous voice, in unyarying
tones. which it 10 hard TO resist.
but one Of tho chief causes Of drowsiness lica
in the state Of tho atmosphere In the church. The
subject Of ventilation is worn hrcadbare. and yet
it is little understood. TO seal up room almost
hermetie"lly and oonaoe people In II, Is tho true
modc-it IL an economical method Of manufnctu.
ring carbonic acid gus. Finally some discover
that they suffer from II, and wakc up to the Inn
portance Of ventilation. Loi hole is cut In the
ceiling. 'Oh how admirably this church Ia yenti-
lated. How much better feol.' Certainly. a
little better, but the chief point. supply offrrsh
air. hus been quito oyerlooked. There 10 way Of
letting tho mir out. but no way Of letting Il in A
fish suffers in stagnant water. Give me Running
water, he snys. So you cut an outlet to his pond
but no inlet What will the Ash say to your wis.
dom?
"In summer. when tho sexton can opon the win.
d"ws, there may bc supply of dir, but often
these arrangements arc incomplete. Either the
windows will only open partially, or merely the
lower pnrt, 30 that those sitting noar are uncou,-
moded by draughts. We have had in the papers
a moving address to tho "sextant of the mectin'.
u.s." entreating for "pewcr nro:" but sections are
n much.abused and longsnforing race. II the
church be too hot or too cold. too wet or too dry
NIL the blame lies with the sexton. But he cannot
manufacture oxygen to order. or send II into mn
exhausted receiver without proper apparatus.
Give him windows opening Mt top and bottom for
summer, and proper warming facilities in winter
and. for his own peace, he will do we'll.
Furnaces are abused too, and unjustly. True,
there are some that cannot be too much spoken
against, but they are good and philosophical. if
properly constructed. full supply of parp, air,
(not hcat) is all that is needed and church may
be as well ventilated with warm mir M with cold,
that it BIO pure and abundant. II there DO u
way for il to pass oil, when exhausted. the process
is complete But tho usual construction Of fur
naces is faulty. Placed in tho cellar tho ouy sup.
ply Of air to be warmed often comes from the ccl-
ar, and tho quantity is limited 80 TINT the mir pass
ing up is overhcated and seems already scorched
and exhausted before it reaches tho people who
are to breathe it,
There are churches in our cty,and every where
else, in which the only supply OF mir Ia from a
small celler, where furnace is built, without any
communication with the external air. We knaw
of ono church where there is mir enough, and
where n crowded congregation il constantly re-
freshed by tho breath OF life They keep awake.
Perhaps they think it is the preacher; perhaps ho
takes nil the glory to himself. Lot him try preach.
ing in the black hole of Calcutta, and SEQ IL he
deserves all the credit"