The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1866-10-17

III yellOW SdIill rODeS, eHlploiu Gu Will
gold, swinging censers, whose fragrant
odor pervaded the whole church, and re-
spending to the choir in the anti-plenial
parts of the service. The various groups
into which the priests placed themselves,
resembled a tableau, and indeed the
whole scene seemed to be some magnif-
cent opera, or spectacle. The effect of
the exhibition was really grand, although
any thing but devotional. The sunlight
streaming through the lofty windows, now
flooding the pictures and statuary and
tall pillars with a gush of light, then
fading into sober gray; the flash of the
gold and silver vessels; the CLEAN of the
lights; the pomp of the glittering vest
ments; the pantomime of kneeling, and
bowing, and marching, and counter
marching in front of the high altar; the
tinkling of the silver bells on the cen
sers; the smoke arising ever and anon
in front of the altar; the delicate fra
GRANGE of the incense; the startling
sound of the bell from some unseen place,
at various points in the service; the ex
quisite music from the orchestra, now soft
and sweet as the song of child, now
grand and rushing as the battle cry of
an army; and the rustling echo of the
hundreds of feet moving to and fro, en-
tering and departing along the paved
aisles and nave, as if they were perform
ing some scenic procession, made alto
gether spectacle of great magnifcence
and power over the imagination.
could well conceive the hold that such
a religion has on spectacle loving peo-
pie, and the jejune barrenness there must
be to them in all Protestant worship.
After the host was consecrated, it was
elevated, and then there was throughout
all that vast crowd death-like stiffness,
while every one seemed to berepeating
some prayer. Then followed the process
sion of the host, mace-bearer coming
first, then four men bearing tall, lighted
candles, and boys with the censers, swing
ing them and sounding their silver bells,
and then the priest holding the sacred
vessel aloft, that the people might wor-
ship it. They passed from the altar in
the choir, to one of the chapels in one of
the aisles When the ceremony was ended,
the orchestra left, and the lights were ex-
tinguished on the high altar Then the
curtains covering the two great pictures
of Rubens, the Elevation Of the Cross,
and the Descent from the Cross, was re-
moved, and we were allowed to look on
these master pieces Of this great artist.
The latter picture is regarded as his
greatest work, and although cannot
pretend to any knowledge of art, / felt
its great power The attitude, express
sion, and coIoring of the body of Jesus
are such as to make even an unartistic
spectator see why Sir Joshua Reynolds
pronounced q the fnert figures
Fever invented. pictures impressed
me as the magnificent operatic spectacle
before failed to do, for they touched far
deeper elements of my nature. / gazed
and listened to the one, as splendid
piece of sacred theatricals, but nothing
more. gazed on the other as what L
might have seen had | stood on that aw-
full Sabbath eve, when loving and sorrow
full hands took down that sacred body,
and with swimming eyes, and with heavy
hearts, laid it in the garden sepulchre.
The one was gorgeous pantomime, the
other was pictured reality. remained
for some time gazing on these great
works, and when | retired from the
church left very large number of peo-
pie there before the different chapels
and affairs repeating their paternosters,
&C., most of them probably as penances.
After this, went to the English
church, and heard very plain sermon,
to very small congregation, in very
small chapel, on Isaiah lvi The SER
vice, which usually seems quite elabor-
ate, was tame and cold after the gorge
Gus spectacle of the cathedral. and the
articulation of the minister was so indis-
tinct as to mar the effect of the whole
He had "a way of running his syllables
together, so as to be nearly unintelligi-
Bile, (as e. s., "to the waters, would be
pronounced thwarters," and so of other
words.) But he had no error in his SER
mon, and seemed to be well-meaning
man.
In both the cathedral and the chapel,
collections were taken up, as is usual in
all the European churches. In the ca
thedral, besides the collection, you pay
two sous for the rush bottomed chair you
use, if you choose to sit, or even lean on
chair, as there arenopews in the church
Most of the people stood during the en-
tire service, even when they had chairs,
using them mainly for kneeling. / could
not see how the Protestant churches were
attended, as there is no afternoon or
evening service in them, all sacred duties
ending before even the earliest dinner, as
is the case generally on the Continent,
In walking the streets of Antwerp, l
felt as Paul did in Athens, that the peo-
pie were "deisidaimOnesterOuS," (nade-
quately rendered by our version too
superstitious, as you knOw,) for at al
most every intersection of the streets, |
saw images of the Virgin, Or some saint,
in inches projecting from the corners of
the houses, and from daylight to dark,
the sound of church bells is heard with
but little intermission, and | saw no such
apparent eagerness to attend Divine SER
vice among Protestants anywhere, not
even in Scotland, as [ saw among these
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