Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-07-10
LETTER FROM HALLE.
ATTENDING CHURCH IN 1cEBERes.

Bayard Taylor once said, in a lee
lure, that In some part OF Northern
Europe he attended religious service
whore 1t was 80 cold that the words,
as spoken by the minister, fell in
crystallizod snow fakos upon the
heads OF the people. The only ad-
vantage I then saw, in preaching un-
der such circumstances, was, that the
people could carry tho frozen words
homo and study them at their leisure
yet, after all, concluded it was httlo
of Mr.. Taylor's poetry used to ex-
Iress very cold fact. bavo since
concluded that what he then said con-
tanned moro truth than poetry. All
through Northern Europe ono finds
lofty stono Pilcs-churches, .,oss-
grown aud ivy-covered, which have
stood for three and four hundred
years. No architecture is so massive
and imposing as this church architec.
ture. Before tho Lutheran Reforma-
tion many of these old domcs wore
tho property of tho Church of Rome
They wcro, therefore, built, not so
much for tho comfort and accommo-
dation of hearers, as, by their struc-
ture and appur,enanccs, TO impress
tho mind with the awe of religious
art. Owing, therefore, to tho unnec
essary space enclosed beneath their
high roofs, it is quito difficult, if not
impossibte-at least with Dutch porce-
lain stovcs-to heat them. You, good
people at home, with furnacc-hcat
churches, cushioned seats, cnrpeted
floors, and often robed slcighs to con.
vcy your mutfied bodies to and from
Gods house, can but faintly conceive
tho luxury of boing clad in two over.
coats and q lingo shawl, walking
through sloppy, muddy, snowy streets,
to some huge dome, where the con-
denscd frost of the confined atmos-
lhoro greets you with its cold grasp !;
sitting on a hard, wooden bouch, with
your feet resting on icc-charged
bricks, listening to- good singing, nasal
reading, and an hours sermon; whilo
the only occular evidence of fire arc
two wax candles family burning up.
on tho ornamcnted altar. "But what
arc they among SO many?" Most of
tho churches, however, contain rows
of boxes, a IN Acetre, provided with
glass windows, through which the
elite deign to look out upon the min
ister and us poor, common people,
while they rest in their easy.chairs,
beside their comfortable stoves.
There are persons who, after cush.
ioning their heads in the palm of
their hands, will close their eyes, and
profess to hear a sermon better than
when they see the minister. It al
ways seemed to me that, in such ca.
ses, tho eyes wcro afflicted with a sort
of chronic Sunday weakness, which
over-hcated churches greatly aggra-
vatcd. For my part, 1 have always
felt that the minister's face was k nd
of soul reflector; and as light, fire,
earnestness, hope, and faith, Or the
oppositcs, ~erc traccabls in his coun-
tenance, so wore tho people impress
cd. For this reason I always want
to see tho minister's eyes. But here
it is accompanied with difficulties; !;
for from his mouth flows a. food of
frosted breath; from. my nostrils and
the hundred pairs about me issue
streams of tho same frosted element,
WHICH go choke up and obstruct the
course of vision, that the picture, pre-
sented is that Of a minister in a fog,
TUE DoY'cpo1as AND srREEnn1SoINa.
Notwithstanding the disagreeable-
ness Of cold churches, I have al w;ays
received good in attending. Some of
the finest ,chuIch.choirs in, Berlin,
Dresden, Poesdam, and Halle, consist
chiefly of boys. One thing lisa little
peculiar, I have not seen q lady. 10 d
ohureh-cloir.. Tue mystery is, how
the singing m aster manages to get so
much and such ,vaeiety of music out
Of such :uninusical-l looking beads:; yst
he does, apd it ia not oil SQUAD simply,
but harmony, of tho sweet est kind
thrilling. .saptureus music: issAnd. what
is more 'tnarvellous, these boyss voices
initiate the most .cutt,yated. tones: Of
the female voice, giving, ali parts IN
'sWeetest unison. < i haTe seen ,ohotrs
tf from forty.to one hundred; boys,
behind them q huge organ, and when
the singing ssryipe Is introduced, one
is'nsarly .lfted. from his feet, as chat
hundred voiced, youthful choir, iac-
compAnied by organ aud -co6 grega.
ton; ssnds forth the AntbomSof ,prnfse,
These boys 66g with a wiii-ssinsg
'lustiiy->4throw baek their bssds, open
their Hodths expa6a their tuugs, and
sipoar forth speh volumes. sSf sweet