The Evansville journal., 1868-11-14

= p. p.
ously, is arrested one morning for a
robbery committed in his den," the /
scene of all these six weeks prayer
meetings; aud his wife and all his |
hopeful inmates bundled off to the
Tombs together. He, cunning
rascal, escapes. and the humbug is ex-
ploded for the present. We cannot
hope that even this hard lesson will be
sufficient. The gullibility of human
nature is enormous, aud weakness and
cant are large elements In modern re-
liglonism. Sill it Is not too much to
hope such performances a this last
will be sufficient with reasonable men,
to justify the Church in doing her
work in the oid, sober, steady way,
and in declining to join IN any glorltl-
cation of such work as the late Water
Street business Ia New Y ork. Wick
ed men are not converted by making
their wickedness a matter OF glollh-
cation to begin with.
PAX VoBIscUM - THE NEWEST
THINGS IN "RITUALIsM." The Rit-
ualists" are going ahead, in defiance
OF Episcopal remonstranees aud Epis-
copal discipline. The most "advanc-
ed demon strations, now, are those of
Rev. Mr.. Purchas, at St james
Chapel, London. An eye witness
thus describes the mode of celebrat-
ing Divine service, in communica-
ton to the London Telegraph:
The chapel has heavy gallery on
three sides, and with high. narrow
pews, but the communion table is
richly ornamented. There Is on that
side raised platform, where are the
bencnes of the choir. and on this plat
| form is a very light reading desk,
| seemingly movable at pleasure. Then
there are a few steps leading to the
commun on table. Candles are placed
upon it, there are vases OF flowers o
right and left. and large crucifx in
the center. At a short distance to
the side of the communion table
are three cornered frames decorated
with flowers, and before one of
these a taper is burning all the time.
The other candles are some of them
lighted in the beginning, some left
unlighted until the administration Of
the Holy Communion. There is a
change of costume on the part
of the clergymen to correspond to
this more complete lighting up. The
procession seems to excite more ad-
verse criticism than any other of the
ceremonies unusual to low church !"
Auglicaus. It was in the procession
round the chapel-of all the priests
and choristers, standard bearers, can
dies and swinging censer. that the
cruci6x was borne past. When the
procession had gone by and the ser
vice was fully begun, every one pres
ent maintained strict or der, save a
few rapid genufeotions among those
on the platform, and for some maneu
vers with caudlesicks, when the little
boys, in white and scarlet, came need
lessly on either side of the officiating
clergyman to light HIM as he read
there was nothing to satisfy curiosity.
1t was not until the communion SER
vice began that the stl Onger points OF
the new system were brought clearly
out.
At the point when in old fashioned
Anglica churches the clergyman re-
lures behind the rails OF the com
munion table. and delivers the com
mandments to the pc ,ple, there was a
great stir in S. James Chapel. The
communion service had now begun
and it properly begins in the prayer
book-and all the candles, hitherto
unlit, were lighted, while Mr.
Purchas aud his assistants changed
their robes, reappearing mVre
handsomely dressed than before.
And the candles were all light
ed, and the incense rose to
the ceiling in clouds. When the
gospel was read. | noticed that one of
the standard bearers ranged himself
beside the reader, crucifx in hand,
which had fine effect. though the
, cl .uds of incense were so thick that
it could not be properly seen. The
sermon was delivered by an assistant
of Mr. Pur, has, from temporary
reading desk on the highest step of
the communion table, and it was a
quiet, we'll composed sermon-such
as would have passed muster with
ninety nine churchmen out of hun
dred, had it been preached in an or
thodoxly high pulpit, in a robe OF
white or black.