The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-08-07
rso a,eyil as 4 church Arci,iteet.
from The Springfield Republican.

From The Springfield Republican.
Naf directly and personally of course, but
s,,r ;nsinuating himself into architects and
bs,i,diny committees. AS hewalket'l nj, ana
down the earth he must view some Things
With uncommon satisfaction, W nen ne
tempted the Lord in the wilderness ne was
answered, I. Man lives not by bread alone,
hut by every word that proccedeth out OF
the mouth of God" Having got this IN.
formation he makes use of it to hinder ever,
word OF God from getting, into the life OF o.
man. If people viii go TO church ana si'
down to hear, Satan whispers to the archl'
tcct to put in pillars to hide the preac, ,s.
md then to staif the windows 10 niue nm
more by thc.s dim religious light. ana tl'en,
having kept out the pure light OF i'ea.sn ~
distribute the stained light III sr'2s.
biosclIes, making the bald crown VI une
deacon q bright purple, ana tne nus. mos.
Of another to play WIN b"e"'
Si,a ard fine face of some dcyout sis
Tor. WIN Is bomeIy enough as she IS, 10
bnrrifs with chostly green-the whole IN
torior reduced 10 about the ghastliness OF ma
ture I,n(Icr total eclipse Of the sun. Then
,he old scrDcnt brings it about that The AL.
dience-room should be accoustically as bad
rs possible. He suggests y long and narrow
sarcoptasus-sllaped room with transept
and an apse, aud high pointed rool ana open
rafters, aud everything admirably adapteo
for sbiyering the words Of God into cchocS,
and for accommodating swallows, II tue!
could have restored their ancient privileges
of nest-building in the house OF the Loro'
As for the preacher, whom the defIi mates
and would annoy and incomniodc as lluch
ms possible, he is placed in the apSe or aicoVee,
as far back as may be. cut OIL trom lifl2hetic
communication with his admirers by .ol-
conducting empty space, rs Widc Us may
be. between him and the front pcws, Whiie
as to the bali of the congregation away
down the dim remoteneSs ut the iurthcr
end of the narrow house, they might almost
"a well Ike at Cape Town. Then the adrer-
sary suggests, get the singers away from tue
congregation rs far AS the real estate OF the
society will allow, either behind the Minis
ter, or lifted up between heaven and earth III
tle rear gallery. If in the latter position,
SO that the congregation cannot see them,
nor well unite with them, and SO that, II
artistic anu ugly, they can trlstrate all con-
gresaiiolmI singing; or, if behind the minis
ter, so that they can pour the confused waves
of sound, organ and all, across the back OF
his defcncelcss head, submeTging all the
nerves Of his tympauun lis with great bill
lows rolling over him, and each particular
singer thrtstng into his ears from behind
at close quarters his javelins of song. GIVE
them, too, whispers the adversary, a small
and narrow box in front Of the organ, ana
then you insure Il paid qulrtclte. GNcd
and staring fact, and to DC stared at
foreyer-and you will never ret the
poor timid girl with plain bonnet to sit
there, nor the modest young man with
!, very long nose. And so you will have little
hope OF the grand and sympathetic and
united praises of the great congregation
yelling and surging up Justify from its own
midst. Keep out the light, hinder the speak
ing and hearing and praisng, make things
unsocial, formal, spectacular, medieval, tini-
cal--let the plain people, who have Il good
many children and cannot get themselves all
up in style becoming the church interior,
peep in, perhaps inquire the price of Il pew,
and 90 away-all this suits the devil as Il
church architect. But he never liked
the old Puritan mceting-houses, which
were nearly square, aud had the pull
pit OH the oblong side. and the deep,
surrounding galleries, and the people brought
upclose and within range. Before the Old
South of Boston is pulled down let the peo-
pile 60 in and take q last scrutiniZing look,
and then let them go out and speak to the
architects and demand of them more Chris
tian common sense in planning church edl-
fees. Mr.. Hepworth WAS asked the othel
day what sort Of 4 church he would like to
have built for him. He replied, !" You Sc,
any street speaker gathering around him q
crowd, every individual of which he is bound
to reach and influence by bis voicc-we|,
wish that rooted over"