Connecticut western news., 1873-08-29

Earnestness of Pu,pose.-As it IS camp
 meeting week, we have thought perhaps we
 could do no better at this very appropriate
 season for religious consideration and re-
 Election, than to tell our Methodist people
 how their brethren in the West worship
 their Master, as witnessed by us on our re- | cent western tour. A search among our
 notes taken while on that trip, which, as
 we said at the close of our last article des-
 criptive of our travels, we were compelled
 on account of the multiplicity of incidents
 and everything else that were crowding our
 story at too great length, to let slop over,
 we find the following account of Sabbath
 spent at Massillon in Ohio.
 in Massillon there are nine churches as
 follows: Methodist Episcopal, Presby-
 terian, l Episcopal, Lutheran German,
 2 Catholic q English and l Germany, Disciple and l colored Zion. Thus it is in
 Massillon. "A visitor there over Sabbath has no excuse for not attending church of some sort. We strolled along the streets as the bells were tolling their invitations to service, and soon found ourself at the Methodist church, whose open doors seemed to be entirely surrounded with an air of
 welcome that carried with it cordial invi- tation to enter and partake of the good things being enjoyed within. We were early for the morning service, and kindly young man asked us to go into the Sabbath School which was then in session. The hot iO c. was filled absolutely full of scholars and teachers, and as they were eciting their lessons, the continuous buzz that was al- most deafening was ample evidence that each and all of them were attending strict ly to the business of the hour, and when they sang their closing pieces after their lessons, they gave this feature also their ex- elusive attention for the time. They sang as they recited Sn sarnest Let visitor to this school be never so stupid. if in his soul reposes one note of music, it will come out and assert It's divine right to blend with this superabundance of song, swelling the harmony, and with it ascending in accepta- ble worship to it's author; our Maker. Soon after the close of the school exercises, the regular morning service commenced. Here we found the same earnestness of purpose and work which characterized their school. When the good pastor, the Rev. MT. Carr, raised his hand over the assemblage ard iu- vited it's attention in prayer, all instantlydrop- ped on theirknees Tn their pews, and seemed willing if necessary to literally bow in the dust in their sincere, earnest worship. How different in New England churches. There are some (delicate, precious bodies they are, tool who actually seem to worship on the exquisite plan, their servlce being SO choice they can afford to give their Creator but very little at time. If they bow their heads in prayer to an angle of one degree from perpendicular, and rest them on the | tips of two of their fingers, they are In their apparent estimation condescending to do great service for Him who holds their | very existence at will. The world at large lacks earnestness of purpose; not only in religion but in the every day affairs of life. Neither the sermon of Rev. Carr, nor the | singing by the chorr were on the halfway plan; the former being fraught with solid, | sound sense and thoroughly practical, while the singing was as good as we ever heard in any church. With their unpretending organ (cost perhaps $500 or $4OO,) they managed to give their hearers an amount of soul cheering melodies not obtained everywhere, ana which was so exactly what is always necessary to prepare the soul to receive to itself it's choicest nutri- | ment; gospel truths.