Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1878-05-07
RAMBLERiS LETTER.

The Y. III. c. A.-Suaday Sunlight
Sermons The academy of Music The
Tile Trade in Black Diamonds-7he Fever
stricken Sensational Reporters
Wise City Fathers The Queen in a Storm.
Cumberland, the Queen City of the Allie
ghanies, like Rome, rests upon ga throne of
beauty" Throned upon the hills, surrounded
by mountain ranges and peaks, this, the
second city in Maryland, we'll deserves the
name of Queen. We suppose, of course, that
the first king that is played in our country
will take this Queen, but just now its people
rest secure and ''honors are easy" and to
speak by the card the city suits US. Wills
Greek here breaks its way through the nouns
tain to join the Potomac, and in the magnifi-
cent gap formed between the twin peaks,
Will and Dan, the old National Road winds
its dusty way. The visitor to this city, as he
goes down Baltimore street, is struck by the
beautiful old church that faces him. Built
of yellow sandstone, the Episcopal church
stands on hill in the heart of the city, it
is of the gothic style, and over its stained
walls the dainty ivy vine has spread net
the scars of ege, and clinging to its hard sur
face Here stood Fort Cumberland, and
here was the rendezvous for Braddock's expe-
dition Nearly opposite is the new Presbyte>
rian church, a very imposing ediice, remind
ing us very much of the Brown Memorial,
in Baltimore, il is built of white stone taken
from quarry near the city and cost forty eight
thousand dollars. Seats six hundred people
comfortably. The basement story is above
ground and it's Sabbath school room is as
bright and cheerful as possible, and altos
gether it is one of the most cheerful churches
we have ever entered, aud on Faster morn-
ing when We attended service there, the SER
mon being on "God as revealed in nature"
the white walls gave back the glistening SUM-
light that poured in through the stained
glass windows. all seemed to speak of the
loneliness and brightness of this beautiful
world, all was redolent of the sweet breath
ing of spring, and while the hymns Of praise
rang out beneath the vaulted ceiling, through
the open doors came the music of the birds
hymning their praises to tho God of nature.
At four o'clock that morning we had at
tended Easter service the Episcopal church.
where the dim religious light half revealed
the glories of the lilies and the roses on and
around tho altar where joyous, triumphant
music told the glad tidings "Christ is risen,"
and the flowers of spring whispered of the
resurrection.
The Y. NJ. G. A. have just commenced
their summer work here. It was inaugurated
by an open air meeting down on the canal
on Sabbath afternoon, and it was our privilege
to attend the meeting and enjoy it.
To US these Sunday sunlight sermons are
peculiarly impressive. "The groves were
Gods first temples" and the open air speaker
gathers power from all the riches of nature
81 1aipoI in Nv ba
boatmen had fulness of tono about them
that we do not hear in the churches, the
heart was in the music, and they sang with
the spirit and the understanding. AS VIC
listened our thoughts went back to some open
air gospel temperance meetings held in Pat
terson Park last year. There we numbered
the audiences by thousands and the signers by
hundreds. Very pleasant are the memories
of those hours and now and then letters come
to US from different parts of the country say
ing 81 signed the Murphy pledge at Patter-
son Pork last year." and going on to speak
of their life since in cheerful and pleasant
words, very many of those men are now
christian men and hnve joined the best tenn
perance society, the church.
The City Hall here is magnificent brick
structure, built at a cost of ono hundred
thousand dollars, and contains in its walls tho
Academy of Music. This is ono of the most
elegant theatres in our country, is finished
with great richness and taste and seats one
thousand 1t has been leased for the last
two years to Jno. T. Ford, tho euterprising
manager of most of our Southern theatres,
and the performances here are of first class
character.
Some idea of the coal trade of this city
may be obtained from tho following state
ments:
Shipments of Cumberland Coal for the week
ending Saturday, April 20. 1878, and for the year
1878: