The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-09-13
MORE ABOUT LONDON.
LONDON, August 23d, 1885,

DR.. Parker at the City Temple, Holburn
Viaduct, but he did not preach, the pull
pit being filed by the Rev. Theodore
Hooke independently. The church is a
beautiful and spacious hall, with gilded
roof, and broad gallery around the en-
tire room. The singing was congrega-
tional, without any instrument, though
there is large organ in the church (the
organist was probably off for his holiday.
The sermon did not strike me; it was
fair literary production, but artificial and
of the coruscating order, with too many
words, and too much of the study. The
building was we'll flled-and would &C.
commodate, L should guess, twenty five
hundred persons. What impressed me
was the absence of children-in fact there
seem to be no children in London. One
rarely sees a child on the streets; babies
and baby carriages you never see at all
The children to some extent go to the
parks; in passing Green Park or Hyde
Park you see few children playing in
side.
In the evening (service commencing at
7 o'clock went again to hear Sturgeon
The distance was great, and dinner is
late, and he was preaching when 1 got
in. I had to 60 up into one of the gal
leries-and that compensated me-for l
had at a moment complete view of the
audience-one Of the things to have seen
in a lifetime. suppose there were 1000
people, sea of heads on the floor below
"a sea of faces all around in the gallery
was in-and above this another i'm
mense gallery also packed to its utmost
capacity. [ never saw SO many human
heads. The audience completely encir-
cled the preacher, and was below him,
above him, and on level with the plat
form, which stands in an elevated posi-
ton at one of the foci of the eliptical
hall. Every word was distinctly audi
BILE. l had to stand, as all the seats wert
occupied. The service lasted only ont
hour-from 7 to s. 1t was the speakers
third sermon for the day. No collection
is taken up, but there are boxes at the
entrance, marked for different objects
into which you drop what you please
I thought as I looked at Sturgeon, what
mission has been, and is, yours-six or
eight thousand people listening with the
closest attention to every word that drops
from you, three times every Sunday
When the sermon was over, he gave out
a hymn, one stanza at a time, which was
first sung Cat his request) by the men,
and then by the women-the object be-
ing, suppose, to control the sound OF
such multitude Of voices.
Sunday in London is as quiet as it is
in Richmond. Every shop is closed,
there are few people on the streets, until
the churches let out, and the omnibuses.
save few here and there, and the myriad
vehicles of traffic, have all vanished.
Even the eating houses are only open be-
tween certain hours. was not prepared
for this sort of Sabbath in London.
AS drove back from the Metropolitan
Tabernacle, on the Surrey side of the
Thames, beautiful sight presented itself
as crossed Westminster Bridge. The
splendid Thames Embankment, which
extends for nearly two miles along the
river, was lit up with electric Lights
electric lights, as far as the eye could
reach, on both sides, up and down the
river. Behind me was the noble Hos
pital Of ST. Thomas-the largest hospital
l am told, in the world, consisting of
seven detached buildings, Of palatial ar
chitecture, each the size Of large hotel
(and extending the third Of mile) at
the opposite extremity Of the bridge, Just
on the waters edge, Westminster Palace
(the Parliament Houses), with their lofty
towers and pinnacles, rose before me; on
the left the two turrets Of Westminster
Abbey, the centre Of all England's most
cherished memories, and one Of the
noblest ministers in the world. The palace
and the cathedral-ft emblems Of the
Union Of Church and State in England.
At an angle just between them is West
Minister Hall, where the courts of Law