The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-04-30
A Sunday IN New york
Correspondence Brookhaven Lsadsr.1

50 see one continuous crowd pushing towar
= the Tabernacle. The environment a
IS th's famous church is not as grand q
V one could wish. Dirty streets lead to /,
% ugly si1anties and squatty brick build
% ihgs are Its nearest neighbors The Tab
efnacle itself Is square brick structure
It's interior is semicircle arranged as a,
ampitheatre which gives it theatrica
appearance. The furniture and finish i
beautiful, though rather fashy for
church. We were early and had an op
Portunity to see the vast crowd assemble
This Is perhaps the largest Protestant
church in America. Its seating capacit,
0 IS about 4 1000, and on the morning oil
which ! am writing every seat was filed
> every aisle was crowded, and back OF
g the pews were hundreds standing, and
q hundreds went away unable to find seats
= 1t was no extra occasion; this same
c crowd is present every Sabbath.
The musit of the Tabernacle is very
T fine A male quartette makes the sweet,
d est music / ever heard The cOngrega-
E tionai singing is grand. This is led by q
cornet aud organ Zone of the largest and
most complete in the world.) When a
, hymn Is announced the futter of turn
ing pages makes quite noise. The old
tunes are used and every one sings.
When 1000 voices sing the Long Metre
Doxology the old building trembIes and
your heart thrills with delight.
Talmage has no pulpit. He sits upon
platform about II feet wide and 20
long. Upon this the most famous
preacher of America discourses to the
largest congregation in America. Tai.
mage has been caricatured so much and
50 well that every one knows how he
looks. His voice is harsh, shrilI and
most penetrating, almost unpleasant
His manner is unique. He runs rapid
! ly over the platform, he attitudinizes,
he swings his arms, comforts his body |
| into numberless indescribablc shapes, !
! his face in its expression is as changea- |
bic as a kaleidoscope. This is the great |
| Talmage. He does not mind making his |
| listeners laugh and they do not object to |
being tickled. | always try to bring of |
a souvenir from every great mans ser
mons that | hear One expression of
falmage was this: Opportunities do not
| fly in circles, they light once and then
| take their flight into eternity" A po
tent truth well worth memory room,
raImage's salary $4,000 year.
After walking back to New York over
the East River bridge we started to
union Sunday School in the German
quarter of the city The infant class is
what we went to see. We were con
Quoted into the gallery of the in
fant room and below us sat HOO
little children und 10 years of age!
This immense class is taught by a
iah a
She is earnest ami active in her man
ner and keeps estry little face turn.
ed towards her with interest She tells
the simple story of the lesson, now and ,
then pausing to let the children finish |
the sentence and when those 400 little {
throats speak they make no small noise. I
She will then question the boys or the {
girls or the smallest or the largest, sepa.
rately and in this way she keeps every I
eye bright with expectancy. Such nery- |
Gus energy | have never seen before in |
any person. [ thought to myself what
Il fine wife she would make some minis {
teri just then she waived her hand and |
caught sight of yellow band on her
forefinger. | changed the subject of my :
thoughts Immediately.
Having seen this infant wonder, we '
next visited Chinese Sunday School. \
Here we found about 30 Celestials gath /
cred for instruction. They are first I
taught to read and write English, and
each studen' requires a teacher, so there Il
are 80 teachers. They are close stu t
dents, diligent and eager to learn. So .
intent were they upon their books that c
no notice was taken of us as we entered c
the room. They learn rapidly. The i.
object of the instruction is to teach |.
them religious truth, but when they get t
sufficient insight into the language to t
these truths, they leave and d
are heard of no more. Several, how {
ever, have been converted to Christianity
and several are deeply interested now. '
There are 2000 male Cinnamon in New q
York and females.
Our next stopping place was the Fifth '
Avenue Presbyterian Church. Jno. Y
Hall is its pastor, solid Scotchman, a
earnest, profound and orthodox. His $
is composed of the resi- Q
dents of Fifth Avenue md vicinity, '
perhaps one of the wealthiest and most d
liberal on this continent. The building :
is grand beyond description, costing up
in the hundreds of thousands. After G
hearing q good gospel sermon, we turned
our faces to Brooklyn to attend Beecher's
evening service.
We got off at Fulton Ferry and "fol-
lowed the crowd which soon brought
Us to the Plymouth Church. The inte- i
rior of this church is disappointing be- a
vond measure. One would expect to b
iind grand edifce, but everything is t
plain and simple Oak benches andwhite q
washed walls. To have plain church o
IS one of the articles of Mr.. Beecher's {
rather indefinite creed. Visitors are not b
seated until pew-holders are in. You
are seated on bench ranged around the h
wall until ten minutes after the organ
has begun to play, and then il the pew
holder has not come visitors are given
,eat This church has fine choir, an
institution growing scarce in city
churches. II is composed of about b
thirty voices which discourses heavenly c
music. 1t is worth a trip to New York +
Just to have your soul stirred by this :
grand chorus. 5
The pulpit Cor rather tablet IS made OF f
olive wood from the Jordan Valley. The
pews are rented aud bring from $1,000
% 81 900 per annum. The highest pew I
It the recent sale brought $500. Beech v
er's salary is $20, 900. e
The pastor of Plymouth Church has
served his people for 81 years. His name &
4 known 10 the utmost borders Of civili- Q
,ation: he is perhaps the most eloquent +
living preacher. But be is growing old t
and his heresy is increasing with his age G
He has embraced the most advanced q
of science and has hidden il
SIS face from that truth that sit Is q p
fearful thing to fall into the hands Of 8
the living Coo" He has grown cynical Z
towards orthodox bodies and never mis- ii
ses an opportunity of showing his spleen. q
Not long since he witnessed a game Of 1
Football between Princeton and Yale IN 1
which Ysle was victor. The next Sun +
aay he said from his pulpit that "he
thanked God that Yale beat, for he al i
ways did love Yale and hate Princeton.
He deals in pleasantries very frequent !
II and several times his audience showed {
their amusement By 3 most audible !
smile. His sermon was practical ana {
pointed and with ali his heresy felt {
that ii he preached that way al the
time be must do good.
ss'''s JSo. HARGRovE.
HOraes 6reslsy's 1oyhoodl
Ben Perley Poore says IN his Eeuinis-
- - .z.s1.lss1,.a9 s, cha Rs1atan RlIdQet. !