Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-02-28

Ter. Inc people IN the Dack part OF the
doors shrieking with laughter.
But in his precipitate retreat the groom had
forgotten his hat, and had to return to the
altar to claim it-a proceeding which he
found thoroughly unpalatable.
After this novel feature, the collection was
taken up after the characteristic African
ing his offering on the altar. The congrega-
ton sang sPn be dar when de las trumpet
soun's" and "Norah, Nora, Nora, bull de
ark" while the elders pleaded with the
people to come forward, using all man.
ner of arguments.
80 youse nothin' but an infdel," was the
encouraging assurance addressed to one man
who didn't give literally enough to suit the
leaders. This was the first instance have
discovered of collection being taken at the
beginning of the service I suppose the peo-
pie were afraid that might slip out if they
did not have it at once. They have way of
inaugurating a collection whenever white
person enters one of their churches
The ministerial Jack-in- the box now bob
bed up into the pulpit again, and directed q
mild, Misunderstanding young man to pray.
The latter began very moderately, but
worked himself up to quite a pitch Of excite
ment toward the last. Said he:
Jesus will you please-a-hear us, for we
know you is a pray -hearin' God-a-an'
drive home de truth-a-an' pl ase not to be
angry with US for our short comin's--a All!
how happy we was-a-on dat day when de
son walked out from de warm bosom OBJ de
father-ah-an' we thank de dis even
ing"
And so the man went on, now talking
drivel, and now really eloquent; which is
typical of the people generally. The use of
the word evening" to designate the after
noon, the contradistinction from might
which is applied to the time after dark, is
universal. During the prayer some one COM
menced ringing the bell, which greatly ex-
cited the deacons, who gesticulated wildly
and shouted soto voce "Stop dat bell"
Then the dusky pastor swooped down up
on the Bible, and began reading the tenth
chapter of Hebrews. The weather was low
eripg, and he had untold difficulty in reading
the print. I don't think the weather was
wholly to blame, for he read about the
golden censure,' the "cherry-beams"
while he stopped his terrible onslaught upon
the chapter with the remark: 81 meant to
read de whole chaptah but it's dahk, 1
guess I won't 1 guess I'll put off commu-
MON also until tonight instead OBJ dis eve
nin My tex is de tenth chapter OBJ
Hebrews an de nineteenth an twentieth
verses" And then he read the verses sub
stituting "holiness" for ''holiest," and refer
ring always to the holy of holes as the holi-
ness of holiness. He proceededt to go back to
what he called the old 'sMozidial' law, and
wrestled and struggled with every Bible in
cident from Adam down to the death Of Paul
He howled at the top of his lungs about the
lambs and the rams and the kids and the
doves and the red-heifers, especially the red
heifers. He said there used to be three sects;
the daily Hsanctifces," and the weekly and
yearly. Then he added upon reflection the
seventh year "sanctifces." He talked till
the air was lurid around him with mutt
IL. L
one-tenth part of a second for a word, and
yet their was relation whatever between
the succession of suffering, mangled words
that flew out of his mouth as if fired from
Gatling-gun.
tSlavery's gwine to disappear altogeder,"
he shrieked-'in Cuba well as everywhere
else. We have de word of de Bible for it,
where it says 'Ebery tub must set on its own
bottom under its own vine an fg-tree.'"
I am told that the preachers universally
quote "Every tub must set on its own bot
tom" as from the Bible.
Then he tackled Nebuchadnezzar, Job, Dan
el, Jonah, Noah, Nehemiah, and almost
every other character in the Bible. He
quoted from the 1S0th Psalm. He pounded
the cushions vehemently as he expatiated
upon the injustice of the Levi's'' and high
priests "eatin' up all the sanctifces, an not
lettin' de servants have none" He invaded
the realm of chronology and philosophy of
the stars; and quoted scripture without rele-
vancy till my head swimmed. All this while
his sentences were strung together without
periods anywhere.
"Golgotha," he said ''means, you know de
place of skulled hell''
Then with one of those transitions which
are SO characteristic of the race, he burst
forth into q strain of unconscious eloquence,
and then began picturing the tragedy of Call
vary.
struggling up de rugged hill OBJ Calvary.
All de sins OBJ all de worp is boun' to his
back. Den dey looses him an lets him
scoot for his life. But no! He chooses to
die for his enemies, Now stretch my hans
wide apart-let de whole worl' see how free
die! Plate gets de letter from his wife, a
tellin about her dream, but he hain't no
backbone. Dat goat dies-dies for de
Christian. Oh can you muzzle de Christian
nows No, no, nobody can't. You may
bury him alive. You may toss him over in
to de ragin' deep. But on de resurrection
mawn, dat soul will jess dip its wings in
liquid gop, an come flynn up to de great
white thronel''
How shall we all count for such incon-
gruous blendings of veriest rubbish and SUBJ
limest poetry?
During the recital of the story Of Calvary,
I noticed that many of the women in the au-
dience were hseaning strangely affected.
Their heads bowed with increasing rapidity,
and the cries of Amen, - ''That's so,'' ''Hold
on, sisters" !" s'Glory to God,' SC. grew laud
and frequent. At length two or three
women began waving ana clapping their
hands, as they shouted 'Glory, glory,
glory!"
Finally one woman was seized by the
"power" and seemed to lose all control of
herself. She jumped up and down in her
pew, clappingsher hands and shouting
"Oh great God Almighty! Pm free, Pm
free GLORY, glory, I'm washed in the blood
of the lamb! Oh my soul is in rapture, glory,
glory, glory"
At this point she writhed and topped SO
seize her, and hold her down, lest she should
whack her head against the woodwork with
dangerous force. But she broke away from
them, and ripped and tore around the church,
seizing the hands of men and women, and
pulling them right out of their seats as she
shrieked:
''Oh, brothers and sisters, come up where
ami Glory hallelujah! hallelujah to the
lamb!"
Her eontortions were frightful to behold
Her shining black face had wild unnatural
look as I caught occasional glimpses of it in
the recesses of her starched telescope sun bon /
net. In the meantime the preaching went
right on, without regard to the frightful
paroxysms of the seemingly demented
woman. was glad when she at last sunk
back exhausted into the arms of sister,
gasping and groaning, and the benedict. on
left me flee to return to the restfpl Quiet of
the open air homeward walaa EMILE.
Amusement Notes.