Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-07-13
LETTER FROM ENGLAND.
LONDON, ENGLAND,


the time; but as every hour while am
abroad is precious, let this suffice Tor
those individual letters that can not
now be written.
Do you want several columns, or
shall | write of what | now behold? II
would be an easy matter to write all
morning, and find myself at lunch
time not as far north as Glasgow.
Our tour thus far has extended from
Liverpool to Chester, thence to the
Lake District, where we would have
spent month could we possibly have
spared the time; then on to Carlisle, to
Manchline (the land of Burns and TO
Glasgow. From Glasgow we pushed
I'D as far as Loeb Lomond and climbed
to the top of his majesty Ben" From
this point we went to Stirling, thence
to Edinburgh, from which city we took
a ticket for London, stopping on the
wav at Abbotsford (Scott's home), at
Durham and at York to see the Cattle
drals. and landed in London on Satur-
dav (23rd) late in the evening, having
been almost two weeks making the
tour Just named We were strangers
in a strange land when we struck this
metropolis-this hub of the universe.
The hour was such that quarters for
the evening must be had, somounting
"a bus at Euston Station we went on
lust where we hardly knew, but we
made good use of our driver who
showed us things as we passed, and
finally dumped Us out on the Strand
(the street that runs nearthe Thames
from which street we started and soon
found quarters near the Temple Bar
When we awoke on Sunday morning
we found that we were near st. Pauls,
near Westminster Abbey, near Water
loo Bridge, near the Bank, near Mr..
Sturgeon, near Dr. Parker, and every
thing else of interest, even the old
Tower. Just such good fortune has
been our companion since we started
out. Mr.. Sturgeon has been paral-
wed, but we saw that he was to preach
i'm the morning and Canon Farrar and
DR.. Parker both morning and even
ing We chose the first, Mr.. Spur
geon. as we feared at any moment he
might be again stricken down and
never rise again. Space does not cha
BILE me-nOr does time-to tell you of
all connected with this mans church,
called the Tabernacle Let these
few words suffice: The congregation
present was the usual one-siX thou
sand The singing was led by man
who stood by Mr.. Sturgeon, and not
a sign of an instrument was seen or
heard. Everybody sang, and sang as
they pleased. The leader seemed to
enjoy his own music so much that he
never seemed to care whether the peO-
pie kept up or Jagged behind. The
opening hymn was How firm foun-
dation. and the old Portuguese Hymn
rolled up from that sea of faces, and
from the two galleries, one over the
other, till you had TO sing with them.
| never heard anything like the vol
ume of sound, that shook the whole
building.
Mr.. Spurgeon breaches from plat
form, on a level with.the first gallery,
and about ten feet above the heads Of
the people in the body of the church.
He has no pulpit, but stands beside a
table, while back of him some of the
dignitaries of the church are sitting.
watched, when the hour came, for
his first appearance. The door opened
back of the platform, when an iron
gray head made its appearance. |
soon saw whose it was. But the figure
moved slowly. The buzzing congre-
CATION grew as still as death, as the
great preacher walked down step by
step, to the platform. He leaned heav-
lily on his cane, and crept along, till it
was pitiable to see him. His recent
paralysis has done its work; he can
never be the Sturgeon he was. But
let me make haste to say of him that
he is very short and very fat, and that
he wears a long black coat that is as
loose as an overcoat would be and
which comes down to his knees. His
hair is burly, curly, and iron-gray.
His side whiskers are brown, with no
gray hairs, save just under the chin
where they are quite like his hair.
His voice is almost like flute in its
fineness, and his complexion bloodless,
and somewhat Sallow. When he
preached he first stood up and then
sat down to talk. When he sat down
to talk he leaned his arm upon the
railing and looked over the top of his
spectacles at the people below him,
still saying some of his amusing things
that sent ripple after ripple through
the congregation. Then he would
start up, and his face would become
so bright with spirituality that he was
positively beautiful to behold. But |
must not write more of this.
In the evening we heard DIR. Parker,
whose writings ID. and have so much
enjoyed. What a contrast to the
morning! All was dignity here, and
the tones of the large man were like
the winds in the forest and then moan
ing among the pines. have never
heard voice so much like that of
Beecher before. As he pronounced
the benediction, he paused at the
close, when the choir and organ pealed
forth the "Amen-n-n'-then came a
hush for few seconds, and when we
looked up the preacher had gone.
To-day (Monday) we have found
ono orc (1r-ith Tho an ii c,i,a, nc nv FL, n