The Grenada gazette., 1888-03-24
"CORONATION."
How It's Singing Saved a Skating
Party From Drowning.

! remained in the office later than
usual one night, staid until that quiet
hour comcs--if indeed there rs any
quiet hour in n great busy city like
this-which is between the time the
laborers are going home from their
toll and the pleasure seekers are has
tening to places of amusement When
at length did put up the books and
papers for the day was minded not to
take the broad business street that led
toward home, but humber one,
chiefly occupied by little shops and the
cottages of small traders and the bet
ter class of laborers On this street
there was no jostle Of passcrs on the
sidewalk, no clatter of carriages on the
uneven pavement.
Mostot the persons on the street were
in little groups and were going in the
same direction that was. watched
them as they turned and entered an un-
pretending wooden building a few
blocks in advance Of me. As neared
it saw that it was church, though
much it differed from those imposing
editices where the rich and fashionable
meet to worship, if indeed they do as
semble for such a purpose. There
were no broad, marble steps. no orna-
mented columns, no windows of stained
glass, no lofty pointed spirc. The old
dllapidated meeting house on the north
side of Fulton street is very plain. l
approached ii and looked in The in
terror was in keeping with the outside.
There was no frcscoed ceiling, no wav-
ing tapestry, no finely finished pulpit,
no upholstered seats. 1t was just
common meeting house, the like of
which can be seen almost any where in
the country.
| stood in the vcstibulc for a time
with such Of the congregation as had
come late. saw that it was near the
conclusion of the opening prayer, and
that the worshipers were upon their
knees. There was a little pause after
this exercise, during which those who
were about me entered and took their
seats. Then the minister rose, and.
without hardly looking at his book.
read, or rather recited, the old farliliar
hymn
"All hail the power OF Jesus name.
Let angels PROSTATE fall
Bring forth the royal diadem,
Aud crown Him Lord Of all
Crown Him, ye martyrs OF our God
Who from His altars call;
Extol the stem Of Jesscs rod
And crown Him Lord OF all.
'fe chosen seed Of Israel's race,
Ye ransomed from the fall
Han Him " no saves sou BY His gr;ll.,,
And crown Him Lord OF oil
'Sinners whose love can ne er forget
The wormwood and the gall.
Go, spread your trophies at His feet
And crown Il m Lord of all
Let every kindred. every tribe
On this terrestrial bail.
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord Of all"
The hymn was finished and the
reader sat down. There was no peal
of the organ, no sound Of the violin,
but all the congregation sang the
words to the glorious notes of "Coro-
nation" have no appreciation of
music, and am not affected by it; and
1t may be that at this time my feelings
were not moved by the melody Of the
singers. There seemed to come, min
Cling with theirs, the notes Of music
sang long years before by singers
whose voices were then attuned to sing
for "holier ears than ours" They
were not. in truth, the voices OF the |
young men and women about me that
seemed to hear, but those OF Deacon
Titus and Elder Prescott snd others,
both men and womcn, whose songs
and praises | heard so often in the
days Of my boyhood. Twas not in the
portal of a church in a noisy Western
city. but standing among the worship
crs in an old New England meeting
house.
And SO | left the place where ]
seemed to be an intruder, rejoicing in
my heart that though men die, their
songs live on, and the singers them