The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-13
a CHURCH THE QUEEN GOES TO.
An Interesting sketch OF the History
OF the Royal Sanctuary.
From the Pull Mall Gazette


OF the Royal Sanctuary.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.
The parish church Of Crathie, which the
queen and royal family, when in the High
lands. occasionally, and a crowd of the
Balmoral people regularly, attend, is about
as unpretentious building as was ever de-
voted to religious purposes by state estah-
lishment. Some of the farm buildings on
the Balmoral estate have more architectural
beauty than this square, barnlike structure
The interior is in keeping with the exterior.
deep gallery occupies three sides of the
building. and the pulpit rises out of the
well-like opening on the fourth. The people
VINO occupy the floor of the church are over
Swallowed by the galleries, while those
above feel themselves uncomfortable near
the ceiling. The seats are stiff, straight, and
narrow. with the exception Of the royal
and other favored pews, which occupy the
front row of the gallery. These are roomy
and upholstered in crimson CLOTH forming
contrast to the Others, which are devoid
OF cushion or covering, sage coat of white
paint Altogether is seating
accommodations for about 300 persons
The pulpit is NOT much bigger
than an armchair, and has overhead one
of the old-fashioned cone<shaped sounding
boards. Two stainea-glass windows, one
on each side of the puipitSare the only at
tempts at decorative effect. In one there is
the figure of st. Paul, and ia the other that
of King David with his harp, as the sweet
singer of Israel. The building stands on
the hillside on the north bank of the Dee,
about midway between Abergeldie and
Balmoral The first service on Sunday
begins at noon, and Tor some five or
ten minutes before that hour the people
congregate together on, the greensward in
front of the church. The young men are in
one group and theIraelders lin another. and
it would be rash TO say that the weather
and the crops and. the live stock do not
furnish as many topics or Conversation as
theology and affairs ecclesiastical. A
double toll Of the bell just on the stroke of
the hour Is the signal for dispersion, and
they then stream into the church. The
''beadle" ascends to the pulpit with the Bible
and ushers in the minister in his Geneva
gown and bands.
If the building Is plain and primitive the
service is equally So To the queen, and
those accustomed to the rich and melodious
Episcopalian liturgy, the contrast must be
most marked, and yet according to current
report, it is the desire of her majesty that
the Presbyterian service should be main
tanned in its original simplicity. There is
no hymnology save and except the Psalms
"Paraphrases." The Exist of whistles" is still
anathema. the tuning fork of the precentor
being the only legalized instrument of
music. A small mixed choir lead, and, in
deed, do the most of the singing, the con-
gregation not joining in with any hearth
ness, although they must be perfectly
familiar with the tunes 80 ancient are they
The old fashion of sitting during praise
introduced at the time of the reformation,
ha hat in
to the popish method of standing,
is still maintained, while at
prayers the congregation stands. With
the existing pews it would be impossible to
kneel, so that it would be necessary to re-
seat the building should there be an innova-
ton in this respect. The only novelty in the
whole service is the abridgement OF the
sermon. The minister of to-day finds that
discourse of twenty or perhaps twenty
five minutes duration is as much as the
present generation of church-goers eau
assimilate, and that he must no longer
amplify with a fourthly, filthy, Or sixthly,
as in the olden time. Many of the
ancient theological and ecclesiastical
problems no longer agitate the minds Of the
people of Scotland, and without the great
haat and deep interest which such burning
questions create the preacher finds that be
only sends one-half of his hearers asleep.
and irritates the other half by prolonging
his sermon beyond the time specified.
While there has been no objection,
therefore, to the old bald service of praise,
there has been tacit dlsapproval of long
sermons. The only other innovation is
Il change in the method of taking the COL
lection" Instead of the ample plates to
receive the offerings at the church door,
long-handled ladies are passed along the
pews Immediately after the sermon. Per-
haps the close of the service marks most
distinctly the contrast in cerem oniousness
between the Episcopalian and Presbyterian
forms, as practiced at least in the High
lands. The congregation as already stated,
stand during prayers, and when the
Clergyman has pronounced the benediction
they do not think it worth while to resume
their seats, but seize their hats and UNI
brellas and make for the door. The
amen" is lost in the shuffiing of feet, and
the building is emptied almost before it's
echo has died away. We have simplicity
here, truly. but simplicity bordering on
rudeness. if not even irreverence, although
no doubt quite unintentional.
BY the way, the presence of the shep-
herds dog in the kirk during divine service,
is not. by any means, mere tradition in
these parts. In the neighboring parish of
Braemer, on a recent Sunday, a fine
''collie," who walked in of his own accord.
was quiet and attentive. if not highly ap-
preciatlve listener, and so artuned was his
ear to the utterances of the occupant of the
pulpit. that Immediately on the benediction
being pronounced he rose from the pew in
which he had ensconced himself and walked
out in a slow and stately fashion.