Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-06-26

tnlnk but little used. AS we enter st.
Hyacinthe the river Is wdened by the
water setting back from a dam, and af-
fords excellent opportunity for rowing
which the French, with their aptitude to
amusement, fully utilize. Boat houses
line the river, connected with the hand
some residences, and many row boats
sport upon the water. st. Hyacinthe has
some 5000 inhabitants, and is Il well built
French town. AS we entered great
procession was in progress, connected
with some church festival first the chill
dren, girls, boys, then young women,
and lastly men with liberal sprnking
of priests and nuns. The population, as
it appeared in this procession, is almost
uneXceptionally plain, though honest
looking.
We found here though not an expen-
sive an excellent hotel in the Iamaska
hotel. 1t is pleasantly situated at the
central part of the city, and its table is
particularly fine. Our horses were
placed out at one of the many livery
stables in the city. And hiring, in the
afternoon. French horse with French
carriage, we drove out of the city to
neighboring village. Platter and more
rich seemed the country, think nowhere
did we see any that was finer. The next
day we left for Nercheres on the st. Law
renee about % miles distant. The road con-
tinued good with deep bitches on either
side, almost large enough for a canal,
which assist to drain the farming
country, small bitches running from the
meadows into them.
Much of the country is clay, some of it
loan, and quite occasionally sandy
piece intervenes. At about half way
between St. Hyacinthe is the Richie
lieu river by which the waters of Lake
Champlain empty into the ST. Lawrence.
1t is a fine large stream, navigable its
whole length excepting some six miles
near st. John, where for many years there
has been a canal, though only large
was quite village. The road crosses
the river by ferry boat of the most
strictly economical pattern, and the ferry
man, for very moderate sum, rows this
across.
Passing 4 school-house and then a rail-
road track we came to the village of
Nercheres, one of the many that lie along
the banks of the great st. Lawrence.
Whilst stopping here several ocean
steamers stole by. 1t seemed so strange
to think that they might be on their way
to Europe: that they from that distance
could enter our continent and come near
ly up to the Vermont line. Besides them
are numerous small steamers, sail boats
and skiffs. Nowhere on earth | think
is there a finer river than the st. Law
renee. Its waters are cool and clear. its
current below Montreal deep, and its
width from three to 80 miles. And still
about five months of the year it is frozen
up.
From Nercheres we drove to Contre
CHur, the next town north on the river.
1t is much pretter than Ncrcheres, though
not so large. There is single long street
on the high bank above the river and
running parallel to it. This street is
narrow but neat: nearly every house has
its narrow piazza next the sidewalk but
enclosed by fence or lattice work, ard
here in the summer evenings the family
sits.
The inn was a very neat one at the
corner of the street near the dock, and
also near the cathedral. 1t was scrupu-
lousy neat inside as well as out. Nearly
all cooking we found good throughout
the French country. Prices are very
reasonable. % cents meal. the same for
lodging and for horse feed.
quite neatly dressed young lady
waited upon the table, but if the church
i bell rung she would leave the glass of
water half poured and fly to the church.
In the play of the Senator the Chinese
minister at Washington Is accustom-
ed to take out his pencil and note
down hurrdly his observations. a.
american ladies do not like to be told
, that their feet are massive" so | felt
. inclined 10 make memorandum of this
. church-going habit with young French
DemoIsells, but when later in the day we
attended the regular services OF the
church | found the explanations; the
young lady was the organist. She played,
too, with fine skill.
Every one at the church was devout
. through the exercises. The priests dis
course was very plainly rendered in
French, so much so that though not very
proficient in the language | understood
nearly all of it. thought the congre-
CATION averaged better in looks than at
st. Hyacinthe, though | noticed no one
that was handsome. The formula of the
church | pass by. All formula whether
in religion or elsewhere is always to me
a waste of time.
King David, poet, scholar, hero, proph-
ct and man, in his inspired psalm, says:
'For thou desirest not sacrifices, else
would give it; thou delghtest not in
burnt Offering. The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit; "A broken and a con-
trite heart God thou wilt not despise."
But David continues: "Then" (after
the heart is contrite) "shalt thou be
pleased with the sacrifices of righteous
ness, with burnt offering and whole
burnt offering" and perhaps all formula
are we'll enough if done in right spirit.
We come now to the worldly church,
the church that exists for power. For
merly in France an immense amount of
wealth was aOUrepated i'm the Catholic