The Newtown bee., 1891-05-15
VIEWPOINT, MAY 15, 1891.
DEDICATION AT WESTENI
 Bridgeport's New Cong. Church.

DEDICATION AT WEST END
 Bridgeport's New Cong. Church.
 Six years ago, a little mission was es abolished at West End, then just begin ming to show evidences of it's future won derful growth, by the North Congrega tional church. The mission grew anC prospered and had membership of 4( when Rev G. F. Prentiss of Brattleboro Vt., was called to the pastorate. H, worked with earnest zeal and succeeded in building up the church and Sunday school so rapidly that the mission build ing on Colorado avenue become all toe small to accommodate the people, the while the Sunday scholars could hardly find seats. Accordngly,a couple of years ago, it was decided to build a large church on the same site, the forme
 building being moved to the rear of the lot, and connected with the new churcl by glass doors. The plans, from Volk O New ork, were for a broad, low build ing, of Norman Gothic construction
 with tall bell tower of Gothic fashion at the southeast corner. The window
 are all of stained glass and finely finished hard wood decorates the interior, the trussed roof and the walls. The seating capacity is about 800, folding operi chairs, arranged in a semi-circle, beins used in place of pews. The pulpit is a
 the center of the south side, with the or gan and choir just west. A sweet vocal ion organ, with Mrs Edward Lyon as or ganist, is used, and the choir consists O. Mrs Avery, Mrs Lynch, Mrs Sniffin Misses Marshall, Abbott, Murray, Ster ling, Preston, Robinson, Lyman, Stew art, Messrs Spalding, Northrop, Shab bolt, Hughes, Nichols, Hartwell, Os borne, Crupper. The triple service dedi cation was began at the church, last week Thursday evening, with the follow ing program:
 Voluntary and doXology; invocation, Rev E IA. Holden of Oliyet church; responsive WOr Rock; scripture, Rev E. c. Fullerton; solo Miss Marshall; hymn, Antiphonal choir; ser anthem, % Praise the Mighty God, "(obligato Dr c. Ray Palmer; hymn 4S5, choir and con. gregation; benediction.
 The solo was sweet and listened to with rapt attention. Rev MT Taylor was in- troduced by Rev Mir Prentiss and deliv- cred an interesting and thoughtful dis course. His text was, Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am 1 in the midst of them.'' He said: Man was not made to live alone. True, he frequently finds it necessary to be alone and often works out his deepest thoughts when in solitude; but he must come into the world to give forth the re- suits of his meditation and he never reaches his highest ability unless in the company of his fellow men. Worship in closets was commended, but the gregar- ious tendencies of men were manifest in their banding together ill numerous or ganiZatiOnS for social pleasure and for worship. Jesus knew that his followers would worship in congregations, and, however small, he promised to be in the midst of them, if gathered in His name. There are two things essential in public worship, the place to worship and the manner in which to worship. There was spontaneity in worshipping in a large congregation and the electric thrill of a congregation in touch with God often runs through a whole church, while a single nearer, or a few, might remain unaffected. It makes no difference where men worship God, so long as the true spirit is there and God is truly worship ped. As the years roll on, the place where we worship becomes to us a home, where rests the memory of our dead. It's songs lift us to higher plane; it's pray 9rs purify our lives. But the place of this is immaterial; as well in a log hut, poor upper room, as in the most splen- did temple of worship. The first real union prayer meeting was held in an ob- scure village in England, where the gen tie, shrinking poet Cowper wrote "Jesus, where'er Thy people meet and where John Newton wrote ''Lord, our languid souls inspire" True worship this, though given in poor upper room. And yet it is more decOrOus and convenient to have a stated place of worship; it is com manded that we should do so.
 At the second of the series of dedica- tory services, Sunday morning, the church was well filled, many members of other churches being present. The church was again decorated with flowers and plants and seemed to presentan even prettier appearance by daylight. The services were opened by Rev G. F. Prem tiss, who conducted them until he intro- duced Rev F.. w. Tracy of India as one who had had practical experience as foreign missionary. "It is especially ap- propriate,' said Mir Prentiss, "that this, should be missionary Sunday, though we had no knowledge of the coincidence when we appointed this day" MT Tracy, who gave deeply interesting missionary discourse, quite different from the usual sermon, spoke straight to the point. He was of Eastern birth and training, he said, having been born of active mission ary parents. He had, moreover, been trained to habits of Western thought and had tried to carry the good tidings as he had learned them to the benighted mil lions of East Indians. How can you know any man save as you know his heart, his thoughts? In this way only can one know the Hindu; and as I have seen him will try to portray him. His God is one of fear. Behind every bush, every, tree, every rock, hiding in every jungle, lurking in the air,-in fact, t,every- where, are devils who are waiting to de- your him. The manifestations of Nature with which he is most familiar are storm and tempest, famine and pestilence, death and destruction. These things he knows but cannot understand. Hence, they must proceed from God and all his efforts are directed toward propitiating this malevolent Deity, whom he can never love. The Gospel of love and peace is new and strange to them and they are famishing for it; but they don't know that they want it; they say they don't want it. Out of population of 2S0,0 ,00O,- 900, there is never time when from 30,- 900, ,000 to 40,000,O00 are not in want of food. Once decade comes a terrible dearth and at one of these times of want more than 1000, ,0000 persons died in the district in which my wife was and the population of the district was but 15, ,00O,- GOO. What caused their death? Sheer starvation; nothing more. Many and many time did l go into hut and rouse the inmates, telling them that I had food for them. Yet, though in the last stages of cancellation and acknowledging that they had tasted no nourishment for many days, their almost invariable answer to my proffer of food was, "We don't want it; we're not hungry" Not hungry, yet starving to death! found that by the use of certain poisonous plant, they were in the habit of so paralyzing the .tnr,anI that ;t cn,,ll faa1 m no;, k,l