The San Francisco call., 1896-02-23
FASHIONS IN CHURCHES.

If the Puritans who came over to Plymouth
| in order to worship God after their own copy
righted fashion could look to-day into the
/ plainest church in San Francisco they would,
| undoubtedly, with their old-time startling
candor, proceed to accuse its members OF the
worldly sin OF vanity and forthwith despair OF
ever meeting them in heaven.
| Their fashion was to rise before the lark-tf
| indeed there were larks in those serious days
| fortify the stomach with cold bean porrldge,
| cIothe the body in clean and decorous home
spun, attune the mind to thoughts of severest
piety, and, walking sooerly to their log church,
| seat themselves on rough benches patterned
after the stocks, where, with their primitive
arms and ammunition adjacent, they pro-
| ceeded to worship God, one ear thrilling to the
| sound of psalm and the drum OF the other
stretched to its widest tension in order to catch
| the first whirr of the war-whoop which an
| nounced the arrival of the ever belligerent
Indian, who seemed to especially enjoy at
tacking them at this auspicious and holy hour.
| Gloomy and fond of sacrifice was this God
| the Puritans made after their own image
and worshiped in singieness OF heart,
compelling their neighbors to do IKE
wise on pain of torture. For what so
| potent in convincing sinners OF the pains
| OF the hereafter as q taste OF torment IN
the hitherto? Great was the zeal and faith
of the Pilgrim fathers. and il is reported and
believed that the faith of the Pilgrim mothers
Yves sti II greater. How happy their lot! For
of all sinners they who lack faith are ever the
most miserable.
| The fashions in churches, in ministers of the
gospel, and especially in the congregations
| Themselves have marvelously changed since
that day. There may still be instances where
| the mother Of family rouses her less pious
| better-haH and her unwilling offspring, berigs
them in their Sunday best, and armed with a
sprig of "laylock" or q bunch of green caraway
| seed, according to the season, for awakeners
| during the service should her charges prove
a cl,a Gta1c
| church to hear the parson picture the torments
| of the damned, and invite sinners to flee from
| the wrath to come.
| Happily these churches now chiefly exist far
| in the backwoods. Such a village church I
knew, having been one of the afore men toned
| offspring, and though have forgot all but the
| fiery portions OF the sermon, ever since then
| strong Whit OF old-fashioned lilac brings back
| the sound of the minister's droning and Sister
| Smiths voice shrilling some tortured hymn
| as If it were veritable lost soul and she had
| been deputed to rack 1t to the utmost, stop
| ping just short OF absolute annihilation. Bit
| there were compensations even then, for much
| of the jigg1ng church music of to-day was
| known. 1t is hard to absolutely spoil some of
| the brave old hymns. and II there is anything
| calculated to make wretched sinner believe
| in God in heaven it is Coronation" sung by
| q congregation that knows il well.
| In the city of New York nearly all the
women of the Four Hundred attend regularly,
| when in town, some fashionable church. As
| two-thrds women and one-thtrd men, al
| though the men of the Vanderbilt family are
punetual church-goers. Nine Vanderbilt,
| widow of the old commodore, gave much to
DR.. Deems and his questionable Church of
| the Strangers in her day. For DR.. Deems
"took no thought for The morrow" so far
| he was concerned but spent his salary upon
| his orphans and other charities. Once he
! met q friend in the street and said, "Some
one has paid up the mortgage on my ouse.
| 1t is Mrs. Vanderbilt, am sure, though she
| has left me to guess at that
| 1t is almost as difficult for "camel to go
| through the eye of a needle as for stranger
| a fasliOQahla
| churches of New YORK. Every seat is paid for
at good round price, and it is like holding
send some friend instead. Should the Prince
| of Wales chance to visit, incognito, Grace
Church, for instance, during service. he would
be shown to a temporary seat in the aisle, there
TO remain until the close of the first lesson. II
| the usher were to place him at once in pew
| he would do it at his peril unless some mem
from church on that day. The first lesson
ended II any pew pe vacant, the strangers in
upon one of these temporary seats, mid the
gorgeous strains of music and the mellow
organ calms," like Alexander Smith, "my
heart was otherwise" for was thinking
There WAC young lady of Yarrow,
Who went up TO church in a barrow
| Said she with a smile,
| AS she stuck in the aisle,
They make these here churches too narrow.
| In comforting contrast was my reception at
a church in San Francisco where the members
| act as ushers. Entering there I was greeted
with handshake and the question "Are you a
strangerT was stranger indeed, and I
SAID SAID hope you sie wiz HF fee at 5ne end nan an
| conducted me to a seat right in front of the
pulpit where the gospel could strike me hard
| l felt just as l used to feel when l visited
| Aunt Sarah and she had taken me TO nv room
| at night where light and air were softly tenn
! pered; there was shaded lamp, pen, some
| newspapers, a book or two, an easy chair a
| bed of down and the knowledge that / could
| lie as late as L liked in the morning And az
if this were not enough with her goodnight
n a M 60 nj Sroili linz har
| tion, "Peace be unto you" l always felt like
falling on my knees and saying prayer for
more Aunt sarahs, and though this may not
have been quite orthodox prayer rarely
| closes as it begins; praying is in one sense
| much like falling in loye-you never know
! how far you are going until you arrive at the
end. Well, whatever else 1 prayed for that
Sunday l did not forget to ask for more
churches where strangers are received with out
| stretched hands.
| Yet here, right in hospitable San Francisco,
where many, both saints and sinners, seem to
welcome tramps right heartily, know re-
| lig1ous woman who has been member of one
| church for ten years, attending regularly and
| she is not personally acquainted with q single
| other member except the pastor. But she has
| never been poor ana needy; perhaps she has
| not invited friendship or even acquaintance
| ship.
| short time ago was asked: ADO you think
| the church goers of San Francisco who are
largely women, as sincere in their piety as
those of New York?'
| 1 believe them TO be even more so. Many
| New York women attend church because it
| has been their habit TO do so from childhood.
They are not interested, it is even bore, but
1t is respectable to go to church, it is still the
| fashion, and they care much for fashion and
for appearances generally; The women of San
Francisco are different, they are a law unto
| themselves. They care less for appearances,
| and besides, 1t is their happy lot to be obliged
| to 90 little that they actually dislike They
| take more freedom than New York women do,
and are INDUCED to greater extent in minor
| things do not think they would go to church
at all unless religtously inclined, and believe
the Christian women of San Francisco as
thoroughly conscientious and devout any
women in the world, for they lead charitable
and beautiful lives. BEEBE CRocKER
z. a. BLACK, painter, 120 Eddy street