Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-01-27
A SUNDAY AND
A MONDAY
IN WASHINGTON.
Fitting Contrasts With a Bit of the
UnusuaI---Fr0m Trained Ch0irs
to Prison Melodies---A Glimpse
of the Bright and Dark Sides OF
Life at The National Capital, Etc.
tstar Correspondence of the spectator.)

1 |
d (Staf Correspondence of the Specta tor.
1t was Sunday morning and
: chimes from distant church towe
!, lioated out through the frosty air al
B, into the drawing rooms, the boudOi
and the humble tenements throughO
e all WashIngton 1t was the beckoniI
D call to her people and to the strange
within her gates.
AS one of the latter l stepped I'M
the street and. joined the -moviI
throng as they distributed themselv.
among the various churches of the cit,
My own pathway led to the portals {
that historic and hospltable edlfice. th
Metropolitan Memorial M. E. Churc
at John Marshall Place-the churc
OF the Presidents and of the stranger
Too as L afterwards found out, TO
scarce had l entered the Sunday schOo
when the superinten dent was on hi
feet with smile and an outstretchet
hand, the teachers nodded a good
morning. and have seat. :" 1 had Wis
ted there before, but at long interval
yet it seemed more home coming thar
| as stranger among strangers. Wher
| went into the church auditorium il
! was much the same way, and before
realized it. was rejoicing in a warmth
of welcome that 1 have, seldom seen
equaled. This L cite as an example to
other churches worthy of emulation,
for my experience there is but that of
countless others. When the services
began the heartiness of the people was
further manifested In the we'll tuned
reading responses and the excellence
of the choir and congregational sing
ing. DR.. Bristol, the pastor delivered
an able address. That night his sub
ject was "tbe whipping post for wife
heaters, p" a subject that Just now is
greatly exercising local interest in the
capital city. The doctor did not be-
lieve in laying On the lash forIsuch an
offence, bat rather in work house SEN
5ence where the brutal and oft times
trifiing husband is made to labor, the
proceeds of which shall go to the sup
port of'the wife he had so grievously
offended. This argument and the doc
-ors logic has much to commend it, but
IN the other hand might not it prove
IN incentive to the spiteful woman to
nag at" and brow beat the husband
Ill goaded to strike the ill fated blow
md then off to the work house he'd 60, |
hat his labor may supply her with |
'ocket change for the next 30 days?
There are many other churches in
Washington that extend a visitor tho
dad hand of welcome for the people
re Hospitality inclined and are church
.oing public-at least they are for the
morning service.
In the afternoon | went to the city
all, but by invitation, and with full
to come away at will. The
hrlstian work there among the aban-
oned is systematic and the public ser.
ices most unique and to me very in
When our party arrivsd in
ront of the great iron gate, some $50
ersons had preceded us-spectators,
IOrkerS and deaconesses, waiting till
he doors should be thrown open. When
u entered it was to be ushered into q ;
lrge, dome like. or rOtunda
laped hall, where seats were provided I
the center. In front of these was a
w platform and a pulpit desk.
Such injecting house. l had never ,
ZEN, but strangest yet of all was the :
all decoration of the great high 70 Z
INDIA. From top to bottom and pro-
uding like wall brackets was ranged a ,
It work of shallow iron cages. These +
ere filled with hundreds Of convicts |
no in their crouching attitudes look
like a veneering of monkeys. But
! closer view they were seen to be =
can, intelligent faces, for the most y
art placid, with here and there a vii i
nous eye Or scowling countenance. h
IL seemed anxious however for the :
version and pleasure that the Sunday !
rvice promised. AS the reading =.
Osed, their Impotence for the sing-l
G was obvious, for be it known they =
ere nearly all negroes, and 80 with l.
groe's love of melody they chafed at 4
aiting their turn to participate in h
e services. They have no hymn books Y
d needed none, for they knew the a
rises by heart-520 of them, there u
ere, and all male voices. When the o
ader of the singing gave the word v
ey were off like thunderbolt that i,
great wave Of sound crashing and i,
sounding in oft repeated echoes, T
ound and around the huge rotunda h
an awful and grandly inspiring n
und. do not know what gave to it !,
, superhuman volume and strength :,
the metallic ring-probably the a,
nj octagon shape of the rotunda, 10
obably the vast volume, probably the ~
30 and re-echo as the out bursts of q
and chased one another, probably 3,
; even distribution of the voices =,
ing the wall from pit to ceiling. or Il
obably from a com bination of these !,
uses, but be that as it may the effect a
Is grand beyond anything l have a,
er heard. With metallic ring, mid ~
volume of base and tenor sounds :,
ere was crash after crash as the q
'rds of the chorus were given-more y
in to the volume and precision of n
peated volleys from musketry than .,
y thing else | can think of. Such
curacy, such perfect time as their
orus work showed seems a marvel.
rst Que division of the prisoners and
en- another were pitted against each
her nd then 8 II IN voth or IN rpi1htui