Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1883-08-04 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

SUNDAY IN • COMMON LODDIN HOUSR.—We enter the kitchen of a large lodging-house. It Is a broad low room, and some forty or filly lodgers —men, women, and children—are now in. Some are cooking food at the huge tire, others are eating their evening meal. As the service is jolt commencing, moot of the mothers have called up their children from gambols on the dirty floor. and are hushing them into something lika attention. Awrty in the background hang a nuntler of sheets drying, Aerosa each is printed in broad undinching letters," Stolen from J. Smith's." But even this precaution is insufficient to prevent their theft. They are sometimes stolen and made into garments by the lodgers. Wlth his back to these stands the conductor of thin service. His assistants, male and female, stand round or sit on a long form placed for that purpose They seem to be chie y members of the middle and upper working cl.i.sses. But clergy, doctors, solicitors, anti othets sometimes appear in their ranks, Hymn-hooks have been distributed amongst the Ind,ers and many join in the singing. A group of men in a corner are clearly malcontents. They turn their backs on the service, and apply themselves to their Sunday papers with redoubled energy. One ventures disparaging remarks ion loud tone, but is roughly called to order by some of his fellows. The hymn is over. Now a short prayer, followed by the Lord's Prayer. In the latter many join, and the children's voices come out very distinctly. Then another hymn, "Rock of Ages." Old favourites are chosen in the hope that the familiar sound may touch some chord, and had the hearer to think of happier time, in the past. When the last line has been sung, a portion of Scripture is read, and we listen to a short addres.. A passa,:e is read from the prophet Ezekiel, and the words "Why will ye die?" form the tent The speaker is careful In adapting his pleas and arguments to their capaity. He labours to remove from them the feeling of despair one sees In many faces, and to this end fall. hack upon facts ; he recalls to their notice the ea, of a man who was brought to a knowledge of God whilst he stood on London Bridge contemplating suicide ; of another who had spent seventeen consecutive Christmas Days in prison, and was now known to be living a changed life. As lie tells of thme some raise their heads and look at the speaker. Their eyes ask the question," Is there hope for me, too?" The Quiver.  BosTow Moments—One gentleman told me how he, like ourselves, a total stranger in Boston, had, from the merest curiosity, sought an interview with a medium, miected quite st random. She at once proceeded, unasked, and greatly to his diatoms, minutely to describe hie dead father and brother, and other kinsfolk who had passed over "to the majority." Anxious to turn her attention from topics which he felt to be at once too sacred and too painful to be touched upon under such circumstances, he asked if she could give him any particulars concerning an absent friend. He gave her no clue whatever to the person of whom he was thinking; and, much to his astonishment, she almost immediately proceeded to describe him, and the room in which he was sitting; al.o two ladies who were present, one elderly and grey haired, who sat in the corner of a sofa, the other young and handsome, a Spanishlooking girl with glosi raven-black hair. The gentleman was sitting at the piano. When asked whose music be was playing, the medium replied, "Ills own " She was asked his name, and replied that eke could not tell till eke heard it mentioned. Soon afterwards she mentioned a very uncommon mime by which he was very rarely addressed, and said it was the name by which the grey-haired lady called him. She then added his unman.. A few days later our traveller returned to the town where his friend lived, and made a point of going to see him as sous as possible. He inquired where he had been the previous week. His friend replied that he had been absent, but had been obliged to return unexpectedly on a certain day (the very day in question). "Who had he found on his return?" Only his mother." aNo one else ?" "Oh yen; late in the afternoon bliss -- • chanced to arrive." (Then the accuracy of the medium was undoubted. Her description of the handsome Spanish-looking girl, with glossy raven-black hair, exactly answered to the lady in question). "And what were they all doing at sunset?" "Nothing special, He was playing the piano, and they were listening." " Whose music was he playing 1" "Oh, he was improvieing." "Might he see the room In which they were sitting?' "Why, certainly." Sobs led the way to a room exactly-answering to that described by the medium, and the gtey-liaired mother pointed oat the corner of the sofa which wan her accustomed seat in the twilight, and the chair occupied by the dark-haired girl; and the picture was recognised as being altogether aceurate.—lstn‘kwood'i Maga:fee.