Year: 1876




iSOns with Primitive


Times.


DEAR COUSIN JOHN 81 have beer
an occasional attendant at "diyine
services" as the town people call it
for some time past; but 1 find il
about the same as what we used tc
call meetin', the intention of which
was to worship the true and living
God. But the present mode of wor.
ship, Cousin John, is much more
convenient than the old fashioned
way of twenty-five or thirty years
ago. Then, all who could were ex-
pected to join in the singing. and
then all knew how to sing, for no
good brother would start a tune un-
less he knew the congregation could
sing 1T. But now, they have a regu-
lar band of about eight in number
who do the singing for the whole
congregation and they have a pat
ent right concern that makes a noise
like the running gears of a snake
show, that browns all discord and
makes smoothe many rough places
in the music This little band of
eight souls makes the music for the
whole meetin'.


And when called upon to pray, the
congregation do not kneel as they
used to. None but the good man of
God gets on his knees. He per-
forms this part of the worship for
the entire congregation. Now, in
former years, the whole congrega.
tioa would kneel, and different men,
bers of that congregation might be
heard in whispering accents, petit
tioning the God whom they wor-
shipped, and who was then called
the God Of Abraham, and of Isaac,
and of Jacob, to have mercy upon
them. and sinners generally but that
trouble Is all dispensed with at pres.
ent, and the preacher alone kneels
and converses with God. t. T.. Is trne
you may often hear some of the CON.
gregation talking while the preacher
is praying, 4 did last Sunday, but I
have no reasons to believe that thew
were talking with their God, nor do
| suppose it is necessary at this day
and time for, verify, the God whom
the present generation worship is
much more lenient than the God
whom our fathers worshipped. He
certainly does not require that the
good Christian ladies and gentlemen
OF the present day shall kneel down
to worship him, and thereby soil a
ten dollar dress or an eight dollar
pair of pants. IF He does, He is
sadly mistaken, for this floor full of
Christians are not going to do any
such thing, 1t is the preachers duty
to pray for us. We pay him for it,
and We don't propose to do what we
have others paid to do for us.


Cousin John. if you were never at
"divine services in town you ought
to go once. AS soon as the band
begins to make music, two men 90
all through the crowd and get the
money, and after you have given
your money, you have nothing else
to do. The preacher does the rest.
It's mighty nice thing to have a
God that you can worship with mon
ey, provided you have the money.
1t saves sight of trouble. The
plan of making a substitute of the
preacher to perform the work for the
entire congregation is much more
convenient than the old plan of wor-
shipping, when all who made a pro-
fession of Christianity had to par
ticipate in the exercises. The pres
ent mode OF worship affords us q
much better opportunity of examin-
ing the quality of our neighbors
dressing, as also whether or not it is
made in the latest style.


But we folks of the country. not
being able to pay our preacher very
extravagant wages, nor to purchase
patent music, have to join in the
singing, and are expected to kneel
during prayer. / notice another bit
of ingenuity practiced by the city
Christians that we of the country
and smaller towns have not learned
yet. That is, that they, the city
Christians, enter the Church first
and fill up all the back seats, so that
the sinners, if they enter the Church
at all, will be compelled to take the
front seats. This gives them a much
better chance to show their rigging
to the Chritians in rear of them.


Now in small towns and the coun-
try the Christian portion of the con-
gregation follow the practice of their
ancestors, of crowding up into the
Amen corners, and the front seats.
having no room except the back seats
for the sinners who may be present.
City folks always learn things much
sooner than do those of the country !;
but they have certainly far out
stripped them in the place of wor-
shipping God according to the die
tates of their conscience, and the
plan seems to work well.


Cousin John, you would do we'll
to come down and learn something
of this new and improved mode of
worship. THos. BAscUM.


CRY OF PICNIcs, May 90, 1876.


OF one hundred and sixteen rail-