At a very early hour, a coach arrived, containing Messrs. Court-Guilder
Zeddel and Locksmith Wächser, and the new Peter's-cupola of the
steeple. Towards eight o'clock the community, consisting of subscribers
to the Globe, was visibly collecting. A little later came the Lord
Dragoon Rittmeister von Aufhammer, as Patron of the church and steeple,
attended by Mr. Church-Inspector Streichert. Hereupon my Reverend
Cousin Fixlein and I repaired, with the other persons whom I have
already named, into the Church, and there celebrated, before
innumerable hearers, a week-day prayer-service. Directly afterwards,
my Reverend Friend made his appearance above in the pulpit, and
endeavored to deliver a speech which might correspond to the solemn
transaction;--and immediately thereafter, he read aloud the names of
the patrons and charitable souls, by whose donations the Ball had been
put together; and showed to the congregation the leaden box in which
they were specially recorded; observing that the book from which he had
recited them was to be reposited in the Parish Register-office. Next he
held it necessary to thank them and God, that he, above his deserts,
had been chosen as the instrument and undertaker of such a work. The
whole he concluded with a short prayer for Mr. Stechmann the Slater
(who was already hanging on the outside on the steeple, and loosening
the old shaft); and entreated that he might not break his neck, or any
of his members. A short hymn was then sung, which the most of those
assembled without the church-doors sang along with us, looking up at
the same time to the steeple.
All of us now proceeded out likewise; and the discarded ball, as it
were the amputated cock's-comb of the church, was lowered down and
untied. Church-Inspector Streichert drew a leaden case from the
crumbling ball, which my Reverend Friend put into his pocket, purposing
to read it at his convenience; I, however, said to some peasants: "See,
thus will your names also be preserved in the new Ball, and when, after
long years, it shall be taken down, the box lies within it, and the
then parson becomes acquainted with you all."--And now was the new
steeple-globe, with the leaden cup in which lay the names of the
by-standers, at length full-laden, so to speak, and saturated, and
fixed to the pulley-rope;--and so did this the whilom cupping-glass of
the community ascend aloft....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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