The Religious Life of LondonRitchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
Religion
The Religious Life of London
Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
London (England) -- Religion; Religious thought -- England -- London
Inside you are struck with the comfort and cheerful appearance of the
building. In form it is almost a square, and is remarkably light and
airy. The pews are all open and well cushioned. The pulpit is a
handsome platform. Underneath is the choir. The chapel is computed to
seat comfortably 1200, but that estimate is rather under than over the
mark. Underneath the chapel are rooms fitted up with every convenience
for week-evening lectures, for meetings of young men’s mutual improvement
societies, for ladies’ working parties, and the other organizations of an
active and flourishing church. I find here about 2000_l._ is annually
raised for religious purposes. The pastor has a salary of 700_l._ a
year. Attached to the place is a Young Men’s Literary Institute, a Young
Men’s Christian Fellowship Association, a Missionary Association, a
Psalmody Association, a Ladies’ Working Association. In Highbury New
Park there are no poor people, and, consequently, there is no missionary
agency or Sunday-school in connexion with that district; but the church,
consisting of between four and five hundred members, is not idle nor
neglectful of its special privilege and duty. In the neighbouring Hoxton
there are many poor untaught, and for their souls the church in Highbury
cares. There a City missionary is employed, whose labours are not in
vain. They have organized a Mothers’ Meeting, a Bible Class, Penny
Weekly Readings and Musical Entertainments, a Singing Class, and a Band
of Hope. Last year their missionary conducted 156 in-door and 21
out-of-door meetings, 2100 district visitations for Scripture reading,
&c., 500 district visitations to the sick and dying, besides the
distribution of a large number of religious tracts. In Harvey Street,
Hoxton, the church maintains a Sunday-school with an average attendance
of 160, a day-school not so numerous, a Sick Relief Society, and in
Albert Square another Sunday-school and a domestic servant class. Dr.
Edmond himself preaches twice on the Sunday, and once on a week-night.
He has a special service for servants on Sunday afternoons; on Fridays
and Saturdays he also holds Bible classes. On Sundays the service itself
is conducted very simply, much as it was in old-fashioned Dissenting
chapels before the introduction of chants and anthems. To the stranger
the principal novelty is the vast preponderance of young men in the
congregation, and the use of that somewhat inelegant version of the
Psalms compared with which, in Scotch—not English ears,
“Italian thrills are tame.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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