Inside the house of God the fripperies of fashion were as rampant13 then as now. In one stylish14 family, albeit15, according to common rumor16 of humble17 origin, whose pew was near ours, but further to the east, there was the father, who was a dandy in his dress. He always sat during the sermon and those parts of the service not calling for a bowed head or the grasping of a hymn18 book, holding his ridiculous little cane19, which had for its handle a lady's foot carved in ivory. Her toes were always in his mouth, and the diligence with which[108] he sucked that cane impressed a certain boy, who passes over further description, of oiled and perfumed ringlets, amazing necktie or diamond-studded cravat20 and other vanities of life. I never frankly21 accepted the statement of Ecclesiastes, until I saw this gentleman's cane and neck gear. It must be confessed that the amount of time sometimes spent by young men on their neckties, then often three or four inches wide and made to stick out so that the ends were continuous with the shoulders, is a secret not to be told to the present generation lest we corrupt22 the youth.
But the psychical23 moment to the small boy was when the very stylish daughter of the family aforesaid with her sublunar bonnet, her gorgeous mantilla, her mighty24 collar of lace and resplendent brooch sailed up the aisle25, sending many a black silk hat spinning on its richochetting way before her. When about two fathom's distance from the pew door, which stood at right angles to the long aisle, she would seize a handful of the various concentric steel circles of her dress, and slightly tilting26 the metal bands would sail into her pew with as little collision against the wooden sides as possible. Within a busy period, of possibly less than five minutes, she was able to accommodate her crinoline to the dimensions allowed and get her spirit in tune27 with the sacredness of the hour and place.
Nevertheless when in later days, sorrow came to that same daughter, now bereaved28 and fatherless, she rose by divine grace into a very transfiguration of character, through sisterly and filial devotion.
Life is too short to tell of all the oddities and curious situations into which the hoop skirt led its wearer, and one must read Edward Everett Hale's amusing story of "The Skeleton in the Closet", to see what dire29 mischief30 these inventions of the evil one were capable of wreaking31, even when discarded. They did indeed seem to be indestructible.
[109]
What glistening32 starry33 eyes, what dewy and rosy34 cheeks, what lovely faces dwelt inside of those bonnets! Even to-day in life's dusty pathway, sweet influences like the breath of a May morning come back with the happy memories of Sabbath days, that were as "the bridal of the earth and sky", with the trees in white blossoms standing10 as bridesmaids. In memory's glow the returning vision of youth make what the Deuteronomist calls "the days of heaven upon earth". It was in that wonderful training school on Broad street, that so many lovely maidens35 were taught how, by divine grace, to be noble wives and mothers, and useful women and workers for the coming of the kingdom of heaven, and from which so many alumni went forth36, young men to preach the good news of God. On the missionary37 field, or at home, in bustling38 cities, or in quiet country charges, many there are who to-day amid monotony and toil39, refresh their spirits at the fountains of memory, taking inspiration from the past and its great personality, thanking God and taking courage.
"The traveller owns the grateful sense
Of sweetness near, he knows not whence,
And pausing takes with forehead bare
The benediction40 of the air."
They were not all sunny days for "the pastor41", but rather many a "dark and cloudy day", for not all of the seed of the sower fell into good and honest hearts. Too many trusted in themselves and falling, wallowed in the mire42. One favorite text and a very sincere utterance43 of both the Christ's first John and one of his latest disciples44 so named, was this: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth". When, on the contrary, his quondam church members dishonored their Lord, then "the pastor's" heart was wrung—alas45, too often—with anguish46.
Among memory's dissolving views is one of a young man[110] who had been brought into the church and for a time gave promise of manly47 piety48 and a fruitful Christian49 career, but, falling into habits of worldly pleasure he seemed to lose in girth of soul as he became larger in body. He once boasted to me of his finely developed muscle, ascribing his physical enlargement and, as he thought, improvement to "good liquor and good women," saying it without a blush, and in such a statement horribly abusing the English language as I knew and felt it. When the war broke out he became captain in a regiment50 which was made up chiefly of Roman Catholic Irish soldiers from Philadelphia, men as devout51 in one way as they were reckless in another. In leading them to the charge in their first battle, he noticed not only how their faces turned pale as the spirit conquered the flesh, but also how each man crossed himself, and how, as he described it, the advance of his company into the thick of the fight could be traced by the packs of cards which they threw away. They did not wish to lose their lives, but they relished52 even less the idea of being found dead with these instruments of pleasure and of evil in their knapsacks. The handsome young captain, after going to moral wreck53, was mortally wounded in battle. When his body was brought home and laid in Laurel Hill, I remember the impressive final words of his saddened and disappointed pastor as he committed "to the care of the Resurrection and the Life" the relics54 of a once noble form:
"Alas! there are wrecks55 on humanity's sea
More awful than any on ocean can be".
Yet the preacher's burning denunciations of sin and his praise of holiness helped us all to keep step with the Infinite and hold to the right path. Whether in formal discourse56 or in the reading of a hymn he lost no opportunity to make sinners and false professors uncomfortable and to cheer well doers.
[111]
Rev57. James Crowell, D.D., writes, in 1902:
"I remember going in to hear Rev. Dr. Chambers58 one Sabbath afternoon, and being much struck with a remark that he made while reading a hymn. It was characteristic of the plain, straightforward59 way in which he would sometimes rebuke60 what he thought was wrong among the people. He was reading the hymn
'My soul, be on thy guard
Ten thousand foes61 arise,'
and when he came to the last verse, beginning,
'Fight on, my soul, till death
Shall bring thee to thy God,'
he suddenly laid down the hymn-book and said, 'Bring whom? Bring that cruel rum-seller, who sells damnation to his fellow men for the sake of paltry62 gain? Bring that lazy lounging Christian who was at church this morning, but is now taking a nap in bed, at home, instead of being in the house of God? No!'"
"Dr. Chambers was very active and prominent in connection with the Noon-day prayer meeting in the old Sansom Street Baptist Church, at the corner of Ninth and Sansom. He attended that meeting with undeviating punctuality, always insisted upon the exercises beginning exactly upon the hour, and upon a strict adherence63 to the rule which required prayers and remarks to be limited to three minutes. He was an inspiration in that meeting, and by his spirit and his eloquent64 voice added much to its enthusiasm and success.
"I remember when I was a little boy attending school at the West Chester Academy, an announcement was made at one time that a great temperance meeting was to be held in Everhart's Grove65, a little piece of woods about half a mile[112] from the end of the town. The meeting was held on Saturday afternoon, and going down, with a few of my schoolmates to attend the meeting, upon reaching the outskirts66 of the town, when yet more than a quarter of a mile distant from the place of meeting in the woods, I heard Dr. Chambers' clarion67 voice most distinctly, as he was engaged in speaking.
"He was for many years a leader in aggressive movements in the temperance cause, and by his faithfulness in denouncing those who were engaged in the traffic he did much to promote the interests of that great reform. He was also exceedingly faithful as a pastor in looking after the absentees from worship. It was said that he could always mark those who were absent from the House of God on the Sabbath, and that his rule was on Monday to look them up and ascertain68 the reason of their absence. He was an earnest and faithful and aggressive worker in the cause of his Master, and by his eloquence69 and fervor70 succeeded in retaining his hold upon the large congregation that worshipped in the old church at the corner of Broad and Sansom streets".
I can add to Dr. Crowell's testimony71 my own as to Mr. Chambers's inspiring presence at the union prayer meetings in the Sansom Street Baptist Church for I attended many of them. Once when the hymn "Oh for a thousand tongues to sing" had been finished he rose up and told us in a few burning words that we need not pray for "a thousand tongues", but that one tongue was enough, if each used his aright. His knowledge of the presence or absence of his parishioners was nearly infallible. Once when a very useful lady member had been absent during several weeks at "revival72" meetings in another church, her pastor said to her of her absence: "It was like pouring melted lead down my back". Mr. Chambers did not believe in extra meetings, but in live ones all the time.
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1
hoop
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| n.（篮球）篮圈，篮 | |
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periphery
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| n.(圆体的)外面；周围 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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adornment
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| n.装饰；装饰品 | |
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choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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untie
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| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
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strings
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| n.弦 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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rampant
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| adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的 | |
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stylish
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| adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的 | |
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albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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19
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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cravat
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| n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结 | |
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21
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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23
psychical
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| adj.有关特异功能现象的；有关特异功能官能的；灵魂的；心灵的 | |
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24
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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25
aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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26
tilting
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| 倾斜，倾卸 | |
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27
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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28
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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29
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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30
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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31
wreaking
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| 诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 ) | |
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32
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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33
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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34
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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35
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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36
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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37
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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38
bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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39
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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40
benediction
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| n.祝福；恩赐 | |
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41
pastor
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| n.牧师，牧人 | |
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42
mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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43
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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44
disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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45
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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46
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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47
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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49
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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50
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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51
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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52
relished
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| v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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53
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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54
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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55
wrecks
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| n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 )；（事故中）遭严重毁坏的汽车（或飞机等）；（身体或精神上）受到严重损伤的人；状况非常糟糕的车辆（或建筑物等）v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 )；使（船舶）失事，使遇难，使下沉 | |
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56
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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57
rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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58
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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59
straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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60
rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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61
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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62
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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63
adherence
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| n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着 | |
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64
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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65
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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66
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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clarion
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| n.尖音小号声；尖音小号 | |
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68
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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69
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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70
fervor
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| n.热诚；热心；炽热 | |
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71
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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