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as in some of the large cities. One peculiarity I noticed in most of the country churches, that covered sheds are erected in the churchyards to shelter the horses and vehicles from the piercing cold of winter, or the intense heat of summer, during the time of divine service, as the owners have sometimes to travel many miles to a church, or meeting-house, of their particular creed.

It were, perhaps, invidious to single out for eulogy any particular clergyman in a country that has so many of talented, faithful, and devoted servants of the Most High; but I must be permitted to express my admiration of the deep fervour, high talent, and impressive eloquence of the Rev. J. Means, of Dorchester. His illustrations of the Gospel were so pathetic, his admonitions so affectionate, his concern for immortal souls so evidently sincere, and his own life was so striking an example of the religion that he eloquently pourtrayed, that he won the hearts, and often, too, was the instrument under heaven, of changing the lives of many who came within his influence. One discourse, in particular, I shall never forget: it was a funeral sermon on a young man, who had died of consumption at the early age of twenty.

The youth was an active member in a literary institution to which I belonged; and hence, in company with about sixty more, I followed him to the grave. The procession of so many young men, with flowing crape on the left arm, following the hearse, must have

been very impressive, and I shall never forget the solemnity of the scene, when, after the sermon, each of the deceased's relations and friends approached the corpse to take a last farewell look at the departed. This, however, would not be intelligible, were I not to explain, that the coffins in America are made of polished wood, instead of being covered with cloth, and have a sliding panel in the lid with a pane of glass fixed beneath, so that when the panel is withdrawn, the face of the deceased is visible without removing the lid.

Having said thus much about an American funeral, and they are nearly all alike, I shall offer some few remarks on Irish funerals, which not unfrequently are, in my humble opinion, most disgraceful exhibitions. At no great distance from my residence was an Irish Catholic cemetery; and scarcely a day passed that I did not see long lines of coaches or sleighs following the hearse to the grave; and I have counted as many as fifty ricketty old chaises, of every size and decsription, following the body in a continued stream. The plan of the poorer class of these people is to subscribe twentyfive cents (1s.) each towards the expenses, and a general invitation is given to all the Irish who like to attend. If decorum were observed, no fault need be found with the number of followers; but it is their holiday appearance, their unbecoming carelessness, their loud laughter, and rollicking recklessness that shocks the reflective mind. This, however, is not all: they must needs have a drunken carouse before they start, and actually

take bottles of whiskey and short dudeens to drink and smoke as the funeral cortege moves along the road, as fast as the lean, worn-out cattle can take it. Again, family quarrels often ensue, in consequence of the inebriety of the mourners over the very grave, which not unfrequently terminate in pugilistic encounters, As soon as the funeral is over, too, a general rush is made to the carriages, and the merry mourners return helter-skelter back to town, often racing against each other with three vehicles abreast; and so many have been the accidents resulting from this dangerous practice, that the town authorities put on extra police along the road to prevent mischief. Nay, as an instance of what these men will do under the influence of drink on these, as they ought to be, solemn occasions, a man actually pushed himself into the hearse, and there sat with his legs hanging down behind, smoking and drinking, as he returned from interring a deceased friend.

A word or two, ere I conclude, about marriages. In the Presbyterian, sometimes called the Orthodox Churches (because I suppose Presbyterianism was the prevailing religion of the first British and Dutch settlers), the ceremony differs materially from that used by the Episcopalians, which resembles that adopted by the Church of England. When the bride and bridegroom enter the church, the organ plays, and the choir sing an anthem, after which the minister offers up a short prayer; which done, the nuptial couples (one or more, as the case may be) approach the clergyman,

who then reads the admonitions and questions-not the prayers-contained in the marriage-service. Then comes a prayer and singing, immediately after which the couples are joined in the nuptial tie; and as soon as this ceremony is completed, the minister shakes hands with the husbands and wives, wishing them joy and prosperity in their wedded life. In the Orthodox Church, I believe, no ring is placed on the bride's finger at marriage. Of course, if the bridal party be well known, the friends make a strong muster, and a full church is the result.

XXVI.-SPIRITUALISM, SPIRIT-RAPPING, AND MORMONISM.

Ir need hardly be stated that the fictitious science of Spiritualism, supposed to be engendered by fanaticism, and supported by superstition, held once a place of some importance among the many creeds believed in by our excitable, go-a-head cousins across the Atlantic; and though, I believe, the delusion of Spiritualism to be now on the decline, it still has many staunch adherents.

Having a curiosity to witness one of these spiritrapping exhibitions, I attended an evening meeting at the Music Hall, Boston, where a Miss Jay was to exhibit her powers as a spirit-medium. The hall was filled chiefly by followers of her sect-but partly, also, by

persons led from motives of curiosity like myself; the former of the male sex being distinguished by their long flowing beards, and countenances, really or otherwise, indicative of deep and serious thought. At the appointed hour, a gentleman appeared on the platform to announce that Miss Jay was about to deliver her lecture; or, in other words, indulge in an hour's trance; and then appeared the fair aspirant to spiritual fame-a pale-faced, spare young female, dressed in a tight-fitting black dress. Soon after she approached the table she began to doze, and in less than three minutes was in an apparently comatose state, exhibiting, ever and anon, convulsive and painful emotions— that being the required condition for the medium to hold converse with the departed.

It would appear that Miss Jay had been powerfully influenced by some deceased clergyman; for she delivered a very good sermon, with all the eloquence and argumentative power of an ecclesiastic, and her face, when animated, was exceedingly pleasing; but when in a serious or pathetic mood, her look and expression were painful in the extreme. I need scarcely say, that her eyes were closed during the whole discourse, which during the three-quarters of an hour that it lasted, made one imagine that the address was by a girl stricken with blindness. At its conclusion, she showed symptoms of returning consciousness, and the same painful emotions as before. Soon afterwards, however, she became more composed, and went

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