A Summer Month or Aecollections of Visit to the Falls of Niagara and the Lakes (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1823 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VI. Episcopal Church--Divine Worship--Lay-Reader--Preaching: Doctrinal Inferences--Visit from Mr. B.--Departure from Canandaigua--Travelling Group--Progress of the Canal--Traveller's Fare--Improvements in Stages--General Remarks--Buffalo--Entrance into Upper Canada. Sunday, August 4th. At the hour of half past ten A. M. we repaired to the Episcopal church. The building is of the Gothic order, and displays a neatness on the outside not often excelled. There is a cupola in front containing a belfry. The whole is constructed of wood, and exhibits a singularly grotesque appearance; as the elegance of this order of buildings depends on the idea of age, which the mind connects with them. It is devoid of taste with regard to the interior also, having a metallic plate, to designate the pews; while every other part of the church is exceedingI ly plain and without ornament. The day had been rainy, and other appearances combined to render the worship irregular and ill attended. The mind is often capricious and wandering, even in the House of God; but I really think that there are occasionally circumstances, which serve to heighten this disposition, and that the service of our Church, if not properly conducted, has not unfrequently such effect. Such conceptions are accounted for, when we consider that the speaker must feel before he can communicate: and in the present instance the circumstances alluded to were unhappily illustrated, by the most cogent reasons. It happened unfortunately that Mr. B., the rector, was unwell. He had not officiated for some months. The service was performed by a lay-reader, as I supposed, who was introduced by Mr. B. He entered the reading desk in a manner very unusual, to one, at least, who had been accustomed to see the entry of m...