an apsidal recess, as a rule, is not found look up, with strained neck, at the in these churches. The only exception preacher. This order is scrupulously that can be mentioned is the "Trappe adhered to, each sitting in their reChurch." Several contain a very shallow square recess, as the Trinity Lutheran churches of Reading and Lancaster, Pa. spective compartments. The walls of the interior of the church, although severely plain, are exceedingly chaste. Before we leave the interior, I must refer to a relic stored away in the church, which the old "sextonin " wished me to accept, viz.: an old metal weathercock, which served as the vane for the still older church building. I thanked her very much, but reverently placed the old vane in its cooped closet, which, in its old age, it is contented to guard. Thus I take leave of the Oley churches, hoping that the Lutheran congregation will not think illy of my not mentioning their still older Reference bas been made in lated. It was the pleasure of the writer to make a pedestrian tour through Berks county, Pa., in order to trace the architectural development of its churches. In this place he would thank his student friends, Edwin Gernant and Charles Levan, for their kindness in furthering him in such work. Arriving one morning at the Oley churches, I was kindly shown their interiors by the quaint old "sextonin" and her still quainter bro. ther. Erected of brick, its walls are entered by the customary three doors. structure. Within, I was doubly astonished by its a former article to Trinity Lutheran churchly arrangement and the excellent Church at Reading-in the present to preservation of its wood-work. The the Reformed Church at Oley; thus chancel railing around the sanctuary ecclesiastical courtesy has not been vioextends from the side wall to the middle of the church, and is semicircular in form. In the middle of this sanctuary stands the altar alone, square in shape, and covered with black cloth, this sombre but dignified color being the favo rite with the Germans for such purposes. Almost hovering over the altar, and yet separate from it, is the pulpit, with its sounding-board, projecting, canopy-like, from the wall. This sounding-board is unique, as it is the only one I have seen with an eagle, the bird of St. John, hovering upon its top, which is life-size, and is a fine piece of wood-carving. Opposite the sanctuary rises the high, stately choir loft, so high that the choir certainly should have heavenly aspirations. None enter this loft but the organist, the rosy-cheeked maidens and young men who lead the sacred song. Here roll out the hearty old German chorales, led by the robust choir-master. From the galleries to the right and left, the other young men cast wistful glances at the maidens and wish that they were members of the choir; they would even be willing to be organblowers. The arrangement of the pews is after the old German style, being divided by the aisles, forming a cross, into four compartments. In these the fathers and mothers, young men and maidens, are accustomed to sit and Having enjoyed the German pie-crust of the old Sextonin, I bade good-bye to the Oley churches, standing as they have been for years, the silent monitors to a German community, and excellent examples of Germano-American architecture. One who is very much interested in these traces of old German life and church customs would respectfully ask that the Rev. Dr. Bausman offer a resolution on the floor of the Synod, requesting the Oley Reformed congregation in the name of the Synod, not to make any change in the interior arrangement of its church building or sanctuary furniture. This church should be left intact, as the best preserved and best arranged of the churches in Berks county, representing Germano-American church architecture, and in the opinion of the writer, the most churchly example in the reformed communion. Reading, the pride as well as bride of Berks county, Pa., can truly be called an American Palatine City. Although English in origin, it is largely German in settlement and development. The greater part of its sturdy inhabitants descend lineally from the old German settlers. The old English seems to have almost been superseded by the equally old but stronger German life. It is, therefore, a consequence that Ger These ever seem ready to whisper the words of eternal life into the ears of the pastor. Not less quaint is the effect produced by the curved galleries extending along three sides of the church. The preacher and the hearers seem so much nearer than in churches without galleries. Indeed the pastor can almost touch the heads of the children when they occasionally show a disposition to shut their eyes. man characteristics and German tastes Apostles. In the recess, back of the should linger, even though the German pulpit, are the figures of the chief language is being displaced by the Eng- Apostles, with Christ in the middle. lish educational influences. Singular as it may seem, the native of Berks county often speaks the English tongue with more distinctness than in many localities where the English is exclusively spoken. Their vocal organs seem to be so perfectly formed that distinct articulation is the result. This is on the principle of carrying coal to Newcastle. The very worthy Principal of the Kutztown Normal School is an excellent example; his distinctness of articulation and clearness of enunciation are rarely excelled. Reading wears an air of comfort and home-spun activity. It seems provincial and cosmopolitan, and has the quaintness of something old, and yet the thrift and activity of something new. It does not look like an old place, and yet seems like a Bremen or Hamburg transferred to American soil, minus Mention should also be made of St. their shipping interests, which here give Paul's Reformed Church, which, on place to railroads and coal trade. Its account of its strictly Gothic design continuous bustle is said also to resemble and complete arrangement, might be the English manufacturing towns. All called the Reformed Cathedral; of the this activity is due to the steady flow of venerable Dr. McCauley's church, with Palatinate blood bequeathed to succeed- its cultivated congregation; of the ing generations. Of course this Palati- growing St. John's Church. But as nate city must be viewed from a Re- it has been the object of these articles formed standpoint. If a Lutheran were to develop Germano-American church writing he could say the same with equal life and architecture, the latter congretruth. gations with their churches are less representative in type. The church furniture is of very excellent workmanship and beautiful design. The altar is especially German in shape, size and finish. Not less unique are its Gothic sedilia and chaste pulpit. When the grand old German choral ascends from such surroundings, truly Teutonism seems attractive and the customs of the Fatherland doubly dear. Congregations and church edifices representing Germano-American life and architecture are found in other portions of Berks county, Pa., and the adjoining counties of Lebanon, Lancaster, Schuylkill and Lehigh. Let us visit the Reformed churches. In design and finish, the First Reformed is very churchly and beautiful. It is the mother church, and in the true old German way, it makes the side view to be more prominent than the front. Although recently repaired and refitted, it still preserves its original shape, and, In Berks county reference should be with its spire, looks well in its new dress. made to Epler's church, where the love The gray color of the church may be of church music has been advanced and spoken of as cooling to the eye. In the cultivated by the organist, Mr. Hines, side which faces the street, three Gothic who also fills the position of chorister, doorways form entrances to the church. sexton and tomb-stone cutter. To the The spire, pointing heavenward, is sur- Berne church, with its unusually neat mounted by that symbol through whose interior; to Belleman's church, with its merits we enter the Heavenly Father- antique pulpit, altar and antique copy land. The interior has a German of the Bible; to St. Michael's Church, home-feeling, which very few churches with its bell, which, curfew-like, sounds possess to the same degree. In the the time for the midday meal to the ceiling are two large paintings repre- peaceful community for many milessenting scenes in the life of Christ, all these are excellent examples of whilst between the large memorial German life, and to each one the writer windows are statuesque figures of the made a pilgrimage. The Blind Preacher. Once, on a steamer made their way, A jolly, merry crowd were they, They also added games of chance; There chanced to be with them on board, In Lebanon county not less pleasure this information. Such is the prayer was derived from visits to the Jonestown and wish of one who is deeply interchurch, with its baldachino, or canopy, ested in German church life and church over pulpit and altar. Under its shade architecture. the Chrysostom of the Reformed Church, the sainted Harbaugh, often preached and prayed. Equally enjoyable was the visit to the Rev. Dr. Kremer's church in Lebanon, which has a more refined interior than many church buildings. But the quaintest of the quaint is the church at Fredericksburg in this same Lebanon county. Could a German ancestor reappear he would not be more interesting than this little blue-brown ecclesiastical souvenir of German taste. Its rectangular shape is so strictly geometrical that this quaint little ecclesiastical box would satisfy the religious aspirations of a Davis and a Loomis. The pulpit with its dependencies takes up a third of the interior of the church, and resting as it does against a large, high reredos of blue and brown, it would cause the eyes of some of our good Episcopalian connoisseurs to fairly dance with delight. To the eyes of the writer it suggested a genuine, old-time, fat, rosy, dimpled Fräulein in her Christmas head-gear and gown. Perhaps such an one was in the mind of the mechanic and painter who painted our blue-brown Fräulein. Very excellent is the woodwork in this very unique relic of German life-particularly a railing, the only example I have seen separating the pews from the space in front of the altar railing. Perched almost inconceivably high, is the organ-loft, which is also religiously guarded by a railing. Indeed, in this church, it seems as if a railing were the necessary symbol of special privileges and functions. Long will this trace of remote German taste be remembered, and one can truthfully say that in no other church was there more of strange interest aroused. It is to be hoped that no vandalism will be permitted to remodel it. As the writer left the church, visions of plump. women in blue-brown homespun flitted before his eyes, and the old pastor was heard to say, "Meine geliebte.' To them on board the Sabbath came, He, whom his Master's work ne'er tasked, He spared not either rank or state; He boldly spake with sharpest ken. Through them its glory should shine forth, Instead of this, their conduct vile, The preacher said, he felt disgraced To mend their ways, he them besought; If an interest is awakened on the subject of German life and church customs, then the writer will feel amply compensated for the time spent in preparing these articles and in gathering William H. Millburn, Chaplain of Congress. * Those, whom so plainly he'd addressed, Nor did their kindness stop e'en here, As chaplain of that body famed, Thus was confirmed God's wondrous laws, Over Land and Sea. BY EDWIN A. GERNANT. V. Imperial Germany. S. R. F. A day on the Rhine is an excellent preparation for Sunday. Such at least was my experience. Between beauty and true religion there exists not merely an external compatibility, so that the two may be easily united in the service of the Good, but some day and somehow we shall all discover that their relation is intimate and organic, and that the varied forms of ugliness, physical, intellectual and spiritual, whether within or without ourselves, are but as the form-assuming clay in the hands of the Great Potter. In the morning we attended the regular service in the University Church. This was the first opportunity to worship with our own people since leaving home, and I need hardly say that the privilege was fully appreciated. The two great factors of the Reformation have in Germany lost their external individuality. As a result of this union, brought about by Frederick William III. we have the state-established Evangelical Church. But, although this forcible welding together of the Reformed and Lutheran communions was conceived and executed with the best intentions and with reasonable prospects of success, it has not put an end to the irreconcilable differences between the contracting parties. There is an undercurrent of denominational life still in active assertion of its power. As the State Church they follow the same order and use a common liturgy, but it requires no very profound acquaintance with their separate thought and animus to discern the outcroppings of their earlier church life. Thus while in one section of Germany the tone of pastor and people may be prevailingly Lutheran, in another the Reformed element maintains its internal conservative character; here. at least, Melanchthon, there Luther. Thus in Bonn the sentiment, whether acknowledged or not, is decidedly Reformed. In Berlin, on the contrary, one week later I discovered an equally positive Lutheran bias, moulding the service and sermon. On the morning of our visit the Rev. Dr. Christlieb, as dean of the University of Bonn, preached the annual sermon before the students, upon the text-"By their fruits ye shall know them." As I listened to his fearless and manly words of counsel and reproof, pronounced in the soft accents which invariably indicate the native of South Germany, I realized anew the mighty influence which the learned and conscientious clergyman ever exerts. The service was solemn and impressive. The hymns were not announced but were indicated on tablets hanging on either side of the chancel, in full view of the congregation. This custom has many advantages. In our own country it is confined almost exclusively to our Episcopalian brethren. The Church of England, which sometimes seems unwilling to acknowledge its historical dependence upon the Reformation, has nevertheless borrowed many of its forms from its German sister. This fact seems to have been entirely forgotten by those at home who are ever ready to raise the cry of ritualism. The pulpit, here in Bonn, was of beautifully carved wood, and stood to one side of the chancel, in the rear of which the beautifully ornamented altar, surmounted by a cross of chaste design, centralized the attention of the worshipping congregation. I could not help being reminded of some of the churches in my own dear Reformed Zion. Pastors and people, the former wearing black clerical gowns, engaged in the liturgical exercises with evident feeling and marked devotion. Nor need I say that the American strangers felt themselves thoroughly at home. Next morning we started for Berlin, prudent and therefore more successful, carrying with us the most gratifying the German bides his time, smokes his recollections of the sunny Rhine-land. pipe, waits the most favoring opportuThe ride was a long and in the main nity, and determines, like the hero of uninteresting one. Our route took us, Appomattox, "to fight it out on this as my companion has well remarked, line if it takes all summer." through a flat country of red-headed towns. As we neared the imperial city I could not but notice the proportional increase of military force. Indeed all Germany is one great camp, with its headquarters in Berlin. It is emphatically a nation of soldiers; soldiers, moreover, who have seen hard service and are prepared to do and die for the Fatherland. In the language of another, "everything you see of the German army impresses you with its great strength, thoroughness, and perfect efficiency. The soldier is modest, selfpossessed, unassuming, as the men who campaigned in 1870 can well afford to be. The victors of Metz and Sedan could hardly afford to swagger. This power of the German army, which to-day stands first in the world, is the force of brain and not of mere brute strength. Back of its physical strength lies the directing intellect, and that intellect goes down through grade after grade to the last executive instrument. It is the most highly educated army in the world. This fact shows on the outside. The young officers all have intelligent features, and the faces of many of them are quite scholarly. The faces of the old generals are those of thinkers." One month later, when witnessing the review of the French troops at Vincennes, it seemed as though I could readily discover the reason of the latter's defeat in their late struggle with United Germany. Notwithstanding the dash and bravado of the French army, and their innate love of glory, they lacked that physical endurance which naturally stronger bodies, nurtured and trained by the sternest discipline, had afforded their enemies. The French soldier, under ordinary circumstances, presents the most warlike appearance, The military spirit prevails throughout the empire. Indeed, if I mistake not, the police of Germany are for the most part soldiers detailed for such civic duty. Certainly in the chief cities this is the case. The plan works well. These guardians of the peace act with greater precision because trained in the arts of war, and are invariably courteous. Thus the iron hand of Bismarck is present everywhere. And no one can contemplate the results of his endeavors-German unity, a nation of invincible soldiers firmly planted in the heart of Europewithout being filled with admiration for, perhaps, the greatest statesman of our generation. We changed carriages at Hanover, and at Minden tarried long enough to partake of a light lunch. There was a middle-aged Jewish couple in our compartment who were nothing if not sociable. Fortunately for us they were disinterested in their entertainment, being anxious only to make our visit in Berlin as satisfactory as possible. Herr Blank was a jeweller, and evidently well-to-do. He and his wife were returning from the Paris exposition. They were full of questions concerning our own centennial jubilee. Only once did the genuine Jewish financial curiosity come to the surface, and even then it was on the part of the woman. I had noticed Frau Blank eyeing my satchel. As we neared our journey's end she leaned over and politely asked what I had paid for it. There was no disposition to purchase, and although an Englishman would probably have been offended, I felt that there was no real occasion for rebuke. Berlin is frequently despised by tourists who know nothing about it. But it bears inspection and improves wonderfully upon acquaintance. A population of nearly one million souls shows an increase of more than eight hundred thousand since 1800. Its history, dating from the twelfth century is an epitome of the varying fortunes, the ups and Slower and for this reason surer, more downs of the German people. "-Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation even at the cannon's mouth." The |