A Lutheran Church
We visited a Lutheran church, an old building which has, appar-
ently, stood unchanged for hundreds of years. It is built of logs, the
walls as well as the roof covered with clumsy split shingles, and painted
a muddy red. The doors are low. On the inside, the building is arched
and ceiled. It seemed like a prison; the air struck us with a peculiar,
dungeon-like chill, and the close box pews, with their narrow seats
and high, straight backs, suggested torture. In the place where the
pulpit stands in our churches, was the altar, but not elevated above the
floor. It was surrounded at a little distance by a circular railing, outside
of which was a low seat for the communicants to kneel upon while
taking the holy wafer. To the right of the altar, attached to a projecting
pillar, was a little box-like pulpit approached by a flight of steps. An
hour-glass added still further to the antiquated appearance of the place.
The priest’s study in the rear was lighted by small grated windows. It
contained a table and chair, and two small cases of books, and was in
keeping with the rest of the building. A more dismal place I do not
wish to see. This old building seemed like a relic of the Dark Ages, as
if priest and people had been asleep for hundreds of years. I could not
but think that it fitly represented the condition of the church.
The priests enjoy their beer-drinking and smoking, and cling to
old forms and customs, as jealous of any reform as were the scribes
and Pharisees. They are of the class condemned by Christ, as those
who have the key of knowledge, who will not enter in themselves,
and those who would, they hinder. They are so fearful lest something
shall be introduced that will turn away the people from their creeds
and dogmas, and divert the means into other channels, that they spare
no effort to excite prejudice, and resort to commands and threats to
prevent their members from going to hear Bible preaching. They look
with suspicion upon every one who does not fully sustain their church,
and denounce as heretics those who instruct the people in Scripture
truth. By representing them as working against the interests of the
church, they stir up the authorities against them. They claim the name
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