v -0* .'V. "*b ^' ^^ % '.y^s /% v«- o0 V V, <\ .0* *o ' * A ^ < 7 W*rm2l . ;• a . s Rt. Rev. Mc BJ SALTER, E>.E>. 9 ONE OF THE Bishops of the A. M. E. Church, Illustrated by special selected beautiful half-tone engravings. PHILADELPHIA: A. M. E. PUBLISHING HOUSE, 63I PINE STREET. THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, Two Copies Received JUL. 16 1902 H)HT ENTRY CXXo! No. COPY B. Entered according to Act of Congress] ;in]|the]Iy ear 1902, by Bishop M.B. Salter in the office of the Librarian'of Congress at Washington, D. C. CONTENTS. Introduction, — Rev. M. W. Thornton, D. D. n Preface, — Author. . ... . 7 A Voyage on the Deep. . . . 17 Edward's Kingdom, — London, England. . 25 Leopold's Kingdom, — Belgium. . . 33 Wilhelmina's Kingdom, — Holland. . . 37 William's Kingdom, — Germany. . . 40 Zemp's Kingdom, — Switzerland. ... 43 Victor Emanuel's Kingdom, — Italy. . 51 Rome, — The Vatican — Home of the Caesars. 62 Loubet's Kingdom, — France. ... 66 Back in London, — Ecumenical Conference. 84 A Storm at Sea, — Old Ocean. . . . 101 Elements of Pulpit Effectiveness. . 111 The Universality of the Christian Church. 115 Immutability of God's Promises . . 124 ILLUSTRATIONS. City Roads Chapel. Umbria. .... Bishop Salter. St. Ermine. A Party of Friends. Mrs. Priscilla Salter. Delegates and Wesley's Tomb. Interior Wesley Chapel. Campania. 5 9 15 26 41 53 7J 89 137 CITY ROADS CHAPEL, London, England, where Ecumenical Conference was held, TO MY BELOVED WIFE, PRISC1LLA SALTER, MY VENERABLE COLLEAGUES, AND MINISTERS OF THE A. M. E. CHURCH, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. In presenting this little volume to my friends, I have but one object, I lay no claims to the title of an Author ; I had occasion to pay a visit to foreign lands, principally Europe. I saw and noted what I saw, the Old Woman (Mrs. Priscilla Salters, my beloved wife and com- panion, will be referred to throughout this work under this humorous nom-de-plume)was my com- panion, she saw with me, what we both saw is too good to die untold. She saw most everything that I saw, therefore in my private moments of reflection I perchance receive the inspiration to re-relate my seeings, of course the story islold to her, she doesn't care to listen to repetitions, so I have decided to write and tell it all to you ; this and only this is my object. I trust it shall be received for what it's worth, in the hope that it will impart to you much informa- tion and prove most interesting. I am much indebted to Rev. Montrose W. Thorn- ton for his contribution and the Old Woman, my faithful and beloved wife, for invaluable assistance rendered me in note taking. I kept a minute daily diary, during my stay abroad, little escaped my attention, from the same I have prepared and given you my experience in traveling through the Seven Kingdoms. AUTHOR. INTRODUCTION. As a race we are just entering the experimental epoch of our development in book making. The greater part of our energy to the present, has been expended along other lines in a field most varied. A great transformation has taken place since the days of Emancipation. The bondsman within thirty-seven years has be- come the citizen ; — poverty, wealth ; — ignorance, intelligence. The world of literature is extending a listening ear to our musings ; she has received with open arms our Dunbar, Tanner, Scarborough, Dubois, Williams and others. This list is no less complete for want of talent and accomplishments in scores of other bright minds to be found in the ranks of the race ; un- recognized merit, poisoned with the arrow of pre- judice, is the only barrier that has and now stands in the way of many others. Aside from this source of limited recognition, a certain variety of the race culture in these latter years, have been keeping the press humming and the library shelves replete with productions from their pens that are worthy of more than passing mention. Religious subjects, on Bible and Church topics, have called forth a number of commendable vol- umes by Negro authors. Racial questions, the one he was the nearest ac- quainted with, has probably had the lead of any of the other writings. Scientific problems, have occupied his thoughts to some extent, while he has proven himself moie than a novice in his fictional turn of mind. But few have given their attention to the life of travel ; this may be accounted for in part, as a lack of opportunity for observation and the experience by which such themes are inspired. Dr. D. F. Seaton, some years ago, paid a visit to the Holy lands. He returned and wrote a book on his travels. From this example we can easily draw the con- clusion that the Negro is not the singular along this line of thought ; but on the other hand, he is as re- sourceful in this field as any other when brought in contact with its experience. It has been vaunted by some, that the delegates sent to the Ecumenical Conference were useless and no good would result from it, the cost was too great. Not considering the standing that such represen- tation purchased the church in the eyes of her sis- ter bodies, if not the world, or the priceless experi- ence obtained, that is to be scattered throughout our ranks by these most worthy gentlemen, who have returned to our midst and cannot help impart their valuable stores. In my judgment one effort alone, will more than repay the church for its expenditure. Bishops Derrick, Gaines, Lee and Smith are already imparting most valuable lessons from the lecture platform, treating of their trip abroad, Prof. Kealing is furnishing most valuable material through the pages of the Review ; while it was left to Bishop Moses Buckingham Salters, D. D., the author of this volume to tabulate in book form the first history of the kind to be given to the race on Foreign travel, especially as connected with a mis- sion on behalf of the great church of Allen. We have read the manuscript on the "Seven Kingdoms," with much delight, interest and pleas- ure. The subject is suggestive of its contents, a travel through seven Kingdoms, and with the descriptive of the Author, is fascinating. His style is ornate, but plain ; the language is simple, yet richly embellished with the queen's best diction. Aside from travel, you are introduced by careful note data and such as we have not seen in print elsewhere on the subject, to a history of the pro- ceedings of the Ecumenical conference, that im- presses one with the feeling of their actual presence at this body, this narrative alone is fully worth the effort of the Author. The two voyages upon the ocean as given in the first and last chapters, are illustrations of sea travel that but few writers could equal. One has to do with the fancy and play upon the imagination, while the other plunges you into the real of life and its pitches of terror. There are other striking and entertaining features in this worthy production, not omitting the humor- ous, that we have not the space to mention. In brief, while laying no claims to the title of an Author and of this we are modestlv reminded in the Preface : we are quite sure that the good Bishop has more than sustained his reputation to such and has produced a work that is meritorious and com- mendable in the highest sense. Its worth will prove a lasting monument to the name of its Author and as years roll on, will oc- cupy a place of greatest value in the historical archives of the Church. The book should find a conspicuous place on every shelf, in every home. I am Yours alwavs, M. W. THORNTON, Presiding Elder Harrisburg District. Philadelphia, Pa., 2-1-02. BISHOP SALTER, D.D. THE SEVEN KINGDOMS, CHAPTER I. A Voyage on the Deep. One of the most distinguished and renowned religious gatherings of its kind in the world is the Ecumenical Conference, a body constituting a pro rata representation of the various branches of the great church of Methodists existing through- out the world. This illustrious body meets but once in every ten years, but few are privileged with the honor of membership more than once in a lifetime. He who survives the pressure of time and retains the activity of body and mind, to say the least the popularity requisite for such con- tinued distinction is most favored. Eighteen delegates was the allotment to the African M. E. Church, which ranked fourth ac- cording to its numerical strength. Of this num- ber two were laymen, eight were ministerial, while eight were Bishops. In the latter class, it was my happy privilege to be one of the more fortunate to be selected. The generosity of the church was manifest to the ex- tent of contributing the sum of four hundred dollars, as an expense fund for each of its dele- gates. This was not requisite for every particular, is THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. yet it went a long way in the assistance of those whom she had chosen to do her honor in the way -of representation. Realizing that such a trip held forth opportun- ities that were seldom to be enjoyed in the average •conditioned life and considering well the untold pleasure to be obtained from this rare treat by the association of the beloved companion of my bosom, who in happiness and sorrow, so willingly, Tiad shared the course of my past life ; decided that by what ever sacrifice necessary, a way should be provided for her to share a part of this luxury that was simply to be obtained for the buying. She was consulted and to be sure, most de- lighted with the idea, and with the philosophy of the average of her sex, proved most helpful in the devising of ways and means by which my dearest hopes could be realized. On the 17th of July, 1901, at 4.45 p. m. T in a comfortable Pullman sleeper, as husband and wife, friends and companions, found us bidding farewell to long known friends ; a timely adieu to the fond city, our home, Charleston, S. C, in whose bays there once belched forth the resonant guns of old Fort Sumter, which declared to the world that four million bondsmen would soon be slaves no more. With this consciousness of our departure, we soon adjusted ourselves to the fact that at last our prayers had been answered, our mutual desires were to be gratified, while not in fiction, history or the fortune of others, we our- A VOYAGE ON THE DEEP. 19 selves not only would enjoy the privilege, but now could be looked upon as two real, live tourists. We proceeded on our journey without a chal- lenge until we reached the blood-stained hamlet, Lake City; here a hot box on one of the coaches demanded attention and our minds were again pained with the remembrance of that awful out- rage which has above all others disgraced the name of our fair state, in that poor Baker, who in the exercise of his constitutional rights with the members of his family were so brutally murdered. What a relief when our mighty steed of steam removed us from the gaze of the land marks of this dreadful scene. We reached New York, the great Appian way to the famous lands across the briny deep, about 1.30 on the 1 8th, and were shortly most com- fortably situated in apartments at the United States hotel. Ere we bid our final farewell to the States of pleasant memory, we called at the Bible house, paid our respects to Dr. H. B. Parks the distinguished secretary of our Missionary De- partment, worshiped on the Lord's day at historic Bethel, enjoyed the exercises al- ways so striking and wholesome to the traveler on Broadway and in company with parting friends Mrs. Sterrett, Mrs. Beckett and daughters, at 8.30 on the 20th, we went aboard the majestic Umbria in company with Bishops Evans Tyree, Benjamin F. Lee, Revs. Albert Johnson, John W. Beckett, Phil. H. Hub- 20 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. bard, John Hurst, R. C. Ransom and Prof. H. T. Kealing. Indescribable was the impression made on one as the bell of warning reminded all that we were now severing for a time all connection with the land and its teeming millions and were speedily launching out into the destiny of the mighty sea, for days to be tossed and rocked by her uncontrollable waves. All was now attention and sadness in the face of contemplated happiness as - our fearless craft pushed out into the great channel with her pre- cious cargo of some seven hundred or more pre- cious human lives ; with a firm and steady pres- sure of her confidential stroke, the panorama of the Republic began to move and unfurl both the old and new. The Goddess of Liberty, serene and unruffled by the wear of years with her beacon light point- ing heavenward loomed upon our vision, while with her silent expression one could not help but breathe a prayer to the great God whose sculp- tured sentinel she represented. Through the beautiful harbor of New York, thence the famous Sandy Hook, fraught with so many dangers; we * were, soon ushered into the bosom of the great father of waters, the majestic Atlantic, whose strong arms most cordially ex- tended encompassed us in its shaky embrace. The 20th of July was a beautiful day, we might say an ideal one for the tourist, the sun mockingly shined upon our cheerfulness so generally enjoyed A VOYAGE ON THE DEEP. 2L by all, not for a moment betraying the fearful elements of tempest, cloud and storm that awaited us, and which in terrible fury was soon to break forth upon our helplessness ere we reached out- native shores again. All were on deck, especially the amateur voyager, wrapped in shawls and over- coats christened for the winter's breeze ; but which we found in this unsettled part of the world's en- vironments on a torrid July day, as comfortable and desirable as we had found it in the realms of old crimps habitations. Breakfast, luncheon, din- ner and refreshments were regularly served, which up to the present were most heartly im- bibed by all. Drs. Hubbard and Ransom of our party were not so well at this time and gave us some anxiety. Bishop Lee did not look the better, although he' disclaimed any illness, undoubtedly Mrs. Salters was the most invulnerable sailor up to the present. All seemed greatly amazed by the wonders of old ocean, with her heaving billows, dancing sprays, lashing music and endless chase, as one wave after another pursued its silver capped runner in the distance, but too shortly to be re- placed by another, more maddened in its intensity of brizzling foam in the wake of its rival. Me thought that from study and research that great was our feeble conception of the Omni- potence of God ; but to rightly see the "King in His power," one must take a peep at old ocean and her mighty and restless billows. More strik- inglv then will the poet's muse be understood by 22 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. his fellow man that our "God is all mysterious and is incapable of being found out, truly He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storms." Aside from this matchless aspect of nature's powerful wonders, an endless chain of other beau- tiful and enthralling features of the briny seas unfurls themselves to one's gaze. Who can right- ly describe the beauty of the flying fish who in- habit this channel of the deep, as skipping, swim- ming, rising and diving, an emblazoned diamond in the sun's rays, its wings uplifted as streaked with gold and bespangled with pearls; or the school of whales, greatest monsters of the deep, who in timely rotation sends forth their fountain- like streak set so lovely in the colors of the rain- bow. This is but a faint and feebly expressed impression that comes to the mind of one chained to the sovereignty of God and which in glorious majesty overwhelms him in a cruise on the crest of one of nature's mightiest seas. Sometimes a distant sail, gliding along the edge of the ocean, would be another theme of idle speculation. How interesting this fragment of a world, hastening to rejoin the great mass of ex- istence. What a glorious monument of human invention, that has thus triumphed over wind and wave, has brought the ends of the world into com- munion, has established an interchange of bless- ings, pouring into the sterile regions of the north all the luxuries of the south, has diffused the light A VOYAGE ON THE DEEP. 23 of knowledge, and the charities of cultivated life, and has thus brought together these scattered portions of the human race, between which nature seemed to have thrown an insurmountable bar- rier. I might fill a volume with the reveries of a sea voyage ; for with me it is almost a continual re- verie — but it is time to take you ashore. It was a fine sunny morning when the thrilling cry of "land" was given from the mast head. None but those who have experienced it can form an idea of the delicious throng of sensations which rush into an American's bosom when he first conies in sight of Europe. There is a vol- ume of associations with the very name. It is the land of promise, teeming with everything of which his childhood has heard, or on which his studious years have pondered. From that time, until the moment of arrival, it was all feverish excitement. The ships of war, that prowled like guardian giants along the coast ; the head lands of Ireland, stretching out into the channel ; the Welsh mountains towering into the clouds, all were objects of intense interest. As we sailed up the Mercy, my eye dwelt with delight on neat cottages, with their trim shrubberies and green grass-plots. We beheld the mouldering ruins of abbeys overrun with ivy, and the taper spire of village church rising from the brow of neighboring liill~all were characteristic of Eng- land. 24 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. The tide and wind were so favorable, that the ship was enabled to come at once to the pier. It was thronged with people; some idle lookers-on, others eager expectants of friends or relations. I could distinguish the merchant to whom the ship was consigned. I knew him by his calculating brow and restless air. There were repeated cheerings and salutations interchanged between the shore and the ship, as friends happened to recognize each other. All was now hurry and bustle. The meetings of ac- quaintances — the greetings of friends — the con- sultations of men of business. We alone were silent and idle. We had no friends to meet us, no cheering to receive. We stepped upon the land of the proud Anglo-Saxon and entered the realm of his Majesty Edward, the first Kingdom of our tour. CHAPTER II. King Edward' s Kingdom. Liverpool is the second largest city of England in size and commercial importance. Here we landed, underwent the inspection of the custom officials, arranged our baggage in the midst of much confusion, boarded a train, called a carriage which holds about six people, and after a two- hundred miles' ride, more tiring than our trip across the ocean, we arrived safely at the first principal place of our destination, the world- famed city of London. This renowned city is the capital of the king- dom, most beautifully situated on both sides of the Thames river. It is the largest and richest city in the world, its population averages about five millions. Tts area is 118 square miles, and it con- tains many celebrated buildings. Our baggage again looked after, in company with the Old Woman, who from now on was to be my sole companion, we entered a cab which was capable of holding not more than two people, and hastened off to the St. Ermines hotel. I have seen and been the guest on the other side of the water in some fine and magnificent establish- ments, but St. Ermines far surpasses any appoint- ment of the kind my eyes ever beheld or dream's fancy ever imagined. Indeed, this tavern for the KING EDWARD'S KINGDOM. 27 public nomad is the superb of treasure, art, archi- tecture and florals that money has ever amassed. No wonder my sense of appreciation was shocked beyond the power of control, and although much fatigued, so stunned, that my manliness was about to fail me in the assuming of that which I had money to buy — to tell the truth, so discounten- anced was I, that not for the Old Woman, who demanded that I recatch my breath and proceed to register, I am honest to say, that I should have beat a hasty retreat and found more humble quarters whose simplicity would better have fitted my humble feelings and enabled me a greater lease of time for recuperation. But so much for the Old Woman whom I had brought along. With her unruffled complacency undaunted and the gaze of that spirit which without further mincing of words, ordered me to go on, I at last mustered the courage and performed the ameni- ties that enrolled me as a guest of this treasured Salon, considered by ;me to be better suited for royalty, if not for the gods. Having made my first bow to these delicacies, I was contented to be left to the reflections of more comely circumstances at least, when to my surprise I was confronted by a most lordly sub- ject, as he looked to me, who in manners of grace- fulness was precision itself and who demanded my satchel, farther ordering me and the Old Woman to follow him. Surely, thought I, that this was too much ; to swallow so much grandeur 28 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. and now thus to be so outrageously imposed upon by the honor, probably from a Prince from the. court, at least a most lorded gentleman. But after arriving to my room, I afterwards learned that this poor creature was most insignificant, was only a trained machine automatically operated, alas, nothing at all but the porter. I was tired, so was the Old Woman, but the apartment assigned us was too much for me. The chairs if you touched them were soft as down and had a dreadful tendency to sink towards the floor. I preferred to sit on a more substantial lounge that I finally espied. The folds of the car- pet brushed your feet, the tapestries enfolding all above and around; chandeliers dazzling and glittering to the eye, instead of comfort, filled one with the fear of a Cinderella's palace. I was un- nerved, but the Old Woman said she was going to bed. I watched her sink out of sight in the folds of softest covering, and soon heard her de- clare the order for me to come on. With reluc- tance I ventured, and while on first trial I had the sensation of one descending with a sudden drop of an elevator, was soon fast asleep in the bahnv embrace of charming slumber. The next day was Sunday. In company with Bishop Gaines and daughter, whom we found were guests at the same hotel, we procured a car- riage and proceeded to City Rhodes' chapel to at- tend service. Here we met the men of our party, who had accompanied us across the ocean. KING EDWARD'S KINGDOM. 29- The chapel was very plain but neat and charm- ing. The choir held their place in the middle of the church; the organ most elegant had two sets of pipes resting in either gallery. The Episcopal service was conducted ; the preaching was simple, the discussion was on the life of Enoch. The regular pastor was away attending conference; however, we met his assistant and the officers, and were very kindly treated by them. At the conclusion of the service, we visited the cemetery and beheld the tomb of the immortal Wesley. I had the good fortune to sit in the chair orice occupied by Wesley and to stand in the pul- pit from which this great man of God so often expounded the word of salvation to dying men. We visited the house that this good man for- merly lived in, a quiet old-fashioned looking place, and amid it all there came upon me the in- spiration of the spirit of this great man, which has infused me jmore in the service of the Gospel ministry than ever before. Our association with our colleague, Bishop Gaines, was very pleasant ; our going to and fro attracted the gaze of the many. Such representa- tives of humanity were not a daily scene even in the wonderful city of old London, and that made more conspicuous by going to and fro in an open carriage. Of course Bishop Gaines was the ob- ject of greatest attraction, I suppose. He was so large, and I judge by his actions he felt about three feet broader and an equal number higher. 30 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. yet we all enjoyed the degree of liberty and the many pleasantries that this association and occa- sion proffered. In the afternoon and evening of the same day, we attended service at the fajrnous Westminster Abbey. As I passed its threshold, it seemed like stepping back into the regions of antiquity, and losing myself among the shades of former ages. It seems as if the awful nature of the place presses down upon the soul, and hushes the visitor into noiseless reverence. One feels that they are surrounded by the congregated bones of the great men of past times, who have filled history with their deeds, and the earth with their renown. Here is to be found the poet's corner and the sepulchre of kings. The Abbey is most magnificent, but few struc- tures of its kind are equal to it. The services are grand and elevating, the impression is wonderful ; they will hardly be forgotten in a lifetime. At the time of service, the choristers in their white surplices, enter the choir. Suddenly the notes of the deep laboring organ burst upon the ear, falling with doubled and redoubled intensity, and rolling, as it were, huge billows of sound. How well do their volume and grandeur accord with this mighty building, with its pomp of archi- tecture, and the elaborate beauty of sculptured detail. With what pomp do they swell through its arches, and then rise in triumphant acclima- tion, heaving higher and higher their accordant KING EDWARD'S KINGDOM. 31 notes, and piling sound on sound — they pause, and the soft voices of the choir break out into sweet gushes of melody ; they soar aloft, and war- ble along the roof, and seem to play about its height like the air pure from heaven. Again the pealing organ heaves its thrilling thunders, com- pressing air into music, and rolling it forth upon the soul. I sat for some time lost in that kind of reverie which a strain of music is apt sometimes to in- spire. Bishop Wilberforce, an able and powerful speaker, presented the theme, and ere I departed I felt the influence of his burning words of Gos- pel truth moving upon my soul. On Monday, the 29th of July, we took an omni- bus, called on Cook & Sons, and perfected our plans for a journey through the continent. We had our money exchanged for gold, went shop- ping, and after a night of refreshing sleep arose on Tuesday morning, got in a hocky carriage, and paid a visit to the Queen's park. Nothing can be more imposing than the magnificence of English park scenery. Vast lawns that extend like sheets of vivid green, with here and there clumps of gigantic trees, heaping up rich piles of foliage. The solemn pomp of groves and woodland glades, with the deer trooping in silent herds across them ; the hare, bounding away to the covert, or the pheasant, suddenly bursting upon the wing. The brook, taught to wind in natural meander- ings, or expand into a glassy lake — the seques 32 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. tered pool, reflecting the quivering trees, with the green leaf sleeping on its bosdm, and the trout roaming fearlessly about its liquid waters. These are but a few of the features of park scenery, and with such elaborate imagery of description, fails to give the reader a true conception of the beauties of Queen's Park. We also visited the place where Queen Victoria was born, and beheld the grandeur of her palace. King Edward was home at this time, but we were unable to see him. Parliament was in session, but not having a ticket of admission,, we were de- prived the privilege of witnessing the delibera- tions of this renowned body. After spending many hours in further sight-seeing, on Wednes- day, the 31st, we made our way to the Victoria depot, purchased tickets for Dover, crossed the English channel, which occupied three hours, and late that evening put in to port at Ostende, Bel- gium. 0:3 ;j z<* chapter nr IveopolPs Kingdom. Belgium is one of the smallest, most prosperous and yet conspicuous of the European dynasties. Her people are the most patriotic to be found on the continent. From dependency and the rule ">f greater powers by her heroism she has wrenched her independence, and to-day enjoys a liberty and freedom that is unrivalled by republics them selves. We reached Ostend at 3 P. M., underwent the inspection of the custom officials, and while this is a most beautiful summer resort, capable of af- fording much enjoyment, we were unable for the pressure of time to tarry at any length as we would have desired. Taking the railroad carriage, we proceeded to the famous city of interest. Brussels. This is the capital and metropolis, as well as a great manu- facturing centre. The Metropolo became our headquarters. The people are French and Dutch, not speaking either language, it is hard for us to understand them. We visited the Arcade, purchased several souvenirs and attended the public concert that was being given, as in many of the European centres musicals are a part of the consideration given as a public benefit. The same was highl^ 34 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. enjoyed by us, to say the least. A very fine and notable art gallery is located here. Most all the famous paintings of the Catholic Church are to he found in this collection, hardly to be excelled in any other part of the world. A visit to St. James' Church was another feature of the great- est interest to us. Here is to be found one of the principal statues of St. Peter, with the historic rooster standing at his side, a suggestive reminder to the traveler of the backsliding period in this o-reat man's history of the past, p. In this church it is said the famous Napoleon worshipped, and it is here that the present King receives his religious consolations. A private room is provided for him for this purpose. I took the privilege to enter the altar of the sanctuary and to examine the christening fount, which be- came of special interest to me. The church is con- nected to the King's palace by an archway that for convenience and in private the monarch may enter and depart without embarrassment or in- terference. The royal palace is most beautiful and more interesting than the church to which it is attached. It is heavily guarded by soldiers. A visit to the inclosure or in his presence is a most difficult privilege to be obtained; thus like many another, we were deprived of the novelty. However, we embraced the opportunity of visiting the lower and higher courts, the Court of Appeals and the .Supreme Court. I sat in the chair occupied by the LEOPOLD'S KINGDOM. 35 Chief Justice, then proceeded to the dome of the building" and took a bird's-eye view of the city, which was a most beautiful sight. The habits of the people are most striking to the tourist, and here is to be seen features of life that are most strange to the Western world. In- stead of horses, dogs are hitched to the carts of traffic. The dog- occupies one side of the shaft to the vehicle, the woman the other. I am sure such would be a case of humane consideration and a license of shame if seen or practised in any part of the civilized America. From here we made our departure for Rotterdam. Both are beauti- ful cities. Thev are remarkable for their quaint red-brick houses, standing with the gables to- ward the streets. The latter are traversed by canals, which are spanned by draw bridges, and lined with broad quays. Vessels are to be seen in all parts, moving to and fro, loading and un- loading. Probably one of the most striking sights to the eye of the traveler is the system of canals and dykes to be seen so plentiful throughout the realms of this province. On inquiring their ori- gin, we are told that in the earlier days of its in- dependence, the freedom imposed became an in- ducement to a great number of Calvinist refugees from the Belgic States of France and Germain'. So thick was the crowd in some places, that many fa'milies lived in boats. But here the native en- terprise found a speedy remedy ; the Bremstersee 36 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. was drained, and the wonderful water Staat, or system of canals and dykes, was brought all over the land. Belgium is a fine country to behold. Some places are flat, often rising to promontories or hills surrounded with dense forests. Its fields of harvest are models. Here are to be found the women in the field doing service to the earth along- side of the men. That they are equal to the task. i< not gainsaid to the eye witness who beholding their strength in cutting and pitching the grain and wheeling the barrow, puts to doubt the inex- perienced questioner. I am sure when considered m the light of the menials of other countries, es- pecially our women of the south land in America., the latter are much better conditioned even at the worst, than this custom found so prevalent in the Belgium realms. c.o CHAPTER IV. Queen Wilhelmina's Kingdom. As we have previously stated, on Saturday, August the 3rd, we arrived in the Kingdom of Holland, in the city of Amsterdam. This is the constitutional capital and largest city. It is also considered one of the chief com- mercial centres of Europe. The country is mostly flat, and like Belgium, is intersected by numer- ous rivers and canals. The surface being below the level of the sea, is protected by high dykes. While Amsterdam is the constitutional capital, The Hague is the seat of the court. This noted city has also become the seat of the arbitration court of international differences of the world. The universally beloved Queen has lately mar- ried a Prince from the German household, and as the result of some domestic difficulties and the high-minded prejudices of her subjects, was at this time the subject of much discussion. Some gossips are saying that there is an estrangement between the Queen and her Prince Consort, while a number of other stories are as generally current. It was here that we met Bishop Gaines and his daughter again, which was a most pleasant greet- ing to come in touch with the embrace of old acquaintances so many thousand miles from home and the many dear ones we knew. 38 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. Amsterdam is a beautiful city situated on the Zuvder Zee bay. Excursionists are continually to be seen coming and going on this lovely stream. Many people are engaged in fishing, this is their means of livelihood, and here as in Belgium, the faithful spouse is to be seen helping her hus- band fixing and sometimes sailing the small craft or fishers' smack, as they are called. The wea- ther is gloomy during our stay here, and the peo- ple are dressed more for winter than summer weather. Some, however, are to be seen with the regulation season attire. The policemen look and dress like soldiers. Instead of a baton they carry a sword. All the people look the same as those we have seen be- fore, and I am persuaded as the often vaunted expression of our American brother as relates to the Negro, "That all people look alike to me." Holland is especially noted for her orphanages. Probably no other country in the world, accord- ing to their numbers and resources, are the equals in this respect to this small Kingdom. The little Queen and her mother have become world famed for their efforts in this work in be- half of their people. In these institutions so numerous, various are the garbs assumed. The tidy and tasteful vigil- are to be seen in their quietness wending" their way here and there clad in lace caps, gingham dresses, some of a slate, black, brown and even purple color. There is a specially distinguished OUfiRN WII^HELMIN.VS KINGDOM. 39 order of these women who wear one side of their dress red and the other black. There are men to be seen of the same order, and their trousers are like conditioned. We were here also as in Bel- gium, treated to a fine public musical. On Sunday, the 7th, we attended the Episcopal service, and was greatly benefited by a most ex- cellent sermon, which was taken from Judges, it being in English. The dear old mother tongue was welcome, if not delightful to such wanderers as ourselves, who from morning to night, day in and day out, was surrounded by the babble of foreign tongues. Sunday reverence is not the highest regarded here. The vegetable vender sells his wares on this day the same as any other. Even the stores are kept open ; that is, those who prefer to, and as a rule the majority of them so desire and do. Surprising-, we have not seen any electric cars since we left New York city. The old-fashioned horse system is in vogue everywhere thus far. The streets are laid off very prettily. The peo- ple admire the beauty of the same; thus they will not suffer the planting of ugly and numerous poles to mar their looks. Having concluded our visit of the principal places of interest, not excepting the Queen's pal- ace, we prepared our retinue on Monday and be- took ourselves to the great German Empire. CHAPTER V. Emperor William's Kingdom. The German Empire is composed of twenty-six States, each with its respective capitol and petty ruler. The largest of these States is the King- dom of Prussia ; next in importance is Saxony. Bavaria and Wurtemburg. As among the coun- tries of Europe it ranks next to Russia in popu- lation. The empire is a limited monarchy. The States have control of their own local affairs, while the King of Prussia is Emperor of Ger- many. Here are to be found some of the leading seats of learning in the world. Berlin is the capitol and the third city of Europe in size. Being limit- ed for time, we were unable to turn from our course previously laid out and pay a visit to this citv of so much fame and interest. \Ye visited Emmerich, also Cologne, the latter most famous for its .manufacture of that pre- cious toilet delicacy, after which this city takes its name, Cologne. During our stay here, we were the guest of the Disch hotel. From its win- dows we could view the pedestrians so often amusing. The women here, those of the menial class, like so many others on the continent, are largely used as beasts of burden. I am sure the '.loads thev carry on their heads, and this seem^ EMPORER WILLIAM'S KINGDOM. 43 to be their most favorite method, would crush many a one of her sex. Germany will always hold an interesting place in the minds of the traveler who is acquainted with its history. Within her domains was born such renowned and world-famed characters as Copernicus, Kelper, Humbolt and Bismarck. As you travel through her domains these mighty ones who have formed her character and built her greatness, in monumental grandeur, rise up be- fore your vision, and you can not help but admire the land over which you ride, made sacred and blooming as the rose by their service, sacrifice and blood. Germany is a pretty country. As you ride her territory and behold her fields of green, pretty landscapes and thriving industries, her worth is instantly impressed upon the stranger. Switzerland is our next objective point, and on the 6th, we made our departure for those parts, bidding a long farewell to this mighty empire of the Josephs that we never again expected to behold. CHAPTER VI. hemp's Kingdom. We now enter old Switzerland, the land of snowy peaks, mountain- turrets, crystal lakes, pic- turesque valleys and the grandest scenery. All the wav from Cologne to Basil one is edified with the beautiful and fascinating scenery of the Rhine. From our window at the latter place its rippling sprays and sparkling laughter were al- ways displayed. How charming when seated on the piazza to behold its pleasant face. Tn boarding the wrong train we found that here as in America one must pay for their mis- takes, so we were permitted to pursue our jour- ney for the extra fee of four dollars and fift)' cents. We arrived at Geneva at 1:15 on the fol- lowing day and took quarters at Grand Hotel Des Bergues. Sight seeing became our principal oc- cupation as formerly at the previous places we had visited. Geneva is the metropolis of this country and is noted for its watches and jewelry. Being a jewelry smith in past years myself, it is to be judged of course that T, above all other things, would be most interested in these noble and famed establishments of my trade. My time was full}- paid, while my expectancies were more Note — Switzerland is not now a kingdom in a political sense, it has been and in the light under which it now appears and as we have been nmpressed, we thus name or discuss it as such. ZEMP'S KINGDOM. 45' than fulfilled in the appointment of these mighty industries of world-wide reputation. After a ride about the city, we paid a visit to the historic home of the lamented Voltaire, the great philosopher and agnostic of the seventeenth century. His home is most neatly kept in order and all relics carefully preserved as objects of interest to the traveler. Here is the tomb where his faithful patrons have buried the heart of this great man. His body we learned is buried in the city of Paris. From the beautiful gardens of this home so nicely kept one is favored with a splen- did view of the snow-covered Alps in the far dis- tance. What a lovely sight, the snow appearing so white, as the Old Woman put it, "Looks just like ice cream." One part of this gigantic wonder reminded one of a man's hat, while the other re- sembled a huge bed of snow. On taking our leave from this weird home, the mind is flooded with the thoughts of this famous yet heart-broken man of past greatness. How through persecution by the religious sects he was banished from his native home in France. The refuge of grandeur accorded him at the Austrian court, his envious, hence strained and miserable association with Frederick the Great, the most powerful and greatest of Kings of his day, and finally this his last refuge to another and foreign land, where he was received and spent the re- mainder of his days. Trulv a<>ain has the words of the Lowlv Xaz- 46 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. arene, in whom this man believed little, proved true, "That a prophet is without honors save in his own country." Now that he is dead, his coun- try bestows honor upon the crumbling body that it refused to extend his existence, which like so many others of equal greatness, are not appre- ciated or respected by their present age and arc- only rightly honored after death by the children of future centuries. Returning to our hotel, we entered the dining hall for lunch, and to our surprise for the first time during our journey we beheld a colored man and his white wife. There seemed to be no sur- prise or curiosity at their presence, and from all appearances it was just as acceptable a situation as any other that we saw. It revealed the fact, however, that color in marriages in these cosmo- politan countries, where conditions are not based on complexion, has but little significance. In this respect it may rightfully be said that Europe is more broad and liberal in her views on such racial matters than the States whose broad motto, though narrowly applied, is: "The home of the brave and the land of the free." Saturday, the ioth, we took the train for La Suisse station, thence the incline for a trip up Mt. Jung. This was a distance of 16,420 yards. The latter is the standard of measurement in Switzerland, unlike our system, which is figured by inches and feet. From this height a fulsome view is to be had of the snow mountains which ZEMP'S KINGDOM. 47 .are a great distance off, and whose peaks are a mile or more apart. Our experience and exercise was most delightful. We climbed Mt. Jung as far as our strength would allow, when upon reaching a favored spot we sat on a very large rock to rest, and taking our opera glasses we amused ourselves farther by fascinating views of the surrounding arms of these mammoth hills and the valley below. From our extreme height the depth beneath was a fearful sight to behold. We were in touch from our present position with the White Mountain. The snow was melt- ing and running down its sides. Here it was that the Old Woman became most daring in her con- templation of the sublime and beautiful and pro- ceeded at a mighty risk to gather and bottle some of this snow. I tried to dissuade her, but to no avail ; so clinging to the rocks she descended, reached out as far as possible and succeeded in capturing her coveted prize. I thought sure that any moment would be her last. Once her de- scent gave me the greatest alarm. I cried aloud, "Old Woman, take care!" It was soon all over, however, and to my comfort and her delight, she returned shortly every whit whole, both bottle and snow. I must confess she was more daring than I could ever have been. Even now I would not venture such a risk; no, not for my weight in gold. Aside from the personal interest of such ad- 48 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. venture, it is a source of much fun to see the peo- ple ascending the mountain, every train, and they are many, crowded full. We are no different than any of the others, as the occasion requires, like children, we, too, are running to get a favored seat in the cars or on the boat. In climbing, the women either pin or tie up their petticoats, while the men stuff the bottom of their pantaloons in their socks. The old women try to be young; they are as jolly as the girls. Every one is pro- vided with a stick, in the bottom of which is a large iron prong. This is to enable them to climb more easier. This stick is jabbed in the sand be- neath the rocks, the weight of the body is pressed against it. Thus resting, the climber is enabled to take two steps forward, when the stick is with- drawn and the process constantly repeated by the traveler until he reaches his journey's end. Our present stopping place is the retreat of many tourists, and many are trie places of amuse- ment to which one may resort. We are often entertained by the regular evening concerts, which are very largely attended by the fashionable set as well. The Alps constantly rise up before our vision. They are to be seen on clear days as a huge cloud in the distance. We are told that no one has been known to ascend to the tops of this mightiest of hills for ages, that the oldest person in these parts cannot recall to knowledge the accomplishment of such a fete by the most daring. On Friday, Au- ZKMP'S KINGDOM. 4D gust the 9th, a gentleman whose name we were unable to find out, with two guides, attempted a venture up its sides, but being overcome with ex- haustion hcid to return. It is reported that they had a most severe and thrilling experience and it is thought they will be sick as a result of it. We paid a visit to Mountain (F) and then enjoyed a most sumptuous meal of boiled meats. All meats are boiled in these parts ; in fact, we have not eaten any fried meats since we left the States. Thus you seldom find any dyspepsia or indiges- tion over here. On the nth, we went to the Episcopal Church to service. The sermon was concerning the life of the Apostle Paul. We took communion, after which we retired to our hotel, the Victoria, and amidst the howling elements without, for it was a very stormy night, retired for a much-needed rest. As to some of the various ways of entertain- ment, and I would not fail to mention them, as they were indulged on a Sunday night ; without conscientious compunctions some were playing cards, enjoying- concerts and even sewing. Me thought how strange the dispositions and liberal their creeds as you come in touch with their live interpretation throughout the abodes of life. Truly to know man, not as you see and know him in your native heath, one must needs travel and by general contact with him through his various walks in life, thus study and learn to know him as he is. 50 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. It was here we met a very pleasant and friend- ly Episcopal clergyman, and how different was he from the average gentleman of the cloth which yon are accustomed to meet in the States. Oh! how sociable and what a difference association makes when men unprejudiced by taint of senti- ment meet, and interests of purity at least unite them in friendly embrace. Such was the freedom of our acquaintance, and what a pleasant time with mutual interest did we spend together. On the 1 2th, we rounded up at Interlaken at the foot of the White Mountain, but did not tra- verse its sides. On approaching Interlaken the caps of the snow mountains as the sun is going down presents a picture that is sublime in gran- deur. As the light of old Sol throws its smiles up on its whitened tops at the end of a successful day's journey, it gives it the appearance of a huge mass of gold, dazzling one's eyes as their dying smiles and golden dust from eyebrows seem to fall upon its sides. Standing on the veranda, the scene is enhanced, as the moon, the proud queen of the night, in her fiery garments, shakes her robes until the dust of falling snow, appears like huge pieces of silver, and each flake catching the dust as it falls from the folds of her garments, making the appearance of so many drops of pearl, as waters run down its sides, looks like streams of melted rubies. From here we moved to Cacciso, had our bag- ZEMP'S KINGDOM. 51 gage inspected, and entered the land of the Caesars, bidding adieu to the landscapes of the picturesque Switzerland. CHAPTER VII. Victor Emanuel's Kingdom. On the 13th, we started for a tour of fair Italy, which lies south of the Alps. What a delightful emotion to the traveler as he enters and crosses this famous country so renowned in the history of the world, with its teeming rice glades, fields of wheat, olive groves, marble quarries and an- tiquated ruins. The country through which we travel is most beautiful. Behold the luxuriant flax fields, with its busy harvesters tieing it into bundles like wheat, carrying it and piling it into stacks to dry, after which it is placed into a pond of water, rocks are piled on it, thence it is taken out to dry again, and finally is laid away in the barns until it is carted to the mills to be ground into meal. Water melons and cantaloupes are seen grow- ing on the hills, but they are very small, much smaller than the variety grown in the Southern States of America. Their taste is not near so sweet as the Western product, either. The many small towns you pass look like small cities and are scattered everywhere on the hills and through the valley. The country roads are hard to be excelled any- where. No wonder, for they have occupied the attention of this people ever since the davs of the Mrs. PRISCILLA SALTER, Wife and Companion of the Author. VICTOR KMANUKL'S KINGDOM. 55 proud and world-famed Roman, over which her conquering legions sped their way. Italy, like Switzerland, in many places of her borders is very mountainous. Her tunnels through which one must pass are endless and horrid as well as interesting to the stranger of limited experience. Without a guide book it is impossible to give their names, as you are con- stantly going through their dismal caverns. We passed through one that took the train twenty- five minutes to reach the opening on the other side. To say the least, we felt quite outdone when we reached daylight once more. We de- sired never to pass through another one like it, although we have had many similar experiences since then. Once we passed under a part of the snow moun- tains, which is a part of the Alps. One could see the snow before and after entering. It is a pretty sight to look upon, but does not give one the best feeling while riding beneath. Thus we continued across the beautiful coun- try until noon of the 13th day of August, when we at last arrived at the lovely city of Venice in the sea. And what a sight that bursts upon the gaze of the stranger, the multitude of domes, tem- ples, palaces, columns, rising out of the bosom of the waters, looked at a distance like a city under water, and produced a feeling of surprise and fear. Her palaces seemed to rise out of the sea, and the churches sat so easily upon the waters, 56 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. that a feeling of sudden engulf ment appeared to be among the most natural fancies of the moment. At night the lighting up of St. Marks contin- ued to heighten the magic of the spell. I could scarcely imagine that I was at the end of my journey and the place of my present sojourn. The chief peculiarity of Venice is its insulated position in the lagoon, and you move about Venice entirely by gondola. To use any other mode of conveyance would be but to disturb the high associations connected with this queen of the seas, and would be attended with no less incon- venience than fatigue. What could be more plea- sant than the noiseless tread of waters in a float- ing barge ? What more mysteriously fascinating* than a passage around and among her palaces and churches, in a strange and mystic boat, with nothing to disturb your reveries but the light splash of the well-turned oar, or the long cry of a passing gondolier? To have missed the sight of Venice would have been to have blotted out a day. Next to Rome, what city is freighted with such pleasing memories of the past? No time ought to be lost in visiting Venice, to contemplate the works of Titian, the paintings of Tintorette, the statues, the palaces, the temples and the mausoleums, which are tottering on the verge of destruction. Her singular position on the bosom of the waves, disposes one to many hours of reverie and repose; and even now, in her decline, she seems to have slept away from the VICTOR EMANUEL'S KINGDOM. 57 date of her ancient glories, as listlessly as she her- self seems to have slidden off from the terra-firma of the shore. Some years ago, a bold plan was proposed by a zealous Venetian, in order to prevent the ruins of his city, which was to join Venice to the Con- tinent. A road was to have been made at the narrowest point of the lagoon as a means of com- munication, but the plan failed, and a railroad has been substituted in its stead, a project no less use- ful, though not so poetical or imaginative in its aspect. The piazza of St. Mark's has not its like in the world. The East and West are there brought into each other's presence. On one side, the ducal palace, where resides the King, with its indented architecture, the balconies and galleries of Arabian monuments, and the Church of St. Mark's itself, with its angular front and lead-covered cupolas, while again, regular arcades, with shops, similar to the Palais Royal at Paris. The same contrast is to be found among the men. There are Armenians, Turks, Greeks — some lying down, others taking coffee and sher- bert under large awnings of different brilliant colors, resembling tents — some smoking perfumes in their long amber-tipped pipes of rosewood (a crowd of indolent and majestic automata), while European travelers, and others, occupied with their business, are hurriedly passing to and fro. 58 .THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. The infinite number of pigeons that cover the piazza of St. Mark's, the cupola of the church, and the roofs of the ducal palace, add also to the mystic aspect of these monuments. These pig- eons, we are told, have been in Venice from its earliest days, and such was the interest they ex- cited that, to comply with the wishes of the pub- lic, it was decreed that they should not only re- main unmolested, but be fed at the expense of the State. Venice still palpitates in the piazza of St, Mark's. This brilliant decoration costs a million annually in repairs; while other distant quarters, some of which possess magnificent palaces, were left to fall into ruins. This corpse of a city is already cold at the extremities — the life and heat remaining are confined to the heart. At the ex- tremity of the piazza there are three pili or flag- staffs, which formerly bore the glorious standard of St. Mark, now replaced by the Italian flag. The pedestals of these masts are bronze, and pos- sess the elegance and taste of the Grecian artists. They have been there upwards of three centuries, exposed to the injury of the air, the African siroccos, and to the misty saline spray of the rag- ing Adriatic. At one end of this piazza stands the Cathedral the church which the King attends. Underneath its present pile rests the old church, beneath which St. Mark the Apostle is buried. The basilic of St. Mark's was besfun about the VICTOR EMANUEL'S KINGDOM. 59 tenth century. It is of a checkered architecture, a mixture of Greek and Roman, but more espec- ially Gothic. On looking at her minarets, mo- saics, basso-relievos of ornamental art, one feels that the Adratic has been wedded jto the East, and that those peculiarities which are usually re- ceived from strangers, here, have only been trans- ferred in the varieties of her commerce. On seeing' these splendid compartments — the golden arched roofs, the pavement of jasper and porphyry, the five hundred columns of black, white and veined marble, of bronze alabaster, vert antique, and serpentine — one would feel in- clined to take this christian temple, except that it is somewhat too gloomily lighted, to be a palace of the Arabian Nights. Religion has preserved all these riches, which might have been dissipated in the speculations and enterprises of a commer- cial and navigating people. The benitier, or holy- water vase, of porphyry, is supported by an antique altar of Grecian sculp- ture, ornamented with dolphins and tridents. One of the bronze doors of the baptistery appears to have been brought from the basilic of St. Sophia. The bronze gate of the vestry occupied thirty years of Sansovine's existence. The grand chan- delier of St. Mark's, notwithstanding the oddness of its base, is considered one of the most remark- able works of its kind, for the taste and nature of the figures and the elegance of the ornaments. The very stones of Venice are indelibly impressed THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. with her history. A red marble pavement marks the nave of the ancient church and the original limit of the place of St. Mark. A white stone, not far thence, in a retired street, shows where the Catiline of Venice was killed by the accidental fall of a flower pot, dislodged by a curious old woman, who was watching his procession as he passed beneath her window. St. Mark's presents also a collection of relics of the greatest antiquity, the various mementoes of conquest and revolution. The four famous horses of Corinth have resumed their former po- sition on the tribune, over the principal door. Never was a trophy of victory more modestly placed, or worse, for they are scarcely perceptible. Won at Constantinople, brought back from Paris, these Greeks or Roman steeds are associated with the two grandest instances of taken towns that history records. But it is at evening that the Piazza of St. Mark's awakes a golden or Gothic vision of Eastern splendor and architectural grace. Then the noble old Duomo, with its gilded cupola, silvered over with a rich frosting of moonlight, revives the tales of the Arabian Nights, or the splendors of the vales of the Alhambra. Near by stands the old Clock Tower, where two mechanical figures strike the hours as they pass, and on both sides are the facades of the Procuratic palaces, those brilliant structures of Sansovino's genius, displaying the perfection of their architectural symmetry. VICTOR EMANUEL'S KINGDOM. 01 Amid all these, the high, grand, luminous mass of the Campanile looms upward towards the sky, towering above all, and guardian of that scene of magical effects below, where the crowds of motley wear are moving in promenade, over the pave- ment, or seated at table with their ices, under the arcades of the palaces of St. Mark's. DUCAL PALACE. The Ducal Palace — the boast of Venice — by its architecture and stern, gloomy aspect, gives no bad representation to its ancient government; it is the capitol of aristocratic power; its origin, even, is surrounded with terrors; the Doge who began it, Marine Faliero, lost his head, and the architect was hung as a conspirator. The names, too, of some parts of it, are in unison with the impression it produces. The Giant's stairs, a su- perb structure, witnessed the coronation of the Doges, and the Bridge of Sig"hs has the shape of a large sarcophagus suspended over the sea. A palace, a prison, and a tribunal, one might say, if the word centralization were not ridiculous, ap- plied under such circumstances, that the Ducal Palace had the first and most terrible example. Notwithstanding the heavy, forbidden appear- ance of the Ducal Palace, the interior has some rich works of art, which adorn her ceilings, and cause you to forget the terrors of the Inquisition, the Lion's Mouth, or deep dungeons of pozzi. Its exterior has some elegant details, and in some parts is remarkable, in an artistic point of •62 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. view. The capitals of the Tuscan columns, in the front, ornamented with foliage, figures, and sym- bols, original masterpieces of a taste at once bold and pure, and so interesting for the history of art, are chiefly by Calendario, the Michael Angelo of the middle ages — equally eminent as a sculptor and architect, — whose foundations of the Ducal Palace, on the unstable soil of Venice, are still a miracle for solidity. The by-gone glory and splendor of Venice are conspicuous in every part of the Palace. The in- terior walls are decorated with the frescoes of Titian, the paintings of Veronese, the superb works of Palladio, and the immense entablatures of Tintorette, which recall the grand events of its history. These beautiful works breathe a species of patriotism. Venice ever stands forth in them as the emblems of might, grandeur and beauty; and she is a powerful goddess, who breaks the chains of the bondsman, and receives the homage of subjugated cities ; she is seated in Heaven amid the saints; she is represented as sit- ting between Justice and Peace : she is encircled by the Virtues, crowned by Victory, or appears in the clouds amid a throng of deities ; allegory there loses its ordinary coldness, as it serves to express a feeling of patriotic pride. What a melancholy of pleasure there is in step- ping from the quay into your gondola and gliding along the grand canal, in wandering amid those superb palaces, those ancient aristocratic dwell- VICTOR EMANUEL'S KINGDOM. 63 ings which bear such fine names, and are the memorials of so much power and glory, but are now desolate, shattered, or in ruins. These Moorish windows, these balconies, whence the fair Venetian, shut up like the Eastern dame, but volatile as the European, appeared to her lover, as he reluctantly retreated to his gondola, are now dilapidated, without glass, or rudely boarded. Some few of them, in good condition, only bear the inscription of some of the authorities of the ancients. In the midst of this distraction the gardens supply the place of the buildings at Venice. But alas, we bid thee adieu, fairest city of the sea, amid your day dreams upon canals, with nightly visions of Aladdin lustre, by her moon- lights and the torch flames of St. Mark's Piazza which were the sum and rounding of our day vigils and thrilling life spent in so short a time at Venice. Venice, thou art "A thing of beauty and a joy forever." CHAPTER VIII. Rome— The Vatican — and the Home of the Caesars. Wednesday, August the 14th, we made our de- parture for the capital and famous city of Rome. We passed through Bologne, thence the beautiful city of Florence amid its verdure and zephyr breezes that has distinguished it as one of the fairest of Italy's daughters. At 1 1 125 we drew up at the Continental Hotel, and at last became conscious that we were embraced in the arms of this most historic spot of civilization, — the world. Entering Rome by moon-light, the Eternal City was hushed in the solemn silence of the night, bathed in a Hood of the richest light. It was a transport of deep joy to be in Rome, there to collect mementoes for a life-time and a day from which to date an epoch. We looked upon the Coliseum and its collossal mass of ruins and its arcades appeared truly resplendent. Each step, as we clambered over the different stages of the majestic pile opened a new chapter in the his- tory of the changes which had taken place during eighteen centuries. No monument of antiquity — for none so fit to represent the image of ancient Rome — has experienced so many different fortunes, or such a diversity of uses, as this. A magnifi- ROMK— THE VATICAN 65 cent circus of gladiators, under Titus — an arena of . martyrs, under Diocletian, and a military re- doubt; it was a hospital during plagues, or a list for tournaments of knights ; then a stone quarry, from which most of the palaces of Rome have been built. What barbarians have handled its vastness, to corrupt its beauty by a taint of their sacrilegious art. Its ruined appearance is one of its greatest beauties. It has already been too much renovated, and rebuilt, and modernized. The Cross is now planted within the walls of the amphitheatre, where Christian martyrs were burned. It still stands a monument of the vic- tories, festivals, crimes, and imperial pleasures of ancient Rome — the ruined Mausoleum to thee. There are many churches of interest to be vis- ited in this most historic city. A chapel has been erected over the spot where St. Peter was tried; It also contains the chain with which the Apostle was bound in prison at Jerusalem. In the interior of the Mamertine prison — that terrible ancient dungeon, formed of enormous stones, joined together without cement — there is now a chapel consecrated to St. Peter and St. Paul, who, by tradition, are said to have been imprisoned there. A beautiful church also marks the place where St. Paul was buried. But of all the churches that form the chief object of the traveler in Italy, St. Peter's is the first wonder that he seeks to con- template. The double colonnade to the colossal peristyle of travertine marble is the grandest in the world. 5 66 t THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. Jn the middle of the piazza rises the obelisk of red granite, which, being without hieroglyphics, can only be a Roman imitation of the Egyptian obelisk brought over by Caligula. The two majestic fountains, that throw up their waters on each side of the piazza, worthily com- plete its decoration, whether seen by day, when the rays of the sun form brilliant rainbows, or at night, when the moonlight adds to the whiteness of their foaming streams, whose unceasing mur- murs inspire and cherish the soul's imaginings. The population, the manners of the city, more- over, offer a thousand contrasts. It is here on this piazza that poor peasants, loaded with their baggage, prostrate themselves on this pavement of marble, before the altars resplendent with gold and precious stones. On entering the edifice they kiss the holy door, which profane and thoughtless travelers cover with their names, while persons of the lower order talk of their affairs before a confessional, with their confessor who is inside. The interior of St. Peter is rich, ornate, and magnificent, rather than tasteful ; but the bad and the exaggerated which abounds there, does not fail, on the whole, to contribute to the effect, and to have a kind of grandeur. The bronze statue of St. Peter, whose right toe has been worn out by the kisses of the devo- tional, was not a Jupiter, as some suppose. Here is to be seen the great genius of Michael Angelo the immortal cupola, which completes this sub- ROME— THE VATICAN 67 lime creation of architectural grandeur. In this edifice the Pope conducts worship twice a year ; he is also the visible head of the church and lays claims to temporal sovereignity, having State of- ficers attached to his court. These, and his body of clerical attendants, are to be found in his private chapel, where the of- fices are performed by his clergy, but in which the proper respect is always paid to his holiness, both as the pontiff and the sovereign; he occa- sionally performs some few of the ecclesiastical functions. THE VATICAN. The Vatican represents the religious grandeur of Modern Rome, as the Capitol did the martial and triumphant greatness of Ancient Rome. But this palace, once noted for its eleven hundred rooms — the pontifical court, long so pompous — is now all simplicity and moderation, the Pope's expenditure barely exceeding that of a President. The Vatican no longer thunders ; in our days it is nothing more than the most extensive of mu- seums, and a curious monument of the architec- tural talent of the great artists of the past. Here is to be found most of the master paintings of the Catholic Church, priceless manuscripts, library and statues of Popes. OLD ROME. Passing through the walled gate, you enter Old Rome. What a strange feeling to one as you are transferred by thought into the thrilling 68 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. activities of centuries past. The wall around the city is said to be fifteen miles. Here we behold the ruins of the golden house in which Nero once lived, the houses that required forty thousand workmen to build, and who were cruelly put to death at its completion by the Emperor as an opening- ceremony. Here still remains the street wherein the women by Nero's order were so shamefully mistreated, and again the abode or Catacombs where this tyrant imprisoned the Christians; this awful place lies underneath the surface and is three stories high. Oh, what a dark, dreary and awful chasm. With a small taper in hand and by the direction of a faithful guide, we traverse its hideous vaults amid the bones and dust of those ancient martyrs to the faith of Jesus Christ. As the eye darts into these dusky chambers of death, it catches glimpses of quaint efngies : some kneeling in niches, as if in devotion; others stretched upon the tombs, with hands piously pressed together. In glancing over this scene, so strangely populous, yet where every form is so still and silent it seems almost as if we were treading a mansion of rhat fabled city, where every being had been suddenly transmuted into stone. What a privilege to stand encircled by the Seven Hills so famous for its temples, palace? and forums, but alas, whose history is buried with the past and its noble heroes. ROME— THE VATICAN 69 To-day is one of Rome's holidays, more prop- erly known the "Announcement of the Concep- tion of the Virgin Mary." All places of business are closed, the people have irrespective of condi- tion turned themselves loose for a merry time. I have seen many rough and gay people, but these are the most boisterous set I have ever seen ; they are on the streets, in the roads, inns and saloons, drinking intoxicants, playing cards and behaving as badly as they know how. On visiting another church, I believe it is called St. Mary's, we be- hold the people descending the steps on their hands and knees and placing money on the altar: no one departs without kissing" the floor. The steps have the legend of being those lead- ing from Pilate's temple and the ones which Jesus descended after His condemnation. We again visited the Cathedral of St. Peter, where we for the second time met our party of Bishops and ministers. It goes without saying that we were more than glad to meet each other again. After a pleasant chat we separated. We visited the Pope's residence, but were unable to see His Holi- ness. Even his own subjects have to procure a permit from one of the Cardinals of the church. However we very profitably spent our time in ex- amining many other features of interest. The court is very heavily guarded by soldiers ; they are to be seen on every hand. The Old Woman was so amazed that she re- marked, "I aim uable to see what was the comfort 70 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. in being a King or a Pope, as they must be in danger all the time; they are always so heavily guarded." Rome at her best is a very dirty city. The streets are filthy and the people appear no better, either in dress or habits. The great mass of people seem to be very poor, They are to be seen in great numbers around St. Peter's begging for alms. It is surprising to see so much poverty around this famous city, where everything is Catholic, with her many priests and sisters of charity. This will not be wondered at, when it is viewed in the light of the great taxa- tion that is constantly required by the church to keep up her rich appointments. Before taking our leave from old Rome, we visited the present King's palace, the tomb of Pope Pious; beheld the house of one of the ille- gitimate daughters of one of the old Popes, which for some reason is preserved as a relic, and then prepared for our departure for Paris. "Rome, a ruin, yet that ruin from its massive Walls; palaces and cities, have been reared And when Rome falls the world." '% ' II CHAPTER IX. I/Otibet's Kingdom. And now we are off to France, cozily situated in our sleeping- apartment, for which we paid twenty dollars and fifty cents. You may judge by this the great length of our journey ere we reach Paris, our next stopping place. The time required in making the trip across the continent is one and one-half days and two nights. As usual in this part of the country, we have to ride under many tunnels, one of which has taken us thirty minutes to run its length. For several hours along this route we travel the banks of the beautiful Mediterranean sea, through the cities of Genoa, Turine, and Modane, the latter being the terminus of Italy, where again we had to undergo the inspection of the custom officials. The scenery through this part of Italy is much different than any we have thus far witnessed. It is the great corn belt and the only part of the country through which we have passed that we have noticed the growth of this product. During- this journey an accident happened to a strange man who was walking too close to the train, He was not killed, but seriously injured. France is not now a kingdom in a political sense; it has been and in the light under which it now appears and as we have been impressed , we thus name or discuss it as such. 74 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. The train stopped and picked him up, carrying" him to the next station, where he was given over for medical attention. France as an open country is beautiful and in- teresting to the traveler. Industry is to be seen on every hand among the peasant class. All along the road the people were busy working in the fields, some plowing, cutting grass, hauling hay, in fact engaged in all kinds of farm work, such as is common to see in certain parts of the States. YVe desired to reach Paris on Sunday morning in time for service, but as the train was late, in this we were disappointed. At 10:40 A. M., Sunday, August the 1 8th, we at last arrived in Paris, the city of fashion and entertainment. We registered at the Hotel London de Xew York and were assigned a very comfortable and cozy little room. YVe shortly made the acquain- tance of a most excellent gentleman and lady, Mr. Harbord and wife, whose friendship we found to be most congenial and helpful during our stay in Paris. With them we made several excursions of the city, attended divine services and the like. Paris is the world where you can see every- thing, and get everything; where all the conven- iences of life, and all the means of culture are pro- vided. It is a place, too, where those who seek for pleasure can readily find it under every form. The amount of dissipation in such a city must be enormous, and yet it is so regulated and veiled J.OU BET'S KINGDOM. 75 as not to obtrude itself grossly upon the public eye. The French in their pleasures are epicures, who know how to prolong enjoyment and to nourish the capacity for enjoyment to the last pulsation of existence. Paris wears an air of refinement and cultivation which meets you everywhere.. The long, elegant- ly built, well paved and clean streets, and par- ticularly the wide and airy boulevards which oc- cupy the ground of the ancient ramparts demol- ished in the reign of Louis XIV., and which were once planted with double rows of magnificent trees on either side: the splendor of the public buildings, and particularly the palaces with their extensive gardens adorned with statues ; the tri- umphal arches and monumental columns; the quays on the Seine giving the appearance of a river flowing between massive and smoothly- built walls, with frequent wide stone stairs lead- ing down to it ; the bridges which connect the banks, and the view presented from the'm, up and down the river, where, in one direction, are pal- aces and gardens, and, in another, tall dwellings of various descriptions ; the magnificence of the shops — the manners of everybody, from high to low — a sort of polish, ease and readiness ; in fine, everything, and every person shows the marks of the metropolitan city — the imperial city — the city of fashion, art and grace. The imperial city- — who can believe it republi- can? On the public buildings, on the churches. THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. are the words Liberie, but the buildings and the churches notwithstanding are imperial, and the words appear out of place. It makes one smile to read them. Stand in the grand entrance of the Tuileries, and look up through the wide avenue of the gardens to the Palace de la Concorde, where stands the obelisk Luxor, and beyond the avenue Champs Elysee to the grand arch — a view of two miles — and what do you see but imperial grandeur ? On every side are soldiers. The vast pile stretches right and left — a facade of three hundred or more yards. Pass through the main entrance to the court of the Tuileries on the east side, and here you see the long and gorgeous wings of the palace stretching out to meet the Louvre, forming an immense square where an army can be reviewed, and where Xapoleon was wont to review his troops. Here too is the arch Triumph, supported by eight splendid Corinthian columns, with bases and capitals of bronze. The arch is covered with representations of Xapoleon's victories. Returning to the broad avenue of the Champs Elysee, you behold the Arch de l'Etoile — the proudest monument erected by Xapoleon; its height, one hundred and fifty-two feet ; its breadth, one hundred and thirty-seven feet ; its depth, sixty-eight feet. Behold it ornamented with groups of fig-iues wrought on the surface. There is the Genius of AYar summoning the nations to "battle, and there they are arming and rushing to- LOUBET'S KINGDOM. 77 gether. There is victory crowning Napoleon ; Fame and History are recording his deeds, while conquered cities lie at his feet. The battles 0* Napoleon, the forms of his generals are there. It is a monumental history of his life. You can ascend the monument, and then the imperial city lies beneath you. We attended the Louvre, a museum appro- priated to the arts, Greek architecture and Greek sculpture and famous paintings by the great mas- ters of the brush. The Pantheon is a sight most interesting, and is consecrated to the memory of the great men of France. In its dome is a painting containing nearly four thousand square feet, where are rep- resented the forms of kings and queens of the past. Within and without one breathes only princely grace and glory. Indeed, Paris is France. Notre Dame is its greatest cathedral, the place where mouarchs were crowned. It is the West- minster Abbey oi' France. In the church of the Hotel des Invalicles stands the tomb of Napoleon, one of the most magnificent in the world. Every way you look, every where you go, all is imper- ialism. In Paris, how can the people escape from the symbols and the pervading presence of mon- archy? Whatever they see and converse with, seems to predestine them to a monarchy. The establishment of our republic was a wide- 78 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. Jy different affair from creating a republic out of a monarchy. Although out of the monarchy of England, here there were no ancient signs and symbols of monarchy. We were on the virgin soil of nature, with the unchartered privileges of forests and prairies and rivers. All objects around us called us back to natural rights, instead of making us feel the weight of prescription. We received direct from the liana of God what the Old World has received by in- heritance, through forms of law, and under the protection of ancient authorities. There, govern- ment appeared omnipotent ; in the wild woods of America God alone appeared omnipotent. There, government was the work of former generations, and had its roots in the mysteries of the vener- able past ; here nothing was old but nature, and government had to be planted by our own hands, to grow up in our own sight, and to be perfected by our own labors. There, society like the cities, the roads and the bridges, and the works of art, were already made and fashioned, had its grades, its moulds of thought, its forms of expression, its manners, its laws, all established — all absolute. In the Old World, to create a republic is to make war upon what the men before us have been doing for a thousand years. To create our re- public in the New World, was to make war upon nothing, but to begin a happy existence under the calm sunshine, and in the free air of heaven. Thus is to be judged the difference between LOUBET'S KINGDOM. 79 what one sees in a republic of the Eastern and Western world, and especially the stamp of im- perialism so surprising to the traveler as beheld in all the grandeur and magnificence of the repub- lic of France, more particularly Paris; here the President is the state, the state is Paris, Paris is France, and France aims to be Europe. The imperial prestige about Paris certainly in- creases its interest to a visitor; and in walking- through its vast and luxurious domains, he feels that the actual presence of royalty is necessary to the completeness of the scene. The French have many striking and attractive points of character. One of these, which every one feels at once, is their exceeding polish and grace. The educated and well-bred French are perfectly agreeable in the ordinary and daily inter- course of life. Their manners are easy and nat- ural, and equally removed from hauteur and af- fectation. You feel entirely at home with them, and receive from them a thousand little attentions, which are paid out without the least approach to condescension, and, indeed, in a way that would seem to say that they are obliged to you for per- mitting them. This courteous disposition prevails among all cla>ses, it is found among the shop-keepers, opera- tives of all kinds, and the blouses in the street. The whole people are pervaded by a spirit of politeness. Paris is the great Emporium of Fashion. 80 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. Here the world resorts for modes and shapes. Hats, boots, dresses, shawls, coats, pantaloons, vests, overalls, cravats — everything that goes to fit out the outer man of the man ; the numberless and unnameable articles which go to furnish and adorn beauty, in spite of the poet that says, "that beauty when unadorned is most adorned;" what ever makes up the style of life are to be found in this gay and lively city. What is here determined and adopted at once becomes proper and graceful evervwhere. Parisian — what a charm there is in that word, how much it expresses, what authority it carries with it ; a new style from this great center flies through the world like a flash every- where, and myriads of hands are set at work copy- ing and reproducing, until a whole generation of old and young, of grave and gay, receive a new appearance with more or less extravag-ance. We attended divine service in the Wesleyan chapel in company with our newly-made friends, it was the first Methodist church we came across since leaving London, the service was in English and hio-hlv relished bv us. The minister, a o T ave and elderly man conducted the same in a most im- pressive manner and having concluded that I was a clergyman of some Protestant bearing, formed my acquaintance and invited me to assist in the consecration service of Communion, this promin- ence seemed to create much interest among tlu. worshippers. At the conclusion of the service the minister sought acquaintance with the Old LOUBET'S KINGDOM. 81 Woman and desired that we repair to the parlor for conversation, which, however, we were unable to accept at this time. The prevailing form of religion in this gay city of fashion and pleasure is Roman Catholic, which liberalizes pleasure with its day of service. On entering Paris on Sunday, we found all the shops open, and the out-door world was going on as usual. In the afternoon ^ome of the shops are closed, this is after the hours for religious wor- ship. Then the Sabbath is made a day of recrea- tion, and the gardens of the Tuilleries, and the Champs Elysee, are crowded with people sitting, standing or walking about. What then is the Sunday in Paris, and what is religious worship? The Notre Dame or Made- liene. as it is mostly called, in connection with the open shops, and the thronged places of amuse- ment, represents the religion of the Parisians — ■ ceremonial, elegant, magnificent, mingled with business, gayety and pleasure. The humble Wes- leyan Chapel represents that worship which Christ spoke of when He said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." The infidelity which prevailed in France during the Revolution was a rebellion of awakened intel- lect, unacquainted with the true gospel, against the monstrous superstitions, united with priestly ambition and sensuality, which were palmed upon men as Christianity. That infidelity has never 82 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. been eradicated; nor can it be until the minds of the people are brought in contact with the simple Christianity of the Gospel. There is one thing which at once strikes an American in walking about Paris ; — young women of rank — I mean unmarried young women — are not met with in the streets, or on the prom- enades. He will find, too, that they are not intro- duced into society. Their period of education is one of of seclusion. The tendency of this is to produce a higher refinement of manners and a more perfect education. The intense activity which characterizes Americans appears in every relation of society, and causes us to jump to our conclusions and re- sults. We are in a hurry to do everything. We are in a hurry to be men and women, in a hurry to complete our education, in a hurry to get mar- ried, in a hurry to get rich, in a hurry to set up an establishment, and to plunge into the dissipa- tion of society. Boys and girls are disappearing from among us, the beautiful modesty and innocent pleasures of youth are fast becoming a mere legend of the past, and our children go out from the nursery full-grown men and women. Nothing can correct this but a higher culture, creating a higher stan- dard of manners and accomplishments. A singular and striking street fad, is the respect or obeisiance paid the dead : it matters not whether one is acquainted with the deceased or not, LOUBET'S KINGDOM. 83 whether they be high or low, rich or poor, every passerby is supposed to tip his hat at the funeral cortege as it hurriedly nasses by. Such was our experience on one of our outings, our guide espied the procession approaching, informed us of the custom and had us prepared to do the Parsian act. To say the least there is a sense of the highest respect, if not the greatest moral taught by this custom and would not be far drawn if it were transferred to the western world. One day we met a brown-skinned woman and a very black man. we felt that at last we were again coming in touch with the race variety with which we were the most familiar, while Paris, so well stocked with all other types of mankind, was none the less lacking for the Negro. Another interesting feature during our stay here was a visit to the Catholic cemetery in com- pany with our friends the Plubords, it is a very costly place, magnificent, if such a term is appro- priate; extravagance in costliest monuments and flowers are to be seen everywhere. The monument of a deceased priest was pointed out to us, it bears a significant history, they say, this priest seduced a young and pretty girl, who afterwards entered a convent, the priest and espoused latter died and because of the sing-ular attachment of these parties in the romance, friends interested themselves to the extent of erecting this beautiful monument. Continuing our drive, we visited the exposition 84 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. grounds, but little was to be seen of this great ex- hibition site which had cost so many millions and which so lately had attracted such large con- courses of humanity from all parts of the world. Having repaired to Cooks' & Sons office to register, we were happily surprised to meet Bishops Derrick, Arnett and Tanner, also Prof. Scarborough and his wife, who were preparing for a visit to the continent. In company with the party we rode to the Catholic cathedral, among the many features of interest we examined the statue of one of the bishops of this church, it was headless and in his hands he held his head, it is said that he was executed, and after his head was severed that he reached out with his hands and picked it up, I would not vouch for the truthful- ness of this legend, every sight of interest is marked with some fanciful story wherever found in this part of the world. Here also is the famous painting of the woman who for years masqueraded as a man, was once the savior of France in one of the wars of the past, and then became powerful in the affairs of the church. She was afterwards excommunicated and burned for becoming the mother of a child by one of the Cardinals, then she was considered a witch, now they look upon her as a saint and pay her homage. After receiving and exchanging calls from the Bishops, Drs. Johnson and Beckett and the Scar- boroughs, we began to bring our excursionings in this thri-lline citv to a close. LOUBET'S KINGDOM. We drove to the old country line of Paris, be- held her ancient arch gate, visited the zoological gardens and the old church where the queen was tried and condemned for caring for the poor and starving', they were penniless and without bread. The queen thereupon ordered that if there was no bread, then give them cake ; the rich people be- came insulted and infuriated and resented their affront by the execution of this good woman. August the 24th we arranged our baggage, settled hotel bill, which was five francs and put off for London. The Harboards, who by this time had become our fast friends, accompanied us to the depot, and as they said, regretted very much our departure. Our first stop was Rhone, here we crossed the beautiful river Siene, thence through a tunnel as usual, arriving at Dieppe, we took the steamer for New Haven. Our trip across the English Channel was very pleasant, a calm was on the deep, much to our satisfaction and for the excep- tion of the splashing of the waves reached the port in safety. Taking the car we arrived at Lon- don once more on Saturday night about eight o'clock, proceeded to St. Ermine's hotel and again became its guest. I had seen so much and had so many similiar experiences since my first introduction to this place of magnificence and extensive journey through the continent, that my feelings had un- dergone a great change and now the bracing up 86 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. of the Old Woman was not required as it was on my first entry to this place. I am sure' my higher spirits and my effort of bravery was a thing of much gratification to her. CHAPTER X. Back in I/ondon. On our arrival at St. Ermines 1 we were pleased to note that Bishop Gaines and daughter had pre- ceded us and would change the monotony of the past week, for an association of old acquaint- ances. We also learned that some of the white Ameri- can boarders had, previous to our return, entered a protest with the proprietor of the hotel, against the Negro tourists, and would leave the hotel themselves if the Negro fraternity were not re- jected. The manly proprietor, who no doubt was free from such narrow prejudices, as is boasted of in America, very positively but frankly gave these sticklers to understand, "That he did not make any distinction with his boarders, all he required was good behavior and pay for their privileges." This put a quietus to the furor, and finding they were not in the Southern states of America, our white Cousins were no farther heard from on this subject. Better that they had learned the cosmopolitan bearing of the English atmosphere before and such a striking and humiliating lesson would not in this instance have been taught them. Sunday, August the 25th, in company with Bishop Gaines and daughter, we attended morn- 88 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. ing service at City Roads Chapel, this is the church where the Conference sessions are to be held. The building is old, plain, but pleasant in appearance, many of the furnishings including the pulpit, still remain that were used by Wesley and his congregation. At 3:15 P. M., we went to St. Paul's Episco- pal Church and heard a most delightful sermon bv the Rector; at 7 P. M., we worshiped at West- minister Abbey, returned to our hotel and retired for the night. . Monday, August the 26th, called at Cooks' office, inquired for mail but were disappointed in not finding any, we went a shopping, called on the tailor and as it began to rain, we entered a carriage and returned to our hotel. The evening was very pleasantly spent in com- pany with Bishop Gaines and daughter. August the 29th, Ave visited Wesley's old home, it cost us three cents a piece for admission, we inspected his bed room and library; it was not what I expected to see. There was also a pin cushion that had been used by Susan Wesley, the pulpit and study-chair, in which Wesley himself sat. Friday, the 30th, was informed by Bishop Gaines, who had received the Recorder, of the death of Revs. Nixon and Bryant. The Pastor of the Congregational Church during the day, paid us a call and arranged with me to preach the second Sunday night in September at his church. The Old Woman was very poorly in health dur- BACK IN J.O.N DON. 91 ing the night, but improved very much before morning. Saturday, the 31st, Rev. J. Beckett called on us and in company with him, we went to inspect the hotel that the Conference Committee had pro- vided for the entertainment of the colored dele- gates. I was not at all impressed with the ar- rangements. Returning to our hotel I called on Bishops Derrick, Gaines and Arnett ; Rev. Ransom ar- rived from Paris this evening. Sunday, September the 1st, attended service with Prof. Scarborough and wife at City Roads Chapel in the morning and at Westminster Ab- bey at night, Bishop Gaines preached at this ser- vice. The congregation was not so large, but the service was excellent, the Bishop made a good impression. Monday, the 2nd, this is our twenty-seventh marriage anniversary. Congratulations were ex- tended us from all members of our delegation. The Bishops blessed us. Revs. Johnson and Beckett paid us a call. The delegates including all the Bishops, who have been touring the conti- nent have by this time returned to London and are preparing for the sessions of the Ecumenical Conference. Tuesday, the 3d, all the Bishops here visiting had their pictures taken to-day on the piazza of the hotel St. Ermines. Bishop Smith, Prof, and Mrs. Scarborough 92 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. paid us calls to-day. The various committees of the - ...erence are now meeting, therefore re- quiring the services of many of our delegates. The same is quite a treat, as it helps greatly to employ the time and to prevent us from idleness. ECUMENICAL CONFERENCE. Wednesday, September the 4th, all is astir, the great Conference convenes to-day, everybody is making ready. Our party, including Bishops Derrick, Arnett, Smith, and Prof Scarborough and wife, procured an omnibus and rode to the Chapel together. The women were provided with tickets of admission and were accorded places in the gallery. The Conference opened with regular Methodist religious services. Bishop Arnett occupied a place on the platform. Bishop Galloway, of the M. E. Church South, preached the opening ser- mon, the discourse occupied the time of more than an hour for its delivery, but was a grand, powerful and masterly effort. No delegate from the Western division could help but feel proud of such a worthy representative, I am sure that the whole Conference were equally elated in the possession of such an able divine as the product of Methodism. Communion was administered to the Confer- ence at the close of the sermon, notices were read and a recess taken for lunch. Lunch was served at the Armory for the con- venience of the delegates. I did not think very BACK IN LONDON. 93 much of the service at this time., it became better later on, however. During this recess the conference gathered in the church yard and had their pictures taken. At 2 o'clock they reassembled, and listened to the welcome addresses extended to the Conference. Bishop Derrick delivered an address in the morn- ing, he was the first of our delegation to enjoy this honor and proved himself to be equal to the occasion, his speech was a most eloquent and powerful one and at its conclusion moved the house to the greatest applause. Thursday, the 5th, Conference opened at 10 A. J\I., many good speeches were made on the floor this morning. The Conference thus far is not just what I expected it to be. One thing I have noticed, the white delegates pay but very little attention to their colored brethren. Bishop Smith was one of the principle speak- ers this morning, also Dr. Mason, of the M. E. Church. At night a grand reception was given the body, every attention was given to make this gathering all that could be expected. The delegates looked very nice in this their first social. Speeches were delivered and after a most pleasant evening all retired to their respective quarters. Prof. Scar- borough and wife were the other members in our party this evening. Friday, the 6th, Bishop Derrick again made a telling and well received speech on the floor of 94 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. the Conference this morning. Several of the Southern delegates endeavored to make inflam- matory speeches, but did not make much of a headway at it, their efforts were weakly made and sentiment poorly received. Prof. Scarborough delivered an address at St. James" Hall to-night, but owing to delayed ar- rangements at the hotel we were unable to get there in time. The papers gave him a very fav- orable mention however, as well as others we heard speak of him. During the evening Bishop Tanner, son, daughter-in-law and Mrs. Scarborough were guests at our rooms, after a very pleasant so- journ all departed to their apartments for the night. Saturday, the 7th, Bishop Arnett was the pre- siding officer of the day- I gave out the morning hymn, Dr. Hubbard, our financial secretary, of- fered a very fervent prayer as characteristic of him, and Bishop Lomax, of the Zion church, read the Scriptures, Rev. Beckett sang a solo entitled "Saved by Grace." During this session the sad and startling news was received of the assassination of President McKinley. The body was greatly affected. A number of speeches were made in sympathy with the fallen and the Government of the States. The subject of the day was then taken up on "Chris- tian Faith," which brought forth some very good discussions. Conference adjourned at 12:45 m resnect to the memory of President McKinley. BACK IN LONDON. 95 During the afternoon we rode over the Lon- don bridge, visiting- the Tower, beheld the beauti- ful Thames bedecked with her magnificent flo- tilla of ships, and being quite fatigued, returned to our hotel, enjoyed an inviting repast and re- tired for the night. Sunday, the 8th, I had been invited to preach at eleven o'clock at the Wesley church at Sidy- ham. We took the 9 130 train and after an hour's ride reached our point of destination. The at- tendance was very large and so pleased were the minister and congregation, that we were prevail- ed upon to remain over and speak at the nigh 1 ; service. This we were unable to do at this time as we already had another engagement awaiting us in London for the evening hour. Our stay was a very pleasant one while here. We took dinner with a very wealthy English gentleman and fam- ily and were handsomely treated. Before leav- ing we were permitted to visit the Crystal Palace, a large and beautiful structure all made of glass. \Ye arrived in London at 4 P. M., and after re- freshments drove to the Congregational church, where I endeavored to preach the Word to a waiting congregation. It rained all evening, but the attendance was large and the service satisfac- tory ; the service began at 7 :oo and dismissed at 8 -.30. Returning to our hotel we retired for the night after a hard day's labor for the Lord in .1. foreign land. Monday, the 9th, the morning session of the Conference was interesting but brief. We took recess at high noon. 96 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. The white ladies called a meeting to arrange for a missionary gathering on the coming Fri- day night, the Old Woman attended. Mrs. Bishop Clinton and Airs. Randolph were the other colored women present. After the meeting- was called to order the arrangement of a pro- gramme was considered and Mrs. Clinton was assigned to sing a plantation melody. At the close of the meeting the Old Woman and Mrs. Randolph spoke to Mrs. Clinton about the part on the programme given her. They did not think the assignment a complimentary one as a repre- sentation on their part, and finally agreed to pro- test the same at the next meeting. At the afternoon session of the Conference two papers were read, one by a white delegate and the other by Prof. Kealing. The effort of the latter was very grand indeed and brought forth great applause, even the daily papers the following morning spoke in the highest terms of praise of his paper ; we all were very proud. In the evening a missionary meeting was held at St. James' Hall, Bishop Derrick was accorded the chair by Bishop Hartzell, of the M. E. church, and he presided in an able manner to the delight of all. The speeches were very good. Tuesday, the TOth, Bishop Tyree and Dr. Hub- bard spoke during the morning and made a very grand impression as could only be expected of them. At T2 o'clock the women recalled their meeting for a business session. Our three colored women BACK IN LONDON. 97 were on hand, reinforced this time by Mrs. Ma- son. During the discussion as to how many speakers there should be on the programme and as to who they would be, the Old Woman arose and objected to the part already assigned the col- ored ladies and gave them to understand that singing of plantation melodies in this day and time was not representation nor effort in mission- am 1 work. Of course the committee was much surprised at this frankness and began to offer all kinds of excuses, but the assault had the desired effect and they not only changed this feature from the programme, but assigned them a paper to read. The Old Woman, who seemed bent on having their rights recognized or nothing at all, then proposed to Mrs. Mason that she present Mrs. Clinton to read the paper and that she would support her effort, the same carried and the wo- men were proud in the victory achieved for their proper recognition and to know that if they were to take any part at all in this affair of the ladies, it would have to be on the basis of equality and ability or nothing at all. In the evening we were invited to a reception given by the Hon. Air. Perks, a member of Parlia- ment, at his Kensington Palace garden. The affair was the grandest of its kind I have ever attended or witnessed in my life. The whole lawn was covered with a canvass pavillion of red, white and blue; the orchestra was composed en- tirelv of ladies dressed in white satin mother- 98 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS.; hubbards trimmed with gold braid. The music was grand and delightful. The palace contained three pianos and was most elegantly furnished, while the whole evening's entertainment is be- yond words of description. Prof. Scarborough and wife accompanied us on this occasion. Wednesday, the nth, Bishop Arnett read the statistical report of the Methodist churches of the world, several corrections were made in it. A number of speeches were also made on the dif- ferent kinds of societies in the church for the young people, the Christian Endeavor, Epworth League and Wesley Guilds, were all at length discussed and each had their enthusiastic adher- ents. Among the speakers was Bishop Walters, of the Zion church, who, aside from other things said, he liked the Christian Endeavor because it had no color line in it. At night there was another reception at St. James' Hall to extend the welcome greetings of the different churches of London to the Confer- ence. Bishop Derrick and myself attended to- gether. Some of the speeches were very broad and eloquent. Thursday, the 12th, the Conference was not so largely attended, most of the delegates had gone to hear the renowned Dr. Parker. I list- ened to several of the speeches, and then in com- pany with Bishop Lee, went to hear Dr. Parker too. I enjoyed his talk very much, it was very plain and simple, any body most could have un- derstood anything he said. BACK IN LONDON. 99 The subject of discussion at the afternoon':; session was "Home training and family prayer," it proved very interesting, if not beneficial to all. Friday, the 13th, the paper read was on tem- perance, the usual discussion followed. A tele- gram was read concerning the health of President McKinley, which informed us that he was rest- .ug some easier. In the afternoon the Conference discussed the subject of gambling. The women held another meeting as a final of arrangements for their missionary meeting that night. The Old Woman was assigned as repre- sentative for all the women in the A. M. E. church. At the night meeting there were sixteen women on the platform, ten of whom were speakers. Mrs. Clinton read a paper and sang a solo, but she would not sing the plantation melody. Saturday, the 14th, a paper was read, subject, "The perils of increasing wealth and luxury." It was very excellent, but was not discussed. The business committee read their report, after which the death of President McKinley was announced, a sadness was brought over all, and the Confer- ence in respect to his memory adjourned until Monday. In the afternoon in company with Bishops Arnett, Smith and the Old Woman we visited the British museum with its teeming, and val- uable stores of gold and diamond relics bearing volumes of history of the past. We visited the LefC. 100 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. Abbey, descended its vaults and looked upon the homes of its dead, then to the grand house of Parliament where the laws of the great Kingdom are enacted, after beholding its splendors, we re- turned to our hotel, refreshed ourselves and after a pleasant evening's social retired for the night. Sunday, the 15th, we took a hackey and drove to the Primitive Methodist church where I preached to a large and appreciative audience. We took dinner with the minister and his family and spent a very pleasant stay with them until three o'clock in the afternoon. We then attended worship at the historic Spurgeon tabernacle. It is a very large place of worship ; it is provided with two galleries, and as a whole seats a very large number of people. The preacher's subject was, "The blood saveth from all sin." He spoke about seeing and hearing a musical clock in the hall of a certain hotel at the end of every half hour playing the soul touching tune, "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus." After preaching all were invited to Communion in the lecture room, while others were invited to the after meeting on the outside of the church. This service was grand )i itself, they sang "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus."' It was lovely and when this service was closed, many were affected. Monday, the 16th, a paper was read, subject. "The strength of the pulpit," which was very good. It called for quite a number of discussions. Tuesday afternoon was arranged as the time for memorial services for President McKinlev. BACK IN LONDON. 101 During- the evening Bishop Gaines took very sick, his daughter came for me. I had retired, but I hurriedly dressed and went to his room, the doctor was sent for and soon arrived. After an examination he ordered hot water to be kept on his stomach, so for the night I was installed as a nurse, and as best I knew, with the assistance of the Old Woman, accorded every care for the relief of our patient. To say the least he was much improved by morning, but was unable to leave his room. Tuesday, the 17th, the subject for the morning- was, "Missionary Labor." It was discussed at some length. At 2 P. M., memorial services were held in respect to President Mc'Kinley, the platform was nicely draped in black and white, which was tastefully set off by a wreath of white flowers. Prof. Scarborough and myself procured some of the flowers after the service as a memento. Two prayers were offered, three hymns were sunp- and two speeches delivered. The burial ser- vices were read, the dead march played and the benediction pronounced at 4:45 P. M., thus ad- journing- this remarkable Conference for the next ten years. In company with Bishops Derrick, Arnett, Tvree and Prof. Scarborough, we departed from the pleasant scenes of the past few weeks, re- paired to our hotel, inquired after the health of Bishop Gaines — found him sitting up in bed and much improved, prepared for refreshments, en- 102 THK vSKVEN KINGDOMS. joyed the rest of the evening in company with several of my colleagues and at a late hour re- tired for a much needed rest. Wednesday, the 18th, the Conference over, we completed our rounds of sight seeing, we went to the famous London tower, saw the crown jewels, the old prison and the Armory, as well as the place where Queen Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey were beheaded. The prison is a dark and dreary looking place. Arriving at our hotel, Bishop Arnett presented us with tickets which he had procured for the memorial services to be held at St. Paul's on the following clay. Miss Gaines was arranging her father's trunk, Bishop Tanner had already taken his departure. Dr. Ransom paid us a farewell visit before leaving. This is Bishop Lee's birthday, so we are informed ; he is sixty years old. And now we are preparing to take our leave of the dear old continent that for weeks has af- forded us so much pleasant entertainment. A few weeks ago, we were dreaming of the Old World, now we were dreaming of the New : we had taken our step one way, now we were about to step back again. Our emotions were naturally of a mixed char- acter. We had not been long enough absent to grow tired of traveling. On the contrary, we had only increased our taste for it. Many beau- tiful parts of Europe remained to be seen. And Ave said to ourselves will we ever come back again ? BACK IN LONDON 103 Then on the other hand it was pleasant to an- ticipate meeting with those from whom we had parted weeks ago, and sitting down in our own home, to collect our thoughts quietly, and live over again, in happy talk, the scenes we had gone through. . We felt deeply grateful, too, to that kind Pro- vidence which had protected and blessed us ; and we looked forward with hope to a prosperous voyage home. Thursday, the 19th, after breakfast, we went down to the office and settled our board bill, re- turned to our room, fixed our baggage. Prof. Scarborough and wife left at 9 130, and we shortly followed at 10:45. The proprietor, Bishop Gaines and daughter came to the veranda and bid us good bye. Our train left London at noon, after five hours on the road we arrived at Liverpool and registered at the Adelphia Hotel; it was near the dinner hour and the orchestra was rendering lovely music which was quite cheering to us. Without the rain was descending and the air was raw and cool. The following day, which was Friday, we went to the ship's office to see if our tickets were correct, did some purchasing for our friends whom we knew were waiting us on the other side, and returned to our hotel. To our delight we found that Bishops Lee, Smith and Arnett had arrived. On Saturday, the 21st, at 2:45, we made for the wharf. We had not been there very long be- 104 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. fore Bishop Tyree arrived. The ship we sail on is the Campania, our room is 96, and very cozy for the trip. Thousands of people have gathered to see the ship sail from port. At 4 145 our proud queen pulled from the shore, it was raining a lit- tle and the fog was very heavy. We sat on deck until the first call for dinner, it being so very cool, we did not return on deck. The Bishops spent the rest of the evening in conversation with each other. CHAPTER XL A Storm at Sea. Sunday, September the 22(1, this is our first day at sea, we arose early, dressed and went on deck to see the mail and passengers transfer from the mail boat to our steamer. We remained at Queenstown three hours. The Irish peasants in row-boats came along- side of our ship with many different kinds of wares which they offered for sale ; one man, woman and girl came aboard with their wares, the others sat in their boats, they tied the rope to their baskets and threw them on board of the ship, thus those desiring to buy had but to pull the rope. The Old Woman remarked, "What a pity to see white people so poor, es- pecially when they have all the chances before them." A number of the passengers purchased from them and what a dear purchase it was to those wretched salesmen, for there was hardly one that was not drenched with rain. Our ship gave signal for moving and all the rowsmen pulled their little crafts away, as it was danger- ous for them to remain in the splash of the large waves made by our ship. At i 130, we lost sight of land for the last time for a week; at 11 o'clock religious services were held in the dining room, the weather had grown worse, the sea was angry, a storm was on. Our 106 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. party had begun to realize the effects of the storm already and were feeling so badly that none felt like leaving their seats to venture in. The lunch horn sounded at I P. M., but we had not the dis- position to go to the table, so we had a light one served us on deck; I believe some of our party did try the table for a few minutes, but had to leave. I became so sick that I had to go to bed, I just was able to get off my coat and shoes, the others had fallen in, in like manner as myself. Bishop Arnett took quite sick on deck, the Old Woman tried to help him to his room, but feeling so badly herself, had to give up the task and call the porter. He remained in bed helpless as a baby until Monday. He says he tried to get up several times but was unable to make it. By this time I was feeling the most wretched. The Old Woman had weakened at last and was brought to my cabin in but a little better condi- tion than myself or any of the others. She just arrived in time to hold my head, for I had be- gun to exhibit my extravagance by throwing away all that I had been paying so dearly for, and which for some reason would not down. The Old Woman had no sooner got me back in bed, than completely overcome, she fell in bed unable even to undress herself. The Stewardess came to assist her but she was so very wretched in feel- ings, she could not bear being touched ; she was very kind and gave us many attentions during the night, for instead of getting better, we grew A STORM AT SEA. J 07 worse. Oh, such a storm, the ship was just rock- ing from side to side, the wind blowing and the huge waves splashing over the ship as if they would crush it at any moment. One felt as if the whole ocean would soon rush in at the win- dows and doors. We slept but little and prayed for morning to come. Monday, the 23d, we are too sick to get up, nearly every passenger on board is in bed, only eight are at the table and I suppose they must be old salts, or like the others they too would be helpless under covers. Some of the Bishops tried to get up during the day. Bishops Lee, Smith and Arnett succeeded but the latter had to crawl in again. The old Woman, Bishop Tyree and myself remained in bed all day, we were very feeble ; all we could eat was a little lemonade broth. All day the storm in its fury rages and it seems as if we will surely die. I had another extravagant spell, but had to enjoy my wastefulness all alone, the Old Woman was too ill herself to assist me. Bishops Lee and Smith got to our room to inquire after our health, but were quite poorly themselves. The lunch horn is blowing but few 7 respond to its call, as few can even sit up ; the ship rocks and tosses so much, it seems as if we will be dashed out of our beds, and we so helpless ; we can't even hold up our heads. Tuesday, the 24th, the storm is still raging, we are too weak to rise, our only diet is a little ice *08 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. lemonade. The storm has so increased that no one can go on deck at all. All the port holes are closed and every one most is in bed. No fresh air is now admitted to our cabins, which adds to our misery. We had another spell of sea-sickness to-day and if they continue it seems as if we will die. The lunch horn is blowing for dinner but- few are yet prepared for duty. This is the worst day for everybody. The sailors are wringing wet, they are burdened with duty and are run- ning from one side of the ship to the other in the performance of their service. One poor unfortu- nate sailor was killed to-day; he was clashed by one of the waves on the hurricane deck against an iron rod and had his head crushed ; he was one of the oldest sailors of the crew and one of the first to enter commission with this ship. The ac- cident happened in the morning and he was bur- ied at sea at four in the afternoon. They placed him in a coffin, wrapped that in the British flag and weighted it with a quantity of lead, a plank was lowered to the water's edge, and on this the coffin and its mortal contents was pushed into the embrace of the lashing and furious waves. A few passengers beheld this sad scene, we were helpless in bed. They say it was a very sorrow- ful sight. The acicdent happened right over oui berth. The horn is sounding for lunch, I am able to take just a little tea. The sea is still rag- ing and darkness draweth near. What will be our fate by morning-, the good Providence only "knows. A STORM AT SEA. U& Wednesday, the 25th, 1 am feeling a little bet- ter, the Old Woman is just about the same. The wind has lulled a little and the sea is somewhat calmer. I tried hard and long to get on my shoes. I first put on one and then laid down a while, and then tried the other. I finally got my clothes on, but my head was so giddy, I found it quite hard to sit up well, we rang for the stew- ard and were assisted on deck once more ; it was too wet to remain there long so we retreated to the saloon. All day the steward brought us blankets and pillows, as we had made the lounges our beds, we dreaded so much to go back into the close cabins ; the port holes were still closed and no fresh air could be admitted. We remained in these quarters until 1 A. M., and had fallen into a slumber; the storm had again increased and the water was coming in at the skylights, the pil- lows and blankets on which we were lying were wet, while the water already dropping on our heads had woke us up. We got up and found that the lounges and everything most in the saloon was soaked, there was but one remedy, however much we hated it, and that was to repair to that sur- feiting cabin. We were just able to creep back to this dreaded place and fall across our beds. One of the lady passengers slept through the whole journey in the salon on the wet conch, she would not by any entreaty re-enter her room. The night wore on and we finally fell asleep and for a while our misery was forgotten. Thursday, the 26th, we arose about 4 A. M., 110 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. and dressed as best we could, putting on a piece now and then and resting at many intervals. We eot to the cabin about six o'clock and had a little tea, lemonade and crackers. All the Bishops were now up and joined us. Bishop Arnett had to re- tire to the saloon, as the wind was too strong for him. A greater number of the passengers were now able to enter the dining room for their meals. Everyone is anxious about the others' health and are persuading the Old Woman and myself to eat something. It is raining, yet a number are try- ing to stay on deck. The lunch horn is blowing" and we have decided to eat a little boiled ham and toast. A strange lady and the Old Woman have made friends and are trying to console each other. Everything most is wet, the waves have calmed to a great extent, however, and I am standing in the door of the cabin trying to get a little fresh air. Bishop Arnett is taking some lunch, but he is very feeble and the steward has to help him all the while. The ship is becoming more still and manageable. This morning the little children were in evidence for the first time in several days and were trying to make merry with their toys. It is dinner time and we are going to try a little broth. The water began to come in the cabin again, so we had to return to our room. We are so tired for the want of a little sleep. The night was as frightful as several former ones and we were glad for the dawn of the morning light. A STORM AT SPA. Ill Friday, the 27th, a great improvement is to be noticed in all passengers, Bishops Tyree, Lee, Arnett and Smith were all able to join us at the table for breakfast. The storm is not so fearful and many are going on deck for the fresh air. Everybody seems to be feeling much better, and are to be seen in large numbers at the table at meal hours. This is always a good sign. The weather is real cold and everybody is wrapped in their shawls and coats. There is to be a con- cert to-night and several persons are practicing for the event. The Old Lady and her new made friends, the Barkers (wife, husband and son), are having a pleasant time talking ; they have been traveling since June and live in Chicago. We saw two ships to-day, the first since we left Queenstown ; one came very close to our ship. The afternoon was cloudy and dreary. We at- tended the concert at night ; we purchased a pro- gramme and enjoyed the amusements from the music room. It was over by eleven and we re- tired to our room for the night, enjoying the best rest that was ours since leaving Liverpool. Saturday, the 28th, arose at four and arrived at quarantine at 6 A. M., and to our delight saw a pretty sun rise for the first time in a week. Mail was exchanged and the quarantine doctor came aboard. As there was a case of small-pox re- ported the quarantine boat took him in charge and sent him to the hospital ; he did not look like he had the disease any more than anv of the oth- 112 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. ers and in my Judgment it was a bad case of sea- sickness more than any thing else. It was re- ported we would have to remain out in the harbor for twenty-four hours on account of this affair, but after the sick man was removed, our ship raised anchor and we started for dock. We were much impressed with our first sight of Sandy Hook and its flash light, as it appeared to us in the early morning, it looked like streaks of lightning out of a dark cloud, it was the first sight that met our gaze as we stepped out upon the deck in the morning, it made me think of one of the Sankey hymns, "Let the Lower Lights be Burning." Everybody aboard was rejoicing when we raised anchor and started for the wharf. We were somewhat late and a great number of friends had been waiting since eight o'clock for our arrival, it was i o'clock when we reached the dock. The people on the ship started to tell those on the wharf what a terrible time we had at sea long be- fore we were fast at anchor. Some of the pas- sengers whistled, hollowed, waved handker- chiefs and flags, everyone was lively and gay as if they had forgotten their awful past experi- ence. A number were made very vexed by the custom officials, in the way they handled some of the bag- gage, many were treated shamefully, everything was turned upside down. We got off with our baggage in very good shape. A man that had A STORM AT SEA. 113 some respect for people inspected and handled ours; he just opened our luggage and told us to shut them up again. He did not move an article. It is such an excitement at the custom house here. I think it worse in New York than any place we have been. They did Bishop Arnett badly. He had purchased a silk dress for his wife, which had cost fifty-nine dollars, they made him pay a duty of thirty-five on it. Bishop Tyree had purchased one for his wife for thirty-five dollars and he had to pay a duty of thirteen dollars and seventy-five cents. It was a shame they were treated so. We were glad to get off so easy our- selves. Through the custom house we hurried to a carriage and were soon comfortably situated in pleasant appartments at the Hotel Vendome, on the corner of Broadway and Forty-first street. After sending dispatches to Charleston and Bal- timore we sat down for rest and prepared for the services which we intended attending Sunday. Sunday, the 29th, we spent in New York and Brooklyn. In the morning I preached at Bridee Street A. M. E. church and at night attended z platform meeting at Bethel. Monday we started for Baltimore and were met at the train by Dr. Beckett. We spent a visit of two days here with our many friends, Avho very cordially welcomed us home. Thursday we started for Charleston and reached the city of our home at 4 :3c Rev. J. S. Morant met us at the depot, escorted us to a carriage and soon we 114 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS.! were in the embrace of mother and seated at a warm delicious breakfast prepared by Eliza. The other day we were in London, and here we were in Charleston again. Every object looked jnst as we had left it. We almost doubted whether we had been away. Then, when we drove up to our own door, we found all safe, nothing had happened. The door opens — all are wed. Here is my library; here is the chair in which I am wont to sit. It is the old, pleasant home still. We have stepped back again and so our journey was ended. "^"tr^ ELEMENTS OF PULPIT EFFECTIVENESS DELIVERED AT THE ECUMENICAL CONFERENCE, LONDON. The history of pulpit effectiveness has not been a continuous progress, it has had its time of decay and revival. Now it has appeared as though every age has possessed it, and like an undisputed king, it has been received and crowned with a blessing to the generations. Again it has languished in force and character, living only by the effort of struggle on the part of its representatives. In the time of the Apostles its march was a triumph. Ere the last of them fell asleep beneath the purple sky of Ephesus, it had moved and subdued the most considerable citadels of the world, and every thing seemed fair and promising for the speedy conversion of men through the efforts of a consecrated pulpit. Through the dreary ages succeeding, the effec- tiveness of this light shone more dimly, until, like the torches of a funeral, it shone only on the mourners of the dead. The pulpit became formal, ambition seized upon the truth, zeal became stultified and estab- lished upon its possession a vast ecclesiastical power; thus the Popery of Rome overlaid the Gospel ennunciation of Paul. 110 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. The church was weary for the light, there came a season of revival, the chains of stereotype meth- ods and symbols were forged. Luther and Wick- liffe, joined by another mighty host of pulpit patriots, like Whitfield, Knox, Calvin, Wesley, Allen and others, endowed with the spirit of the Apostles ; marshaled forth and with their holy zeal, put life into the truth they preached, like unto that established by the struggles of the first. With inspiration at this hour, I draw a reflec- tion from the memories, — immortal — of these ex- alted characters, their faith, power, and char- acter, that is worthy of emulation in this day of our trial, development and progress. \ I have thought, very carefully too, that what we need most, is to come back to the old land mark We must have Christ in the heart, as well as education in the head. I believe that Air. Wesley, when he preached years ago in that pulpit, had an educated head, a converted heart, and a pious life. Neither of these qualities, alone, but united and inseparable, will the standard attained by the Fathers be realized by the ministry of to-day. I do not believe in Apostolic succession, I be- lieve in Wesleyan succession. Air. Wesley con- secrated Mr. Asbury, he laid his great hands on the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church : among them was Richard Allen, who followed Air. Asbury and caught his inspiration. He may not have had all the education required then, but he had a converted heart and a pious life. From ELEMENTS OF PULPIT EFFECTIVENESS 117 him our church started. To-day, as Negro Meth- odists, we are educating the head, and seeing that the heart is converted, and that the man's life is a pious one, before he preaches the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ among us. With a high degree of pride can we point to our Wilber force College, which is preparing men to preach the Gospel of the risen Savior. We have in the grand and great "Lone Star State" of Texas, Paul Quinn College, which is polishing and preparing the young Negro to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and at the same time seeing that his heart is converted and that his life is a pious one. We have in the greatest State in the world — there is no State to surpass it, as far as I know — the State of South Carolina, our Allen University. It is great because it gave the church an Andrews, it gave the Methodist Church a Capers, who first sowed the seed of righteousness among the Negroes of that State, and it lit a torch of righteousness in that State; and around this fire the Negro to-day is warming himself over the blaze of Methodism and Chris- tian piety. We have in Georgia, the Empire State, our Morris Brown College, and from this college we are sending men, educated, with con- verted hearts, and of pious lives. I am glad to inform you, as a member of that race, that we are preaching the whole Jesus, a living Christ, and a pure Gospel. I think, again, that what we want, as Christian ministers, is more piety. We want US THE SfcCVEN KINGDOMS. our pulpits clean, pure and good. We want our pulpits filled with men whose lips are pure, and whose lives are lives of Christian piety. We want them, when they go into the pulpit, to lift up the cross of Christ, and to be filled with the Holy Ghost, and we want to do, like John Wesley used to do, namely, spend hours in our closets pre- paring to unfold the sacred mysteries of the Lord to the dying world. My prayer is this morning that we may all go from this Ecumenical Conference full of God, full of Christ, and full of the Holy Ghost, and I pray that the Wesleyan spirit may fall on us all as we look back with faith, through the eye of the imagination, see Wesley there, with his open arms pronouncing the Apostolic Benediction ; that the Holy Ghost may fall on each of us and that we may go to our homes with the torch burning brightly, living and preaching the whole Christ. ("Amen.") ^^nr^^ THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE CHRIS- TIAN CHURCH. PREACHED AT THE WESTMINSTER CHAPEL — LON- DON, ENGLAND, SEPT. 1ST, I9OI. Mi cah 4:1, 2. "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and the people shall flow unto it. "And many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths ; for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jersusalem." Theme. The universality of the Christian Church and the spread of the Gospel through the labor of mis- sionaries. I. "The Church rendered conspicuous to all." It is scarcely necessary to observe that such phrases as the "'mountain of the Lord's house" and "Zion" signify in such connection as the pres- ent — the Church of God. The visible Church has, from its beginning, al- ways had an existence; but its boundaries have 120 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. generally been very limited, and its situation has often been very obscure. The mere mention of Abel, Scth, Enoch, Abraham, and his seed; Zion, Jerusalem and Judea will illustrate this fact. Its limits were greatly extended during the days of the Apostles (notably among these Paul's Mis- sionary Journeys) and during some subsequent years. But since those days, until very recently, how often all that deserves the name of Church has been confined to a small space ; and hidden, as in a corner! Now in this land and then in that; but no matter how adverse the circumstances, how relentless the persecutions, the time will come when the Church shall be conspicuous to all, as on the top of the mountain. She shall be so circum- stanced, — so situated that all that may shall behold her. Philosophy. Idolatry, Supersti- tion and Error shall no longer obstruct her view or obscure her glory. The Bible, the Savior, and His followers shall then no more be contemned. Zion shall be generally recognized by all ; her sovereignty recognized, her laws honored, her goodness regarded, her greatness revered, her ordinances attended, Zion shall be praised in all the earth. She shall be es- tablished. How has the Church been tossed as by tempests ! Convulsed as by commotions, driven hither and yon as by the conflicting spiral evolu- tions of the cyclone. (But like the house upon the rock), being thus established, no longer shall persecutions general or partial oppress her; no THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 121 longer shall the arm of human power disturb her; no longer shall she be driven in her doctrines or her members from one land to another by popes, by councils, by ungodly sovereigns, or by any other hostile power ; for the Highest himself shall establish her ! Amid these favorable cir- cumstances there shall be a disposition in all toward the Church ! As yet, a few in a nation, in a town, in a village, a few in a family, or at most, a nation partially have moved toward Zion, like small and solitary streams. But at the fulfillment of this promise — Behold nations, all nations mov- ing in masses, such masses as may be compared to rivers deep and wide, and they all flow, move onward to Zion as rivers to the ocean. Their movements shall be characterised by friendly co-operation. Many people shall go and say, "Come ye, and let us go!" All, every one. "'Ho every one that thirsteth," etc., etc. A gen- eral invitation. "Let us go up to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways." They own their ignorance, and seek to be taught. They have confidence in his goodness and ability. "He will teach us." What religion but Christianity! What God but our God tea dies! We will walk in his paths, we will believe his doctrines ; we will obey his pre- cepts ; not those of men, or of corrupt nature. For out of Zion shall go the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. All nations have 122 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. had their laws, (some iniquities enough, heaven knows!) All legislatures have had their words. But the Law, the law suited indiscriminately to all lauds, to all peope, to all classes of men, is the laze out of Ziou, the Gospel. It has never been found unsuitable to any people, and has ever en- nobled all who received it. It is from Zion, from Jerusalem, from the Church, the Bible that un- adulterated truth proceeds. Heathens no longer bow down to wood and stone, etc., etc. The Law. The word literally went out from Jerusalem. After the Pentecost they spoke with cloven tongues, Acts 2. III. The blessing resulting" from these circum- stances ; "He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke manv people," etc. While men judged, after the sight of their eyes, and the hearing of their ears, nations quarrelled with nations, and man with man. But at the period here referred to, taught from above, they generally own the authority of God, ac- knowledge his right to judge, and submit to his laws. Those that do not he will rebuke ; will teach by severe methods, such as will not yield to milder means ; until all submitting to the "Prince of Peace," "They shall beat their swords," etc. The Jews too long cast off on account of their wickedness and obstinancy shall no longer wander in the mazes of error, and amidst darkness that may be felt; but listening to the voice of the prophet or to some Christian teachers, or to some THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 123 divine suggestion which inspires them with dispo- sitions of obedience and of reciprocal good will, they shall acknowledge Christ as the light of the world, and thus the house of Jacob too shall come and walk in the light of the Lord. IV. The period of these great events. "It shall come to pass in the last days." The Church of God has had her days, and these days have been somewhat commensurate with the progress of time, and with the limited or more ex- tended population of the earth. The day of the patriarchal church was a day of comparatively small things, when the people of God were few in number ; yea ! very few. i Chron. 16:19. "When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it." The Jewish Church had her day — a day of many years during which the boundaries of Zion were enlarged. But the patriarchs and prophets spoke of another day — of other days which they called the last days. To these days our text re- fers and the New Testament makes it plain what these days are. (See" Acts 2:17.) "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Heb. 1 :i, 2. "God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." 124 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. i Peter i :20. "Who verily was foreordained before the formation of the world, but was mani- fest in these last times for you." That they are days of the Messiah — of his gospel, and of his Holy Spirit; days, that should be followed by no other day, and therefore called "the last days:' Hence the Comforter is promised as one that should abide forever. John xvi, 1 6. It is sufficiently evident then that the prophet referred this great event to the days of the gospel. And as such a day as he describes has not yet fully opened upon us, we can consider ourselves as only verging towards it. Humanly speaking, God's days are long ones, even as a thousand years. Two of these have nearly elapsed since the commencement of the last days ; and the time spoken of may therefore be at hand, and the signs of the time bespeak its approach. This we know ! "It shall come to pass," for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Let this prophecy cheer all whose spirits have drooped on account of the few who have hitherto embraced real Christianity. We might multiply passages for our encouragement. Jesus says, "The gospel of this Kingdom shall be preached to all," etc. Again his word of promise is, "He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the end," etc. There is not, nor can be, any question as to the THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 125 ultimate triumph of Christianity, we are some- times disposed to become impatient and expect re- sults not at all commensurate with the labor per- formed. Do we not here see history repeating it- self. Do we not see this Church of ours like the patriarchal church for a period of about seventy years when her limits were circumscribed and her borders extended only to the River, but treading hard on the heels of the triumphal armies came the host of God's messengers spreading the joyful tidings of the Savior of mankind, till every valley, hill and dale responds to the tune of "Old Hun- dred," and the banner of the Lord Jesus proudly floats to every breeze nor have we been content with this; but the islands of the sea, and the con- tinent of our fore-fathers are learning how blest the name of Jesus is. The gospel of the Son of God is penetrating to the darkest nook, and zone, and heathens are no longer bowing to wood and stone, but are looking to Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory of honor. Let this hope excite us to renewed exertions in rendering divine truth conspicuous to all. Let it call forth the deepest gratitude of all wh< > already participate the blessings of redemption. And soon our song shall be hallelujah for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Having taken a cursory or superficial view of the work of the Church generally, may I be par- 126 THE SEVEN' KINGDOMS. doned if I speak briefly on the especial work of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. I bow in reverence before the shrines of our de- parted ones ; the pioneers, the founders, the fath- ers of our grand organization, men imbued with and inspired by the spirit of the living God, who built wiser, deeper, stronger, and broader than they knew ; upon whose substantial foundation four generations have already stood and acknowl- edge the supremacy of God. Little dreamt the Spartan band, who first un- furled the banner of African Methodism, that ere a century had rolled away, if indeed it lasted that long, that every nook and dale, every hillside and valley, every mountain and plain from the Rockies to the Bay ; from the rivers to the Gulf, stretching its giant arms and embracing two con- tinents, while the islands of the sea, nestle at its feet, and learn of Jesus. But her mission is not alone to teach of Jesus. By far the most important work is to bring men to Christ, but akin to that has been to teach the moral manhood of Man, and the moral woman- hood in woman ; emerging as the masses were, from the thralldom and depravity of human bondage, no wonder it has been alleged, that our progress has been slow, but we have obtained help from God and the result is plainly seen, in the countless happy homes and model families that go to make up a race of which to-day we are proud, a race destined to become, (despite the crackings THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 127 of all who may attempt to decry the possibilities of the race) an important factor in the intellectual, the professional, the commercial, the scientific, as well as the religious world. This is not only largely, but almost solely, due to the untram- meled freedom, influence, and exercise of thought taught by, and within the pales of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. No longer does emotional or sensationalism characterize our worship, but a deep-seated rever- ence for God, and a harmonious breathing of the Holy Spirit pervades the hearts of his people. This we trust will continue, the nations shall recount God's marvels and Zion sing his praises. ^-» IMMUTABILITY OF GOD'S PROMISES. PREACHED AT PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL LONDON, ENGLAND, SEPTEMBER I5TH, I9OI. "Lo! I am with you always." — Matt. 28:20. Mutability is written on all human affairs — everything is liable to changes. Decay and deso- lation mark the ravages of time. Along the mountain slope time and atmospheric changes have furrowed its brow and left a rugged and barren waste where vegetation once spread her luxuriant mantle. Hie earth with its undulating surface con- vinces the students of geology that the upheavals of nature are marked by the changes of old Father Time. Look above you ! Look around you ! Look beneath you, and realize if you can the changes, geological, meteorlogical and nat- ural, that have occurred since God spake the world into existence. The divine historian, lost in wonder and amaze- ment, wrapt in solitude amid the rocky clefts and arid deserts of Midian, contemplating the omni- potence of a beneficient God and the mysterious working of his providential dispensations for the benefit of his creatures, exclaims : "In the be- ginning God created the heaven and the earth !" "If we work upon marble, it will crumble and decay; if we work upon brass, it will fade away IMMUTABILITY OF GOD'S PROMISES. V2VI and perish, and if we work upon immortal souls, it will remain imperishable forever." Whatever enterprise we engage in, it is equally rational and just duly to consider the general merits of its character and the probable results of its issue. This is more especially the case when we embark in any cause which is likely to involve the most interesting and important consequences. This is unquestionably the character of re- ligion; which is the one thing needful to every human being. In making choice, therefore, of this momentous subject, we should first count the cost, then willingly renounce everything which is incompatible with its possession; or it is impos- sible to realize its personal benefits "In the world," said Jesus to his disciples, "ye shall have tribulation;'' this he clearly foresaw would be the case from the spirit engendered by all false religions and from the manner in which his own, (so far as it should be plainly, faithfully, and perseveringly published and exemplified) would expose and condemn them and the practices which they countenanced. Persecution commonly defeats its own object. Persecutors have aimed at the total overthrow of Christianity and the irreparable ruin of its advo- cates. But God counteracts the designs of his enemies and makes the wrath of men and devils turn to his praise. "Angels and men before him fall. And devils fear and fly." 130 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. When he sent forth the seventy, they returned again with joy, exclaiming: "Lord, even devils are subject to us through thy name." This might have been a pardonable ebullition of feeling on their part, possibly on account of the unparalleled successes attendant upon their labors. But the Master kindly rebukes them and says : "Rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." — Luke 10:17-20. Our Saviour had fulfilled his mission on earth ; he had performed the work he came to do ; he had given his charge thrice repeated to his now truly converted and zealous Peter — to feed his sheep ; feed his lambs ! He had repeatedly warned them to go not into any city of the Samaritans. But now he was going to take his leave ; he was going away from them to prepare a place where he would finally gather together all his faithful ones. They were disposed to mourn at his departure and lament at his final going away from them. He says to them : "It is expedient that I go away, etc." "I am going to prepare a place for you, etc.'' "In my Father's house are many mansions, etc." I have been a Comforter to vou while I was with you, but now I am going away from you, but I will not leave you comfortless. "I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you forever.'' — John 14:16. "The Comforter, which is the IMMUTABILITY OF GOD'S PROMISES. 131 Holy Ghost, whorn the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you." — John 14:26. "Remember T said unto you, in this world ye shall have tribula- tion. But be of good cheer ; I have overcome the world." How their hearts must have burned within them as he unfolded to them the Scripture, en- lightened their dark understanding and said to them : Thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations. "Hitherto while I was with you, I forbade you going into any city of the Samaritans." But now I am about to enlarge your field of operation. T therefore now command you: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature/' Knowing that tribulation and distress await you on every side, tarry ye at Jeru- salem until ye be endued with the Holy Ghost. Then as ye go forth in the Master's vineyard re- member : 1 st. AS DISCIPLES OF THE LORD JESUS YOU WILL BE EXPOSED TO DIS- TRESSING AND PERILOUS CIRCUM- STANCES. This will continue to be the case with all those who consistently profess and are zealously em- >. J32 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. ploved in propagating the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ. But if the disciples of the Lord Jesus in general suffer on these accounts, you my brethren, will suffer much more on account of the same things. But in addition to these distressing circum- stances, the condition of the saints is rendered more dangerous by the efforts of the Evil One to sow and propagate the growth of tares with the good seed; or in other words, to suggest to the proud, enthusiastic, and corrupt men, such senti- ments and practices as may tend to subvert the understanding, the faith, and the purity of God's people (among these we may notice) the Unfaith- ful Hearers, such as feel a pleasure in attending the ministry of the Word ; their passions are af- fected ; the understanding enlightened, and they form purposes for the amendment of life, but the impression is momentary. Such are "like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass ; for he beholdeth himself and goeth his way and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." Jas. i .23-24. Or though the effect ma}' not be quite so transient, yet there is no decision of character. They hear the word ; they weep under it ; they abandon certain vices, and their whole conduct for a season gives birth to a pleas- ing hope that they will become distinguished for piety. But alas! they are unfaithful. Another class is the Transient Reformers — those who under providential visitations have de- IMMUTABILITY OF GOD'S PROMISES. 133 termined to mend their ways and live for God, but afterwards have relapsed into sin. These characters are too numerous to mention. Some in season of imminent danger have cried unto the Lord in their distress and solemnly vowed if he would deliver them, they would serve him ; but no sooner has the sea become calm ; the storm subsided ; the fever fled ; the danger passed away, than thev become as wicked as ever. Or perhaps, it was the loss of a friend, a wife, a hus- band, a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a son or a daughter which led them to consider their latter end ; but no sooner had Nature dried her tears, the grief assuaged than they relapse into the characters here portrayed. Another class you will have to contend with, my brethren, are Inconstant Professors; these go further than those I have named. For they attend regularly the ordinances of God's house, take up their cross to follow Christ, enroll themselves with his disciples, profess to be saved through faith in his blood, and zealously espouse the cause of God. But through unwatchfulness and a neglect of Christian exercises, their piety degenerates, their affections become cold, a longing desire for retire- ment is no longer felt. Christian communion loses its wonted sweetness; the word preached, its pathos is no longer food for the soul ; at length they have recourse to the fatal expedient of abandoning religion altogether. 134 TIIK ShVHN KINGDOMS. But that which carries the danger of the saint to its highest point is the effort, the unwearied effort of the enemy so to operate on the remaining corruption of their nature, or so to press on their weakest graces as either by allurement or dis- couragement to turn them out of the way ; or else by lifting them up by the pride of their attain- ments and performances to sink them into his own condemnation. By such means are the disciples of the Lord Jesus tried and endangered ; and by these very means have many in every age been destroyed. My brethren, preach the Word ; hold up a bleeding Saviour ; a pure Christ ; a clean Jesus ! It is steep climbing to the stars. Lay aside rhe- torical flourishes; well-rounded flights, and learned dissertations. Preach Christ in his offices — Prophet, Priest and King — "Preach him to all and cry in death Behold! Behold the Lamb!" But when beset and completely surrounded with more than ordinary distresses, especially, when you are marked out as the butt for ridicule for the enemies of the Cross of Christ to shoot at ; the Rock which the furious waves of tribulation are to lash ; the Tree of Righteousness on which the storms of temptation are to expend themselves ; when the turbulent billows are about to roll over your frail barques; in the dark hour of deepest dis- tress amid the midnight gloom, above the raging of the storm, the fierce voice of the tempest, the IMMUTABILITY OF GOD'S PROMISES. 135 vivid flashes of the lightning, the deafening roar of retreating thunder — above it all — hear the voice of Jesus whispering to your soul, "Lo ! I am with you alway." 2d. Remember this promise is based upon con- scientiously performing those duties which arise from our relation to God as his Servants, his Stezeards, his Soldiers. As his covenant servants, we must devote our- selves to his service. Jer. 1:5. "I have sancti- fied thee and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." 1 Cor. 4:19, 20. "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." As his stewards, we must employ his gifts for his glory. 1 Peter 4:10, 1 1. "As every man has received the gifts, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracle of God. If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever, Amen. As his soldiers, we must be valiant for his re- vealed truth. Jer. 9 13. "They are not valiant for the truth, they proceed from evil to evil; and they know not me, saith the Lord.'' As his soldiers, we must courageously defend the truth against all hostile attacks. Eph. 6:10-16. "Put on the whole armor, etc." We must endeavor to extend the knowledge 136 THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. of God in the world. Psa. 67 \i. "That this may be known upon the earth, his saving- health among all nations. Mark 16:15. ''Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." As his soldiers, like Moses, we must not suffer the allurements of this world to entice us from our allegiance to God. Heb. 1 1 '.24.-26. "Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in- Egypt ; for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." Like Job, we must remain unwearied in God's service and patiently wait for his reward. Job 14:14. "All the days of my appointed time will I wait until my change comes." Heb. 10:36. "Exercise patience that after ye have done the will of God, ye might re- ceive the promise." YVe should realize God's presence with us as our Master, Helper, and Observer. Psa. 16:8. "Set the Lord always before thee; put him at thy right hand." Psa. 46:1. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." 'Heb. n \2~. "By faith he endured as seeing Him who is invisible." We should realize the glory promised to all faithful followers of Christ — comprising a glor- ious rest. Rev. 14:13. "Write blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea. saith the Spirit, They rest from their labors and their works do follow them." A Glorious Inheritance. 1 Pet. 3 :5- "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Tesus Christ IMMUTABILILY OF GOD'S PROMISES. 130 which according to his abundant mercy hath be- gotten us into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away — reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." A Glorious Throne. Rev. 3:21. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I have also overcome and am set down with my Father on his throne." A Glorious Crown. "The devil may cast some of you into prison. Ye shall have tribulation. But be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life." A Glorious Happiness. Matt. 25:21. "The Master will say unto thee, Well done good and faithful servant, etc.' 1 The Apostles preached Christ in his Nature, in his supreme and eternal Divinity, in his humilia- tion, in his incarnation, suffering and death; in his offices as Prophet, Priest and King. They preached Christ because they loved him; because they loved mankind, and because they knew their preaching would be the salvation of the world. CONCLUSION. Christ eminently qualifies his ministers for their work. The Gospel produces joy when it is received into good and honest hearts. H M- 79 , i ***** «fev* ^ refill : ^ *^M^: *W ^ «