His
Manner, And Way Of Speaking Were Like Those Of An Old Peasant In
England, Only His Voice Was Clearer And Stronger, And His
Perceptions Not Blunted By Age.
He had travelled with one of the
missionaries in the year 1790, or thereabouts, and remained with
them ever since.
I went into the church - a large, clean, rather handsome building,
consecrated in 1800 - and heard a very good sort of Litany, mixed
with such singing as only black voices can produce. The organ was
beautifully played by a Bastaard lad. The Herrenhuters use very
fine chants, and the perfect ear and heavenly voices of a large
congregation, about six hundred, all coloured people, made music
more beautiful than any chorus-singing I ever heard.
Prayers lasted half an hour; then the congregation turned out of
doors, and the windows were opened. Some of the people went away,
and others waited for the 'allgemeine Predigt'. In a quarter of an
hour a much larger congregation than the first assembled, the girls
all with net-handkerchiefs tied round their heads so as to look
exactly like the ancient Greek head-dress with a double fillet - the
very prettiest and neatest coiffure I ever saw. The gowns were
made like those of English girls of the same class, but far
smarter, cleaner, and gayer in colour - pink, and green, and yellow,
and bright blue; several were all in white, with white gloves. The
men and women sit separate, and the women's side was a bed of
tulips.
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