The Gospel Kodak Abroad
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THE GOSPEL KODM flBROa REV. C W, Wf-^^^^F'^Ti^^ ^^^i I THE Gospel Kodak Abroad REV. C. W. WINCHESTER, A.M. aNCINNATI : JENNINGS & PYE NEW YORK: EATON & MAINS COPYRIGHTED, iSqi. Bv C. W. WINCHESTER. COPYRIGHTED, 1893, Bv C. W. WINCHESTER. PREFACE, the summer of the author IN 1890 spent twelve weeks on the Atlantic Ocean and on the soil of Europe, having left home, at the urgent advice of physicians, parishioners, and friends, to recover from the effects of a severe illness—the first in nineteen years of labor in the pastorate. Soon after his return, many members of his congregation began to clamor for a public recital of his experiences abroad. After due deliberation, he gave notice of a series of Sunday evening sermons on " The Gospel of Foreign Travel," stating that if the first proved acceptable, the others, as an- nounced, would follow, to the number of eleven in all ; while, if the first seemed to be uninteresting, or ill-suited to the pulpit, it would be the last. The preacher's plan was simply this : to use what he saw and experienced under foreign skies to illustrate and enforce the gospel. He did not purpose to give secular lectures, but gospel discourses— to set before his congregation the thoughts which came to him, as a student of divine truth, while he was beholding the wonders of the Old World. At the close of the first discourse, delivered No- vember 9, 1890, there was no doubt in the mind of the preacher as to his duty, and he went forward till the one became eleven, according to the original plan, and the eleven became eighteen. The last sermon was preached April 19, 1891. From the be- 3 4 Preface. ginning of the series to the close, congregations equal to the capacity of the church listened to the discourses, and the preacher humbly trusts that much good was accomplished. Earl}' in the progress of the course of sermons, their publication in book form was suggested. That suggestion has come to the author again and again. At length he decided to make a book ; and here it is. The sermons are presented, with the exception of a few slight alterations, just as they were origi- nally delivered. The author hopes that, if the critics condescend to notice his book, they will not handle it as roughly as it may deserve, and prays that God will bless it to the spiritual good of all who may take the trouble to give it a perusal. C. \V. WINCHESTER. Methodist Episcopal Parsonage, ~|^ Medina, X. Y., 1891. J PUBLISHERS' NOTE THE following discourses were originally printed at the request of the author's personal friends and members of his congregation in Medina, N. Y., where they were delivered. Only a limited number v/ere published ; but the)' attracted so much attention that they were deemed worthy of a larger circulation, and they are now issued under another title, the orig- inal one being "The Gospel of Foreign Travel." They contain fresh and lively views of Old World scenes and places, and are intended to show how all the various phases of life and nature teach the same lessons of Divine providence, trust, and faith. The author had not time for intercourse with the people at large, but he gives occasional notes concerning their manners and methods. He had his eyes open to everything new and interesting, and he describes with a facile pen. Books of travel are of more than temporary inter- est. National characteristics are fixed, though social customs and processes vary. The essential unity of mankind appears in the midst of diverse habits of life, thought, and action. Every year we are becoming 5 6 Publishers' Note. better acquainted with our neighbors that live in other quarters of the globe, and we see the prophecy daily fulfilled, " Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." "The Gospel Kodak" presents accurate pictures of travel abroad. In these all the reader's thoughts are directed from the fleeting to the permanent, from the temporal to the eternal, from the present life to that which is to come. The author's treatment of his subject is good, and we commend it to the public. CONTENTS I. PAGE. Over the Sea 9 II. Antwerp, Bruges, and Brussels, 26 III. Paris, 43 IV. Switzerland and the Alps 62 V. Out of Switzerland into Italy, 79 VI. Milan, 96 VII. Old Rome, 113 VIII. Modern Rome, 134 IX. From Rome to London, 154 X. London, 172 XL More About London, 193 7 8 Contents. XII. PAGE. Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle, 212 XIII. Oxford .\nd Stratford 232 XIV. Warwick and Kenilworth 251 XV. Edinburgh and Scotland 269 XVI. The Scotch Lakes and Glasgow 288 XVII. Ayr -AND THE English Lakes, 306 XVIII. Chester, Liverpool, and Home, 324 ILLUSTRATIONS. The Tower of London Frontispiece. The P.\>fTHEON, Paris Page 52 City of Geneva, " 64 St. Peter's, Rome, " 150 Chapel .\nd Tomb of Henry VII, " 224 Oxford, " 232 St. Giles' Chi-rch. Edinburgh, " 2S4 City of Chester " 324 The Gospel Kodak Abroad. OVER THE SEA. "Let us go over to the other side."—Luke viii, 22. ON the 17th of June, 1890, a company of thirty- odd persons—two-thirds of the number women, and one-third men—gathered in the Taylor House, Jersey City, saying to each other: "Let us go over to the other side." At seven o'clock in the evening, led by Professor Joseph Swain, of the Indiana State University, they went down to the dock of the "Red Star Line," and went on board the steamship IVesf- erjiland. Imagine yourself to be a member of the party. I invite each one of you to take the voyage with us. Come with me, down into my state-room. I want to stow away m^' baggage where it will be safe. This is the way. Down two flights of stairs we go. We pass along a narrow passage. We turn to the left. Here it is—No. 141. The door is open. An electric light is brightly burning. What do you think of such a bedroom as this? It is only eight feet long and six feet wide. Opposite the door are a wash-stand, a shelf, and an oval mirror. On the floor is a good Brussels carpet. On the right side are two good beds, or berths, one above the other. Mine is the upper one. On the left is a sofa. In the ceiling is a window, 2 9 lo The Gospel Kodak Abroad. protected by an iron dome. Ceiling and walls are painted a brilliant white. I think this will do very- well for eleven or twelve nights. Let us go back to the deck, and look the ship over a little, as well as we can in the night. Having examined the ship, we are now sitting in the saloon, writing. The room contains three long tables—fastened down, covered with thick, rich spreads—about one hundred and fifty elegant chairs, and a piano. It has electric lights, and about twenty little round windows, eighteen inches ot two feet in diameter. On the end of the table near the door is a pile of letters and telegrams. L,et us see if there is anything for us. Yes, here is a telegram addressed to us both. It is signed by a former pastor of the Medina Church, now resident in Rochester, and reads: "Wishing you health, happiness, and an ideal trip." That is very kind. Thank God for the friends he has given us! Wednesday morning finds us on deck at half-past five o'clock. At six precisely the big ship begins to back out of the slip. A little puffing, panting, blow- ing tug comes, and helps to get her out and turn her around. Thank God for the little tugs, as well as the big ships! Both are needed in Church and State. If you can not be a big ship, carr^'ing immense cargoes and crowds of passengers across mighty oceans, be contented to be a little tug, doing small jobs of hard pulling in the harbors and close to the shore. If you are not willing to be a little tug, you are not fit to be- come a big ship. We are standing on the forward part of the upper deck, leaning against the rail above the steerage. We have just passed the Goddess of Liberty and Fort Over the Sea. ii Hamilton. The wind is blowing a stiff breeze. We are passing Staten Island, going along finely. At the bowsprit we fly the flag of Belgium—three perpen- dicular stripes, black next to the stafi", then yellow and red. At the top of the foremast flies the Stars and Stripes. At the main masthead is a white flag with a red star. At the mizzen masthead floats a blue flag with white letters, U. S. M.—United States Mail. We have just passed Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. We have a pretty sight before us now. About a dozen sailors in blue are up on the fore- mast, some of them a hundred feet above the deck, shaking out the sails, and giving wings to the ship. We must be near Sandy Hook. Everything is gay. The harbor of New York must be one of the grandest in the world. The pilot has just left us, and started back to the city. We are over the bar. Sandy Hook is behind us.