Page:A thousand years hence. Being personal experiences (IA thousandyearshen00gree).djvu/316

 practised sensationalist had usually a movable shutter in the church roof, which he regulated by means of a string. At the fitting climax to which his discourse was leading, the shutter would fly open by a sudden pull at the string, and the terrible star would shoot his baleful rays amongst the excited or scared audience. Occasionally, and somewhat awkwardly, the string would snap under the too violent jerk of the impassioned preacher, and clumsy beginners would equally, perhaps, spoil their case. But, nevertheless, there was quite a rivalry in conversions in this way, and the more practised and adroit preachers, in counting heads for results, had a great reputation.

But even long prior to the advent of the higher life, which finally made sad havoc of these primitive ideas and ways, there had been a party against, as well as a party for, the shutter system. The former party, feeble at first, had been gradually gaining strength with the progress of science and of society. Shutter preaching began to fail of its old power; and at length for any one to speak of the "eloquent and zealous Shutter," as the sensational preacher used to be concisely called, had become at last a questionable compliment.

The coloured systems in general were zealous for outside conversions; and the remarkable system we speak of was no exception, the Red lights in particular being active and universalist. Of course our own various religious bodies were more or less active in this way also, and would send missions, under energy credits, far and wide. The great Mormon Church usually took the lead. When certain irreverent