Page:Life in the Old World - Vol. II.djvu/16

26 seems to be walking on the promenades and attending church-festivals.

Genoa is strongly Catholic; as may be perceived by the great numbers of priests, churches, and convents. At three o'clock, every morning, a regular alarm begins from the bells of innumerable larger and smaller churches, which sound in chorus for an hour. In the evening, this ringing begins again. It is not melodious, yet, at the same time, it sounds well, and is full of animation, pealing as it does through the air which is free and fresh from the ocean. The air here is charming, only too full of life; I feel my nerves, as it were, excited by it. The weather is now so warm, that we sleep at night with open windows, the jalousies alone closed.

Yet, Catholic as Genoa is, there are, at the present time, five Protestant churches there. One of these belongs to the Italian branch of the Waldenses church. It is under the care of the late lawyer Mazarella, a man of fervent zeal and remarkable eloquence, whom I hope to hear. This Italian Evangelical Church, is peculiar in having, as yet, no determined formula of established faith, but it satisfies itself with preaching the Gospel, and by proclaiming Christ as a redeemer and saviour for society at large, as well as for each individual human being. To such as wish to become members of this church, this question is propounded: “Do you believe in our Saviour Jesus Christ, and in his Gospel?” If the question be answered in the affirmative, and with an emphasis which testifies of a sincere faith, the candidate for membership is received into the church. Without attaching themselves to