Page:Pleasant Memories of Pleasant Lands.djvu/59

 34 SERVICE IN THE CHURCH OF THE BLIND.

The building appropriated to the Institution is spa cious, and perfectly neat. In one apartment are por traits of its benefactors, among whom are some who were once pensioners of its bounty. The advantages for an extended education are not so great here as in the establishment for the Blue Coat Boys in London, which has produced some literary men of note. The Liverpool beneficiaries are prepared for the practical walks of life, and become apprentices to artisans or tradesmen. Before leaving, we were invited to see the children taking their Sunday supper. Each had on a wooden plate a huge mass of bread, with a modicum of cheese, and by its side a small cup of ale ; all of which elements they were discussing with a visible relish. Their appearance was healthful, and their deportment quiet, and in perfect subordination. How blessed is that benevolence, which rescues the young from ignorance and poverty, and inspires them with motives to become useful here, and happy hereafter. It is peculiarly hon orable, in a commercial city, to devote time and atten tion to these departments of philanthropy.

Another high gratification awaited our first Sabbath in England, which was really the first day spent on her shores, our arrival having been on the afternoon of Saturday. This gratification, never to be forgotten, was the service in the Church of the Blind. The music of these sightless worshippers surpasses description. They chant as in the cathedral service, accompanied by the organ, and sing anthems and other compositions with a soul-thrilling sweetness. Of course, all these

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