Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. III.djvu/51

Rh succession of surprises to me, and I cannot do other than admire the kind of order which must be obtained in those young souls, from their contact with snow, the standing army of Russia, Lapland, Napoleon, salt-petre, Washington, the population of France, and the moon!

I must now tell you about a real African tornado which Anne W. and I witnessed last Sunday afternoon. It was in the African church, for even here, in this gay, light-hearted city of New Orleans, has Christianity commenced its work of renovated life; and they have Sunday schools for negro children, where they receive instruction about the Saviour; and the negro slaves are able to serve God in their own church.

We came too late to hear the sermon in this African church, whither we had betaken ourselves. But at the close of the service, a so-called Class-meeting was held. I do not know whether I have already said that the Methodists form, within their community, certain divisions or Classes, which elect their own leaders or exhorters. These exhorters go round at the class-meeting, to such of the members of their class as they deem to stand in need of consolation or encouragement, talk to them, aloud or in an under-voice, receive their confessions, impart advice to them, and so on. I had seen such a class-meeting at Washington, and knew therefore what was the kind of scene which we might expect. But my expectations were quite exceeded here. Here we were nearer the tropical sun than at Washington.

The exhorters went around, and began to converse here and there with the people who sate on the benches. Scarcely, however, had they talked for a minute, before the person addressed came into a state of exaltation, and began to speak and to perorate more loudly and more vehemently than the exhorter himself, and so to overpower him. There was one exhorter in particular, whose black, good-natured countenance was illumined by so great a degree