lost, and bending forward, with eye fixed on the speaker, and even
the mouth open, as if in fear of closing any possible avenue by which
the thought might enter mind and heart, they listened with an intensity
of attention that can scarcely be measured.

The general bearing of the audience was always reverential. There was
none of the solemn formality seen in a good many churches. To some
people it doubtless savoured more of a lecture hall than of a church.
The form of the auditorium was the reverse of the stately Gothic. There
was no dim religious light. Plenty of windows let in plenty of light and
plenty of fresh air. The pews were comfortable. Under any other preacher
they might have conduced to decorous naps. There was no excess of dress.
People wore clothes for comfort, not for show, and if perchance they
commenced with style they invariably ended with simplicity.

There was, too, a breezy sort of cheeriness about the whole place.
Quiet, friendly chatting between friends went on, but it was never
obtrusive, or interfered with devotion. The moment service commenced it
was manifest that it was divine service, not a public entertainment. Mr.
Beecher was a wonderful reader, and to hear his rendering of a chapter
in the Bible, or of a hymn new or old, was in itself a great privilege.
During the prayer there was a stillness that could be felt. Few men have
greater, or as great a gift in bringing men to the recognition of their
communion with God.

With the sermon there was evident a general attitude of expectancy.
Something was coming, and everyone wanted to be sure and get it.
Sometimes it was humorous, and a ripple of laughter would go over the
audience. Those who heard about it were apt to be shocked and to
consider it irreverent. It is doubtful whether anyone who was present
ever had that feeling. Sometimes it was pathetic, and there was
suspicious fumbling in pockets. Sometimes it was soul-stirring, and one
could see the forms quiver and grow tense. Most often it was that calm,
quiet, yet forceful presentation of truth, not in the abstract as
something to be looked upon from various angles, then labelled and put
aside, but practical, affecting the daily life; and faces would grow
earnest, and the results would be seen in the home, the shop, or the
office.

Service over, Plymouth Church people gathered in knots to chat
over--pretty much everything, for it was like one big family. Strangers
looked on with curiosity