SUBURBAN RAMBLES.

Evening Star, Issue 5589, 5 February 1881, Page 1

SUBURBAN RAMBLES.

♦ A VISIT TO RAVENBBOT/KNB. List Sabbath I paid a visit, for the first time, to Ravensbcurne. The walk aeroea the Bay to Logan's Braes on a fine day is really refreshing. Thenoe, the road overhanging the railway line and the shores si the lake forms a charming esplanade. 0» the one side the hills rise somewhat per* pendienlar above your head, and on the other the senses are regaled with the Bights, stuads, and odors of tt e Bay. On the farther side the hills present nearly the same aspect as thoie on the Ravensbourne aide. Oa the one hand the shores of the lake are spudded with clusters of townships, on the other with cottages and small farms. The wood is fast disappearing and the pioturesquenesa of the landscape is being superseded with the labore of cultivation. Although the township is called Riveasbourne, three-fourths of it belong to Rothesay. Nominally different, they are substantially one. Toe cottages rise one above the other along the faces of the hills from the marine esplanade. I never expected to find a town in that charter, but gold can turn a desert into a garden of roses. The day was calm and beautiful, and I eojoyed the scene amazingly. Hearing the noise of a tinkling bell, I repaired to the Presbyterian Church. It is a neat little edifice. It contains twelve or thirteen windows, four on either side, and two at each end, with porches beiween them. Above the vestry there is a small oriel window. The door of the vestry opens upon a platform surrounded with a woeden raiL Tnere la * harmonium on the left side of the desk. There were seme half-d esu men, and seven women, and about thirty children present. The preacher delivered an excellent sermon from these words : " Let the wicked forsake bis ways and the unrighteous man hie thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy up in him; art to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." The discourse was both sensational and didactic ; sometimes he shrieked oat far toe loud, and anon let his voiee fall below an audible tone. This sadly marred his delivery. He is proKx and tedious, butalways sensible and severely orthodox. A really good man in the main. Rivenabeurne experiences the evils of denomination&lism. There are seven sectarian congregations—save the mark—in th ; B village. The Anglican communion has wisely retired from the ground. The rest should follow suit, and spend their energies) upon more premising fields, Mr Niven is quite able to take the spiritual oversight of all the stnls in the district. As he is the only legular minister there, the local preachers ot Baptists, Congregationalists, Christian Disciples, Methodists, etc., should. withdraw, at least for the present, and thus, allow cne congregation ef a respectable character to worship under one roof in the townships of Ravensbourne and Rothesay, As it is, they are wasting their time and energies, and literally throwing away the people's means without any appreciable T9f inlte^wmanloMcd,