IS CATECHISED IN CHURCH. 181 



rude altar on the floor, and kindled a fire on it. The 

 wind above prevented the smoke from rising; the at- 

 mosphere of the vault became dense and cloudy; the 

 three torches on the wall appeared from the halo with 

 which each of them was encircled three mock suns ; and 

 the features of the scene, which were before character- 

 istic of the wild and the ghastly, were now shrouded " in 

 the dun hues of earthquake and eclipse," and assumed 

 the terrible. From above, the mouth of the vault 

 appeared, through the darkness, like the crater of a 

 volcano.' 



Such were the ' pleasures of the imagination ' in 

 which young Miller could at all times find more enjoy- 

 ment than in any society, except that of his most 

 esteemed friends. It may be interesting to view him 

 for a moment in a more subdued aspect. It is, or was, 

 the custom in the parishes of Scotland for the pastor 

 at stated intervals to publicly examine the members 

 of the congregation in the Westminster Assembly's cate- 

 chism. It appears to have become the practice to cate- 

 chise working men and their children, but not to offend 

 the sensibilities of the richer heads of families by putting 

 them through the ordeal in presence of the congregation. 

 Miller at least thought that Mr Stewart, his pastor, of 

 whom he subsequently learned to entertain a different 

 opinion from his present, displayed ' something very like 

 cowardice ' in his choice of persons to be examined. ' Our 

 betters' he says, ' (forgive me the use of this meanest of all 

 Scotticisms), can, by attending the diets of catechism, which 

 are held in church, be either instructed or made merry at 

 our expense.' Neither in the way of merriment, however, 

 nor in the way of instruction, could much be derived from 

 the appearance of Miller, which he thus chronicles : 

 1 1 was catechised to-day (Feb. 30, 1826) by Mr Stewart. 



