DOMINES AND SCHOOL-TEACHERS 91

a psalm. The domine, who had stood in silent
prayer during the psalm, afterward entered the
pulpit, and then laid out his text and its connec-
tion with the sermon to follow — a part of the
service known as the exordium remotum. During
this address the deacons stood facing the pulpit,
alms-bag in hand. The deacons collected the con-
tribution by thrusting in front of each row of seats
the JcerJc sacjes of cloth or velvet suspended from
the end of a long pole. Sometimes a bell hung at
the bottom of the bag to call the attention of the
slothful or the niggardly to the contribution, and
while the bags were passed the domine was wont
to dwell upon the necessities of the poor and to
invoke blessings upon those who gave liberally to
their support. When the sermon commenced, the
voorsinger turned the hour-glass which marked the
length of the discourse. The sermon ended, the
voorleser rose and, with the aid of a long rod cleft
in the end, handed to the domine in the pulpit the
requests for prayers or thanksgiving offered by
members of the congregation. When these had
beeii read aloud, another psalm was sung and the
people then filed out in an orderly procession.

The principle of competitive giving for the
church was evidently well understood in New