WE have, in our own mind, long since repudiated pulpits entirely, as a useless, and worse than useless appendage. No work done, that we know of, with the idea of usefulness, more completely misses its aim than that of erecting pulpits in which for men to stand to preach the gospel of Christ. We have, for a long time, utterly refused to go into many of the castles we find around the country. In many houses the preacher is hoisted high in a pulpit, from twenty to thirty feet from the nearest person to him, and many of his hearers fifty and sixty feet off. This is all as irrational as it can he. If there had been a special study how to defeat the preacher, no better method than this could have been invented.
In a large house, there should be a platform some fifteen feet square and sixteen inches high, with a small table, the height of a common table, for a Bible and hymn book, which the preacher could set in front of him, if he desire it, or if not, set back against the wall. There should also be a few chairs on or about the platform for speakers, where there are several, or for persons hard of hearing. The speaker can then advance forward near enough to the people to address them effectively, and they can see him from head to foot. The floor of the house should rise some twelve inches in twenty feet. If the house is crowded, persons can then be seated all round the speaker, leaving him simply room to stand. There should be two brilliant lights back of him, near the wall, elevated a little above his head, and some ten feet apart, so as to shine down each side of him into the book before him. If the speaker desire to stand back near the wall, he can then do so; or if he prefers, as we certainly do, to stand on the front of the platform, he can have the privilege, and have room to walk about a little, which is both a relief to the speaker and audience.
If the house is small, the platform should not be more than ten feet square and eight inches high.