Then，too，itmustbeconfessedthatsomeoftheweekdayprayersmadebylayprofessorslentthemselvesrathertooeasilytoparody。Oneofmyclassmates——sinceknownasagraveandrespectedjudge——wasespeciallygiftedinimitatingthesepetitions，withtheveryintonationsoftheirauthors，andtheseparodieswereingreatdemandonfestiveoccasions。Thepetphrases，thechoicerhetoric，andtheimpressiveoratoryoftheseprayerswerethusmadesofamiliartousincaricaturesthattheoriginalswerelittleconducivetodevotion。
TheinfluenceatYaleofmenlikeGoodrich，Taylor，Woolsey，andPorter，whomIsawintheirprofessors’chairs，wasindeedstronguponme。Irespectedandadmiredthem;buttheirpurelyreligiousteachingtookbutlittleholdonme;IcanrememberclearlybuttwoorthreesermonswhichIheardpreachedinYalechapel。Onewasatthesettingupofthechapelorgan，whenHoraceBushnellofHartfordpreacheduponmusic;andanotherwaswhenPresidentWoolseypreachedabaccalaureatesermonupon\"RighteousAnger。\"
Thefirstofthesesermonswasverybeautiful，butthesecondwaspowerful。Ithashadaninfluence——and，Ithink，agoodinfluence——onmythoughtsfromthatdaytothis;anditoughttobepreachedineverypulpitinourcountry，atleastonceayear，asanantidotetooursickly，mawkishlenitytocrimeandwrong。
InthosedaysconformitytoreligiousideaswascarriedveryfaratYale。Onweek—dayswehadearlyprayersataboutsixinthemorning，andeveningprayersataboutthesamehourintheafternoon;butonSundayswehadnotonlymorningandeveningprayersinthechapel，butmorningandafternoonserviceatchurch。IattendedSt。Paul’sEpiscopalchurch，sittinginoneofthegallerypewsassignedtoundergraduates;butcannotsaythatanythingthatIheardduringthisperiodofmylifeelevatedmeespecially。IjoinedinthereadingofthePsalter，inthesingingofthechantsandhymns，and，occasionally，inrecitingpartofthecreeds，thoughmoreandmorethislastexercisebecamepeculiarlydistastefultome。
Timehasbutconfirmedtheopinion，whichIthenbegantohold，that，ofallmistakenusagesinachurchservice，themostunfortunateisthisdemandwhichconfrontsamanwhowouldgladlyunitewithChristiansinChristianwork，and，inaspiritofloyaltytotheBlessedFounderofChristianity，wouldcheerfullybecomeamemberofthechurchandreceivethebenefitofitsministrations;——thedemandthatsuchamanstandanddeliveracreedmadenooneknowswhereorbywhom，andofwhichnohumanbeingcanadjustthemeaningstomodernknowledge，orindeedtohumancomprehension。