About prayer, from The American Scholar:
Dressed and came on deck — the morning was brilliant. I amused myself with finding the lessons and collects and psalms for the whole ship’s company. After lunch, they spread our tent, a chair was placed for my father, and a little bell being rung, we collected in our rude church. It affected me much, this praying on the lonely sea, in words that at the same hour were being uttered by millions of kindred tongues in our drear home. Oh how I felt all this as we spoke aloud that touching invocation — “Almighty God, who hast promised that when two or three are gathered together in Thy name” — etc. The bright cloudless sky and glorious sea seemed to respond in their silent magnificence to our Te Deum — ’twas good — oh! very, very good!