The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1849-10-11
M I S G Il L A N e o U S
From Graham'S MagaSine.
The Curtain Lifted.
Or PrOfeSSiOnS---Practical and Theoretical.
BY. MRS CAROLINE II. BUTLER.
CHAPTER L.
The Deacon.

Everybody called Mr.. Humphreys a
good man. To have found any fault with
the deacon would have been to impugn the
church itself, whose most firm piller he
stood. No one stopped to analyze his
goodness-it was enough that IN all out
ward semblance, in the whole putting to-
gether of the outward man, there was
conformity of sanctity; that is, he read his
Bible-held family prayers night and NOR
nino-preached long hOmIIles TO the young
Gave in the causes of the heathen, and
was. moroccan. of gave and solemn
aspect, seldom given to the folly of laugh
ter.
All this and more did good Deacon
Humphreys-and yet one thing he lacked
viz: the sweet spirit of charity.
Imean not that Oppressed the widow,
or robbed the orphan of bread no, not this
i: was the cold unforglvlng spirit with
which he looked upor the errors of his
fellow man-the iron hand with which he
thrust far from him the offender, whicn
betrayed the want of that charity, "aCh'ch
reioiceh not IN iaiquity, s'aDereM long,
ana IS kind.
He was also pertenaciously sectarlan.
No other path than the one in which he
walked could lead to eternal llte. NO
matter the sect, so that they differed from
him, it was enough-they were outlawed
from the gates of Heaven. All! had the
deacon shared more the spirit of our bless
ed Saviour, in whose name he offered up
his prayers, then, indeed, might he have
been entitled to the Christian character he
professed.
Mrs. Humphreys partook largely OF hel
husbands views. She, too, was ire
proachable in her daily walks, and her
household presented rare combination Of
order and neatness. The six days work
was done and done faithfully, and the sew
enth cared for, ere the going down of the
Saturdays sun, which always left hel
house in order-her rooms newly swep
and garnished-the stockings mended-tht
clean clothes laid out for Sabbath wear
while in the kitchen pantry, joint of cole
meat, or relay ofpIes, was provided, tina
she might not labor for the creature com
forts on the morrow. As the last rays o
the sun disappeared from hill and valley
the doors of the house were closed-th'
blinds pulled down-the polished. ma
hogany stand, drawn from its upright po
sition in the corner of the sitting-room
which it occupied from Monday morning
until the coming OF the Saturday night
the great family Bible placed thereon
while with countenance of correspondent.
gravity, and well balanced spectacles, tn,
deacon and his wife read from its hol,
pages.
Thus in all those outward observance
of piety, whereon the great eyes of thu
great world are staring, have shown tha
the deacon and his good wife might chal
ienge the closest scrutiny. Nor would
De understood to detract aught from thes'
ooservances, or throw down one stone
from the altars of our Puritan fathers. w,
need all the legacy they left their children
The force of good example is as boundIes
as the tares of sin-let us relax nothing
which may tend to check the evil growtl
and who shall say that II C upright wall
OF Deacon Humphreys was without sal
lary influence.
But it is with the uanc, man VIC have /