Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-07-31

From the Boston Museum.
Parson Hobbs. the Churn-Maker.
BY osSIAN f. DODGE.

Who has MT heard of Parson Hobbs .
Certainly no one who has ever heard of any
body or anything since the days of the rev.
olution. Parson Hobbs was never the man
to hide his light under a bushel, by no man
ner of means-Parson Hobbs was n't-No,
SIR. Parson Hobbs was a man who did a
Stdve-ng business six days in the week, i'll
making churns for market, and on the sew
enth, preached the gospel to a little flock
of devout listeners in one Of the back towns
in Connecticut.
But at the period of which we write,
ministers of the gospel were not in the hab-
it of receiving an annual salary in accord
ance with those paid at the present day.
but were fain to accept of ten bushels of
wheat, twenty of corn, and three tons of
hay, with the addition of two donations from
the public generally, and such few members
of their own church as were inclined to
call in and partake of the refreshments
which donations, by the way, usually
brought the Dominic in from three to five
dollars out of pocket. Consequently twas
necessary for man to turn his attention to
some additional branch of business beside
preaching, in order to gain respectable
livelihood.
Well to return to the thread Of our
story, as novelists say-Parson Hobbs was
one of those unfortunate early preachers;
and while his nimbIe hammer was going
rat-a-tat-tat from Monday morning till Sat
urday night, over his well-made churns,
many truthful aud instructive sermon was
devised and studied for the edlfication of
his small but devout flock.
About once a month, the good old Par
son wont to take his small lot Of churns to
Hartford and there trade them off to the
best advantage for notions and 6Xens' for
the family, and occasionally--if the trip
was remarkably fortunate-to obtain few
shillings in cash but the good man could
never get the sight of shilling for any
work that he did for his neighbors, and al
ter making, by special order, one OF his
best churns for nearly every man IN the
County, and getting as a remuneration
with but two or three eXceptions) ~
promise to pay," he very wisely came to
the conclusion to be too busy in future ever
to finish another job for neighbor, unless
the cash should accompany the order.
The next day after the good man had
come to this shrewd conclusion, he was
waited upon by an old Deacon in the
Church, who was already indebted for three
sap-buckets and mik-pail, and after the
usual salutations the day had been passed,
the Deacon exclaimed
"Parson Hobbs, we shall have new
mich COW in few weeks, and | want you
to make me one Of your best churns; say,
fourteen inches in diameter at the bottom,
and at least twenty inches high, tapering of
handsomely toward the top, and the whole
decorated with as nice a lid as you ever
made in your life"
Now, old Deacon Wood was the wealth
lest man in the church. and of course The
most influential; and Parson Hobbs found
it quite impossible to tell him in plain Ian
guage that until the old score was settled
and cash advanced for the churn, that moi
a stave should he touch to fulfill the order
but being determined not to compromise
his veracity with himself or wife, after hi
solemn protestations, he meekly replied
Very we'll, Deacon leave your drec
tons on paper and | will place them OF
file, and in due course of time, when worl
is slack, we will see what we can do"
Not doubling but that he should be sue
cessful in vctimizing the unsuspecting par
son out Of the new churn, the willy old Dea
con wrote out his directions, and left the
shop in the best spirits but the Thoughts
Of the Parson were not so pleasant. So
setting himself on the work-block, he solilo
quized as follows:-
have made solemn promise to Mrs
Hobbs-and all solemn promises are place.
on record, and even if they was MT,
shoun MT dare to raise her dander-that II
make no more churns for the neighbors
unless they will either advance the cash, o
leave something in my possession to secur
me against any more losses for, with S
much care and perplexity on my mind,
is quite impossible to do Justice to my the
illogical studies; Therefore I'll hold let m
see,--what will do? All have it. l.
place the Deacon's job on the "promise
list" and be very careful that it never come
off"
With this disposition of the matter, tim
slowly passed along, and at the end of tn
next week Deacon Wood called for his ne,
churn, but was met at the door hy tn
shrewd Parson, and informed that bushes
had been so pressing during the past week
that he had been unable to take the dlrec
tons from the file but at the first opportu
nifty that offered itself, he would look at tn
directions and see what could be done.
And thus the subject was disposed O
from week to week, and from month t.
month, till the old Deacon began to "smel
mice" and suspect the true state Of affairs
but being determined not to be baked b
the Reverend Divine, he at length threat
ened to report matters at the next Church
Meeting, unless he could see the churI
commenced
The Parson, therefore, to prevent al
open rupture, sawed out the bottom of th
churn IN the Deacons presence, and uD
til his departure fused away over pile q
slaves heaped up in one corner Of tbe shor
And as often as the Deacon called to taII
over the news of the week, and keen nj
eye to his job, the Parson was Obliged I
take up the churn aud bring it a littl