Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1854-01-13


at u loss to know. should be a. much
puzzled to discharge my duties as some Of
the clergymen of that day would be stand
ing in my position tonight. TArp,ause
and laughter How much the people
valued their ministers in their new country
in Massachusetts, and Csnnecticut-you
Can imagine, when it Is known that they
could not get along without two ministers
to each church. In the first siy churches
al CONNECTICUT there we're ten preachers
Each church, if possible, had a teaches and
a pastor. The teacher was professor Of
theology, and his business was TO iudoctri-
nate. The other WAS the revival minister.
as We understand the term The doctor
Put the powder down, and the other man
touched it of. [Applsuse and laughter
In those grand old times, besides his Sab
bath sermons and weekday lectures, the
business Of the minister was to 90 from
house to Eause, and lecture tie inmates
Now, however, that business is entirely
transferred to women. Renewed applause
and laughter. 1t was expected, too, that
he would address himself SO thoroughly to
every individual that each would stand iu
fear Of God and the minister However.
let it not be supposed because clergymcn
were earnest and devoas religious ministers,
that they were men devoid of Lumor Tie
man is not half of man who has not 4
streak of that in hin. Applause and
laughter l recoilect, even so lale as Ill
my day, that the old scr: OF ministers of
Connecticut could crack Joke and smoke
tobacG in an accomplished manner | re-
collect that when they used to NEE. at M
fathers house, pipes and tobacco were set
out, and other creature comforts in pro-
Portion, which we're never seen there at any
other time. [Laughter In those times
it is to be supposed that providence winked
at those things, for certainly they did no.
know any better. | recollect, too, the ex-
plosions of human thunder, called laughter,
which could be heard in the room filed
with smoke, and where it was supposed the
ministers were; and if any of you had been
listening, as l was, you would have said
that every mothers son Of them was q
Dutchman. Applause and laughter.
When the services were all over fer which
they had met, they were accustomed, not
untrequently, not only to run each other
with their jokes, but with their horses. I
have mentioned that that was not alto
gether their fault, for it is said that mil
isters' sons were accustomed - ride the
horses of clergymen visiting their fathers
houses. The horses we're not of a moor
breed, either, and the horses getting into
bad habits under the tutilage of the boys,
would keep up the habits with their mas
tiers on their backs. 1t was doubtless the
boys fault, and net the clregym6n's L
recollect once that Doctor Backus, IF Beth
lehem, on returning from my fathers house
to his home was attempted to be passed by
a man. The doctor had no idea of being
beaten, and if be was, be meant that the
man should do it we'll The man finally
saw that it was impossible to evertake him,
halloed at the top of his voice, CDR Backus,
,ou run as if the devil was after YOU
The doctor, looking around over his shoul
Ter at the man, said in reply, az believe
ne is"
The time would fail ne we're to at
empt to exhaust this department of minis
erial Offices. The other par.-tbeir sacred
'aices, their quiet Sa5baths, their minis
erial cut garments, and other pcculiarities,
believe you have been made thoroughly
with Those men had volcanic
,earts; they had not little, but great
leal of the feeling that is human. In
ountry where tue people are 50 inclined,
10 man can be made welcome in families,
mi become endeared to them, unless he
,e eycry inch a man. This was empbati-
ally the old. the middle, and the young
minister Of New England. They addressed
ever on the side of humanity;
hey had read all that was good, and they
elected all that did not become them as
acn. There is no class more dear, more
enerated in their memory, than the line
f the ministers of New EDeland They
vere men of intense activity of mind
Shut up in colonial seclusions, it is no:
wonderful that their minds should have
,rasped advanced ideas in theology and
They thus encouraged, in
themselves and the people, h'bi;s Of close
linking; and if theology and other ab-
tract subject, did not from the themes for
heir thought, it would be other matters of
Importance.
| have observed sometimes that noun
aims were exceedingly rugged when we
Iere on them, but, when viewed at little
istauce, blue in the light of the au.umual
un, there was no ruggedness; and thus it