Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1857-03-07
From "Ta1es and Takings." by Rev. J. Y. Watson.
ELDER BLUNT AND SISTER SCRUB,

yet no place in the whole country is better known,
or more highly esteemed. In the centre of the set
tement just where two roads cut each other at
right angles making four corners" is the school,
house, painted red, and long familiar as the only
place of public worship in the settlement The peo-
pie are well off now, ana have built nice and COM
modious Church, on the opposite corner. A few
rods up the road from the school-heuse lived Squire
Scrub. You could tell, at first sight, that the
esquire was we'll to do" in this world, for every
thing about him denoted it. There his picket
fence all round his garden painted red, and the top
tipped with white; there was his house, modest
one story and half with leaning to it in the rear,
painted white all over there was the barn, large,
well filled barn il was; there was farm. choice
lot of hundred acres, well cultivated; and be-
sides all this, there the honors and cmoluments
of the mpo, tant office of justice of the peace. The
esquire was, of course, man of note in his town.
He had been justice several terms in succession
He a trustee of the school district and he was
both class-leader and steward in the Methodist
Church. I have no doubt he would have received
other honors at the hands of his fellow-townsinen
and brethren, had he been eligible. Still he was
quiet, unassuming man, and l verify believe he
thought more of his religion than of all his ecces
astical and civil honors His house was the timer
ants home; and right sweet, pleasant home it
would have been but for certain unfortunate weak
ness of the every other way excellent Sister Scrub
The weakness alude to was, at least it was sus-
pected to be, the lore Of praise. Now the good SIS
ter was really worthy Of high praise and she often
received it.; but she had way of disparaging her
and her performances which people thought
was intended to invite praise. No housewife kept
her floors looking so clean and her walls so we'll
whitewa>Eed she. Every board scrubbed
and secured till further scrubbng and securing
would have been labor wasted. No one could look
her white ash floor, and not admire the polish her
industry gave it. The esquire" was good pro-
wider, and Sister Scrub was excellent cook and
their table groaned under burden Of good things
on all occasions when good cheer was demanded
And yet you could never enter the house and sit
half an hour without being reminded that Husband
held court yesterday, and she couldn't keep the
house decent" If you sat down to eat with them
she was sorry she hadn't any thing fit TO eat
She had been scrubbins, or washing, Or ironing. or
she had been half Sick and she hadn't got such and
such things, that she ought to have. Nor did 1t
matter how bountfn or how well prepared he re-
past really was, there was always something def
cent, the want of which furnished text for u dis
paraging discourse on the occasion. l remember
once, that we sat down to table that king might
have been happy to enjoy. There was The light
white bread, there were the potatoes rceking
in butter, there the chickens swimming in
gravy, there the onions and the turnips. and
| was sure Sister Scrub had gratificd her ambition
once. We sat down, and Il blessing was asked
Instantly the good sister began: she aft aid her
coffee was too much burned or that the water had
been smoked. that she hadn't roasted the chicken
enough. There ought to have been some salad. and
it was too bad that there was nothing nice 10 Of
fer:I
We, of course, endured these uniustiiiabIe apollo
ges as well as could simply rcn,arking that
everything really nice, and proving by our acts
that the repaSt was tempting to our appctites
| will now introduce another actor to the reader.
1t is Elder Blunt, the circuit preacher Elder Blunt
good man. His religion Of the most gen.
unc, experimental kind. lie was rery plain man.
He like Mr. Wesley wouli M more dare prcoch
.Hne mon than wear fine coat He was cccbra-
ted for his cOmmon-senSe way Of exhibiting the
principles OF religion. He would speak just what lie
thought, and as he felt lie somehow got the Lame
of being an eccentric preacher, as every man. be-
lieve does, who prcvaricatcs and always acts
and speaks as he thinks. Somehow other. Elder
Blunt had heard of Sister Scrub and of that intrm.
ity of hers, and he resolved to cure her. On his
first round he stopped at esquire Scrubs" all
other itinerantS had done before him. John, the
young man, took the elders horse and put him in
the stable, and the preacher entered the house. lie
was shown into the best room, and soon felt very
much at home. He expected to hear something in
due time disparaging the domestic arrangements,
but he heard it sooner than he expected. This
time, if Sister Scrub could be credited, her house
was all upside down; it wasn't fit to stay in and
she sadly mortified to be caught in such plight
The elder looked all around the roo,n as if t., OBJ
serve the terrible disorder, but he said not word.
BY aud by the dinner was ready, and the elder sat
down with the family to a wells spread table Here
again, Sister Scrub found everything faulty; the
coffee wasn't fit to drink, and she hadn't anything
fit to cat The elder lifted his dark eye to her face;
for moment he seemed TO penetrate her very soul
with his austere gaze; then slowly rising from the
table he said Brother Scrub, l want my horse i'm.
mediatcly must leave"
"Whv, Brother Blunt, what is the mattcr!'
"Matter? Why, siI, your house isn't fit to stay
in, and you havn't anything fit to eat drink, and
l won't stay"
Both the esquire" and his lady were COMPOUNDED.
This was piece Of cccentricity entirely unlocked
for. They stupciicd. But the elder was gone.
lie wouldn't stay in house not fit to stay in and
where there WASH, nything fit to eat and drink.
Poor Sister Scrub! She wcpt like child at her
folly. She "knew it would he all over town." she
said, "and every body would be laughing at her"
And then, how should she meet the blunt, honest
elder again2 "She hadn't meant anything by what
she had said" All! she never thought how wicked
it was to say so much that didn't mean anything.
The upshot of the whole matter was, that Sister
Scrub " saw herself as others her." She ceased
making apologies and became a wiser and better
Christian. Elder Blunt always puts up thc'c, al
ways finds everything as it should be- and with all
his eccentricites, is thought by the family the most
agreeable, as he is acknowledged by every body to
be the most consistent Of men.
MENoRY.-In a lecture upon "The Wonders of
Science Compared with the Wonders Of Romance"
we find the following illustration of the astonishing
retenvcness of memory, and the Importance of stor
ing its countless cells with worthy immortal treas.
ure:
"There is reason to believe, for instance, that
idea which existed in the mind can be lost. 1t
may seem to ourselves to DO gone, since we have no
power to recall it; is the with vast MAORI
ty of our thoughts. But numerous facts show that
it needs only some change in our physical or intel
lectua condition to restore the onglos impression
A servant girl, for instance, twentyfour years old,
who could neither read write, in the paroxyisns
of fever commenced repeating auently and prom
n tiv poscoras If attn GroaE md Hehrpw and II