The weekly Anglo-African., 1859-07-30
A LAUGHING CLERGYMAN.

We can remember the time when we
imagined that ministers were invariably
distinguished by gravity of countenance
as immovable as the stony lineaments Of
the Egyptian Sphynx, or the brazen fea-
lures of the Colossus of Rhodes. But we
have long since learned that they are men
of like infrmities with others, and that
their subsection to the weakness of human
nature sometimes leads them into difficult
ty. We have heard the anecdote of the
minister whose gravity was overcome at
the sight of the ludicrous antics of the
man who had fallen asleep on the church
door, and had been upset by pugnacious
ram, who mistook his nodding for signal
of defiance, and charged upon him accord
ingly. The minister beheld the scene
through the open church door, and burst
into laughter in the midst of his sermon,
much to the astonishment of his hearers,
who could not understand the cause of his
mirth His modification was so great at
this untoward incident that he would nev-
ersagain enter the plupit.
In the Recollections of a Life Time,"
by S. G. Goodrich, we find related a circum-
stance of somewhat similar nature, which
he gives as follows
Once upon time there was a clergy
man, the Rev. DR.. IT,, a man of high char
acter, and distinguished for his dignity of
manner But it was remarked that fire.
quently, when ascending the pulpit stairs,
he would smile, and sometimes almost tit
ter, as if beset by an almost uncomfortable
desire to laugh. This excited remark, and
at last scandal finally, it was thought ne
cessary for some of his clerical friends, at
a meeting of the association, to bring up
the matter for consideration.
The case was stated, the Rev. DIR. t. be-
ing present. "Well, gentlemen" said he,
the fact charged against me is true, but /
beg you to permit me to offer an explana-
ton. A few months after / was licensed
to preach, was in a country town, and on
a Sabbath morning was about to enter up
on the service of the church. Back Of the
pulpit was a window, which looked upon
a field of clover, then in full bloom, for it
was Summer AS ] rose to commence the
reading of the Scripture, 1 cast a glance
into the field, and there saw man per-
forming the most extraordinary evolutions,
jumping, whirling, slapping in every di-
rection, and with ferocious agony of ex-
ertion. At first / thought he was mad
but suddenly the truth burst upon me
he had 6ssttoned up q humble bee as has
aautaloonse! / am constitutionally nerv-
Gus, gentlemen, and the shock of this scene
upon my risable sensibilities was SO great
that l could hardly get through the SER
vice. Several times was on the point of
bursting into laugh. Even to this day,
the remembrance of this scene-through
the temptation Of the devil-often comes
upon me as / am ascending the pulpit.
This, | admit, is a weakness, but trust it
will excite your sympathy and prayers
rather than your reproaches."
The idea of the situation of man hav-
ing humble bee in his pantaloons, al
though, doubtless, somewhat unpleasant to
the unfortunate sufferer, is SO intensely lu-
dicrous to an unconcerned observer that
we do not wonder that the gravity of the
good doctor was overcome by tn Y.
J Chronicle.