New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-10-18
Shifting tho Responsibility.
BY JoNcE HOOPER.

Brothers Crump and Noel were members. Of tile
church, and both clever, honest men, who paid
their taxes and debts as the same annually accrued
with regularity at once Christian and commenda-
Bile. Ii, when the settling day came round, Brother
Noel was Short Brother Crump was sure to be
in funds and, on the other hand, It almost seemed
providentia how, if Brother Crump fell behind,''
Brother Noel always had surplus. Thus bor-
rowing from and lending to each other, worship
ping at the same church and living mile apart,
an intimacy gradually ripened between them; so
at least they did not hesitate to speak in the frank
est and most familiar manner to each other, even
in regard to their respective foibles.
Now, it came to pass that Brother Crump, during
the lveest period of the cotton season, drove into
Wetumpka and disposed of his cropn Of ten
bales, at the very fair price Of twelve and half
cents per pound. 1t was more than he expected,
and as the world was easy with him, he determined
to invest, and did actually invest portion Of the
proceeds Of the sale Of the cotton in barrel of
western whisky paying therefor at the rate of pre-
cisey two pounds of middling cotton for one gallon
of ''do." whisky.
OF course it was " narrated in the settlement 2
that old Crump had bought q whole barrel, and
after few weeks people began to observe that
his nose grew redder, and his eyes more moist
The idea that Brother Crump was drinking too
much,' diffused itself in the neighborh0od, until,
| as one might say, it became epidemical. People
talked and talked-more especially what few of
other denominations Of Christians there were there
abOut.''
Brother Noel was ~ sore troubled y at the scan
|
brought to society at Sharon. So one morning he
stepped over to Brother Crump's and found the
old man in dose in the little porch.
"Wont you take dram!" asked Brother
Crump, as soon as he was made aware Of the pre-
sence of his neighbor.
"Why, yes; I'm not agin dram when body
wants it,
Brother Crnmp got his bottle, and the friends
took dram apiece.
"Don't you think, Brother Noel,'' said Crump,
that sperits is blessin' 2"
"Yes,n replied Noel, 'sperits is blessin' that
some of MS abuses"
"Well now, brother Noel, who do you think
abuses the bessin'?n
you think that you drink little too much, brother
| Crump?"
| "It is hard to say,' returned Crump. Some
| times I've thought was drinkin' too much, and
then again I'd think may be not. What is man?
A weak ,ro,7'un, of the dust! So left it to the
Lord to say whether was goin' too far in sper-
its. put the whole sponsibity on him; Iprayed
eff was drinkin' too much, for him to take away
my appetite for sperits."
Here brother Noel groaned very piously, and
asked:
''What, then, brother Crumps''
"And, )" replied Crump, "Tve prayed thatprayer
three times and he hain't done it. So Pm clear of
the 'sponsibility, any way"
after taking another dram, he went home, thinking
all the way how clevery brother Crump had shifted
the responsibility.
The following is funeral sermon lately preached
in Ohio by Buckeye clergymen:
have been begged, mportuned, and entreated
to preach this sermon, but don't want to do it.
| | never did like the man; never knew nothing
good of him. He had horses and he run them he
had cocks and he fit them; l have heard that he
was occasionally good at fires. The hearers will
please remove the body and sing the following