The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1860-05-22
Sorry for whatr sharply interrupted Mr..

promised to be ready for me to-day didn''
! youP -, s5..
angry and imperiiive.
yes, promised. But
Then keep your promise No man has q
right to break bis word Pro" ises are sa-
cred things aud should be kept religiously.'
If my customers had kept their promises
to me, there would have been 10 failure in
mine to you,' answered the poor mechanic.
II is OF no use to plead other mems failiugs
in justification Of your own. You said the
bill should be settled to-day, and calculated
upon it. Now, of all things in the world, l
hate tritling. shall not call again SIR
IF you were to call forty times and l had
not the money to settle your account, you
would call in vain said the mechanic, show
ing considerable disturbance Of mind.
You needn't add insult TO wrong Mr.
Grsy's countenauce redd, ned, and he looked
angry.
III there is insult in the case, it is on your
part, not mine,' retorted the mechanic, with
more feeling :. am not digger of gold out
of the earth, nor coiner Of money. | must
be paid for my work before l can pay the
bills owe. 1t was not enough that / told
YOU of the failure OF my customers to meet
my engSgements-'
You've no business to have such custom
ers,' broke in Mr.. Gray. Nor right to take
my goods and sell tbom to men who are not
honest enough to pay their bills
'One of them is your own son. replied the
mechanic, goaded beyond endurance. His
bill ia equal to half of yours. ! have sent
for the amount great many times, but still
he puts me off with excuses. will send it
TO YOU next time
This WAS thrusting homo with a sharp
sword, and the vauquished Mr. Gray retreat
ed from the battlefield, bearing painful
wound.
THAT wasn't right in me, I know said the
mechanic, as Gray left his shop. I'm sorry
now that said it. But he pressed me too
closely. am but human.'
'lIe is hard, exactng mouoy.loying man.
was my reply.
They tell me he has become christian,
said the mechanic. Has got religou-been
converted. / that sof
1T is commonly reported; but think com.
mon report must he in error. ST. Paul gives
patience, forebearance, long suffering, meek
ness, broiherly kindness, aud charity, as some
Of tie christian graces. | 90 not see them in
this man. Therefore, common report must be
iu error.
q have paid him a good many hundreds
of dollars since | opened my shop here, said
the mechanic with the manner of one who
felt hurt. If | am poor, hard-workiug man,
| try to be honest. Sometimes | get little
behind hand, as am now, because the peo.
pie ! work for don't pay me up as they sho'd.
1t happened twice before when | wasn't just
square with Mr.. Gray, and he pressed down
very hard upon me, and talked just as you
heard him today. He got his money, every
dollar of it; and he will ge; bis money now.
| did think, knowing that he had joined the
oho-sL, ~ud ro"d0 protonsion uc i7''sion, tii"'
he would bear little patiently with me this
time. That, as he bad obtained forglvness,
rs alleged, of his sins toward Heaven, he wo'd
be merciful to his telow.men. All. well!
these things make us very skeptlcal about the
honesty Of men who call themselves religious.
My experiences with professors, has not been
very encoarag ing. As a general thing, |
find them quite as greedy for gain as u,Her
men. We outside people OF the world get
to be very sharp sighted. When man sets
himself up to he Of better quality than we,
and calls himself by name Of heavenly yir-
tue, we judge him naturally by his own stan
dard, and watch him very closely. II he re-
mains as hard, as selfish, as exacting, and as
eager after money as before, we do not put
much faith in bis profession, and arc ap; to
class him with hypocrts. His praying and
fne''talk about faith, and heavenly love, and
bo, oI all e;n
tempt rather than respect. We ask for good
works aud are never satisfied with anything
else. BY their fruits ye shall know them
On the next Sunday | saw NJ. Gray in
church. Ny eyes were on him when he en-
tered. | noticed that the lines of bis face
were all drawn down, and that the whole as.
pect and bearing of tho man was solemn aud
devotional He moved to his seat with
slow step, his eyes cast to the floor. On ia
king his seat, lie leaned bis head on the pew
n front Of him, and continued for nearly n
minute in prayer. During the services heard
bis voce in the singing; and through the ser
mon he maintained The most fixed attention /
1t was communion sabbath, aud h. remained I
fter the congregation was dismissed to join .
IN the holiesL act OF worship.
1T SO happened that had many opportn-
mites Of observing Mr.. Gray, who, after join
ing the church, became an active worker in .
sonc of tho public and prominent charities of
the day. He contributed literally in many
cases, and gave good deal of time to the
prosecution OF benevolent enterprises, in which
nen of some position were concerned But,
when saw him dispute with poor garden
er who had lai two sods in his yard, about
fifty cents, take sixpence OF poor strawberry
woman, or chatter with his bootblack over al
extra shilling, l could not think it was genu.
inc love for his fellow men that prompted bis
ostentatious charities.
In no instance did find better estimation
Of him 10 business circles, for his religion did
not chasten the ardor of bis selfish love Of ad
vantage in trade, ncr make him moro gener
Gus, nor more inclined TO help or befrend tho
weak and the needy. Twice | saw his action
in the case of unhappy debtors, who had not
been successful in business. In each case his
claim was among the smallest; but he said
more unkind things, and was tho hardest to
satisfy, Of any man among the creditors. He
assumed dishonest intentions at the outset,
aud made that plea for the most rigid ex-
IL 4.