Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1861-03-30

Conference room, and spread an immaculate
pocket handkerchief on the dirty aoor where.
| on to kueel at prayers.
The fact lie, young Clifton had been bred in
ease, aud had the outside Of gentleman,
which is disadvantage sometimes particu.
lsry If the inside does not correspond. lie
had young mans natural longing to go out
in the world, and see little Of the rough
side OF ito try his own wings, which he had
now for some years been impatiently autter-
ing on the edges Of the paternal nest Add
to this the honest enthusiasm Of young
fellow who believes himself called to show the
heavenly road (not as finger post, as Jean
Paul suggests, which only points the way, but
does not move !tself) Aud this tempered,
perhaps, by the modest thought that it would
be easier for him. young and inexperienced
man, to lead rough Hoosiers up this steep
md narrow path than the more refined and
intellectual congregations Of the East-a
little mistake | have known wiser men than
the reverend Paul to make-as though the
widest horses did not need the best drivers.
Put these together, ard you have, suppose,
nearly the mixture of motives which brought
him to avoid the soft ease Of first class
city appointment" and join himself TO this
unknown future Of the backwoods.
! The bishop regarded him with mild pity as
| be read him his fate. \ set custom could
! not be violated on his account nor, indeed
| did the venerable mon believe that this trial
had best be spared the young preacher.
| When the last hymn WAS sung, and the
prayer and benedlctlon had dismissed the
! membets to their homes he walked over to
! where Clifton sat aud shaking his hand
enconragingly, said,
"k eep up your spirits, Brother Paul the
sword of the Lord Ia on your sGe-'the
sword of the Lord and of Gideon"
/ Yes, yes" remarked an old fellow who
overheard these words IL wish there was q
! little mora Gideon though"-while hard
! featured circuil.rider growled to himself,
"Tain't right, hardly. I've a mind to change
! places with him he looks like good young
fellow"
! You let him along" interrupted old
| Father Sawyer probable the bishop knows
/ what he's about. Let tho young man take
! his chance. The Lord will provide"
! Il don't believe the Lord knows anything
! about ShottOver," retorted the circuit rider
who had enough Of Gideon about him, at any
rate and who probsble would have rather
enjoyed tussle with that devil OF mischief,
who was said to be so strongly entrenched 10
! Paul Cllitons new station.
! 10 which regard be differed much from
! Paul, who was not what you call muscular
/ Christian, forcing people heavenward by the
fear Of the Lord aud a big tst; but eminently
mild hammered man, slender, and more
given to his Greek Testament than to his
! dumb. bells. Old Peter Cartwright would
have counted hin but small potatoes. But
| then. even Peter is mortal. IN fact, l find
nothing so very mortal as muscle.
! That he might properly prepare himself
/ r 4 -, 3 D,l,
who made Shottover by word und :e.
! proach in the mouth. Of the brethren, these
| took care fully to inform brother Paul Of the
various disagreeables md trials he might
expect his new station. Dust in this way
my grandmother used 10 describe to me
beforehand, and with great minuteness and
conscientousness, the uauseOus horrors Of
that inimitable favor Of disgust, on impen-
ding dose Of castor oil as Of grandmothers,
and particularly those OF the male sex. J
Thus advised, and in no very sauguine TEN.
per- Paul rode into Shottover on the top OF
stage, on u Saturday morning and after
refreshing bis inner and outer man al the
hotel he proceeded to view his church.
Now, to au earnest aud unsophsticated
Christian like the Reverend Paul Clifton,
used all bis life TO the comfortably cushioned
pews, carpeted aisles, sofa'd pulpits, and
scrupulous cleuuliness of our city churches,
the little meeting. house at Shottoyer was
like to be O shock. \ shock certainly, to
bis sense Of comfort and deceucy; perhaps
(who knows p TO hls faith 10 the Christian
doctrine.
1t is unpleasantly situated u the extreme
edge Of bare and ste:le clay bank- down
which. | verify believe, II will tumble some
rainy day. Its low roof; its mud -bespattereo
walls, once painted dirty white its narrow
door way, making no allowance for sinners in
crnoline its ragged wagon-shed, like Jack
Straws house, neither wind tight nor water
tight and throu! b whose boaru sides several
generations Of horses had gnawed sundry
holes, which gave their successors occasional
privileged squlnts into u cool meadow beyond
thus pointing q Sunday lesson even to
obs tinate horse flesh, by this pleasant vision
OF heavenly grass fields aud this fianked 10y
an appalling architectural novelty-a bell.
tower, or embryo steeple, standing on its own
base, and giving the impression TO an unfa'
miiiar eye that it had been lifted down by
some light banded giant-sll this does uot
promise we'll to man who holds his faith by
the ties OF mere use aud comfort.
Within, the narrow aisles are covered with
a fine coating of rich Indiana mud. The hare
traight-backed, uncushioned pews afforded
no rest for the wicked nor to the piout
either, unless as is some times the case, pety
and adipose tissue are found in the same
body. The preaching stand has bt least The
merit of consistency, being neither cleapej
nor more ornamental than the rest of thu
church. Rainstained windows bare, white
washed, aud partly "peeled" walls, whit'
where no stains of tobacco betokeu th'
resting. place Of some saint who chews th'
cud OF Virginia content beneath the shadoV
} of the preachers long arms and hug
stove, whose pipes stretch like vast arm
} along the ceiling on both sides, as thong
} preparing to shed fervid blessing on th
assemblage truly here was found cause sul
fcent for series of shocks to Christians Q
} weak faith or sensitive nerves.
Nevertheless, though cleanliness is next t
goodness, dirty shirt is not evidence OF th
= unpardouable sin and, thank God hav
0 known men whose hard hands and sole
0 clothes bid soul so clean that, II you wer
: not wretcbedly near sighted, aud could Sc
o all through a coating Of clean dirt, you
Q once took such to your heart.
Such an one was Farmer Leighton :
o tall, raw. boned bard-featured man. with IL
o awkward stragliug gait, uncertain poise
booy, and splay feet which are the reward
y OF an iuscrutable Providence for a life
0 severe toil-perhaps to teach US to look
IS meath the surface for the truest worth pc
s. haps also to tell Us that man does not live
D. bread alone, and that Mary did indeed chooi