Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-08-15

was Parson Wilbur, walking, walking, up and
down, up and down, among the new made
graves in the church yard; (for Jalaam is a
poriotic place, and many a noble fellow, fall
en- in this terrible and holy war, heard his
last sermon in the old meeting housc;) and
we knew he was thinking of all the grief and
sorrow that had fallen on his parish; and by
and by he went and stood a long, long while
close by one grave there, whore the grass
hadn't begun to grow, and where, on plain
white stone, was carved
HOMER WILBUR, JR.,
KILLED AT GETTYSBURG, IN THE WAY OF his DUTY.
AGED %.
Even so, Lord for so it seemed good in Thy sight
Poor dear, Parson Wilbur" whispered
Hubby, as her head leaned close against mne
''there's something besides dew-drops shin
ing o" that grave tonight"
The next day there came letter from the
minister. Now the parson is real gentle
man, from the very core of his heart out to
the ends of his eyelashes, and the tips of his
finger nails, and so he never writes in big
Latin words to us simple folks; and when he
talks to us he takes us so into the wisdom that
surrounds himself. and drops his own
thoughts into ours so quietly, that lie makes
us feel as if we had thought them first our
selves. He finds the best side of us, and
seems to draw out nobler things than we have
in us; and SO when he goes away we feel
somehow as if we had been teaching him, in
stead of his teaching us, but thankful and
humble withal in the midst of our pleasure
and stronger and better for that sweet infu-
ence OF a christian gentleman.
This is what the parson wrote -
Dear Ezekiel Il have thought much of
our conversation last night, and Of your ques-
ton concerning the duty Of your good brother,
IN tins hour Of his great trial. | fear have
mistaken somewhat the spirit of ChriSt's
teachings. Seeming kindness and leniency
are often the greatest cruelty. We cannot in
Jure our brother man more than by allowing
him to go Oh in lis sin. There is no greater
wrong to humanity than compromise with
evil l have found in some very old manu-
scripts, containing the earliest church legends
and traditions, second part, as it were, to
the parable OF the Prodigal Son, of which we
were speaking. | send tito you as applicable
to your brothers case. May God guide him
in all his decisions, and keep him in all his
ways. Respectfully yours,
HOMER WILBUR.
THE LEGEND.
certain man had two sons, and one was a
prodigal, who had wasted his fathers posses
sionS and squandcred his substance on har-
lots. He left his fathers house. and spent his
days and nights in riotOus living. At last he
was stripped Of everything, and actual want
came upon him. Then, in the midst of his
hunger and nakcdness, he thought of the
plenty in his fathers house, and his mean sell
tishness was reused, and he said ''For the
sake OF the bread will go home again, and l
will declare unto my father that | am sorry
for my sin, that l may fill myself with the
fat OF the land, and no more eat these blasted
huskS; and as to these swine, may the devil
take them"
So the prOdigal went hom,, and Shis father
believed every word he said, and pitied his
thin, wasted appearance and his hungry looks,
and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and
clothed him richly, and made great feast for
him. But the older son, steady hard work
ing matf, with kind heart, expostulatcd with
his father thus; Father, let us try the
strength of my brothers purpose: let us not
cause him to fail again; let us guard him from
the eine of hie torrner life, let us hedge MN
round from evil and be sparing of our ndul-
! gence; lestwe keep him from growing strong,
confirm him IN his weakness, and cause him
to think lightly of his errors"
But the father would not listen. He heaped
tavors and indulgences, more and more, on
| the prodigal, and more and more neglected
the faithful sun, letting his foolish tondness
run away with him. No sooner did the spend
| thrift find himself filled every day with the
most delicate meats, than his old habits re-
turned upon him with ten-fold strength. In
the flush Of prosperity he forgot all the les
sons of adversely, and the humility, gathered
among the swine, was replaced by PRIDE,
when he found himself again in ''thc purple
Day by day he gained more and more powerin
the household; they had been used, in old times,
to submit to his domineering ways and found |
it easy to slip back into the old tIraldom. At |
last he grew tired of the quiet, home life. |
My brother is prig," said he, ''and the odd |
party is slow. I'll send for some of my merry |
friends So he sent for his wild, profgate |
associates, and brought back, by degrees, his
harlots into the house. His ia her looked
grave and tried to expostulate, but he had
some weak sisters, who took his part, because
| they got a astof dress occasionally, OF Il
jewel, or ring, and because they Jared
snmptuousy every day. So the JOY at the re-
turn died out, from the better part Of the
household, and things grew worse and worse
every day. The prodgal became more and
more overbearing ever day; drove his father
and brother from room to room, because he
desired to occupy them himself; forced
them to stand behind his chair at the
table, and at last kicked them out
of the house altogether, and made
of it disgraceful scene of riot and debauch.
So the father discovered too late that his weak
indulgence and incxcusable forbearance had
brought down the bitterest curse on the heads
OF his sons, as well as on himself, and saw the
ruin he had wrought by his miserable conces-
sion, when he could no longer avoid it.
| From this legend snUgests ParSnn NVilbrr