The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-12-30
fpr the 5firesitle Gllair.
Aunt Maguire's Description
OF THE
DONATION PARTY.

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| See It's about year since you was here, amt
it, Nancy 'Twa'n't long eafore you was
married, know. Well, ther's been some
changes here since then. We've lost our old
nlinisteFs Parson Serantum. and got new one
He seems to be a very good man, Parson Tut
tie does-quite young yet-jest begun to
preach, hain't ben married but little while.
And his wife appeared like nice woman,
tew. But feel sorry for 'em. This is
trying place for minister, and ministers
wife, tew. Though I don't know but what
all places are jest SO. All goes on slick
enough yet-but Pm afeard It won't last long.
They hain't ben here but three months-and
the people are maxim terrible fuss over 'em.
You know it IS the way they always dew
when they git new minister They re
ready to eat him up for SPELL And his
wife--.lawful sakes ther IS nothing equil tew
her. They make an awful parade about her
Such treatment spiles the minister's wives.
Afore long they begin to think themselves
the most important characters in creation
and really expect the hull l,communitySte be "a
flynn round all the time to attend tew 'em.
And It amt at all surprisin' it should be so
lit IS accordin' to natur.r But after spell
the minister gifts to be an old story, and the
people begin to find fault with him. Some
think he IS gittin' wonderful tejus; some
think he amt gifted in prayer, and he amt,
lsperritual minded enough to suit some Others.
But the most ginerala complaint is, that he
don't visit enough. AS if minister could
write tew sarnons a week-semetimes three
land go visitin' every day besides And
then bis wife-'t is; .astonishin' how public
opinion changes consarnin' her. The upper
crust beginsto think she Is a troublesome
helpless critter. Say she depends on the con-
gregation to take care OF her, and all that
They pick flaws in, everything she says and
does. And the under crust call her prond-
say she visits Miss This, and don't visit Miss
That. If she invites some of her neighbors
to drink tea with her-some o. the rest u be
mad, because she left them out, and say, she
feels above, 'em., And SO it goes on--gittin,
wossand woss--she can't please nobody. At
Fter spell, the deacons begin to hint to the
minister that it IS gittim rutAer hard to raise
his salary, and wonder whether or no he
could 8n't liue on less. If he thinks he could
MT, they wonder whether or no he could MT
de,qnaore goodin some other place So at last
they drive him to ak dismission, and the
poor man takes his family and goes off some.
where else, to go through with the same,
trials and troubles over again. And after
they we been settled about a dozen times,
the minister begins to find out that all amt
gold that glitters and his wife if she is wo-.
man o. sense-dscoyers that she amt a super-
natral being, and must take care of herself
like other folks g s..s...
That s tho experience o. ministers in GIN.
eral. I know it by my own observation
landsI'm sure it had ben the case with the
Scrantums. They ID ben settled in a number
q places afore they come here; and Miss
sScrantHm, herself, told me that it took her a
good while to larn that a minister's life must
be life o. trial and self-denial. But she did
larn it at last. Miss Scrantum was an excel
ienb7WeEhan. 0ne5 WANT no gaodcr nor no.
gossipper. She stayed to hum and took care
of her husband and children. If any body
was sick or suferin'. she was there to help
'em butshe seldom went out any other time.
She was good to the poor, tew--and divided
her mite with .em. You ID thought folks
couldent find fault with her. But they did
Some grumbled because she Want more soci-
able-and some was mad because she WANT
what they called an active Christian-that is
she WANT willin' tosspend the heft o. her
time runnin' round on missionary bisness
and idistribitin tracts, and so forth. But every
body was outrageous at her, cause she tried to
reconcile Liddy Ann Buel and Deacon Fus-
ticks wife--instid o. takin' sides with ary one
on 'em-when they had that awful quarrel
about the ostridge feathers. Bat thought
and think yet--that Miss Scrantum acted
jest Christian ought to act in that bizness,
though every body else blamed her; and
Liddy Ann and Miss Fustick got as mad a
her as they was at one another.
Parson Scrantum was good man, tew-
| and smart man--they dident know how to
yslly bin here. Ts b SURE be wsas away sf
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