The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1864-03-25

why. sakes alive, ye oculdn't have toldi Want
But If Mr.. Shubrick did 60 to the old Meet
inc. did not DR.. Tyler Todd attend the New
DIR. TYLER Todd, who came from New York, and
"iinei by letter" from one Of the very first
meeting-houscs in that large village DR.. Todd,
who had cut of legs, who had got out patent
for making guano out OF moss-bnnkers, who
played ON aute with real silver Keys. VINO knew
Greek, who could argue on the difference be-
tween Old anil New School with Parson Steb-
bins tin that Achilles of the faith got hit in some
vulnerable heel Of his doctrine, and had viItu
ally, II not verbally, to own up that his goose
was cooked, by growing very red in the lace
and exchanging argument for denunciation
To US wise and impartial ones. who spent
three or four weeks at Muskeogue every sum
mer for the sake Of the bluefshing-us, who
being neither of the Old or New Meeting, looked
down with a smiling 0lympian justice upon the
quarrels of both, and having, as q matter OF
course. no touch Of that frailty ourselves. which
could under any circumstances make On enemy
of the brother whose twcede-dum was not our
tweedle.dee, e,-Muskeogue polemically consid-
cred, was q mighty entertaining spectacle. II
was very funny to see the small retrousse
nose of Mrs. Ebenezer Shubrick tossed up at
Mrs. Tyler Todd of Sunday as they passed
each other on their way to the different Meet.
ings, and the calm self complacepcy with which
Mrs. Tyler Todd caught the toss, like skillful
PLAYER at "one old cat" on the edge OF her
consciously New York made bonnet, to throw
it back upon Mrs. Shubrick's cherry-colored
bows, home manufactured out Of her husband s
best store-rbbon. 1t was very funny to see
Daddy Pringle. leader of the Old Meeting
Psalmody, plodding along in his uneasy Sum
day clothes, humming the three tunes he was
going to set the first hymn to according rs II
was long, short, or common metre, anu stop
ping short, caught in the very act, MS he was
met by the New Meeting choristcr, then grow
ing very much hurried, and all the rest OF the
way to the Old Westinghouse whistling some
thing else in low, agitated manner, to make
believe that no thought of official responsibili-
ty had once entered his mind. Il was very
funny to see even the children OF the Old and
New Meeting Sabbath schools encounter each
other, chock full Of the antagonistic orthodoxy
holding the books they had drawn from the
libraries in the most conspicuous positions,
that the highest glory might be to the Meeting
who furnished the biggest, the most picto-
rial, the shiniest as to morocco and gliding.
Droll to us were the opposition sewing socie-
ties, the tea cake at Sister Riggs of the Old,
reported by spies, and utterly eclipscd by the
"rale mullins" given the New Society at the
next assembly in the house Of Sister Briggs.
Meeting got up "Puss in the Corner" for
the purpose of alluring the gentlemen to tho
society after tea, the ladies of the New imme-
diately brought dismay to the hearts OF their
competitors and many more gentlemen To their
own, by the introduction OF tableaux or cha
rades. Droll to see how the New Meeting sis
ters laughed ut the said poor "Puss, rs child.
ish nonsense, and the Old Meeting sisters were
Mortified at the tableaux and the charades, get
ting the opinion Of Parson Stebbins upon them,
and characterizng them as worldly, theatrical,
and "not bit better'n dancin'."
Yet I fancy that to those who were actors In.
stead of SPECTATORS, who, unlike US, could not
preserve the position OF smiling impartiality,
the Muskeogue polemics were anything but
droll There was, no doubt, great deal OF
honest indignant grief in the hearts OF the an
tagonists which kept itself for husbandly and
wifely conferences, for the sacred privacy OF
closets, the studies of the Pastor and the Stated
Supply, and those hours Of free thought which
farmers and fishermen get when their superfiu-
Gus pugnacty Is working itself oil in the plow
or the cod.line, and the operation OF the mind
is mostly pure, common sense logic, free from
the party feeling which ferments in idle mo-
ments like beer when the barrel stands still. AS
Sister Riggs bent over her washing the thought
often limited itself that il Sister Briggs hadn't
belonged to the other Meeting II would have
been so nice to ask her recipe for those contro-
yersial mullins and dim questioning arose
whether the orthodoxy which interfcrcd with
mullins and sisterly Christian intercourse in
general was the orthodoxy after all. Then Sis
ter Riggs sighed, and rubbed the soap on hard-
err to Danish the consideration. And Daddy
or, rs he was called by the reverent in his own
Meeting, Father Pringle-standing by his farm
work bench, putting a lot of teeth into his best
rake, whles heard blending with the 'Chancy"
that had whistled itself through his head since
the funeral half q century ago, Mt which he nrst
sung. "Why should We mourn departing
friends ?" stray strains Of the plaintiye minor
of"Naomi," which would not out though they
belonged to the New Meeting, and had no bust
ness in any ear which had only caught them
through the window of the New Church rs he
went past while they were havinga rehearsal.
"Consarn yew!" Daddy Pringle would ejac.
ulate on such occasions, and have no doubt
he thought the m,ld imprecaton was addressed
to the vice which stuck, or the rake.tooth that
split but perhaps, in his heart OF hearts, that
Indignation was really directed at the theologi-
cal necessity of not learning "Naomi" because
it b'longed to the other Meetin'."
And when DR.. Eleazer Stebbins was writing
the sermon on Heaven" which will be remem-
tered by his congregation and his congrega-
tion's children long after the gray head and the
warm heart that II was born Of shall have moul-
oguc burying-ground, coming to the celebrated
passage which was introduced by, "That they
all may be one, even rs We are One" he how
ed his head upon the desk for nearly ten min
utes, while tho ink was drying In his pen, then
arose, wiped his spectacles, blew his nose, went
out into the street for little air, and meeting
the Stated Supply, actually stopped with o
smile to shake hands with him and ask how his
cough was.
E. Yes, I fancy that polemics, to the good peo-
pie of both the Meetings in Muskeogue, were
no droler affair than they have proved to good
people in all the Meetings out Of that town.
But IL there were two members to be found
in the two antagonists Meetings Of Muskeoguc,
who for all practical purpose, might be sup.
posed to know never q relenting. feel never n
misgvng upon the subject Of their hostility.
those two were Deacon Townsend OF the Old
School, and Deacon Allen Of :he New. These
good men were the heads Of the battering-ram
the muIzles Of the cannons. the potatoes In the
pop guns. Whoever else hung fire on either
side, they always went of first II Deacon
Townsend made any remarks In the meetings OF
the school district, Deacon Allen always had .
directly opposite opinion to express II Deacon
Allen supported one man for supervisor. Dea-
con Townsend invariably had better. In &C.
clssiastcal bodies OF course they did not encoun-
ter one another. 80 that their opportunity OF
putting down false doctrine was limite to more
general occasions, where the subject had to be
treated Indirectly. Forinstance. Deacon Towns.
end couldn't tackle Deacon Allen on the ques-
ton of "election" IN the lecture-room OF either
Meeting, so he was Obliged to manifest his views,
when he sat as examiner, by refusing certih-
cate to district school teacher whose mother
Was Deacon Aliens cousin. That was the In
gcnious way IN which heresy was put down Tin
MuskooUua .