The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-03-23
Benjalnisa sIiarpIey.
, A TALE FOR THE ovEs.THR1FrY.

E o.
ada a. A TALE FOR THE ovEa,THR1FTY. ,,s
When left Powerstone. Mr.. BENJAMIN
Sharpley was a man of about forty years
old; he was now sixty. He was then a
hard.working man-a bursting tradesman.
He was thriving in the world, for he was
shaving for the world; his whole heart was
given u to business; he was looked upon
asia highly respectable person, was hon.
est in all his dealings and being thriving
man, had that sort Of influence which in /,
creasing money AMI increasing prosperity
are sure to give in, this world, To my
mind he was thoroughly, entirely eaten up
with scovetousness. He was at work by.
daybreak, and you might see light in his
window late at night; he cared for nothing
else. but his shopao he talked nothing else
but business, he thought of, nothing lelse.-
To getlrich was his ons aim, He lived yery
plainly; spent next to nothing gave moth
ing away; except whel it was the respecta-
BILE thing to do, as on charity sermons, ,yand
on such like ,occasions; was ola cold, hard,
selfish temper. Religionl what 4 had he to
do with that? that was for the poor, or the
sick, or the dying, according to his view; at
anv rate he pushed AL such things from
his mind; his shop was enough for him; he
could not attend to two things at once, and
that was true. 1T was all very well for
people to be religious he used to say 'he
did pot object to, It; of course it was very
proper; he respected religious peoples ? but
he himself had no heart for it. It is true he
wenr.to church once Sunday; 1t was. re-
spectacle to go to- church, and he had
large high pew. for. alas, there were large
high pews then in Powerstoae Church.
Such was Mr.. Benjamin Sharplev, man
thoroughly for this world. prudent and
boarding. He was, unmarried, as he had
always dreaded the expense of marriage
His nearest relations were two neph ews,
wild and gay young men. who lived at
some distance, whom he never saw and
never liked. Of course. among the gos-
sips Of PoweIstone it wac Often a knotty
subject of debate what would become of
Mr. Sharpley's meney when he died. ~
The first Sunday after my arrival most
thankfully partook ofthe blessed feast Q +
the Lords Supper. It was a joyful yet an
affecting hour. When knelt at the altar,
/ found one kneeling next to me whom I
had little expected to find among my neigh
bors itheresit was Mr.. Benjamin Sharpley
I soon found from the clergyman that
Mr.. .Sharpley's was no mere formal change,
nor formal religion. He told me that he
was the first in all the good that was done,
the kindest. the most generous. the most
forward Though fhe still attended to his
shop, ne found time to visit the poor. and
to find out their real wants; he was the
friend OF the widow jand. the fatheriess, 81
ways took orphans as his apprentices, felt a
lively interest in the. schools, ,aad was now
busy building nm infant school FOR the -bene-
fit Of the parish; in short, be was. as eager
and anxious in toiling for others as he had
Formerly been in toiIing for himself ~
He .afterward told me the strange, merci-
ful event which led him to repentance for
the great sin Of coyetousness. 1t was as
follows; go 40 !"
Il had been working and slaving harder
than usual about christmas tune ten years
ago. bad all my accounts to make up;
and l confess with shame that stole'so
hp,rstwS Sundays fubning 10 spend upon
my books of trade.
On coming to the. end ofthe JOB, / found
to my delight that had had AIM pros.
perousyear and Iabsolutely glcated over
the figures that told me hewfrich / wsss--
The labor, however, that had undergone
had fairly worn me out, and when leaned
back onmy chair i felt great "a tigue, and
at last fell into erestless, confused slumber
and then had the fol.swing wonderful
dream. which has exercised such import
ance on my life. ss.irils. "a, Is & ID 81
4 dreamt that I was dead, and yet saw
everything that was going, onsin my house,
as thoaghI was alive. The day after my
death saw : gig drive up TO the door; two
young fellows, my nephews. jumped out
and exclaimed, what is, the old fellow re.
ally dead z, s,sasa.s. sisas IS 3. ss5sS
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