Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-09-28
From the New York Examiner -Republishe by request
The Silent Deaeon's Opinion.

When the next summer comes, with
its heat, and dust, and languor, and the
tired spirit, fainting by the way, cries
out for the wings Of a dove, go up to
W among the hills made sacred to
Nature, where the hurry and anxiety of
commerce are unknown, and the silent
Sundays are never broken by the whiz-
zing of machinery, or detiled by its smoke
and steam. You will see no Newport
bellies, ne@Bclmont equipages, nor will
you be hidden to any 'hops'-they don't
hop there-but you will be taken into
a holy, calm rest; such as ;he pilgrim
found in the chamber which was called
Peace If you have toiled hard enough
to deserve rest, you will find it there, if
not you will seek it anywhere in vain.
1t is the most silent place in the world;
and were it not for the farmer turning
his burrows, or casting in his seed, you
might imagine yourself already where
'Sabbaths never end Perhaps it is only
because Nature reigns with such calm
dignity, and echoes back every sound so
lovingly, that W seems silent in COM
parison with other places.
Entering the neat, capacious church,
fatherly and motherly faces meet your
eye Oh every hand, and you will soon for
get that you are stranger.
Yonder. in the square pew, sits Deacon
Lee; you would know he was deacon
if he had not told you. Some men are
born deacons-what pity that some
should enter the holy office who are not !!
Deacon Lee was not native of W,
but went there to till farm left him by
an aged relative some twenty years ago
about the time Deacon Bell died, leav-
ing sad void in the church and the par
sonage-for he was pillar in Zion,s and
a strong arm to his pastor. After seek
ing long to fill his place, the mind of the
church united on the newcomer, who,
by his solemnity, piety, and zeal, seemed
created for the place. He was man of
few words, rarely ever talking so that
the boys called him at first "a grum old
man. But they soon changed the opin-
ion for he set apart a tree of summer
sweetings and ore of bell-pears for their
express benefit, asthey went to and from
school, and surprised them by fine
swing, which he hung for them in his
walnut grove. So the verdict of that
and of each succeeding generation of
boys was, that although theideacon never
talked, he was kind and genial man,
and lover of children. Every boy, for
twenty years back, had been his shep-
herd, his watchman, or his assistant far
mer feeling it a high honor to hitch his
horse on Sunday, or to drive his manure
cart on Monday and all because they
saw, through the thick vail of reserve,
the love that burned and glowed in his
heart. .ss, - -4.1 -aI1'.s-s
Deacon Lees minister trusted in him,
and the church felt her temporal affairs
safe in his hands, and the world honored
his stern consistency. s.sHsEaf ;.
There was serpent in Eden, and a
Judas in thice-blessed band who walked
and talked with our -Redeemer on earth,
and who saw his glory mingled with his
humanity why, then, need we wonder
that one man subtle and treacherous, hid
himself in the calm verdure of w
crawling out ready to spring upon them
with his poisoned fangs? Upright, faith
full, and earnest as were the people, they
were not proof against flattery and de
ception. There came among them one
quite unused to their unostentations way
OF serving God, and ambitious, as he
said, 'of seeing them make some stir in
the world We know from Gods Word
that 'one sinner destroyeth much good,
and yet we are often annoyed at the wide
results of one mans evil work in the
church. One may sow tares which a
hundred cannot pluck out; and therefore
does it become Gods children to stay
the enemy in his first efforts.
He who aimed at the life of the Cos
pel Church in w. was dead, while
he had name to live He scorned many
of the humble ones whose crown is wait
ing them on high. He, hated the hum
bling doctrines of the Gross, and desired
to see man glorifed and exalted he re-
belled against the iron bars which he
chose to call the bonds Of love which
separate Gods chosen and ebedlent ones
from the world that lieth in wlekedness,