Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1868-12-02
CORY O'LANUS' EPISTLE.
On a Strange Subject.

There sometimes u betwrc" the traits OF
some remarkable people and others.
MIR. Beechcf observed The other eve
ming in familiar chat with Sunday
School that he used to 90 to sleep in
church when he was bnv.
So did
The only differences between our cases
is-that il was bis father who used TO
preach him 10 sleep, my father used to
wake me up.
That is. If he happened To wake before
did.
By observation and practice. however, !
generally hlt upon the particular part of
the service when tie old gentleman would
wake up and anticipated him by few
seconds
Then when he opened his eyes he would
meet the sorrowtul AMI rcprovIng glance
of his offspring.
But my calculations could not always
be relied upon. Our neghbor in the
next pew might snore t,le louder than
usual or fly might buzz around the old
gentIeman's nose and wake him up before
his time, which was sure to make him
mad and he would take it ont in waking
me up.
| agree with Mr. Beccler that church
pews are much more comfortably fitted up
now than they used to he.
Still they might be improved
The backs are too low
They should either be built higher or
have heal rests like those attached to bar.
berS chairs to give YOU an easy shave, and
which you can raise or lower as YOU pre-
fer
recommended this style of seat to the
Long Island Historical Society some wears
ago, and they SAID they would adoptit
when they put up "A building of their own.
Mrs. O'Lanus thinks people !:adn';
ought to sleep in church.
lftbey can't keep awake they should
stay at home.
And she wanted to know what good a
sermon dill anybody it they slept all
through it and didn't hear word of
TO which | responded By asking her
another conundrum: What good did a
sermon do person who heard every word
Of it, hnt couldn't for the life "f them make
out what it was about?
She gave it up.
So did |.
The church has attractions which draw
people in spite of the preaching.
Not to reflect on the ladies' bv limiting
at the fashions, there is the music
like music
After the collapse of the Philharmonic
Society and in the d arrh Of opera, church
music is not 10 be despised
Besides You can have il on Sunday,
when there are no other entertainments
going on.
The qucrtet,c singing in some Of the
churches is really very fine.
The church choir is coming To be re-
garded as the uursery,,of the oper,lic stage
and concert room.
1t is very good school.
When | was "A boy all hands in the
! church used to pitch ia when the tupe
started and swell the note of praise.
And heavy swell it was
But that was in the dayS when they
didn't bujll several hundred thousand dol.
lar churches, with twenty hundred thous-
and dollar organs. and twelve thousand
year preachers
The people had to do their own sing
ing. They couldn't afforI fifteen hun
dred dollar soprano, a twelve hundred a
year tenor, a thousand dollar baritone, and
an eight hundred dollar contralto, or an
organist with diamond sleeve buttons.
We have improved much since then in
piety as in others things.
They had no pew anctons in those
days.
The gospel hadn't been exhausted them
and the ministers didn't have 10 fall back
on politics
| The Episcopaliars were undisturbed by
Ritnalism, were not sffiicte with Tyngs.
or S!ubbses, or Boggses.
! Methodist ipacons could chew tobacco
without fear of being orerhaulei by the
| Conference
The Reformed Dutch Church was not
ashamed to be called D2tch.
And Long Island was innocent of a
Bishop.
But the dominees then hal their fail
ings.
They hadn't as much respect for the
feelings of sinners of refined tastes and deli
cate sens bilties.
They used to preach more sulphur. and
you used to hear a good deal more about
the Devil than you do now.
Excuse my mentioning this shocking
parsonage, who is seldom referred to now,
and when he is, il is in an indirect and
more delicate way.
There was certainly lack OF refine
ment in those good old days, that would
be quite shocking now
Our preaching like our pews has been
velvet cushioned, and are no more like
the old style than the upholstered seats
are like the plain oak benches, Henry
Ward and slept on in the days of our
youth and innocence.
Once in awhile the old spirit Of John
Knox breaks out, and the pulpit echoes
with an honest outburst of Indignation at
the wickedness of some men, and the tol-
Grafton of wickedness by everybody else.
L. l,,,l1 f-,a 4