The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-08-18
THE GATE CITY
ss.al,ns s.r~e.s

/ sa4E
The rector and the curnte OF O. English
parish had been absent for some time but
they were efficiently represented while they
] we're away. They returned to resume their
duty on tbesame day. The cufste took The
morning service, while the rector ofiiciaaed
fora friend 10 neighboring parish but the
rector was present in the evening to preach
after the curate had read prayers. The SER
/ mon ia the morning Was 30 good that the
members Of the congregation congratulated
themselves on the effects the change Of air
bad had on the preachers style and powers
generally. When the rector ascended the pull
pal in the evening they hoped that judi
cious hoiiday-tiu.s had had the same effect
nHea hias aaa they fell that they would be
better able to judge when they heard him
give out the saloe text which had formed the
subject Of the curate' illustration in the fore
noon. Very soon, however, they found that
ii was not only the same text, but the same
sermon AID tLen the faces OF the congre-
CATION assumed a variety of expressions that
might have deGed Herr Schultz himself to
represent. There was but one placid coun-
tenanee Ia the whole church and that WAS
the preachers, who went on quite uncon-
scions Of the day history and lis consequent
ces There was but one face beside that did
not bear upon it an expression OF fun, or
comic surprise or Imaginable perplexity and
pnzzlement and that was the cnrate's. He,
good man looked the more concerned and
abashed AS he tried to look otherwise the
more he stroye 10 assume guise Of indiffer,
ence the more intensely Mortified he grew
IN short the two worthy personages had. I'M
known to each other, purchased dozen or SO
Of Autographed manuscript sermons;and they
had had ill-lnek, with communication
with each other, to select the same sermon
wherewith to inaugurate their return TO their
old pastorate The people, however, were
good >natnred people. The two clergymeE
were worthy men, and beyond harmless
joke or two, no harm came of this little mis-
adventure. is more dangerous, perhaps,
to preach the printed than the written SER
mons OF other people. remember an illus
tratioA &C this in The case Of a popular
preacher On leaving bis church, where be
had delivered very original discourse, he
asked clerical friend who bad been pres
ent what be thought Of the sermon. The
friend spoke Of It In terms of the warmest
praise. and then the subject ~as dropped. In
The course 81 the following week, how,ever
the friend for purposes af his own purchased
three volumes efsersons delivered and print
ed IN America q dozen years before. In the
second volume opening it by chance, he
came on the very original sermon his friend
had preached. aid asked his opinion of on
the previous Sunday. He quietly put that
volume in his pocket and went down to the
chapel. Jack = said he-ibey were both Of
the free and>easy style Unpopular preachers
Jack what rascas these Yankees are
Here taking out the book they have taken
the excellent sermon | heard you preach I
last Sunday and printed TIA dozen years
agon Jack laughed, hummed tune, offer
ed his friend cigar, and walked away to one
of the theaters DIR. Done Saints and Sin
Hfra