The Portland daily press., 1868-01-06
Miscellany.
Mrs. Grundy i'm the Church.

From Harper's Magazine for Januery.]
The Easy Chair has long looked through
the rel gious magazines, reviews, and jour
mails, to find an article upon MRS. Grundy in
the Church." Mrs. Grundy in society W. all
know. Mrs Grundy in politics is also ia
miliar acquaintance. But it is in the church
that Mrs. Glundy mods sup: eme and holds
highest her yiltuous hands of horror. She
denies moral # eedom OF action to the clergy
man. Erecting certain standard of action,
he must conform. She spreads Tor him what
seems to many a very soft and pleasant
couch. 1t is the bed of Procustes, and sh
tries to force him to lie upon it. Mrs. Grun-
dy does not permit the clergyman to do what
he thinks right and best, but insists upon
what she thinks he ought TO think right and
best The very person whom she has invited
to take spiritual charge of her, and in whose
moral rectitude and Just judgment she must
therefore be supposed to contide, is the very
one whom she will not suffer to dance, if he
wishes to, or to hear any but slow music
Is slowness religious? Is tune iapious be-
cause it is merry? The opera is device of
Deelzebub, is it, dear Mrs. Grundy? And
what do you think of bobolink? The ac-
cessories ale bad? But what of malice, and
backbiting, and spiritual pride, and jealousy,
and intolerabie personal gossip in church?
1t is extraordinary how that old woman
controls us. Here is a young fellow,
preacher in the bud, and tull of the happiest
promise; and he goes-weil, pretty often, to
see as lovely and admirable a young person
OF the other sex as Can be found anywhere;
and merely because this wretched old wom-
an puts up her eye-glass and says, "Hm, ha,
twice last week. What does that mean? No
young clergyman ought to be suspected of
flirting" the young fellew drops off, and the
young person of the other sex begins to grow
pale. Or there was the good old pastor Of the
church so well known to those OF us who are
familiar with it, who after his long and faith
full service proposed that the afternoon SER
vice should be omitted. And why not? Ev
cry Sunday afternoon he preached to few
brethren, more or less asleep. 1t was not
very unreasonable that he should suppose
that they would prefer to sleep at home. In
any case it was cruel tax upon him. But
Mrs. Grundy was aghast. She could see in
such suggestion nothing but sottening of
the brain, or the oyerthrJw of the christian
religion; and she stated her case so strongly
that the rest OF the parish yielded, and still
continue to take their Sunday afternoon nap
in church instead of at home.
Why don't the ministers break Mrs. Grun-
dy's head9 Why do they not say to their So
cieties that they will not, because they
ought not, continue to work SO severely for
pay SO miserable2 And why do not we who
sit in the pews interfere? Above all, if we
cannot pay large salary, and choose occas-
lonaly to send purse to our clergymen, why
do we not make it point Of honor that no
body shall mention the tact to the newspa-
pers? What honest man does not vince
with shame when he reads that the parish
toner's of the Rev. Mr.. Blank presented him
on Tuesday evening at his residence, with
neat purse containing twenty five cents in
new tive-cent pieces; that the Honorable
Somebody or Nobody made few telcitous
remarks to which the pastor faelinoly re-
sponded? What is the object of this kind of
thing? 1t is the glorfication OF the gener-
GUS society that presents the purse. 1t is not
as somebody claims, beautiful public tribute
of respect and regard for the minister; for he
knows and they know and everybody knows
that the sole public impression is that poor
Blank must be very sore pressed indeed when
he is eloquently grateful for fifty cents, or
new hat or coat, or whatever it may be.
The whole ceremony is Mrs. Grundy's at
tempt to eat her CAKE and have it at the same
time.
A conscientious clergyman is the hardest
worked man among US; and yet there are
very many who look upon HIM as kind of
drone in the great hive, and who have
vague idea that he is pretty we'll paid for do
ing very little! 1t is this halt contemptuous
feeling which DR.. Wayland, the chief of the
Baptist clergy, Trad in mind when he said, in
his caustic way: Brethren, ii one OF you have
lazy, good for nothing son, about whom you
are in despair, you are sure to make Bap-
fist minister OF him." Ii that is the feeling
how can we expect our children to care or
wish to go to church? And yet what right
have we to expect that another kind of man
will be satisfied with the pittaLce we pay?
The most shining proof of the generally no.
BILE character OF the clergy is that, despite the.
pittance, they are not the KIND of men DIR
Way land described. But they do want more
independence. They do want to tread down
Mrs. Grundy under their feet.