Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-11-03
An Evening with the PrOgreSSives,
Andrew Jackson Davis and Parker
PiIlshnrY.

dIhCT, Will you ldNt u pltCC vi
the beef?" said Mr.. Davis, at the din
ner table
"Well-yes," replied Parker, a lit.
tie hesitatingly; "but / was waiting
for you to ask blessing"
"Ah," said Mr.. Davis, 81 have no
objection to the blessing, if any one at
the table feels like it; but, according
to my ideas, God breathed a blessing
into this animal pointing to the juicy
steak before him) when He said, you
shall be beef-and good beef-tO bless
the stomach of man. / think, Par
ker, we can show our gratitude by
partaking heartily"
''All right" replied p. P; "but
always give everybody a chance to
worship God according to the dictates
have been brought up in that way,
and, from the force of habit, kept
quiet a moment"
henquestiOned in reference to the
war waged against slavery years ago,
he said:
81 tell you those were troublous
times. Stephen Foster and l had
some pretty narrow escapes. Stephen,
you see, would always persist in get
ting himself into trouble. lisa won
der he hadn't been killed. Stale eggs
used to sail around with an OdOr and
velocity as damaging to a fellow s
OlfactOries as to his good clothes. Ste
phen was arrested and locked up in
Jail at least a dozen times, for disturb
ing the peaee-and very little differ
ence it made to him. While the rest
of us would be holding forth in some
hall or lecture room hired for the pur-
pose, Stephen would leave the crowd
and walk into a religious meeting and
give his views of the case there. Put
him Outr Put him DOWN. had not
the slightest effect; Stephen always
finished what he had to say-unless,
indeed, he was marched OFF to Jail be-
fore he reached lastly One day he
was Overtaken by u mob ia a town in
Massachusetts; not content with
bruis'ng and laming the poor fellow,
some scamp, without particle of con-
science, reached in and amputated
one of Stephens eOat-tails. They
wore swallOw-tails in those days.
The next morning, which was Sun
day, We assembled at the hall of the
town to preach our doctrines; Stephen
was nowhere to be seen. | knew well
enough that he had gone to one of the
where they had a more
fashionable congregation, in order to
display his One-sided garment. 1 was
right. He waited until the bell had
ceased ringing. and the minister had
arisen to read the hymn; then Ste
phen walked slowly, and with great
dignity, up the chief aisle-minus one
Oat-tail-ascended the steps of the
pulpit, and seated himself beside the
chair. OF course there
could be nothing done about that, as
he made no attempt 10 disturb the ex-
erciseS of the meeting. Atthat period
it was customary for all to rise at
prayer time. The minister read the
hymn, a chapter in the Bible, and
then followed the long prayer before
the sermon. All arose and Stephen
arose. ButtOning his curtailed outer
garment tight over his breast he de-
turned his back TO the aud
fence, and stood perfectly still until
the prayer was ended, then silently
and respectfully walked out"
"Bu', Mr.. Pillsbury," f" said I, "what
good did that dO?''
"What gOod?" he replied; "do you
remember the name of Mrs. Liver
mOre's paper, the 'Agitdtor p We'll,
the way, and the only way, we could
do much good in those days was by
agitating; and that performance of
had its effect, / can assure
you"
Moonlight flooded the pleasant
apartment, and still Parker kept on
with his interesting variations. 1t
was so still there, so quiet, so glorious
ly harmonious, that 1 could not help
asking myself, From whence does
this sOul-rest emanate? Is it the re-
suit of their peculiar faith? And
made bold to ask.
Easily accounted for, my friend"
said Mr.. Davis. 1--WE believe, we
tRoW that all the troubles and annoy
lnces of this world are simply bless
ings in disguise. Whatever comes to
mortal man or woman is the best pos
sible thing that can happen to that in
lividual. We take things as we find
hem, and don't quarrel about it. My
nature needs this treatment, this dis
,ipline, for its progress and develop
that. One plant requires
/ great deal of sunshine, another more
If the gentle dew; another, To pro
note strength, must be constantly
irenched, and so on through all ma
,ure and all natures. This philosophy
We call Harmonial. Then again, love
ives in this house. Mary and p
md here the philosopher threw the
title woman by his side a glance
which entirely substantiated the sub
equent Mary and are
perfectly content with each other"
'"Yes-well," :" l queried, but what
{ God should suddenly remove Mary;
where would be the peace and harmO-
~ then? Wouldn't you feel that you
Iad more than you could beaT-that
ife wasn't worth living for? 1t seems
q me very easy to have a philosophy
or other people"
"Why, bless your heart" he an
wered, THAT would be all right, and
should so recognize it. 1t would be
hard, and l should suffer, but l should
egaId the separation as wise and low
ng, and just what l needed; but why
10 make use of that word separation?
We should be just as near each other
IS now.n
"Oh, yes," said Parker, and it
eemed to me the moonlight paled a
title, and l instinctively drew my
,haIr nearer the group, as the idea of
'eturning spirits flashed across, my
mind: 1.-The saddeSt sight in this
world to me, is family of mOtherless
title ones, and yet more than once l
iave said TO the stricken mourner,
md said it because 1 believed it, too,
lot simply as a word of comfort, your
wife is Just as near those babies as she
vas before this physical change, Just
IS loving, ana much more powerful to
lelp.' 1t is the strangest of all strange
hings to me how any one, with the
east idea of another state of existence,
AN believe that in the grave which
the cast-Off garments of flesh
S also buried all love, and tenderness,
md sympathy. Oh, Death is not the
lorrid old bugbear he used to be, and
rejoice at the change. ."-Pdckdrd's
for .NoUember.
PROGRESS IN JAPAN.-JapaR is 60
pg ahead. 4 railroad is to be built
rom Kobe to Osaca, and a telegraph
rom Jeddo TO Yokohama. A new
mint is about to be established by the
and a general system of
dueation under foreign teaching
These movements mark the positive
of a new age of civiliza-