The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-11-11
A Ministerial Mistake.

tFrom the La Crosse I.eader.l
An amusing mistake occurred at one of our
churches on Sunday last, which it will do wei
to make a note of. sombre dressed and
well behaved young gentleman, and a stran-
ger in the city, wended his way to one of the
places where the gospel is dispensed, and up
ON entering the church the minister politely
bowed as in recognition of the young gentle
man, which salutatiOn the stranger could but
return. The minister then arose from his
seat in the pulpit, came down tc the place
where the young man had seated himself, and
asked him to take a place in the pulpit and
make prayer.
Stranger-"Guess you are mistaken in your
man, SIR"
Minister-"You are the gentleman, l be-
lieve, with whom L had conversation yester-
day."
Stranger-"No, sir, am an agent for
wholesale liquor store in Chicago"
Minister retiring to his pulpit disguised,
breathes a prayer Of more than ordinary
force and fervor.
GoUGH's GEsTICULATIoN-Iha have been crit
ticised severely for the ungracefulness and vio-
lence of my gestures. do not wish to deprecate
criticism; l know am ungraeein and aYk-
ward. L once heard boy say to his compan-
ion as they came out from the lecture-room
see him 90 it with his feet? L never studied
the graces of action or gesture; probably L
should be more graceful if / had. We often
acquire unfortunate habits that are hard to
break. A German in Philadelphia told hls
employer that he was "going to hear dat Mr..
Cough, vat dey say dalks mt his goat dails."
am aware that do occasionally shake my
coat tails. How acquired the habit do not
know; but l condemn the motion as much as
N,xI hS ,.l
person who would strike me on my knuckles
with a stick whenever l dalk NIT my goat
dails." / think 1 could not make speech
with my hands tied. L have never tried it;
but 1 will not make excuses for my gestures,
L am often amused by the committee, after
erecting platform perhaps twenty tees by
fifteen, asking me :" ii l should have room
enough?" or whether the president would be
in my way il he remained IN the chair. re-
membered lecturer who was not so fortu-
nate as to draw large audiences, complaining
that they did not give him room enough.
Only let me have platform as big as you
give Cough, AMI L will make as good a speech,
and draw as many people. 1t is nothing in
Gough,-it is the platform that does it."
L find people do not generally prefer to sit
o the stand while L am speaking; perhaps
desiring to IS see him go it with his feet" or
fearful of being kicked off;-and it is danger
Gus to get too close 10 me when L am g. DING
it." DIR. Beman once, when L was speak ng
in his church, stepped very softly behind me
to arrange refractory gas burner, just as l
threw back my fist, and he received sting
er" in his face. When l felt his hard teeth
and soft lips against my knuckles, as my hand
came in contact with them so violently, achill
ran through ne; but when l apologized af-
| forwards, the good doctor said, with a smile:
/" remember, sir, you are the first man that
| ever struck me with impunity." have found
| blood on my hand more than once, and occa-
sionally black bruise, and l certainly could
| not tell how it was done; but guessed that,
while was "going it," l must have struck
| NV hand somewhere. 1 have said-and be-
| lieye-that when man is thor roughly absorb
| ed in his theme,-when his subject fills him.
he will so lar forget all, and everything, in his
intense desire to make his audience feel as he
wishes them TO feel, that physical suffering
| will be not only endured and triumphed over,
| but he may become unconscious OF pain, in
the overwhelming power of his su, ject on
himself. know that on the subject OF tenn
perance feel what say. know it, Imust
| feel on this theme deeply. No lapse OF time
can weaken the intensity of my feeling Burn
| ed into my memory, are the years OF suffering
and degradation, and L do feel deeply, and
must ever, on this great question.-Goughs
| A,ttObiOnrnnbn