The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-02-25
Sflistellaneous.
The Man in the Back Pew, with
no Hymn Book.

GOOD reader, suppose man comes to
your house to dinner. You ask him to
sit with you, and, taking your places at
the table, the meal begins. All that is
necessary for the enjoyable refreshment
of the inner man is before you, well
cooked, and decently served. You and
your family are seated in comfortable
chairs, with cushions on them. Your
places are furnished with the requisite
knives, forks, and spoons, to assist you
in disposing of your eatables, and to
promote your comfort as you eat.
But your guest is not SO well provid-
ed for. Instead of giving him a cush-
ioned chair, you ask him to sit on a
hard board bench, or on cOmfortless
stool with no back on it. You hand
him his food, it is true, but give him
neither knife, fork, spoon, nor napkin.
AT first he thinks there is some uninten-
tional omission, which he hopes you
will presently supply; some mistake,
which you will rectify. AS he gazrs
around the table, however, he sees all
your family supplied with the requisite
table furniture, and enjoying their din
ner with it. And he further notices
that his unfurnished condition awak-
ems no surprise on the part ofany body
at the table.
With embarrassed mood, and sadden-
ed heart he does his best at partaking
of the food set before him, but of course
fails to enjoy it. He hurries through
as rapidly as he may, and, even though
he may not verbally express his deter
mi ination, yet he inwardly resolves that
he will never again take n meal in q
house where the hospitality is of the
peculiar sort you have shown him.
But you say you cannot suppose such
a case. You never treat people in thai
way when they come to dine with you
1t would be very bad manners.
Come then, from the dinner table t.
the church.
The church bell rings, and the churcl
doors are thrown open, welcoming al
who may feel disposed to enter and par
take of the free Gospel feast. A stran
ger, attracted by the entering throng
and by the music of the organist's vol
untary, accepts the invitation and pass
es in. Perhaps he helps himself to /
seat; perhaps the sexton, or the churci
com mmittee, may select one for him. Ii
either case, we find him in unmolestet
possession of a pew in the rear art o
the church.
The voluntary being done, the SCI
vice begins. After brief invocation
) the minister says, "Let us sing the on
! thousand and ninety-ninth hymn,
which hymn he proceeds to read. TIL
people who belong to the Church hav
, hymn books of their own, and turn +
3 the place. Our stranger friend has non
and nobody hands him any. He
obliged to depend for his knowledge {
what is to be sung on what hehears th
minister read. He makes all the effoi
q his memory is capable of; CALLED b
: the incivility done him, and feelin
r that he is an unweleOme intruder. A
!; 3 first he thinks the church must hav
been too poor to provide hymn boo
for his uncushioned seat. But he se'
p the carpeted aisles, the stained glas
the freseoed walls, the gilt organ pipe
and he Is convinced that the finances
the establishment must be in prospe
Gus condition. And Us he further col
N templates the golden-e edged, morocco
\ bound hymn books, and the cushion'
II pews of those who are of the hapI
ii number of habitual worshipers in tn
sanctuary, he realizes that he has nett