Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1871-06-15
Free Scssfs.

which might have been heard, lately,
not far from here
lst Speaker. II don't know wheth,
er to 60 to your church again or not -
End S. "Why, whats the matter q
lst 5. Well sir, when have taken
a seat in church, don't like to be-
ordered out Of it,"
end S. "Surely not. Butt hope
that has not happened to you"
lst 5. at has, but it wont again. -
end S. | am very sorry. ] am sure it is
an exceptional case and Won must not
Judge us by the rare exception, but by
the general rule, you know. Perhaps
the person who ordered yon out q
his seat has family enough with him
to till the seat and merely allowed
You to taxa another seat, without
thinking that he could ask you to re
main, and take another seat himself
| presume be had no bad will.
LIST 5. 1t was poor way of
showing good riW if/ had a seat
and stranger should occupy it at any
time, before my arrival, think that
when | did arrive, | should make him
feel welcome, aad if there was not
room for both, should chcerfully
take another seat myself.
end s. That would certainly be
the gentlemanly and christian thing
to do. hope You may have many a
chance to do Just that in our church,
II YOU enjoy worshipping there. AT
all events, come again. am sure
yea will find glad welcome in more
seats than you can occupy at once.
lst $. Well perhaps | may, But
| don't believe in renting the pews at
all. If the seats were all free, every.
one would know that he mad equa,
rights with the rest, and could take
seat without fear of being disturbed.
In that case, such an experience as
mine could never be-
end 5. Still, it is pleasant you
know to have seat you can call your
own, and that you can be tolerabIy
sure of even if you are little late at
church"
LIST S. AS to calling seat yours,
no one viii object to your doing that,
if the seats are free. In any free .eat
church, you will hear one sea, spoken
Of as Bro. As, another, as Bro. BIS,
and third as Bro. C's and so on
through the church, simply because
all the seats are free to all
nineteen times ont of twenty, Bros
A, i, 81 {, sit With their families in
the same seats, yet if n stranger steps
in, he knows he is not iutruding upon
any ones rights. As to being sure of
u seat when late, it renting pews en-
courages hardness while free seats
promote punctuaIity, then let us have
free seats"
2ad s. But renting the pews is |
M easy and business like way OF rails
ing money"
lists. 81 see not why voluntary
contribution is not equally easy, and
business like"
3rd Speaker, (who had been listen
ing YES! There can DO no real ob
lection to that, and no doubt it was
the plan of the Apostles. Think of Pc.
ter and Paul and John renting pews
Everything was free"
2nd S. So it is with us, no one
is obliged to rent q pew; while AL
are welcome whether they pay or not.
ard = "True and we may be
sure, that very large majority OF the
pew holders would cheerfully wei
come any others into their seats, So
long as there was room, and would
even be glad to stand, if so, they
could furnish a seat to a stranger"
LIST 5. Some Of them wouldn't, |
know.
3rd 5. "Then they need convert
ing. So you must not judge the con.
ycrted ones by them - but | was 60.
ing to say Notwithstanding the free
dom offered, it is not ter save by
those who hold pews, and there will
always be some, who do not hold
pews, either because there are none
for them, or, they feel to poor to pay
for them"
end S. But put them Mt = low fig
ure.
LIST S. "Thcn how much money
will You raise ~