Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-08-26
LYMAN ABBOTT AS AN AUTHOR.

eooHe III uci WdiiSJ, VIC uuiiCoe udy VI
the week was when essays were to be
read. 1t is safe to say that "Paley's
Evidences or Kames' Criticism" had
in them more force than the first lunges
of inexperienced collegians. The stu
dents sat down with resigned spirit to
wait till the hour was passed, longing
for the gong to sound. But when Ly-
man Abbott read, we used to wake up.
He never had an essay about "the sea-
sons,' or "the swiftness of time," or
'meandering streamlets = but something
fresh, spirited, odd, humorous, and me-
morable. The professor listened and the
students clapped till they were called to
order. Those days come wildly to mind
as we take up Laicus, Mr.. Abbott's last
book. 1t is the same old style, and all
that is needed to make the University
picture good again, is the group of boys
around the professors table-a group
that will never again be gathered.
1t would be grand thing to have
Laicats put in the hand of every minis
ter and layman. Mr.. Abbott, since he
left the pulpit, for the editorial chair
from which he breaches to about fifty
thousand people each week., has on
Sundays been sitting iii the pew, and
tells in his book how ministers and con-
gregations look from that point. The
characters introduced are as distinctly
drawn as those of Charles Dickens -
The Rev. DIR. Argure-learned, dull,
heavy, Opaque. He probably got his
title of D. d. some year like the present
year, when there was a deluge of titles,
and almost everybody was struck. He
is no doubt called learned because he is
heavy. A minister who is heavy is al
most always suspected of being learned.
A deep voice, pair of spectacles, and a
wise look elects man to be professor
of dictate theology.
There comes Mr.. Gear, the infdel,
whom the minister undertook to catch
with bare hook, and failed; while
Laicus swung round him the silken net
of the Gospel and hauled him in. There
is Maurice Mapleson, pastor drawing
a whole community toward God by the
force of warm heart. In eternity we
will be surprised to find how little brain
was necessary for preaching the Gospel
successfully. On that day Great Heart
will outshine Great Head Maurice
Mapleson will coup to keep jubilee with
those whom he won for God, but Doctor
Argure, it seems to me, will not be sat-
isfed unless he can be chewing syllog-
isms to all eternity.
The book introduces Mr.. Hardcap, an
angular christian, who has family prayes
with vengeance, and snuf1es over his
religion till you can hear him from
| Wheathedge to Brooklyn. Oh ! he rep
resents class of people who make re
ligion loathing to young people. In
stead of making Christianity a balsam
they make it a pill. To them her way
of wretchedness, and all her paths ar
pain. The only thing about Mr.. Hard
cap that surprised me was that he die
not steal something.
But there comes Miss Moore of Wheat
hedge, glad faced, busy-handed. Almos
every church has at least one of her
Sometimes she looks down from the gal
lery, sometimes from the deacon's pew
sometimes from the Sabbath class
Wherever flowers are to be gathered, 0
tracts distributed, or the sick comforted
or tears to be wiped away, there she i:
The only fault we have to find with he
: is, that she is almost sure to get married
and move away to some other parish
If you would know the usefulness of on
bright, social, intelligent, helpful Chri
: tian girl in a church, ask the min1ste
!. ask the deacons, ask Laicus
The book is one of the healthiest.
: well circulated, it will upset many
the ecclesiastical humbugs. A sham
u none the less to be despised because
y sits in church, and rolls up its eyes hy]
q ocritically. In our parishes, let cantir
i and false dignity 60 to their own pla
q that is, where Judas went. True I
s. ligion is frank, plain, gladstone, and 81
. gracefully anywhere. 1t is time for
great thar. Fewer stills, less whinin
/ greater simplicity, and more snap.-Tt
= mage.
70 HOW GOD ANSWERS PRAYER