Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-10-31
THE CURATE'S STORY.

In the earlier years of my clerical
life, it was my fortune to hold curacy
in one of the ancient metropolitan
parishes.
The church was, in point of archi-
tectural beauty, by no means what it
might have been, although efforts to-
ward improvement bad been made
when 1 first entered On my duties.
Yet, unprepossessing as was the appear
ance of the building, it seemed to exer-
else an almost magnificent power of
attraction upon persons about to marry,
and to such an extent was this the case
that when 1 left the parish / had myself
married one couple for every day of the
period during which l had held the
curacy.
Seldom did an evening pass without
a ring at the bell of my lodgings about
9 or 10 o'clock, and the entry of pecu-
liarly folded paper with ever the self
same contents
" Rev. Sir: A wedding 1.-TWO or three
weddings and now and then even six or
seven) at 10 o'clock tomorrow morn
ing. Your obedient servant, J. B.,
clerk"
He was a wonderful man, that same
j. B. My vicar, who had not the best
of health, though he did his part ac-
SO1NAhS W lis hOlilGy; was d uduOSOIn0
man of some fifty five years, and looked
his profession but j. B. on Sundays, as
far as "dress and Department. went,
with the neatest and stiffest of white
cravats, and the glossiest of strictly
clerical coats, and a look which seemed
to say: Wears and curates may be
all very well in their way, but ! know
on whose shoulders the real RESPONSE
bilities of the service rest" fairly
eclipsed us both. He had seen, as he
told me, four Wears "outn-he has since
fifth-and curates without number
his post was a lucrative one; and he
was reported to have done well for him
self in his business-that of an under
taker-so, perhaps, it was but natural
that he should be tolerant of the vicar
and condescending to the curate as to
men who come and co." while clerks
go on forever.
But, like the peacock, he was better
to look at than to hear; his voice was
his weak point; the higher it was raised
the more reedy it grew, as realized OH
my first Sunday afternoon, when, after
the baptismal service was concluded
there were eight babies that day-he
shocked my notions of propriety by
thus addressing the assembled sponsors
Ladies as wishes to be churched
PAOooO " ~ uP " GHO Id11S, nhICA tAS
ladies accordingly did.
We had morning prayers on Wednes
days and Fridays. On my first Wednes
day, l well remember the Snow, ol
rather what had been the snow, wa
deep on the ground. had put on my
surplice, and was leaving the vestry
when j. B. stopped me: Better set
if there's congregation first, sir.'
Z, He entered the church, and in min
ute or SO returned: IF you please
sir, there was only Capt. M; and h
said as there was only him, he wouldn'
trouble you and he's gone, SIR"
This, however, 1 ought to say, did no
happen a second time we always had
congregation, though it was often yer
limited one.
There was a special point, however
on which l must own J. B. deserved m
gratitude. He had a sonwho wrote
large and very legible hand this so
was his fathers amanuensis, and use
to write the names in the "Ban
Book"
1t was the custom for the col
gregation to sit down every Sunda
morning after the second lesson, Will,
\ published from twenty to thirty pail
from various parishes for the first, Sc
ond, and third times of asking, an
but for the exceeding legibility of tI
writing would many a tin-e have broke
down. learned then for the first tin