Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-12-06

VAIN, pc ,rs to me 20 I've left that bizness
till pretty late in life, deacon?"
said the deacon, still very solemn, and with
suspicion of annoyance in his vJice. The
wicked shall be cast into hell, with"
Meth r." interrupted George, consolingiy.
Come, George" said the good deacon, in an
ape ling tone, remember the apostle says,
'Suffex the word of exhortation.'
"'Ncuse me, deacon, but one suffering at .
tine; amt through suffering at being beaten
down yet. How about deacons not being given
The good deacon was panied, and he was al
mos. out of patience with the apostle for writ
ing things which came 50 handy to lips Of the
search for q text which should complet ely an
initiate the impious carpenter, when that in
dividual interrupted him with
out with i deac'n.ye he'd meetin' last
night, to see what was to be done with the i'm
penitent. was there-that is, sot on a stool
lest outside the door, an heard all twas said.
fe didn't agree on nothIng'-msb be ye',e
hAed II up since. Anyhow, ye've sot ms do xn
WILL"
Go on nailin,' interrupted the economic al
deacon, q little testify; "ths noise don't disturb
Well, what way am L so much wickeier'n
you be.-you an tother folks at the meetin'-
George, I never saw We in Gods house in
my life, }" replied the deacon.
Well, s'pose We hev'nt--is God so SIN ali he
can't be no~here's kept in your little mestin'-
ouse? How bout bis seeing folks in their
closets?
% George" said the deacon, '.ef ye'er a pray
in' man, why don't ye line yourself unto tbs
L rds people,"
''why2 Cos the Lords people, as YOU cali
'em, don't want me. S'pose 4 was to come to
the meetIn'-house in these clothes-the only
ones I've gOt-dye s'pose any OF the Lords peo-
pl-'d open pew-door for me? An s'pose my
fe an children, dressed no better'n be, but
as gods Can afford, was with me, how dye
'Pride goeth before a fall, an a naughty
sperit before'-groaued the deacon, when the
carpenter again interrupted:
ed feel AS ii the people OF God was gang
of insultin' hypocrits, an ca eft | didn't ever
want to see 'em again. Ell there's anythin'
wrong about mans feeln' SO about himself
and them God give him, Gods to blame for it
himself; but seem it's the same feeln' that
makes folks keep 'em straight in all other mat
tiers, III keep on thinkin' it's right"
But the privileges OF the Gospel, George"
demonstrated the deacon.
Don't you s'pose I know what they're
wuth?" continued the carpenter. "Havn't 1
hung round in front of the meeting house, sum
mer nights, when the windows were open, jest
to listen TO the siBgin' and what else 1 could
hear" HeZn't my wife ben with me there
many a time, and havnt both of us pr aged and
gToaned an cried in our hearts, not only COS
we couldn't join in il ourselves, but COS we
couldn't send the children either without their
learning to hate religion fore they fairly
know d what twas? Havnt / sneaked into the
vestibule winter nights and sOt Jest where did
last night. an heard what I'd liked my wife
and children to hear, an prayed for the time to
offend the little ones? An after sittin' there
last night, an comm home an telin' my wife
how folks was concerned about us an our re-
joicin' together in the hope that some day our
children should hev the chance we're shut out
of now, who should come along this morn,n
but one of those same holy people an Jewed
me down on pay that the Lord knows is hard
enough to live on"
The deacon had a heart, and he knew the
nature OF self-respect as well as men generally.
His mind ran entirely outside OF texts for a few
minutes, and then, with a sigh for the probable
expense, he remarked
Reckon Elites notion was right, after all
Their ort TO be workin' mans chapel"
"Ort!" responded Hay; "Who dye s'p,se
class houses, an sell US second hand clothn',
and the cheapest cuts o. meat, but when 1t
comes to cheap religion-nobody knows its
value better'n we do. We don't want ter go
inter yer parlors on carpets and furniture we
don't know how to use, an we don't expect to
be asked into society where our talk an man
ners might make some better dedicated people
laugh. But when it comes to religion-GOd
knows nobody needs and deserves the very best
article more'n we do"
The deacon was a responsible man, and being
old, was trying to look fairly at matters upon
which he expected soon to be thoroughly eX-
amined. The indignant protest Of the csrpen-
ter had, he feared, great deal Of reason, and
yet-GOd's people deserve to hold their position,
if as usual, the argument ended where it began.
SO he asked, rather triumphantly:
"What is to be done, Them
'.Reform Gods people themselves" replied
the carpenter, to the horror of the pious old
man. when the right hand of fellowship l.
out to the front, instead OF stuck behind
the back; when poor man comes along, there
will be plenty that'il be glad to take It. Re-
form your own people, deacon. For yer pick
out OF our eyes the Iholes we'll be glad to get
rid Of, ye can get a tine lot OF heavy lumber out
Soldif rs of the cross, no more than any other
soldiers, should stand still and be peppsred
when unable to reply; at least so thought the
dc aeon, and be prudently withdrew.
Reform Gods people themselves? The dea-
con was too old boy to tell tales out OF school,
but he knew well enough there was room for re-
form. OF course there was-weren't we all sim
we would do good wasn't evil ever
present with us?-what business had other sim
ners to complain, when they weren't at least,
any better? Besides, suppose We were to try to
reform the ways Of brother Grave and deacon
Stuggs and others he had in his mind, would
they rest until they had attempted to reform
him? And who was to know just what quantity
carried about with divers and strange doc
trines.r The matter was too great for his COM
prehe nsion, as he obeyed the Injunction, Com
init thy way into the Lord"
the deacon. Hay did full days work. the dea-
con made a neat little sum by recovering on an
old judgment he had bought for a mere song,
and the descon's red COW made an addition to
the family in the calf pen; yet the deacon was
far from comfortable. The idea that certain
people must stay away from Gods house until
Gods people were reformed, seemed terrible
IL they would be proud-snd yet, people who
would stand outside the meeting house and lis
ten, and pray and weep because their children
were as badly of as they, could scarcely be
proud. He knew there couldn't be many such,
else this Out-0f-door congregation would be
certainly asn't a full congrega-
ton of modest mechanics in the yestibule OF
which Hay spoke, and yet, who could tell how
many more were anxious and troubled on the
subject OF their eternal welfare?
What q pity 1t was that those workingm,n
W no wished to repair the sanctuary, could not
have steady work aud full pay. If he had only
known all this early in the morning, he did not
known but he might have hired hin at three
dollars, though, really, was a man to blame for
doing his best in the labor market? eye can
not serve God and mammon!" Gracious, he
could almost declare he heard the excited car
penter's voice delivering that text What had
brought that text into his head just n0w-he
had never thought Of 1t before.
The deacon rolled and tossed on his bed, and
the subject Of his conversation with thelcarpen-
teri tormented him so he could not sleep. or
one thing he was certain, and that was that the
reform of the church at Pawkin Centre was
not to be relied on in an extremity, and was
not hunRering and thirsting after righteousness