Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-11-20
THE BOY CHURCH.

AIA AOt ~ "A nS IA
He was playing at the gate as l went
past, and heard the father call out
" Boy, you want to gallop in here and
get ready for the meeting !"
"Shi - briefly replied the lad.
"Shi! IN shi you, young man, if you
do not trot in here lively You'd be as
bad as Jesse Pomeroy il left without a
father for three months ~
" | would, hey ?"
" No sass, young man it's time you
were getting ready for church !"
The minister was giving out his text
when the boy and his father came in.
There was considerable Improvement in
the boys looks. His hair had been
CREASED and combed, he had on his Sun
day jacket, and there was II religious look
in his eyes as he fell into the pew.
| ought to have listened closely to the
sermon, but | did not. Tho boy and his
father were in the pew next ahead, and |
couldn't help but watch him. l have
my opinion about forcing boys Of ten or
twelve years of age to listen to sermons
which not one adult mind in five can fully
grasp, and was willing to chance my
theory on that boys action.
He got along very well for tho first ten
minutes. Then he asked his father what
time 1t was, and when the parent replied
with II warning shake of the head, the
boy cast around him for something to in
terest his mind. The preacher settled
down to his discourse, aud the boy settled
down to his plan of wearing away the
coming hour. He reached over and got
hold of his fathers silk hat, and was try
ing to remove the band when :he parent
took it away and bent over and whispered &:
Boy, if you don't pay attention to the
preacher l'll break your neck when we
get home !"
The lad fixed his eyes on the Clergyman.
He saw that the good man had auburn
hair, blue eyes, Aorid complexion, and
was we'll dressed. He heard him make
use of such words as "tortuitous," Gun
eXampled," ," and "rcpcllant," without be-
ing able to tell whether they referred to Il
new kind of string bean or to the gospel
of Christian light; he reached out and
secured his fathers cane. He punched
at several flies, crammod the silver head
into his mouth until he turned purple in
the face, and finally reached over and
jabbed woman under the lett shoulder
His father then grasped the cane, laid il
away, and whispered
Young man, I'll tan the hide off \
you when we get home ~
The words were intended to make the
boy pay strict attention to tho balance o
the sermon. He Strengthened up, looked
at the preacher again, and tried hard to
understand the discourse. The good man
was trying to explain the difference be-
tween theoretical and practical Christian
! ty, and in two minutes the lads eyes
were fixed on the chandeliers. He counted
the number OF burners over and over,
and forgetting himself for moment he
began to sing. His father gave him u
kick, and leaned over and whispered
"Oh, boy, III make you hump the
moment we get into the house"
Knowing that his father would keeI
his word, but yet hoping to break th,
force OF the prospective "peeling" by be
ing real good for the next half hour, the
boy faced the clergyman again. III,
knit his brcws and plainly showed hi.
determination to understand and interest
himself in all that was good. The good
man was drawing II parallel, and a doler
Of the church members wers half asleep
1t was discouraging; and after two o
three minutes the boy got hold of II bit 0
paper, wadded it, stuffed it into his moutl
and chewed it awhile, and then balancing
the wad on his thumb, he elevated it tel
feet toward the ceiling
7 The law Of gravitation applies to papo
wads as to iron weights. This one cnm
down in a short time, and as luck woul,
have it, struck the bald pate OF the hal
asleep sexton. The victim gave star
Of alarm, whirled quickly around, anc
the boys father pinched him savageb
and whispered:
:" Oh, I'll fix you for this ! just lo
me get you home once !"
couldn't see how the boy was t,
blame. He couldn't understand the ser
} mon he saw dozen men around hin
asleep it was hot day; he was n ner
yous boy and used to moving around, AM
his own father had been gazing out OF th
window in an absent way for IA quartz
of an hour. He made last grand effort
lie braced his nerves, shut his teeth han
and sat erect as "A new hitching post. Th
clergyman seemed to look right at tn
boy as he used twenty big words in sue
cession, and the lad gave it up. Ill
opened the pew door, and was trying t
entce a small dog TO come in, when hi
father awoke and whispered
You wait-oh, you just wait !"
The exercises closed just then, and th'
boy walked home behind his parent t
get dressing down tor not having th'
mental caliber of full grown man, an,
for not sitting still and going TO sleep li&
his father.