Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-05-05

critical in deacon 70 be pretending to lean
upon bis hand when he is only keeping his
wig straight.
After the morning service they have an
"hour's intermission," as the preacher calls
IL; during which tho old men gather on q
sunny side of the building, and after shaking
hands all around, and asking after the "lolks"
at home, they enjoy a quiet talk about the
crops One man, for instance, with twist
in his noso would say, ats raether a grow.
in season !" aud another would reply, "Tol.
cradle, but potatoes is feein' the wet badly"
The stout deacon approves this opinion, aud
confirms it by blowing his nose very power.
fully.
Two or three Of the more worldly.minded
ones will perhaps stroll over to a neighbours
barn.yard, and take look at his young
stock, and talk OF prices, and whlttle lit
tie aud very likely some two of them will
make conditional "swop" Of "tbree likely
ye'rlings" for pair Of -year.olds."
The youngsters are fond Of getting out in.
to the graveyard, and comparing jackknives,
or talking about the schoolmaster or the
menagerie, or, it may be, Of some prospective
"trave" in the fall,-either to town, or per-
haps to the "sea shore"
Afternoon service hangs heavily; and the
tall chorister is by no means so blithe, or so
majestic in the toss of the head as in the
morning A boy in the next box tries to
provoke you into familiarity by dropping
pellets Of gingerbread through the bars Of
the pew but as you are not accustomed to
that way Of making acquaintance, you de-
cline all overtures.
After the service is finished, the wagons,
that have been disposed on either side Of the
road, are drawn up before the door. The
old Squire meantime is sure to have little
chat with the parson before he leaves in
the course Of which the parson takes occa.
sion to say that his wife is little ailing,-
ga slight touch" he thinks, "of the rheuma.
tiz." One of the children too has been
troubled with the summer complaint" for q
day or two; but he thinks that dose Of
catnip, under Providence, will effect cure.
The younger aud unmarried men, with red
wagons flaming upon bright yellow wheels,
make great efforts to drive off in the van ;
and they spin irightfully near SOME Of the
fat sour.faced women, who remark in qui.
ct, but not very Christian tone, that they
"iear the elders sermon hasn't done the
young bucks much good" 1t is much to be
feared in truth that it has not.
In ten minutes the old church is thorough.
ly deserted the neighbor who keeps the key
has locked up for another week the creakinc
door; and nothing of the service remains
within except-Dr. Dwight's Version, the
long music books,--crumbs of gingerbread
and refuse stalks of despoiled ienne.
And yet under the influence Of that old
weather-stained temple are perhaps growing
: up-though you do no. fancy it--souls pos
sessed of an energy, an industry, and a re
spect for virtue, which will make then
: stronger for the real work Of life than all the
elegant children of city. One lesson
t which even the rudest churches of New Eng
land teach,-with all their harshness, an,
all their repulsive severity of form,-is tn,
lesson OF self.deuial. Once armed with that
and manhood is strong. The soul that pos
G sesses the consciousness of mastering passion
r is endowed with an element OF force that cal
0 never harmonze with defeat. Difficulties
wears like a summer garment and fling
i away at the first approach Of the winter o
, Need.
Let not any one suppose, then, that in thi
detail Of the country life through which our
4 hero il led, | would cast obi oquy or a snee
: upon its simplicity, or upon its lack of re
y 6nement. Goodness aud strength IN thi
world are quite as apt to wear rough coats Il
;. fine ones. And the words of thorough an
y self.sacri6ciug kindness are far more ofte
Q dressed in the uncouth sounds Of retired lit
i than in the polished utterance of the town
e Heaven has not made warm hearts and hon
II est hearts distlngushable by the quality c
t the covering True diamonds need no wor
of the artifcer to reflect and multiply thei
u rays. Goodness is more within than without
q and purity is of nearer kin to the sopl tina
j. to the body.
: Aud, Clarence, it may well happe
e that later in life-uuder the gorgeous Gel
L ings OF Venetian churches, or at some spleu
L did mass in N6tre Dame, with embroidere
II coats and costly silks around you-you
it thoughts will run back to that little storm
r. beaten church, and to the willow waving
its yard, with a hope that glows, and with