The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-04-25
TESTING WITH HOLY THINGS.

things with lightness. As pure
minded maiden shrinks with wounded
feelings from icsting words spoken
against the mother she loves, sd does
the truly religious man shrink from
laughter-provoking jests pointed at
Scripture facts, or framed from Scrip
ture text put into ridiculous associa-
ton. They hurt him, and are as pois-
oned arrows TO him, wounding him
and leaving their poison behind.
We may illustrate this latter effect
of lightly jesting with Scripture text,
by calling to the recollection of our
elder readers a certain quatrain, sung
some thirty years since at the concerts
of a band of singers then and since
every deseryedly popular. This quar-
tain was jest upon one of the most
solemnly beautiful texts in Holy
Writ-namely, "All flesh is grass"
Itrepresented horse biting his cler-
ical master becouse It had heard him
quote those words. The jest itself is
Of a very low order Of wit, but it was
50 comically sung, that immence audi
ences were conyulsed with laughter on
hearing it-for the first time. We
venture the assertion that thousands
Of Christians who joined in the general
merriment carried away that metrical
jest sticking to their memories like a
burr to the dress, and that for years
it spoiled the beauty of the associated
Scripture. Personally, we aver that
even to-day we can neither read it,
nor hear it read, without the recurrence
of a temptation to laugh.
There is an example Of the lightness
which yulgarizes lofty idea by low
associations, in the April number o.
the Atlantic. A writer in the "con.
tributors' club speaking of the pop
ular admiration for robustness, de
scribes Weston, the pedestrian, finish
ing his five hundred niles walk Oh
Saturday night. Then says the con
tributor, she mentioned that he woulC
attend divine service the next day
and sent to the chorister a request t.
have the hymn sung, Nearer my Goo
to the = .ttUe hundred miles nearer thar
all the rest Of us. Truly, there is some
thing spiritual in gymnastics" Posi-
bly, there may be. But we submit tina
this light treatment Of an aspiration
which in itself is the sublimest tina
can move the human heart, is unwor
thy a literary magazine. IfWeston wa
weak enough to utter so sorry joke
the Atlantic ought not to be clownisl
enough to give itpoint. We expect it
at least, to treat serious things wit
becoming seriousness.
But worse than the Atlantic, is bi
Of doggerel, lately printed in relig
ious journal which shall be nameles
in this article In this vulgar com
position, the Saviour is described a
standing at the grave of Lazarou
where ''IIe paid, in resurrection coin
the sisters for His board !" And again
giving reason why the sheet file
with all sorts of animals, was show
to Peter in his celebrated vision a
Joppa, it assures the world that Simon
wife while g card at work upon bi
Of fare, found that g her stove,
seems, want good to draw or, els
the wood was wet !" Besides thi
inanity, the grand miracle of the feed
ing ofthe hungry multitude is describe
ga time -. when breaking o
a chunk of bread would make Who'll
loaf grow"
Truly this is lighter than froth. 1t
vulgarity is offensive to good taste
Its association Of grand and sacre
facts with low ideas and rude phrases
is revolving to Christian feeling. Th
influence Of such writing is to degrad
our most holy things, and unfit tb
mind to be profted by their grave
treatment from the pulpit. Surely
we have a right to demand bette
things from the religious press.
This light treatment ofserious thing
too often enters into social life.
some circles the conversation is prime
, ply made up Of jesting reparteces an
lively stories. Witticisms make IL
hours jocund. Merriment drives OF
, seriousness, and laughter grows rue
and noisy. Precisely how far sue
relaxation maybe innocently permittt
] depends largely, we suppose, on Il
: individual conscience. Laughter
! certainly not a sin. With Cowp
. we may ask,
els sparkling wit the worlds exclusive rghti
: The fixed fee-simple of the vain and light?"
: But when it passes the boundary