The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-20
GETTING RELIGION.
HOW A NEW ENGLAND BOY TRIED
MIGHTY HARD To GET 1T AT
REVIVAL hut FAILED.

now A NEW ENGLAND nor TRIED
MIGHTY HARD TO GET 1T At
REVIVAL but FAILED.
tC. Dudley Warner.l
The New England country boy Of the
last generation never heard OF Christ
mas. There was no such day In his
calendar. III John ever came across 1t
In his reading, he attached no meaning
to the word.
III his curiosity had been aroused,
and he asked his elders about it, he
might have got the dim impression that
1t was Popish holiday, the celebration
OF which was about as wicked as "card
playing" or being Democrat" John
knew couple Of desperately bad boys
who were reported to play 'seven-up"
In barn, on the hay-mow, and the
enormity Of this practice made him
He had once seen a pack Of greasy
.'playing cards." and it seemed to him
he had desired to defy all Divine law
and outrage all human society he felt
that he could do IL by shutting them.
And he was quite right. The two bad
boys enjoyed In stealth their scandalous
pastime, because they knew it was the
most wicked thing they could do. II
it had been as sinless as playing mar
bles they wouldn't have cared for it.
John sometimes drove past brown,
tumble-down farm. house, whose shift
less inhabitants, 1t Is said, were card
playing people; and 1t is impossible to
describe how wicked that house ap-
psared to John. He almost expected to
see It's shingles stand on end. In old
New England one could not In any other
way 80 express his contempt Of all holy
and orderly life as by playing cards for
amusement.
There was no element of Christmas in
Johns life, any more than there was of
Easter; and probably nobody about him
could have explained Easter, and he es-
capped all the decentralization attending
Christmas gifts. Indeed, he never had
any presents Of any kind, either on his
birthday or on any other day. He ex-
spected nothing that he did not earn or
make In the way OF trade" with
another boy. He was taught to work
for what he received.
When the revival" came, therefore,
one summer, John was in quandary.
Sunday meeting and Sunday school he
didn't mind; they were o part OF regu-
lar life, and only temporarily inter-
rupted q boys pleasures. But when
there began to be evening meetings at
the different houses, q new element
came into affairs. There was kind of
solemnity over the community, and
seriousness in all faces. At first these
twilight assemblies offered little relief
John liked to meet the boys and girls,
and to watch the older people coming
in dressed In their second best. I think
Johns imagination was worked upon
by the sweet and mournful hymns that
were discordantly sung In the stiff old
parlors. There was q suggestion Of Sun
day, and sanctity, too, in the odor of car
awayseed that pervaded the room. The
windows were wide open, also, and the
scent Of June roses came in with all the
languishing sounds OF q summer night.
All the little boys had a scared look,
but the little girls were never so pretty
and demure as In this their susceptible
seriousness, Ii John saw boy who
but was wandering off with his sling
down the meadow, looking for frogs,
maybe, that boy seemed to him mon
ster OF wickedness.
After q time, as the meetings con-
tinued, John fell also under the gene
raj impression of fright and serious
ness. All the talk was Of 'getting re-
ligion," and he heard over and over
again that the probability was II he did
not get It soon he never would. The
chance did not come often, and, If this
offer was not improved, John would be
given over to hardness of heart. His
one OF the elect. John fancied that he
could feel his heart hardening. and he
began to look with wistful anxiety
into the faces Of the Christians to see
what were the visible signs of being
one Of the elect. John put on a good
deal OF manner that he didn't care"
and never admitted his disquiet by ask
ing any questions or standing up in
meeting to be prayed for. But he did
care. He heard all the time that all he
had to do was to repent and believe.
But there was nothing that he doubted,
and he was perfectly willing to repent
Of.
Tt was essential, he learned, that he
should have conviction of SIM" This
he earnestly tried to have. Other peo-
pie, no better than he. had 1t, and he
wondered why he couldn't have it.
Boys and girls whom he knew were
ssunder conviction" and John began to
feel not only panicky, but lonesome.
CYNTHIA Rudd had been anxious for
DAYS and days, and not able to sleep at
nioht. but now she had given herself
M and found peace. There was kind
ct radiance In her face that struck John
with awe. and he fels that now there
was q great gulf between him and
Cynthia. Everybody was going away
from him, and his heart was getting
harder than ever. He couldn't feel
wicked, all he could do. And there was
Ed. Bates. his intimate friend, though
older he, q "whaling," noisy kind OF Q
NV. who was under conviction, and
gure be was going to be lost. How John