The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-03-12
HOW | BECAME A PARS0N

HAVING noticed that young minis
III ters are made the pets of their con-
cations, and generally have the choice
of all the fat things there are going
that they have the unqualified admira-
ton of the pastoral flock, who vie with
each other in working the prettiest slip
pers, the most comfortable easy-chairs
and foot-stools, the most significant and
elaborate bookmarks-that they come in
always for fat slice of desirable proper
ty, in case any pious lady of the congre-
CATION dies and leaves large legacies for
charitable purposes" = that they al
ways take the precedence in society, are
loved by the ladies and referred to by
gentlemen, and that, in fact, they al
ways manage, whenever there's smart
shower of fat things, to be out in the
rain and get very wet, made up my
mind that would study for the minis
try, and prepare myself for pulpit ex-
ercise.
Well, sent word to my native viii
lage that was reformed" etc., and
that wanted to study preaching and
become an ornament to the pulpit, and
so forth. So great was the joy over my
resolve, that the "Ladies Association
for the Support, Encouragement and
Education of all Christian young fell
lows who want to preach" at once got
up a fair, and banquet, and a picnic
and a series of weekly meetings for the
purpose of helping me. AT the fair the
customary religious swindles were per-
petrated on the unfortunate gentlemen
who had been inveighed there, and
large number of reluctant dollars were
coaxed into the fund. BY this time 1
had begun my studies. And as the
association was very assiduous and
punctual in their remissions to me dur
ing my whole student-life, L will do them
that credit, and also state how L usually
disposed of their semi-annual donations.
The money that they sent L could al
ways manage the worked slippers l
sold to fancy store, also the smoking
caps, ditto the book marks, the box of
clothes they used to send were of coarse,
unwearable (being built by country
tailor), so used to pawn them to Mel
chisedec Isaac, a Jewish gentleman, who
felt so disinterested concern in the
Christian faith that he would always
pay me literally for my country clothes,
half cash, and half in cigars and apple
tOddy. OF course, l had to learn to
smoke, as il would have been sin to
waste the cigars. Let no envious per-
son, however, say that learned to drink
apple toddy for the same reason, for
never drink apple toddy with the
tumblerfuls, it always gives me severe
headache, and interferes with my
studies.
AT last | was examined, pronounced
very good article of minister, and was
given dispensation to preach; looked
anXiously about for an eligible congre-
CATION to preach at, made it subject of
serious meditation, and came to this un-
biased and disinterested conclusion, that
the unusual turn of my mind, the ma
ture.of my requirements, the force of
my ministrations and the peculiar char
acteristics of my style, required that 1
should locate myself among cultivated
and refined people. could plainly rec
ognize the indications of Providence,
and bowed meekly to the fiat. L
willingly gave up the brilliant glory of
a missionary's grand career. COM
PEELED myself to leave the splendid hard
ships and the noble trials of frontier
ministry to others ; 1 schooled my heart
to resign the glorious opportunities of
winning the martyrs crown among the
Cards and Patagonians; may say,