The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-09-10

7 country homes and smiling farms, '
a. conversed together on various thing
and finally got on the subject of met
a people. He gave me some of b
!. personal experience in this come
!, ton.
II Not long ago be was on bis way
!. Martha's Vineyard, when be was r
, quested to turn aside from the dire
: : route to supply little church for ii
i Sabbath, involving thus cost alike
time and money. On Monday morl
4 ing the man who had induced him I
come, said:
!. What do you charge, sir, fc
/, preaching?"
= My friend replied that be neve
; charged for preaching the gospel, bu
left it to the people to give what the,
could afford. The man then inquire
how much it had cost him thus t,
i turn aside to preach for them instea'
! of going direct. My friend said on
! dollar and thirty-fve cents. Th,
, countryman took out bis pocket-bool
, and selected two dollar bill. Il,
looked at it moment, then replaces
it in the pocket.book. He next tool
out one dollar bill and handed it t
bim. Fumbling in bis pocket anon,
. quantity of coin, my friend feared
that the man was going to give him
thirty-fve pennies; so be said prompt
ly:
"You bad better let me contribute
the thirty-fve cents, sir."
| "Suit YOURSELF was the mans an
swer, as be carefully buttoned up his
pocket.
tried to account for the man's
contemplate mesnness by saying be
might be poor, or represented poor
church
II think not" be said "but, any
way, can tell you as good a Story Of
q covetous rich man:
MANY years ago / was sent out
West to represent one Of the great
Missionary Boards Of our Church and
TO make collections. A meeting was
to be held one evening in town nine
miles from where / mad been staying.
A farmer agreed to drive me over in
bis buggy. On the way / learned
many particulars OF the mans history.
He was member OF the church
owned seven hundred acres of land
had seventy horses, and cattle and
sheep almost beyond enumeration.
As near as l could ascertain be was
worth 100000. l said to him /
hoped be remembered that be was
only steward for these things and
that he was careful to contribute OF
bis ample means TO the treasury of
the Lord"
"Oh, yes," be said, IL am in the
habit Of giving more or less.n
l suspected it was less rather than
more, and go, for the purpose Of test
ing the man, / asked what be had
given.
After few moments thought, be
said
There was man here who want
ed to put Bible into every house
where there was not one; don't
know what the Society was called.n
Il suggested that It was the Bible
Society probably"
We'll, whatever it was, gave the
man q dollsr.n
How long ago was that2n / in
quired.
He seemed 10 deep thought for
some time, and then said:
"As near as can recall, it is nigh
on to nine years ago"
"And have you been starving your
soul all these nine years on tha. dol
lar ~
"Ob, no." said be Il have given
to other things"
What other things, and how
much 2" inquired.
This seemed to stump him for
moment, but, after pause, be
said -
"Weil, some time ago, they put a
new fence around the parsonage, and
l subscribed fifty cents to it, and
when the fence was finished they
were five cents short, and l gave that
too"
After good hearty laugh az the
mans story. said
bot l have known mean minis
ters, too," and cited the following
case:
A well-known Publisher once told
me that having issued the life of q
celebrated divine, he invited the min
listers of On ecclesiastical body then
in session to call at his place and re-
ceiye q complimentary copy Of the
book. Nearly the whole number
availed themselves of this kind offer.
One clergyman, after getting his book,
turned to the gentleman who waited
on him, and said
Il am greatly obliged to you for
this. bat, to tell the truth, l bought .
copy of this memoir the day before
this kind offer was made now, I
wish you woald exchange this copy
for some other book"
The exchange Was made.
"One of the closest men / ever
knew / continued, twas Mr.. M,
who made an arrangement with his
milkman to receive one cents worth
of milk each morning. When this
arrangement bad been in operation
for some time, Mr. NJ met the milk
man one day, and said:
II am much obliged to you for the
arrangement about the milk, bot the
fact is we hardly need cents worth
of milk every day. If you would
leave Us Q half cents worth every
morning, and collect one cent on al
ternate days, it would suit us better"
The milkman declined splitting the
cent.
On another occasion Mr.. NJ was in
railway train. By his side sat .
stranger, and both were reading the
morning paper. After Q time the
stranger said:
"As We have read our papers, sup
pose we exchange"
To which Mr.. NJ. replied: II
would be glad 10 exchange with you,
bot the trade would hardly be . fair
one. you having paid only three cents
for your psper while l paid four for
mine"