The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-03-18
OUR MINISTER'S WIFE.


Every body likes him--the young and
the old, the rich and the poor. And he's
such an eloquent preacher In all his
private relations as well as his public
ministeries, he seems as near perfection
as can be hoped for this earth. Now
this is saying a good deal for our minis
ter.
But there Is no unmixed good in this
world Weare not permitted to enjoy our
minister without the accompaniment of
some unpleasant drawback. Mr.. Ell
more has wife, and minister's wife,
1t is well known, is not usually perfect
in the eyes of the congregation. There
was no exception to the rule in our
case. Mrs. Elmore was no favorite.
What the trouble was 1 did not know
from personal observation but no one
seemed to have friendly feeling toward
her.
When l say no one, l refer to the
ladies of our congregation. When Mr..
Elmore was the subject of conversation
you would be almost certain to hear the
remark, " Ah, If it wasn't for his wife,"
Or, " What pity Mrs. Gilmore isn't
the right kind of a woman"
Or, Isn't 1t shame that he has
wife so poorly fitted for her position"
So the changes rang. Mr.. Gilmore
had been our minister for over a year,
and during that time very little had
been seen of his wife in social way.
The ladies of the congregation had called
upon her, and she had received them
kindly and politely, but with certain
distance in her manner that repelled
rather than attracted. In every case
she returned these calls, but, when re-
peated, failed in that prompt reciprocal
ton which her visitors expected. There
are, in all congregations, certain active,
patronizing ladies, who like to manage
things, to be deferred to, and to make
their influence felt all around them.
The wife of our previous minister, a
weak and facile woman, had been en-
tirely in their hands, and was, of course,
great favorite. But Mrs. Elmore was
a different character altogether.
You saw by the poise of her head, by
the steadiness of her clear, dark blue
eyes, and by the firmness of her delicate
mouth, that she was a woman of in
depent thought, purpose, and selfre-
Nance.
Polite and kind in her intercourse with
the congregation, there was withal O
coldness of manner that held you at a
certain distance as surely as if a barrier
had been interposed.
1t was serious trouble with certain
ladies of the congregation this peculiari-
ty in the minister's wife. How he could
ever have married woman of her tenn
pera ment was regarded as a mystery.
He is so genial-she so cold; he SO ap-
proachable by everyone-she so con-
strained; he all alive to the Church, and
she seemingly Indifferent to everything
but her own family. If she had been
the lawyers wife or the DOCTORS wife,
or the wife of merchant, she might
have been as distant and exclusive as
she pleased; but for the minister's wife
Oh, dear ! it was terrible
1 had heard so much said about Mrs.
Gilmore, that without having met her
familiarly, or knowing anything about
her from personal observation, 1 took
for granted the general impression as
true.
Last week one of my lady friends, a
member of Mr.. Elmore's congregation,
called in to see me. asked her to take
off her bonnet and sit for the afternoon.
But she said:
"No; have called for you to go with
me to Mrs. Elmore's.'
81 have not been in the habit of visit
ing her," was my answer.
"No matter" was replied. "She's
our minister's wife, and it's your privi-
lege to call on her.''
"It might not be agreeable" sug-
gested; you know she ispeculiar."
mot agreeable for the minister's wife
to have a lady of the congregation call
on her and my friend put on an air of
surprise.
+" She's only woman after all, 1 re-
marked, and may have her likes and
dislikes, her peculiarities and preferences,
as well as other people. And Pm sure
that have no desire to intrude upon
herr
Intrusion. How you talk An
intrusion to call on our minister's wife
Well, that sounds beautiful, don't it?
II MnIlldn,t sav thnt anain Coma nut