The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-05-13
onstrated to their wives and Greatheart

thong t-actually proposed it.
81 do not see that it would be any
harder for US than for them. You,
Brother Mead, could make your own
fires and sweep your own office, and
save your janitors fees; Brother Hill
could do copying at home in the
evening brother Dale could attend to
Jobs of vanishing and repairing and
painting in his odd minutes brother
Frost could raise vegetables in his back
yard, and brother Ward could Use an
hour earlier and work at his old trade
of type setting"
The brethren looked at each other
and laughed feebly. t.
At last old Matthew Steadfast rose
and from his corner and said: .
Brethren, L didn't come here to
talk, but while 1 KEEP silence the fire
burned. 1t never seemed to me like
sound economy to split wood with ra-
zor when you had good AK ready to
your hand it's a hard, slow way, and
spiles the razor And it don't look to
me like good common sense to sweep
up the crumbs as if they were so much
gold dust, and throw away the whole
loaf Now, if l had my way in this
church, 10 agree to pay off the debt in
two years and have good round sum
to send to the heather, and not soul
of you would be worried CT overworked,
or even know YOU had made any sacri-
flee I've calc'lated that there are at
least 20 men in this church who smoke,
who could get along just as comorta-
bly, with one less cigar \ day ; in fact,
not know the difference there's a
clear income of over 200 year just
from those twenty men. Then there
are at least twenty more who smoke
cheaper cigars, who might do the same
thing at a saving of 500 more No
hard work, you see, brethren, nobody's
comforts taken away so far. Then I'm
sure there are 80 families in this church
who could save 81 week from then ta-
BILE expenses and never miss it. Why,
it is only matter of loaf or cake and
a couple of pies less, and a palmer sauce
for q pudding, or even no desert at all
for few days There are plenty of
families that could cut off five times as
much AMI be all the better for it but
I'll only ask for 81 week, and there
YOU are 81 800 more from just those 80
families. Now, it does pear to me,
brethren, it wouldn't be SO hard on the
women folks as wearing out their souls
and bodies making foi-do-rolls and try
ing to sell 'em to folks that don't want
EN-. Then there are so people who
save So every year from their own and
from their children's garments, just by
putting little less cloth or a little less
trimming, or saving few cents yard
on the goods, and nobody on earth be
the wiser, unless they happened to think
that they looked less like French dolls
and more as if they might be related to
the little one the Lord Jesus took up il
his arms. Why, brethren, l hope it
isn't sacrilegious. Sut I've sometimes
thought the Lord wouldn't have dared
to touch one of the little creatures they
call children now a-days, with their jew
els and founces and furbelows."
On the following Sabbath the pastor
presented the subject in such plain,
forcible manner, that every one present
was convinced Of its reasonableness, and
Father Steadfast followed up the work
by few lay sermons in every family
where he established his mite-box.
When people really turned their atten-
ton to it they found multitude OF
things that were not in any way essen
tial to their comfort, and day by day
the enthusiasm to increase the fund
grew stronger.
eve have no dessert or cake except
on Sunday" said Mrs. Smart, "and
really we do not miss it. l lay aside 81
a week on account Of it, but / am sure
it saves us much more. Then, since my
husband has become accustomed to one
cigar less a day, he finds he can spare
two about as well, and we devote the
cost of the second one to books. just
think of a new book every week or two,
and we scarcely ever felt able to buy
one before.
81 made my baby's dress with plain
hem and tucks," said Mrs. Dlmple, "and
"and he really looks sweeter than ever.
/ got two dresses for the price of one,
and so felt that / could afford to hire
them made, and that gave my po'r