The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-11-24
THE MINISTER'S OLD COAT.

ministers sons are very apt to turn on
badly" said / TO the gentleman who sa
next 10 mein the car. We bad met in the
train, bound for Chicago, and had strnck VI
an acquaintance. lie stopped me with hi:
hand on my arm, and with an earnest looB
which shall never forget. / paused at once
in what i was saying, and 1t seemed for q
moment almost as if the rushing train had
stopped TO listen, too.
Let me tell you story" he said. 81
know that il is a common belief that minis
tiers sons are Wild but that is because PEG
pie talk about the bad ones, while those who
turn out we'll are taken as a matter Of course
I gathered statistics about them once and
found that out Of 1000 sons of ministers
there were very few who did not grow VI
useful and industrious men,
But what is your stOry?" L asked, settling
back i'm nv seat.
well, said he, ''it begins with class
supper in Boston a dozen years ago. A mum
Der of old college friends had gathered in
the evening for their annual reunion.
Among them was the rich merchant, j. Z.
WillistOn-perhaps you have heard of him
and a Door pastor of a country church in
Elmbank village. out in Western Massachu-
sets, whose name was Blake. a good
many of the class had died, and the dozen
or SO elderly men who were left felt more
tender than ever toward each other as they
LuOuEIL VI LllC DAlElll OiO OdNS 1t 1dTNdTkl,
and how loon no one would be left on earth
who shared that happy time. The dishes
came and went, the lights glOwed bril-
iiantly and at last the friends grew quite
gay. But the tender feeling have spoken
of would come uppermOst now and then:
and in one of these musing moments Will
listOns eye was attracted by something
glistening about the coat which his friend
Blake, who sat next to him, had on. He
fooL-n1 fslpcor and tbat tho h1orl- al
OF which it was made had been worn so thin
and smooth that it was very shiny.
Well, Blake, said he, suddenly taking
hold OF his fTind's arm cordially (which he
somehow hadn't thought of doing before),
how has the world gone with you lately?'
Blake had naturally sad and thought
full face; but he looked around quickly,
with a smile.
No need to ask he said, laughlngly.
You can read the whole story on my back
This ole coat is a sort of balance sheet
Which.sEows my financial condition to a T.
Then he spoke more seiously, adding
1T is pretty hard life, Williston, that of a
country parson. l don't complain of my
lot, though sometimes I'm distressed for my
family. The fact is, this coat that have
on is hardly tit for man of my profession
to appear in, but I'm going to send my boy
Sam to Harvard this year, and must pinch
here and there to do it. 1 really ought to be
thankful, though, that / can get such adj
vantages for him by few little sacrifices Of
personal appearance and convenience
Don't you give a thought of your coat.
old fellow retained Williston. Nobody
who knows you will ever imagine that the
heart inside of 1t Isl hresdbare, however the
garment may look.
Blake was pleased with this kindly ex-
preston, and both men after that exchange
of confidence felt happier. But among the
various incidents of the evening this one
almost passed out of the ministers mind by
the next day, when he started for Elmbank
Speedy as his return was, however, some
thing meant for him had got to his destina-
ton before him. 1t was a letter. Taking it
up he broke open the envelope, and found
inside few words from Williston, with a
check for $500 to defray the first years col
lege expenses of his old classmates son.
you are stranger to me. sir" said my
travelling companion at this point, but
think you will appreciate the feeling with
which poor Mr.. Blake stood in his bare and
dingy study IN the old farm parsonage hold
ing that letter in his hand and lifting his
faithful eyes in thankfulness to God"
Yes" 1 replied. '-WIlliston did just the
right thing too. And how was it? Did the
son show that he deserved the help?"
Ny acquaintance looked away from me at
the rich country through which we were
passing. Then he said: "Sam Blake was a
gOod-natured, Obedient fellow enough, and
was greatly pleased to have the expense of
his first college year taken off his fathers
shoulders; but his sense of duty didn't go
very far. Rev. Mr.. Blake bought a new coat,
and Sam entered Harvard that fall; and
there matters stood for a while.
"A freshman has great deal to learn, As
you know; but think the chief thing Sam
learned that term was the great difference
there is between Harvard and little village
like Elmbank and the great difficulty of
working and playing at the same time.
Here ne had society meetings to attend, and
rooms of his own, with chum, where a
good deal of smoking was done by himself
and his friends. And then there was base
ball, into which it appeared indispensable
for the honor of the class that he should en-
ter actively on account of his strong legs,
wonderful wind and ground batting. He
could not refuse TO go to the theater oc-
casiOnally, with his richer companions.
Sam took a natural interest in the society of
young ladies, too, and bad to give up some
to its cultivation. He also thought that a
moderate amount of practice in the gym
nasium was desirable to prevent his health
breaking down under the confinement of
study. So on the whole, the actual work
that he did in the college was not very ex-
tensive. This did.'t seem to have any bad
effect till we'll along in the winter, when
4 tit ud5iS VI SnlTklilS NOTk Edu grown so
strong without his noticing il that he fell
easily into reading novels when he ought to
have been in the recitation room. Gymna-
stun, theater, billiards, smoking-and / am
afraid must say a little drinking-frittered
away his time.
Zone horribly snowy, sleety morning,
when he had got up too late for prayers, the
pOstman brought him note from the fac
ulty-an 'ahmOnition.' He dropped the
pipe he was lighting and bolted off to reci-
tation. But he beaded Immediately, and
that discouraged him. He soon began to
make light of the warming, and did himself
no credit in his studies. Though he man
aged IN squeeze through the examination at
the end of the freshman year, he came out
tar down toward the foot of his class He
wasn't quite c0ntented with himself, and
Thoughts he'd try to do better the next year
But during the journey home he recovered
his usual spirits.
When he walked up the village toward
the parsonage farm he was thinking that
since he WAS a sophomore now-he would
buy the knottiest and biggest-headed cane
in Cambridge when he should go back there.
And what do you suppose was the first thing
that met him at home? 1t was his father
out in the field digging for new potatoes, his
coat of and his specialized face pespiring.
Tho qfOht afruck qh4ma intn thu how He