The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-03-04
A Preachers Trick.


preach as candidate in little rural
church in Northern PennsylvRnia where
the members, although only on par with
most distant country churches, liked to
flatter themselves that they were "pretty
we'll posted" Before starting for tho
place, tho minister met an old clerical
friend, who had some experience in the
same neighborhood, and who advised
him to "Give them some Latin and
Greek it will tickle their vanity, and
they'll setyou down for g very smart
rI1an," sn is- iai 9sl8s IL ss
There was little difficulty in the
way oe the minister's giving his hearers
dose of Latin and Greek, for he kuew
no more Of either language than the
people he was to preach to. But he was
equal TO the emergency. He was na.
tive of Wales, aud spoke Welsh as we'll
as he did English, though these two were
the only languages he knew anything
about. When he had got nicely into
the sermon, he introduced little passage
of Scripture, and said: This passage.
brethren, has been slightly altered in; Tue
translation. 1t is. only the original He.
brew that you can grasp its full meaning.
Twill read it tc you in Hebrew, go that
you may comprehend it moro exactly,n
and he gave them the passage In wy
good Welsh. The old deacons looked at
each other; aud nodded approval, al
though they would say: That's the stnff
that's the Kind of thing we want.p
Presently the minister. vino saw by the
faces of his hearers that he had made o
hit, came upon another Scipture pas.
sage that could not be correctly rendered
in English. rrhis PASSAGE said he, has
to be read in the original TO be apprecia.
ted. IH all the languages there Is none
| / know in which the meaning can be 90
we'll expressed as in Greek. / will read
you the verse in Greek" and again he
|! gave them q long Welsh sentence. Again
the Deacons nodded approvingly, aud be-
fore long the minister found itwas neccs.
sary to read verse in Latin, $50 his
hearers might understand it thoroughly"
and gave iheni 8 little more Welsh. s.
| Everything was going along smoothly,
end the minister, as he approached the
end of his sermon, thought he would
| give them just one more taste OF the dead
Languages. II nm about to read YOU"
said he, ,"enntl,er massage on this subject.
But il 10 another of those passages that
have been altered in the TRANSLATION. and
1 will read it to you In the Chaldeic, in
which 1t was written" He was Just
about 10 give them q little more Welsh
when, casting his eye over the congrega.
ton, he saw seated :sear the door o Jolly,
looking liai, wii0. Was holding. his. sidro
tight to keep from bursting with laugh.
ter. The minister took in the situation
In an instant. Here was o men in the
church who understood Welsh, and who
was laughing at the trick that had been
nlaved nphn the consreeation. But not
q feature in the mlnister's face changed.
Fixing his eyes alright upon the laugh.
ling man, just rs the congregation Thought
he was about to give them, the Chaldaic
version, he said again in Welsh
For Gods sake, my friend, don't say q
word about this till have aqchance to
] ifalk ygith .vnnn %
| The congregation went homo satisfied
that they had listened to one of the most
learned Of sermons !; the laughing man
never told the story, and the miniater
wss soon settled over the church, the
people believing that q clergyman who
could read the Scriptures in iiyo langua.
/ ges was lust the man for them. f'