Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-06-18
scme .! s-. .c,.a Halls Stories.

from the STATE Journals Report of his Aidres
n; Madison, Wis.,
Dr.. Hall said that he knew preacher
in Ireland who used to come down from
his pulpit every Sunday, after the ser
mon, and the people passing in line II
front of him, would shake hands and pass
the compliments Of the day. One elder
told the pastor ore day, Let the Lord
keep You humble, sir, and we will keep
YOU poor!' But That is the policy OF
too many church boards, imbued as they
are with the notion that the ministry
should be kept on the apostolic plan OF
poverty and humility.
DR. Hall told g story related TO him by
the late Richard Winter Hamilton, a
prominent Congregat;onalist in England.
Mr.. Hamilton, being called to fill pull
pi. in provincial town. was waited on in
the vestry Just before the service by the
presenter of the meeting: the latter laid
down programme which provided for Il
very short prayer md 4 shorter sermon,
but several interminably long hymns.
Said the presenter: Our people are O
peculiar people we are very fond of mu-
sic, and plenty of it, and We are not fond
of long prayers or long sermons in ask
ing YOU to cut 1t short, sir, | wish to en-
phasize as before that we are fond of mu-
sic, because in heaven singing is the
chief order of the day." Mr.. Hamilton
answered, at is n comfort, sir, to know
that YOU Will not be there to lead 1t y
There are funeral ministers, said DIR.
Hall gentlemen who carry around with
them an air Of professional soiemnity !;
thev carry il even in their hat bands and
l,n,, ,at. anl Loot nnntln-
ually as if genteely laid ont In their
collins. There was n minister of this sort
called Oh to marry a young couple; he
stretched out his hands, and unconscious
" commenced the burial service. Sir.
spoke up the Young man, I'VE came to be
welded, not buriel,' To which the gem
tleman Of the cloth responded, g 1t won't
be many years before you'll wish you had
been buried" Ministers should be men
first. then ministers -manliness and God
illness are twin qualifications.
Then come your fluent ministers. Turn
Oh the faucet and the stream flows. The
less they have to say, the bigger the
stream and the louder they shout. Lyman
Beecher. On returning home from church
one Sabbath, said that. he felt be had
done very poorly. Said one of the boys !;
"Why, father, thought You were never
in better trim; you Just shouted 1t out to
en-" "Aye, aye" replied Mr.. Beecher,
that it exactly, when I'm not prepared
I always holler at the top Of my voice"
The doctor told the story of a simple
God-fearing Irish pastor he used to know,
in the old country. Each year, he used
to 90 up TO the General Assembly, for
there every minister Is ex-oiiicio dele
gate whenever the time came for making
the announcement Of this annual vacation,
the pastor would give ont May 1t
phase the congregation mkt Lord Day ii
be vacantS Leaving il for the waSs to
make the inquiry whether or 10 he Were
not vacf II more than one Lords Day III
the year SacE as these are children Of
nature-simple. unconventional and often
splendidly noble men. He well remem
beral one such. in Ircland-''and,' said
Dr. Hall, although many stories related
in this way are not strictly true, l assure
you this one | ana about to tell you, Is.
II said that TINS simple, poorly pad bat
honest aal noble-hearted pastor was md
ing along one day, and seeing a lnborer
at work in the fields, whose ragged shir;
did not protect his back from the blister
ing rays Of the sun, jumped of his horse,
strobe over the fence, stripped of his own
coat and shirt, and made the astonished
laborer put on the latter; the now shirt
less preacher buttoned his cont TO his
chin, and disappeared as he had come,
unconscious that he was in the least tran
cending his line Of exact duty. DIR. Hall
said lie liked these men; these uncon-
sciously humorous souls, who live nearer
heaven than half the rest Of mankind.