Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-10-28
The Hawkeye Pulpit.
BuRDErTE breaches A SERMON To "rHE
BOYS"
In the Boston Herald of Sept. IA. read
the following advertisement:


BOYS"
In the Boston Herald of Sept IA, read
the following advertisement:
Wanted "A ch ,nce to work in some well
established busines. house, either as salesman
or accountant. or both. by a Young man OF
thorough business training. who has never
preached or prayed in public. neither has been
treasurer or superin cndeut Of sabbath schools.
or betrayed any confidence rcposed In him.
but who relies for worldly success on the old
fashioned qualities OF integrity, intelligence
good health aud good nature; will work with
muscle and brain for the same compensation
given by the city for muscle only first class
city references. Address III. l.. e." Herald
Office.
Now, as has been aforetime observed BY
Mr.. Weller. you generally find every adver-
tisement in paper promptly answered BY a
card IN the next column Of the same issue
Where YOU find the appeal of a man for a
situation as salesman, you frequently find
beside II the inquiry of man who is
looking for a salesman. II one man has a
horse TO sell there is usually some man who
wants TO buy horse. And so looked all
over tha, copy of the Boston Herald to see
If there WASH, some business house al,er-
tising for just that sort Of a salesman.
didn't find il. | glanced at other Boston pa
pcrs. but couldn't see that any house wanted
a salesman or accountant whose first recon-
mendation was that he had never preached
or PRAYED in public" | got hold of New
York paper or two. wondering il the Young
man would have any better show in the me-
tropolis. But | couldn't see any special
chance for him. ! could not find tina, any
business house was anxiously looking for an
accountant who had never been guilty Of the
grave offence of preaching or praying where
anybody could hear him | couldn't fad that
any merchant was especially looking for
some young man who had never gone wrong
SO far a. To become treasurer or supcrinien-
dent OF Sabbath school" They didn't
seem TO hunger after that particular kind o.
Young man.
] looked at the young mans advertise
mcni long time, and il seemed to me that
he was a very Young man, indeed. He
must be very Young. or he would know that
70 preach and 10 pray. even boldly. without
being ashamed OF Il. in broad daylight. in
Ii" presence OF tfty, a hundred. or three
thousand people is no, considered, even by
business men, as vicious habit, or an indi-
cation Of loose morals. do not know who
AAf' hRAf'% AAiiAA i4af XVII iltAhAbHti "
preach. do no, know what manner of
PRAYER meetings he has attended, hut it is
vcry evident that he has received very er-
rnncous impression Of preaching and pray
ing in their effect and influence upon a busi.
ncss-lIke character, or upon the mercantile
world. do not know what kind Of business
the young man iS anxious 10 engage in. II
the best recommendation the cmploye can
offer the house, is that he has never preached
or prayed in public" Possibly a desk in
the general office Of the liberal league.
which met recently in Chicago and vas so
disgusiingl, goddess and nasty that the best
iniidel in America left ia spccchless disgust.
NAV be open 10 him.
And then the Young man brings another
proud recommendation To the business house
that mas be so fortunate as to receive his
invaluable services. lie can lay his hand
on his hear, and say with pride that 'he has
Sabbath H;.eh68l.''~ M recommendation Il
rather supcriluous, as his first one cover. the
ground 1t is very likely that if the only
recommendation he could bring the Sabbath
school was the fact that ''he never preached
or prayed" the Sabbath school would en-
deayor TO get along a little while without a
A4tsNAItt UT luAAA ~ NbAil
find a more liberal candidate. for even the
Sabbath schools and churches are tinctured
strongly with liberalism. and set their faces
against the bigotry that blindly and stupidity
refuses TO see any good IN sermons and
PRAYERS, and will not 90 where sermons and
PRAYERS are made, and doe, not want 10 en-
gage IN business with people Who tolerate
preaching and PRAYING. Oh. no. young man,
all the bigotry in the world isn't found inside
the pale OF the church D, any means.
Indeed the Young mans statement Of his
position IN regard 10 the Sabbath school /,
oni, another indication Of his exceeding
youth. Had he known ANYTHING about Sab
bath schools he would have known that the
treasurer" Of Sabbath school does not
have to give bonds. like a county treasurer
To Keep him from running away with the
money. All, no; but he often has 10 run
his generous hand down into his own pocket
to huy the paper. and book. that the hearts
OF the little people long for.
And then. in consequence Of his rigid alb
stinence from church and Sabbath school
the Young man wishe. Us to infer, he has
never BETRAYED any confidence reposed in
him" Well, We don't know vet that any
body ever reposed any confidence in him.
Certainly the church people never did they
never gave him a chance TO betray their
confidence. because he never preached for
them. Nobody ever placed any confidence
in his ability in SUNDAY school matters be-
cause they never elected him superintendent,
and il is sadly apparent, from the Young
mans own statement. tina, they would not
even trust him with the little handful of
Il o,l.
from Sunday to Sunday from the little peo-
Pile. 1t is very thin recommendation for
Young man, brethren. when he can't even
be trusted to handle the scanty fund of an
average Sunday school collection. He
doesn't tell us anybody else ever did repose
any confidence in him. He simply says the
Sunday school people didn't.
And then | couldn't help thinking As |
read the advertisement again and again how
quickly, after telling the merchants of Bos-
ton that he never preached nor prayed nor
held office in Sabbath schools, how quickly
he hastened to assert that he had ..never
betrayed any confidence reposed in him."
He seemed to think that il was time he was
giving his character "boost." Ordinarily
when young man asks for situation in
some "well established house." it is tai en-
for granted that his character is good and
that he ''has never betrayed any confidence
repos-d in him. without setting it forth in
the advertisement. 1t is expected that he
can bring good references with him. But
this young man after proudly basing his
claims for the situation upon the fact that he
never breaches and doesn't pray in public
and never was a Sunday school officer, seems
to think it necessary TO say something really
good Of himself He hastens to assure the
mercantile world that he is better than they
would think, from his foregoing references,
that if he did stay away from church and
Sunday school, he never betrayed any con-
fidenee. Perhaps it occurred to him just
then. that to be a preacher or a Sunday
school superintendent wasn't necessarily to
be rascal. This young man really appears
to grow younger every time he speaks.
IL L.. Il