, 1880-05-13

--llONCN, IL IS L.iFt', " hI'lCV "lpiG'
thought-actUaiy proposed 1t.
81 do not see tbat it would be any
harder for Us than fox them. You,
Brother Mead, could make your own
fires and sweep your cwn Office, AID
save your janiror's fees; Brother Hill
could do copying at home in the
evening; brothe. 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 blotler Ward could Use an
hour earlier AMI work at his old trade
of type setting"
The brett ren looked ut each other
and laughed feebly.
At last old Matthew Steadtast rose
and from his corner and said {:
Brethren, | didn't come here to
talk, but while I KEEP silence the fire
burned. 1t never seemed to me like
sound economy to split wood with a ra-
zor when you had good AK ready to
your hand it's 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 We're so much
gold dust, and throw away the whole
loaf. Now, if l had my way in this
church, I'd agree to pay off the debt in
two years and have good round sum
to send to the heather, and not a soul
of you would be worried CT overworked,
or even know you had made any sacri-
fee I've calc'lated that there are at
least 90 men in this church who smoke,
who could get along just as comorta-
bly, with one less cigar . day in fact,
not know the diderence-and there's a
clear income of over 81, 900 q year Just
from those twenty men. Then there
are at least twenty more who smoke
cheaper cigars, who might do the same
thing OF 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 ia
BILE expenses and never miss it. Why,
it is only matter of loaf or cake and
couple of pies less, and palmer sauce
for 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
em. 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 little less
trimming, or saving few cents yard
on the goods, end 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 iE
his arms. Why, brethren, / hope it
isn't sacrilegious. out I've sometimes
thought the Lord wouldn't have dared
to touch one Of the little creatures they
call children nowadays, with their jew
els and aounces 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-
tion 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.
"We have no dessert or cake except
on Sunday" said Mrs. Smart, sand
really we do not miss it. / lay aside 81
week on account Of it, but I am sure
it saves us much more. Then, since my
husband has become accustomed to one
cigar less day, he finds he can spare
two about as well, and we devote the
cost of the second one to books. Just
think of 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
sand he really looks sweeter than ever
1 got two dresses for the price Of one,
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