The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-11-03
The Religious Sponge.
A Wall From One of the sponged.
lChristian Aiirror.l

christian Mirror.l
There is large class of spongers in every
community, people who would get their living
for nothing il. they could. They would dine at
q free lunch counter every day in the week, II
possible, and occupy the free reading-room OF
the hotel, and spend as much time as possible
at public meetings, where free lodging is pro-
vided for guests, and, if there was any way OF
obtaining coat for their backs besides buying,
begging, or stealing it, they would be
sure to adopt that method Thus, If possible,
they would be fed end warmed and lodged and
clothed at no expense to themselves.
The genius sponge is found in all depart
ments of life, and it is not strange if church
life has its full share. We do not refer to the
needy, hungry, threadbare sponge, just now,
though there are plenty of this class every
where. They suddenly turn up in new field,
where their past exploits are not well known,
or their soaking capacity fully understood, and
for few weeks they arc all attention. The
rapt look on their faces is most edifying to
the minister until he knows that it has done
duty many times before), as they drink in eve
nv word that he utters. The compliments
which the generosity and activity OF the church
receive are most gratifying to the deacons
The unctuous and perhaps fearful words in the
prayer-meeting are calculated to deceive the
very elect Qor little while), until gradually II
is discovered that Johnny must have pair OF
shoes, and little Sarah needs new dress, and
q dollars worth of -four would be very accept
able. But should these loaves and fishes 1aii,
it is astonishing to see how quickly the look OF
rapt attention Is left at home, and the compii-
mept change TO curses, and the seat at prayer
meeting is vacs ted This is the most pro-
nounced and undisguised species OF church
SPONGE perhaps, but not the most exasperating
or common. We did not intend TO speak OF
this class, however, but of the equally porous
aud uDmitigatedIsponge who often lives IN
good house, and wears good clothes, and has
money in his pocket.
The sponge is very liberal-minded iudiyid-
ual. 1t makes little difference whether his
spiritual nourshment is served out to him from
On orthodox or heterodox pulpit, whether
Methodist, Baptist, Congregationallst, or Unl-
versaist SO long as it costs HIM nothing by
going to first one church, and then another, he
gets his preaching almost as cheaply as the
well known prayer-meeting exhorter, VINO
thanked the Lord for free gospel, for though
he had listened to the word of God for twenty
five years, il had never cost him twenty-five
cents. May the same petition always De oner-
cd for the inveterate sponge that the Metho,
dist dominic offered for the aforementioned
individual, The Lord have mercy on your
mean, stingy, little SOUL" When the sponge
is asked to take a regular seat, and help sup
DOrbEOm6 CnufcU, lucT6 ID always all duoWCl
on fiis glib tongue He is not sure that he will
stay in town (by the way, he has been in this
same state of uncertainty for ten or dozen
years, very likely, or his wife isn't in good
health and he can't come regularly, or ne is
out of town IN the summer las though the Cos
pel needed no support in hot weather when he
was at the seasbore), or, and this is frequent
ty his last and most effective shot, he will give
something If the contribution box Is passed
whenever he goes to church. Yes, the sponge
n,x He nrOvideE himself
with the smallest coin which the government
stamps fhe only regrets that half cents are 40
longer coined), and when the box comes tohim,
he drops the coin in with a most generous hou-
rish A copper cent makes as much noise as
golden eagle, and all he gives for is that others
may hear the metallic click. This is matter
OF great economy, too, for, whereas his pew
rent would probs bly, be all the way from ten to
fifty dollars year il he were not a sponge, ne
gets Just as much of reputation Tor generosity
out Of fifty cents.
The sponge usually sends his children
to Sunday-school That doesn't cost, and
he is glad to encourage that which returns
him large dividend without any outlay. 1t
is the nature of the sponge to do this. There
are times, too, when he is glad to CALL IN the
ovsrworked pastor. His child is very sick, OR
his aged mother needs some spiritual consola-
ton, and then the sponge finds his way to the
bell as confidently as though he was one OF the
pillars of the church. He would not think OF
asking a strange grocer to give him bushel OF
apples for nothing, or tailor with whom he
had never spoken, to give him suit of clothes,
simply because he needed them; but the
sponge feels perfectly free to ask for the time
and strength of a minister, when the only
claim he has upon him is that he has sponged
one or more sermons out of him for nothing.
When the little child or the aged mother dies,
then the minister is once more needed. The
sponge hasn't much decency about him, but
he does not quite dare to run counter to public
sentiment enough to bury his dead without a
minister. In truth, he has no need thus to act,
for he is q sponge, and he knows that almost
any minister to whom he may apply will serve
him, and not expect even "thank you, sir,
for his services. He must pay the undertaken
roundy, the tomb-stones coulter will sue him II
he neglects to pay for the stone, and the grave
digger must be remembered, and the florist
cannot be sponged upon for single memoir
ial rosebud; but the minister why should the
religious sponge bother himself about the min
lister? He never spoke to him, and never de-
sires to. It's the minister's duty to bury the
dead. Perhaps some long suffering clergyman
would deem it melancholy privilege to bury
the sponge, but the sponge never dies, at least
his race never dies out. He is just as porous
and absorbent now as he was hundred years
ago, and gives promise of exhaustess vitality.
The only purpose that he subserves is the
growth in grace and the cultivation of patience
and long-suffering in those on whom he
sponges.
Hoping that these lines will meet the eye OF
every religious sponge in the community. the
writer commends them to the serious perusal
of this whole race.