The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-02-08
For the Central Presbyterian.
History of a Church Debt.
(CoNTINUED0

We told in our last how our Sloton
church got into debt and how the debt
got into the Sloton church, and now
wish to tell how the two became olsen
tangled.
The fact was, we began to feel how
unworthily we had been acting. How
we had been drifting on for years when
a vigorous effort would have extricated
US. Conscience, long slumbering, awoke
in our hearts, and there was a general
resolve to do better. These healthy
symptoms appeared contemporaneously
with notice posted by the sheriff over
the county, that the Slotoa church build
ing would on the next court day be
knocked off to the highest bidder to
satisfy an execution in his hands in favor
of the architect who built the spire. AS
the edifice had been mortgaged for the
debt, we were reduced to the cruel alter
native OF paying or losing our place of
worship.
In this dreadful trial we had oongre-
gational meeting, conducted with tears
and great unanimity. All agreed. that
in our exhausted condition, nothing could
be raised directly from the members. so
it was agreed that father Bats should
be sent to the city to solicit help from
the charitable. The pastor of the First
church allowed him to present his cause
on Sunday morning, and the good old
man said he would be at certain store
the next day, to receive contributions.
He waited until night at the place ap-
pointed and got just 1855, and as his
expenses were about thrice that amount,
the debt was not greatly ightened by
this effort. After this we determined we
would try fair.
Among the thousands of proverbs of
Solomon which are lost, it is not impos-
sible that one was, If you get people to
go to work, you generally get them in a
good humor." We had never had fair
in Sloton, and the idea fred the popular
heart, especially of the female part of
the community. This thing of going
around among the clerks and begging
ends of ribbon and bits Of silk, and max
ing the same into cravats and watch
pockets and selling to the original donors
for a dollar each, was Just glorious to
think Of. And then the cutting out and
trimming that was to fill up the coming
weeks: And last and most splendid Of
all, this standing behind counter,
dressed like dream, with ones hair in
ravishing folds, and looking ones very
best, timid but more attractive, as more
like shrinking violet or startled fawn,
and selling all off ones table, while that
poke, Kitty Slow, will not get rid of a
thing. Oh how delightful the pretty
girls felt it was to work for. the Lord
Nearly all had new outfits, and several
coaxed fond parents to get them dresses
from New York. The young gentlemen
also bought new suits, for the solemnity.
Every thing went off in such style that
we were told by visiting drummer he
had never seen anything superior to it in
the large cities. We netted nearly 5000.
and counting the clothes bought, the
articles given, and time lost, the commu.
nifty was not put to an expense of much
over a thousand dollars. The only ap-
Proclamation to an accident occurred
about deacon Slow. For the sake of the
church and love Of heaven, he ate enor-
mously at the supper which was con-
Quoted on the safe and salutary plan,
that you paid for everything you called
for. The deacon called for much, paid
for much, and ate much. When he went
to sleep that night he had vision, which
he thought came from mince-pie, and his
wife thought was oysters, and his daugh-
ter, Kitty, thought was fruit cake, and
which everybody else thought were
these three, and ham, and eggs, and fish,