The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1882-06-15
RELIGION AND FARO.

Tlcsc were murmnrings In Bismarck,
When the dealer Ola bank
Announced that Parson Miller
Had brought his gospel tNNk,
And the muttcrings grew lou'lcI
When a sign lpasto appear
That, "Instead OF faro. Sunday.
Thcre'N te Bible banging here.
Fer the good folk of Dakota
Had peculiar n0tionsof
The Uses of the sabbath.
And the doctrines Of Gods love;
And they held il an nfraction
OF therrights, when some one came
To bust their calculations and
Breakup the Sunday game,
They had simple kind OF iaitrs
That God looked amer him,
Who had the biggest stack of chips,
Aid may have had grim,
I<culiar notion that there was
Some power above them an
Tint helped protect the honest mar
Who failed to make u haul.
Still whether il was worth while
For some one to come In
Asking special intercntiM
For those who couldn't Win.
Seemed to solncWha .ens the town ut,
And opin.ons differed wide,
Till Mn Dennis lIannafn
Npl.t on the Parsons side.
And then the aspect altered
And the citizens agreed
Tint he who raised objections
Should be takcD ant and trcetl-
The Sunday s+.lne, ass sundays wilk
Though Men be good or bad,
Aud newer congregation was
Like that the Parson had.
The faro-tabfc did the task
Ofpulpit. Each pssn sas
Provided well With chips against
The passing ofthc hat,
For they felt they owed duty
fp the place, us well rs God.
sothcy ptronized the banker,
Ere they passed beneath the rOd-
There may be better sermons
Than the trembling Parson Brought
Fnrmore repletc with poetry
And cleaning gems of thOughts
but the honest man dbl nnbly.
Though he played the hand alone,
For he nreAched soine good religfpai,
Apd==the sermon was his own.
lie told them of n coming time
When chips must DC passed ill.,
And begged them tl,at they play so they
stood solidly to win,
lie told them of that fearful game
Of agony and doubt,
Iii which Gods foes chinpcd in the world.
And Jesus raised them ont.
And tho congregation listened
With spirits somewhat dashed,
AS he pointed ont the higher Bank
Where human souls are cashed.
Finally he closed and said
He had Il little whim:
lie wanted them to sing, and moro
Than that, select tho hymn,
1t is "A solemn rule amons
The people of that hallGl
Whatever gnnle may be proposed
To always Ake u hand. I
So they bmccd un for the struggle
Ihoygh II was novel thing,
And utter consultation
They started In to sing.
Pcrhapsno church collection
For they only knew '.Whoa Eni,ma..
And the very bottles rang.
But there was tone Of fearnestncss
OF feeling In the rOaN
That very Hw set songs Ofpraise
.ltAd ever known before.
And the Parson understood It,
And had but little care,
For he heart something rising
Above the words and air
Aud when shccpish gentleman
BctoOk him to explain
The lhrsol turned him down, and asked
To hear the hymn again.
And once again "Whoa Em,na." raised
The lid from of the stovcs
And cchncd fSMn the hotties to
The Golden Rar above.
Which occasionesl Mn Hannah.
To hnxarl the Vplark, ~
That ifAnaeE liked good music,
T0 cheese their own, anil bark.
And then the rarsuA's battered hat
Was w,ssctl among those wrecks,
And silently the poorest even
Anteed up their checks
The parson, all bewilderesl asked
What he should do With those,
And learned that hp might play em In,
Or cash as tc chose.
Aud Mr. lIanMafln agrcctl,
In CMsc they werc played ln,
To take the lookout chair himself
And doublc-bank SKIN;
While fthe Parson wanted casls
Why. waits right up and plank:
For chips for cash AMI cash for chips,
Was how he ran TINT hank.
That was tho first religion
KyeF preached In DisnsnrCk town.
And now three Honlly churches
That eariy en6rt cEowlfv
And 70 ss;sn each tsscsasas s...s 's. Y. Nv n. Y,
y wslss a;ss IN ls1s ss.'s y Ss's 4s's Il III
Aud iNcygR lt.hslss rsl!!Fian
Don't make \ llO9Sy putt gS8
ugn tns nycs ~ q thuss Y Il ~ play,
And psHibly, somc future slass r g
When checks arg I'LL taAshed 81 N * ssssSf q
The men who built those ClsS,rC1 ~ * Y ~ IL
Will tnd they staud - WIN $500 "a ID s