The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-07-05
Hunting for q Text.

The good pastor was known
among his perhaps envious brethren
- . Sensational" preacher. One
day while he was sitting In his study
immersed IN thought, with heap
of rrlmbied newspapers on the floor
beside him, Deacon Built came In.
After . few preliminary remarks, the
pastor said:
'.Bullit, I want q subject for my
next Sundays s.'rnlon, and I can't
think Of ! thing. Can you suggest a
theme ~
II don't know" said the deacon,
"l've been through the whole Of
that pile Of newspapers, telegraph
columns, police columns, even the
advertising columns, and there IL
nothing strik'n" among thcn!.'
"l.ri's svt; !"u preached against
tho MOrin"ps thre weeks ago:
That was the Sunday l was away"
.'There's nothing IN that. I've
gone for tl,e MOr'llons twice since
last fall. Then, you know, l preached
Last Sunday about the big railroad
accident ut Dunkard's creek, and in
the afternoon I had y discourse about
the snow Storm"
'Nnthing more in tile Guiteau
case, Is there
mo, the people are tired Of II.
Three sermons on that subject are all
they can stand. d. you think l
can stir things up with another dis
course pitching into city councils, or
say the management Of the water
works ~
II don't know. Maybe you might.
The last time you went for councils
the church was crowded; all the
cOuncilnIen came. ant the COLLECTION
was the largest since New Years"
'But l couldn't releat that story
about the cOlored man and the mule,
could /? That was the best thing in
the sermon, l think"
ut brought down the house, that's
"I.auxl,e.l, didn't they: but l
couldn't tell II again. SO ] guess l
won't take up councils. have half
notion to discuss the Panama canal
question. do you think the people
would feel AN interest IN that l
might preach about the Panama
canal in the morning and about the
smallpox epidemic III the evening.
The spread of the smallpox Interests
everybody"
"Yes; but why not devote the scr.
mon chiefly to the history and value
Of vaccination ~
at might answer. Nobody Knows
how hard it is to find fresh and in
tcresting subjects. Things happen
~ cOlIvenieutly. just rs likely ~
not there will bc u big fire in the city
late Saturday night, after MY two
sermons are written, and when 1t
will I've too late to write another with
the fire as the theme"
"iOu could extenlpOriz'. about 1t. ;"
'But not ~ we'll. not so we'll. By
the way, Built. have you heard the
r,lnlOrs that Cashier Smith, vi tl,e
Tenth National Bank, Is y default
er":'
II believe there are run.ors Of tha,
kind allHat."
THAT would he u lively theme:
Suppose take 1t up In u gene raj sort
Of = way and make it sensational :
That might do for the morning, and
then could give \ blast on the vari-
ETY. theatres in the evening. Or !
could devote my evening serDion to
the tariff and the morning on. to the
bull.r,n 10 the North Pole. You
would H. surprised how little help l
get now from the newspapers. \
man may skim over fifty without
findings single theme tina. will draw
q full house aud excite the curiosity
Vi the congregation"
''Have you locked anywhere but
IN the newspapers
"N-n-nu! Excepting IN the report
81 the hs,rti Of trade and couple q;
the Review"
didn't refer to the Bible, Of
course >"
"vvc!l. l tell you. deacon, the l'e.'-
pie are tired Of >crirtur:.l subjects.
They want something novel and cx-
citing. Of course, it seen.s ! little
queer to throw the Bible over; hut u
IMAM las to reaci, popular cSiss.ta-
ton and my theory il t" rc:.cl, sin
ners one way it vnu can't reach them
the other. That's sound. isn't ~
BEFORE the deacon lett the pastor
had it arranged to preach one sc:-
mon On the boiler explosion ut Hack.
el-ack and another upon the cultiva-
ton It the carp rs n fond fish.