Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-02-19

Xpenditure-to degenerate into |
parsimony and extortion. !
Said Daniel Defoe, repeating the
thought of George Herbert uttered |
half century before:
Wherever God erects house of prayer,
The devil always builds chapel there.
And it is curious illustration of this
neighborliness of good and bad things,
that that very cultivation in some
directions of the Christian virtues
which marks the regenerate character
with singular and mournful ease is
able to degenerate into the infrmity
which we would condemn. Thus
man whose natural instincts are mar
row rather than broad becomes inter-
ested in religion, in missions and in
general Christian work. He wants
to give something, as well as do
something, to help convert the world
to the Savior whom he has learned
to love. To do this, with his limited
means, he must practice rigid econ
omy. But there is danger that
few years of such economy, even for
the best purpose, acting upon his
natural tendencies will harden him so
far toward miserhood, as to make his
very religion irreligious in the eyes
of men.
In the train the other day we could
not help overhearing the conversation
of the occupants of the next seat,
and we may as we'll confess that what
we then heard prompted us to this
present writing. A part of what we
heard was this, we did not catch the
name, and were even altogether with
out hint of the town or church of the
deacon who was the topic of con-
versation.
''He came into the store and asked
for three-cent stamp, an envelope,
and sheet of paper, and seemed to
be surprised when told that four cents
was the charge; said he had been in
the habit of getting all of 'em fol
three cents over to Smiths
''Well, | should smile," responded
the seatmate of the former speaker
chow could he expect, in reason
when the stamp costs three cents, t.
get the other things thrown in fire,
gratis, at dead loss to the seller?'
."Oh," was the answer, "everybod,
knows the deacon, and how small h
5 is. and that he has to be humored, O
, you can't do anything with him
And. of course. that other fellow
: Smith, whom he commonly trade
| with, sees through him, and for th
: sake of his custom winks at, an
t coaxes his meanness. You see tn
: deacon comprehends perfectly we
+. that nobody would sell him twenty
a four stamps, and, for the seventy-tw
: cents, throw IN quire of paper an
: a bundle of envelopes, because thu
: would be cutting it altogether too fat
e and so he never buys but one STAN
@ at time, and insists, as it's a sma
e matter, on having the other thing
l. thrown in for the same three-cel
7, piece
e ''His trade must be enriching y
l. "Oh, you needn't think that sea
s awags don't get come up with in Il
IS long run. / haven't a doubt bu
s what with sanding his sugar, al
:, weakening his things generally, al
e then tucking good, thick extra pri
g. on to the few articles that the deact
ID ain much posted about, Smith max
st the old fellow pay good profit, We
l. in and year out, while he takes it 0
to in despising the old man all the SAL
Sc and, Notwithstanding his blast
al meanness about the stamps and su
st like, gets more'n even with him
the end.
"Mebbe it's so. But don't y
m SOFT o. banker to belong to a chul
nd that has officers with souls of tt
of captivating sHe2 kind O. 'reco
nd mends religion in the life, y
it, know -
he mot hankerg'
It'll Thomas Gibbons has been dc
nd almost one hundred years, and of
Is, the sermons, the memoirs, and
ter poems that he wrote, single staI
If. only has thrust itself upon perpet
or remembrance
lg- That man may last. bnt never lives
olv Who much receivesibut nothing gives;
Whom none can love. whom can than
Creations blot. creations blank