Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-05-18

doors. Mrs. Hewitt stood on her door
steps, her cap strings iutterlng in the
breeze.
"I do hope Lysander hasn't forgot
ten to get new box of blacking. OF
course the minister will want his boots
very shiny" she said to herself
just mt that moment Lysander drove
up-with only girl beside him. What
could be the reason that the minister had
not Gomez The young lady was n
stranger. She had probably come TO
visit somebody at Scragg End, and as
there was nobody to meet her at the
station, Lysandcr had brought her over.
But he was helping her to alight at their
own gate. She was walking UP the
path. Mrs. Hewitt adjusted her glass
cs, and satisfied herself that the face
was unfamiliar She was grave and
digniilcd young woman, with self
possessed manner, but with bright
flush on her face. Why didn't Lysan-
der come up and introduce her, instead
of attending to the horscP =.
" 1 suppose you were expecting me, "
said the young lady, extending her hand
in n friendly way. ~ am the new min
ister-Miss Barton"
AS Mrs. Hewitt afterward declared,
'you could have knocked her down with
a feather" And her overwhelming as
tonishment was so plainly shown that
the new minister became very much
embarrassed.
"Of course, you kncw-certainly
you ought TO have been told that-that l
was n woman,n she said.
1--WE didn't know. Why, we never
thought of such thing. They didn't
say word about it," exclaimed Mrs.
Hewitt, and in her astonishment and
dismay she utterly ignored the out
stretched hand.
The young lady had strong and
resolute face, but Mrs. Hewitt sudden
ly became aware that the corners of
her mouth were dropping, and there
was hurt rs well as weary look in
her eyes, and all her motherly COM
passion was aroused.
But it don't make any difference,
child--I mean ma'am. I've no doubt
you can preach as well rs half the
men. We know what is going on in
the world, if we do live good ways
out of it; only there never did happen
to be woman preacher anywhere
about here. so it took me by surprise.
We believe in giving women fair
chance, here in Scragg End, l can tell
you"
"I was afraid you might have OBJ
jections," said the young lady, n smile
chasing the WEAKNESS out of her face.
"Oh, we shall think everything of
you, I've no doubt-after while. You
don't know what it is to be without
regular preaching as long as we have.
Come right in and get rested, and have
cup of tea, for expect you've had a
hard journey"
Before escorting her guest TO her
room Mrs. Hewitt managed to slip up
stairs and slyly abstract Lysander's new
shaving set from the toilette table,
where She had placed it for the con-
venience of the new minister.
1t is undeniable that at the first re-
ceipt of the news n general dismay over
spread Scragg End. The older people
were disposed to consider that a trick
had been played upon them, and were
angry accordingly, some even going so
far rs to wish to have Miss Barton told
that her services could be dispensed
with. But nobody seemed willing to
tell her, and there was great curiosity
to hear her preach. There were few
courageous spirits who openly avowed
that they saw no reason why n woman
should not preach, and were glad to
have one for minister. Many COM
planned of Miss Barton's youth, but ac-
knowledged that they would not have
objected on that score to n young man
| n ttynntu-Siy t,va txr- NyhiaI
was her age.
There were some who thought sht
was too handsome for minister, ant
Others who thought that since she was
going to set herself up for everybody tc
look at, it was pity that she was moi
handsomer; some who thought women
ought not to preach at all, and Others
who thought some women might be al
lowed to, but that Miss Barton was not
of the right kind. 1t was tacitly agreed
that she should be given n hearing, but
q woman minister as stated supply
was not what was wanted.
But in two Sundays Miss Barton con.
quered Scragg End, except few of the
most preiudiced, who would never OWE
themselves conquered. She was sc
simple, so earnest, so sympathetic
There were no long words, no far.
fetched analogies, such as Mr.. Ericsson
used; there was no rattling of the dry
bones of theology; she touched the
chords that vibrated in their everyday
| life.
"She comes right home to you, that's
a fact" said Joshua Ring. "She':
Scriptooral, too, and she makes as feel
in prayer as ever / heard. don't
like to see woman in the pulpit, and ]
amt a-goin' to say / do, but she's edi-
fyin', and no mistake"
~ never went to meetin' before when
didn't have terrible hard work to keer
from noddin', but somehow her talk is
kind of plain and sensible, and keeps
me awake" said Luke Pettingill, who
was wont to disturb the congregation
by audible breathing.
People iloeked toScragg End from fal
and near to hear the new minister, at
first with much the same curiosity that
they would have shown to see white
elephant, but soon for the sake of the
preaching. Nobody could quite explain
Miss Barton's popularity. Perhaps old
Mrs. Simmons came as near to the truth
as anybody when she said ''she wasn't
any smarter than anybody else, but
someway she seemed just like o,0n folks.
And she knew just how folks felt with
out being told"
Ponkapawket was scandalized. 1t
was disgrace to the whole town to
have woman preacher holding forth
every Sunday, and drawing such crowds
drawing half the congregation away
from the Ponkapawket church, too!
The deacons requested Mr.. Ericsson to
preach a sermon from the text: "Let
your women keep silence in the
churches" Mr.. Ericsson was known to
hold the Woman's Rights movement in
contempt; but he had been twice to
hear Miss Barton preach, when there
were no services in his own church, and
he had also called upon her several
times, and when the deacons conferred
with him about preaching that sermon
they found it impossible to obtain any
satisfaction; he was very polite, and he
did NOT cav that he would not hut ssha