, 1884-10-12
COURTING IN CHURCH.
a Preachers Ingenious Treatment a
Sunday Night Attendants
A Series of esBark-seaf sermOns'' for
the a@nent OF the Young Pe~-
pie who sit In
Pairs.



The preacher sat fitting back IN his chhir
gazing IN an distracted manner at a Stat IL
porter, who WIS on the opposite side Of TIE
desk. Ia the past r. study, writing out suni.
religious Information for the columns " Jhs
Star. As the reporter finished his work and
was gathering together the papers, lac glaneed
across at the preacher. and noticed the pre-
occupied expression OF his face. Anticipat
ing that be might nave something more tu
say Of interest, the reporter settled back IN
his seat, and, without interrupting the
silenee, awaited developments. The reporter
gazed at the preacher, and the preacher gazed
at the reporter, but the silence remained ~.
broken
Prs-ently tho reverend gentleman 70
marked, as II thinking aloud; u shall have
to begin shortly enother series Of baekseai
sermorSn
-Ah. indeedi' observed the listener, en-
tirely In the dark as to the meaning OF the
reverend gentleman, and then the reporter
FASTENED TO add on a ventures "Doctrinal
sermons, | %supposef'
"Doctrinal sermonsf7 echoed the preacher,
in almost n shout, MS he brought his chair
down with n crash that threatened the
springs, What IRE you talking about Do
you pretend chat you don't know what ]
meanf
The reporter confessed without a blush To
this alarming ignorance.
well concluded the preacher, charitably,
Il suppose that you have been married some
time, and nave forgotten about your court
ing days. Now, let me ask you one question::
How did you and your sweetheart generally
spend Sunday ~eveningsr
Let me see" reflected the reporter, some
what astonished at this turn in the conversa-
ton. Il think that we usually went to
church IL II wasn't too cold or too hot She
was rather delicate, and had to DO careful
about going out at night, you know he
added, half apologeticaily.
"Oh certainly, OF course said tine
preacher, and he leaned back and looked ut
the reporter with one eye shut, very sug
gestive OF a worldly wink. Now when you
went 10 church you invariably sat as far
back as you could get. OF courss you did.
Now, why did you do thatfT
The listener pondered that question, and as
the events OF that happy period passed In re-
view before his mental vision, he smiled and
laughed out loud. "You see at last said the
reporter, aiming to make u senfble eK-
PLANTATION, she wanted to see the bonnets Of
the other girls, as Is natural with women
when they go 10 church or any other public
place, and | wanted 10 see her, and 80, OF
course, we couldn't go way up front, - and
the reporter paused.
The preacher nodded his head approvingly
during this explanation, as 1t was just what
he expected, and then said; Your reasons
suppose are just Us good az could be given
At any rate all young couples OH Sunday
night make for the back seats. aud they
won't take any other, An usher may start
ON ahead, ard they will les him 20 and drop
into a back seat, and when he turns around
at the bead Of the aisle with Il pleasant smile
~ show them into a good front pew he gener
ally finds to his disgust that no one is behind
him. That sort Of thing has deprived the
church OF the services OF many an efficient
usher. They amt stand the humiliation Of
ushering up tho aisle nothing, and then walk
Ing back TO face a smiling congregation. 1t
breaks them all up, 30 to speak"
Now, what Is the result Of his sort OF
thingf" continued the preacher, argumenta-
lively. when / rise In my pulpit on Sunday
evening and look over the congregation,
what do seei In the pews near the front
are the elders and d~eacons, good men, with
their shining bald heads and attentive faces.
Their wives are with them. and here and
there Is a maiden lady. Then in the CEN
tor il n broad desert OF empty pows, and way
back in the rear, maszed around the doors,
as you might say, are young people, always
IN pairs. l am glad to SEQ them. / always
preach better to the young, aud | plunge into
my sermon with energy aud animation.
After a particularly telling point. aimed
right at these young people, l look
up to enforce with gesture and per
sonhl glance what | have to say. and
instead OF finding the eyes of my back.seat
congregation turned upon me In attent-
i've interest they are not paying the slightest
attention to me. They are not even looking
at me. But there they sit, looking into sach
others eyes like young calves, or, perhaps, -
his added, with bitter SARCASM, las the poet
expresses it, Soft eyes looked love to eye
that spake againr"
81 got tired Of that sort OF thing last win
ter he resumed, after a brief pause, aand !
made up my mind that | would have their
attention for II little while at least. / began
n series of what ] call back-seat sermons.
They don't differ materially from the
other sermons, except thai at cer-
tain intervals, which I mark, l
shout out with great force, Young mani
and then pause as IL for rhetorical
effect. The effect is rhetorical
merely on the front-seat congregation,
but electrical on the back-seat congregation.
The young men who nave been devoting
their entire attention to exploring the liquid
depths of their sweethearts' eyes give a start,
and their companions do the same, and every
face on the back seat is turned toward me.
In their guilty circumstances Of using
the church to do their counting In, they think
that they are being personally rebuked from
the pulpit While l have their attention
improve the opportunity by pouring out
some gospel hot shot. However, us soor
AS the first shock is over, and they have
glanced around and found everything quiet,
they fall to counting again with renewed
vigor. Their ! come at them again, and
suddenly shout out, Young woman with
the same effect as before, and the same pour,
ing out OF gospel truth. So, you see. in thii
way l gain the attention Of my audience foi
a brief few minutes at amy rata"
The reporter gazed with admiration upon q
man who had contrived such an ingeniouI
device, but then a thought occurred, and h,
said; IL should think that the young people
after a few such shocks as you describe
would prefer to 20 To some other church
NO, they DON'T he replied, with u salts
fed smile. They seem to like it. It give ,
spice Of danger and adventure TO their court
ing, as il some one was trying to separat,
them. Since l began these sermons this ele
ment In the evening congregations ha
actually increased You see, they are oblige,
TO hear some Of the sermons, and, their atten
ton being aroused so suddenly, what the
hear is impressed on their minds, aud the,
remember it. From this circumstance
which is entirely novel in their experience
they get the idea that | am a very powerful
and eloquent preacher, and my fame ha
very eonsiderahly increasedn -
Every smoker should try Ltd
/ llkfI.