The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-04-23
Brother LuscOmb.

The brethren did not like to have Mr..
Luscomb speak in the evening meetings.
He was slow, ungrammatical and uninter-
esting. His gestures were awkward, stories
without point, experience absurd in fact,
he was totally untitled to exhort Yet no
meeting passed without word from him.
No one liked to tell him that his remarks
were not acceptable; and so things went
on. The doacons offered long prayers
and exhortations "to take up the time"
but Brother Luscomb was not to be
crowded out. The boys Uttered and
whispered over his Anticipated pronuncia-
tion, but the old man was not to be
giggled out of countenance. There was
also another provoking thing about him,
he seemed always to enjoy every gather.
ing for prayer. When all felt that
meeting had been as dead as it is possible
for a mid.week prayer-meeting to be,
Brother Luscomb would come out of it as
bright and glowing as if just from an
intense revival service, and say with all
his heart: Raal good meetin', want it,
brethren ?" He was a consistent Chris
tian, nobody disputed that, but he was
not consistent grammarian. He said
"set" instead of sit, and when the
youngsters laughed, he obligingly changed
1T to "sot" Words ending in ling "
were always deprived of the g, and those
in Gin " or Gen " as invariably had a @
added. "Prehaps, persuasion, persenti-
ment," were favorite words with him.
There would have been some hope in the
hearts of the brethren and sisters if there
were any signs of his overcoming his
faults, but on the contrary, he became
worse as his years grew to be more of a
burden. 1t was suggested by some that
he be kindly requested not to "take
part" when something happened that
opened many eyes. A young man of
eighteen strayed into one of the prayer
meetings. He was well.known through
the town as hard case, and to see him
there was wonder. Brother Luscomb
new conner. All of the brethren tried to
make the meeting as interesting as pos
sible. Deacon G. spoke fluently of a
shipwrecked sailor clinging to his moth
er's Testament, even in the pangs of death.
Mrs. M. sang very touchingly song that
had awakened many heart to its lost
condition. Brother M. said earnestly and
meaningly, Choose ye this day whom ye
will serve," and then, when the tone of
the meeting was deep and reverent,
Brother Luscomb got up and spoke. just
what he said hardly any one seemed to
know. He meandered through some sort
of story about "Chinee boy which
had stole suthin', an couldn't git no
peace till he made 'restitootion,'" and
"restitootion and "prehsps and "breth.
ering," with few other choice words,
were about all that most of those present
remembered of the story after the speaker
"sot down. The "pillars" round about
endured the attack, as usual, with martyr
like faces, and feeling of righteous in
dignation that the good impression the
young man had already gained should be
thus lost. A few weeks after this, the
same young man came before the church
committee to be examined for admission
to the church. In the course of the ques.
tions that were put to him it was asked,
"When did you first decide to serve the
Lord ?" cat the prayer-meeting, three
weeks ago." "What led to that choice ?"
asked the pastor. Something that one
of the speakers said," was the reply.
"What was it :" The young man hest
tated, then said when came into that
meeting, | had in my pocket twenty
dollar bill that belonged to certain man
here in town. l did not deliberately steal
it from him, but as l was sure that he
would never know where it went, / was
going to keep it. The only part of the
service that l remember was where Mr..
Luscomb spoke about the stealing and
restitution. 1t seemed as if he was talk
ing to me, and what he said hung to me
until, before l went to sleep that night, /
had resolved to return the money" AT
the next mid-week meeting, Mr.. Luscomb
being detained at home by sickness, the
pastor told the whole story, and thereafter
when Mr.. Luscomb spoke or prayed
neither the grammar, the accents, nor the
gestures were noticed, but rather the
hearty love for the Master, which had
been the means of saving a soul.-H. C
p, in Boston Watchman.