The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-05-21
Receiving and Giving.


in teaching, that shall impress children
and pupils with disagreeable sense of
religion. l remember, in my early days,
to have known some disagreeable Chris
tians. Being very susceptible, acquired,
easily, very great distaste for religion
through the unwilling influence OF these
persons upon me. | remember, also, few
that, on the other hand, unintentionally
and unknowingly produced favorable
impression upon me in respect to religion.
As no harm can come of it, will take
leave to speak of two persons, the effect
of whose lives and examples upon me was
entirely different.
One of the most laborious men, proba-
bly,, that ever blessed the American
churches was Mr.. Nettleton of Connecti-
cut. He came up in my very infancy,
and was in his prime when was but a
mere boy. He lived much at my fathers.
He did great deal of good to many, but
not one particle to me. look back, now,
upon his dwelling in our house, and upon
his whole ministry, though used to hear
him preach often, 80 far as the effect upon
me was concerned, as having been profit
less. do not doubt that, he WAS good
man, and l have no question that he is in
heaven, and that hundreds and thousands
of men whom his fidelity brought there
are clarifying God with him; and yet,
can say that scores of men-some in par
ticular that were not to be compared with
him in ability-made great deal more
impression of Christ upon my mind than
he did. He had become much used to
being served. Everybody waited on him.
/ did not know then why it was that
disliked him; but now | see. Children,
you know, reason by instinct; and know
that if l saw Mr.. Nettleton in the sitting
room, l went to my chores through the
back way. I remember that the reason
was that whenever went near him he
caught me by the arm and sent me on
some errand. had feeling that the re-
lation which bore to him was that of an
errand-boy. He did not think of it; I
did not realize it; but now 1 see that L
degraded by being sent all the time on
errands, and, secondly, of selfshness on
his part for wishing others to do for him
what he might have done for himself.
Though did not reason then, felt what
now can see why felt.
There lived, about the same time, in
our family, an excellent woman that we
called " Auntie," though she was not re.
lated to us at all. now remember being
sent but once by her on an errand and
such was my love for her, such was my
feeling toward her, she was 80 near to me,
that l went without a protest, though
father had got his gun and invited me to
60 a-hunting with him. And, oh nobody
can tell what that was to mel 1t never
happened more than two or three times in
my life. They were paradisaical days on
which it did occur; and it was on one OF
those days that Aunt Chandler sent me
with two pennies to buy her a box of
snuff Without stopping to explain the
circumstances, / took the money, and ran
for the store; and l tell you little feet
never went faster over the ground, or came
back quicker, than mine did. But, alas
when returned father was gone, and
lost the hunting. And yet, could not
have said No" to Aunt Chandler; nei.
ther did blame her; and really believe
she was more troubled than | when she
found out my disaster. She was good to
me in every way. If there were apples
off in the morning, she walked me, saying,
"Henry, jump up quick and run out and
get the apples" Another would have
said, "Come, Henry, you lazy heap, morn
ing has broken, and it is time for you to
get up" She got me up on pleasing mo-
tives, and took pains to present such
motives before me. If anything happened
to me, she managed somehow to get in
between me and doom-and doom meant
one thing, always If there was disa.
greeable thing to be performed, some.
where or other there was spIing touched
in my favor. Indeed, those were happy
days with US little boys when Aunt Chan.
der was around. remember that
thought that woman was the most Chris.
tian person that ever did live. 1 would
have gone down on my knees to her with.
out the least hesitation. She never said q
word to me on the subject of religion. !
saw her read the Bible, and knew that she
was woman of prayer, and heard mother
speak of her as an excellent Christian
but it was owing to no pretension on hel
part to being Christian that / almost
adored her. 1t was, in the first place
kindness, and in the second place, sym
pathy with child, by which the little
things that he was called to do were
presented in such way that they took
hold on the right side, and not on the
wrong side. To her it was worth while
to do right things in lovely manner
and she did them in such a way as tc
produce powerful impression on my
mind. She interpreted to me the " beauty
of holiness"
On the other hand, Mr.. Nettleton, al
though he had much larger attachments
produced on my mind the impression Of
unloveliness, and | Stunned and avoided
him. When he talked with me on thu
subject of religion he drove me almost
crazy, according to his favorite method
which was to get a man in net, and hole
him there till he could not do otherwis,
than give up, thus bringing him over, mo-
by gaining his voluntary assent, but by
firing him out 80 that he had no powe
to resist.
I, in my day, have had some experience,
in collecting money for charitable pur
poses and think there is no one thin
that tests men more than that. never
when was trying to raise funds for such
purposes, was fit to collect more than two
days in week. II requires so much ad
dress, 80 much intensity of feeling, to b.
successful, that there were but about tw'
days of week in which was adequat
to the work. The remainder of the tim
rested and fortified myself.
~ nnuasJa~ h. Ill