Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-07-09
DE OLE ARK. Z"
A MOVING DAY coLLooUy.

The worli has been too busy moving. 1t
naS been carrying its goods and chattels
backwards and forwards To- new houseS-ueu
places
There Is something very rasping and un-
setuing IN this inceSSant change of home.
know tLat 1t is not always may" but
must with the most OF us. Weare Obliged
TO move, either 10 better ourselves or Der
haps TO evade our landlords. Wemay move
70 expand into larger quarters. or to con-
tract into smaller ones. Our pockets and
purses decide the matter for Us ia most cases:
but one is ofteutimes tempted to think that
IL is greatly owing to that spirit Of unrest
which pursueS MS a nation in all classes Il
life, that We bounce about from house to
house a. we do.
This fury for moving eliminates Its forces
and breaks loose in cities and towns on the
I lst OF May. Even houses themselves start
I upon wheels at that time and trundle off
other lots. Then this lst of Nav shuttle
and shoves people about from pillar 10 post,
till they all seem 10 shake down somehow
out Of sight again till the next moving time
/ j, for one have lust been through il. A
storehouse has received all INV belongings.
I so for the present this one soul has given up
a visible home. The only interesting point
about 1t To another is the following conver-
sation which took place between some parts
Of me, as we sat on an empty packing bnx.
looking after our last vauload moving away
from the empty house. said 70 myself.
That van makes me think Of the old negro
I hymn we used TO hear in Dixey in the davs
OF childhood The old ark a-moverin'. n
movCrin along Ii used TO stir ~ up like
a war song when the negroes shouted it at
camp meeting. There was battle-ax cry
in it. don't YOU. rememberi W. thought
that all we ownsd was In tha' ark and IL had
to he defended with ones life.
Those ten commandments in the moving
had TO be looked TO, that they didn't get
broken. The purpose of life was 10 see that
they were going straight, no matter what
the ark met with 20 hinder il on the way.
Behold our ark a-moverin', a-moveriB'
alonr said l.
All 81 ~ Who sat on that packing box were
in a bad humor from excessive fatigue; 70
my Mind spoke up very roughly and said,
You numbering old Body. YOU are not
worth the bother il has been TO start that
'old ark G-moverin', a-Eioverin This whOls
fuss i about YOU. You have more pots and
rans and kettles in that van than you know
what 70 do with. ''Welln said the poor
Body, ''if 1 have, ] put them in that van
with my own strength. | carried them.
You lidn't have much 10 do with it; and If
wasn't 50 tired after it, YOU shouldn't bully
me so, either
Look here, what do you want with C
muchF' said my Mind For one Body you
take up too much room. when you sit down
it must be on every kind of a chair-stuffed
bottoms, wooden bottoms and cane seats.
You have dinner chairs, bedroom chairs.
easy chairs, and they are all after every con-
ceivable fashion. When you lie down il
must be on all kinds of beds and sofas-by
day "a, a bed by night, each one made
of every kind of springs and stuffinGs Your
tables must Ire of all kinds-dinner tables,
tea tables, writing tables. with four legs and
six legs and center legs. You drink out OF
all kinds of utensils, made out Of every kind
Of metal and eartheaware, and every color
and quality of glass. When you eat it must
be off every manner of plate and platter,
and even they can't be taken for granted as
all right till YOU have turned them over to
see their credentials. For every limb you
have some peculiar fashion of covering.
And you won't have it the same for two
seasons alike. For your legs there Is one
cut. for your arms another, and your old
trunk couldn't be packed with all the foolish
a,
head. II must have a dozen different kinds
of roofs You are not satisfied with one kind
Of tile You must have a thatched roof
for summer, and stovep.pe for winter, and
these are never the sa me from year To year.
And Your feet, which are only two, YOU
treat % if they were as numerous as cell
tipede's You want so much shoei"g-broad
nibs and pointed toes. They are the only
part of you that shows any slap-back indie
pendence by the way, for they resent your
pinching and screwing them into sharp toed
boots The pinch is best known, as the
proverb saws to him who wears it. IL can't
be described Your very fingers need ami
mails slaughtered for them, their SENS
dyed into every color Of the rainbow, and
then cut into long strips to hold them. So,
whether YOU eat. sleep, walk or ride, you
multiply the ways 20 do it, till enough ward
robes. trunks, boxes drawers, bags and cup
boards can't be found to hold them. Now,
at this moment, yon have worn your
cunbrous self to a skeleton packing them
I'D. and slowing away your variods and
countless belongings For myself, l have
begged You to throw away the half of all
YOU possess. and so TO free yourself from
burdens but only succeeded IN making you
| aIl a few ash barrels
"Well," said the Body, "whst did you do
towards giving away anythingi You looked
over the books of your library and sent more
trash TO the Christian Association than would
fiji n dozen ash barrels You couldn't part
with one book worth having, you were SO
miserlv. And what are the heaviest boxes In
/ that van nowi They are your load of books.
I You will never read them either. You are
too restless. You haven't time. You ny
\ about town so much, and are so curious over
ravv ways. You are not one-half the reader
vou think Won are. These poor Christians,
/ tool What do you think they want WITH
boxes of statistics. and suchlikei They want
/ cheerful. agreeable books, some rouslns good
novels. such as you like TO read yourself"
Mind sat still il looked snabbed. mean
ress had been detected and thrown at her by
her exasperated Body; aad while she was
gathering up force to go OF 1t again the Soul
smoke mo; MY tired sisters, Il said' i