Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-08-28
SLEEPING IN CHURCH.
STRANGE MEANS OF COMMANDING At
TENTION.

their doctrine, says the Albany
Press, either by the performance of
some mountebank trick in the gown
or by some utterance or tale that
was all awry. The Rev. Daniel
Burgess, observing but a small
congregation assembled, one day,
roared out, as he entered the pull
pit: Fire fire fire! The astOnish-
ed and frightened congregation
instantly exclaimed: 'Where
where whereY In hell hell hell
roared the preacher, 'tO burn such
wretches as regard not the tidings
of the gospel
In Charles IFS time there lived
certain Nine. Creswell, whose
character was nOtoriOusly bad. She
was at last imprisoned in Bride
well, and as her death approached
she desired to have sermon
preached at her funeral, aud left |
by her will $3.50 for that purpose,
only the preacher was to say moth
ing except what was we'll of her.
The preacher gave a sermon on
mutability, and concluded: 'By
the will of the deceased it is expect
cd that should mention her and
say nothing except what is we'll OF
her. All that have to say of her
therefore, is this She was born
well, she lived well, and she died
we'll for she was born with the
name of Creswell; she lived IN
Clerkenwell, and she died in Bride
WELL
Some preachers have given
illustrations in their pulpits which
have savored of acting. The Rev.
Billy Dawson was preaching about
Davids encounter with Goliah, and
after dramatically describing the
challenge of the Phiistine and the
defence of David, he took ont
pocket handkerchief and made
sling of it, put in an imaginary
stone and flung it with such im'
acinary force in reality that Sam
nv Hicks, the village blacksmith,
lost all control over his feelings
and shouted That's right, Billy;
now, hcf with his cad "
A clergyman in Norwich, Ct,
seeing many of his parishioners
asleep, paused awhile, and then
said. Il come now to the third
head of my discourse, to which l
ask the serious and candid atten-
ton of all who are not asleep
Doctor South, when once preach
ing before Charles H., observed
that the monarch and his attendant
began to nod; and as mobiles are
common men when they are asleep
some of them soon after snOred, on
which he broke off his sermon and
exclaimed, Lord Lauderdale, | am
sorry to interrupt your repose, but
let me entreat You not to snOre so
loud. lest you awaken his majesty
II was no easy thing in early times
to keep congregations awake, ana
that others beside the preachers
themselves made efforts praise
worthy enough in this direction is
evidenced by the fact that on the Il,
of April, 1925, JnO. Rudge bequeath'
cd to the parish of Tyrsnll, in
Shropshire, twenty shillings year
that a poor man might be employ
= ed to 90 ABOUT during sermon and
keep the people awake. \ bequest
by Richard Dovey, of Farmcote,
dated 1869, had in view the pay
ment of eight shillings annually to
- poor man for the performance OF
the same duty in Cloverly church,
) Shropshire.
r At Action church, in Cheshire,
about fifty years ago, one of the
!, church wardens or apparltor used
TO 90 around the church during the
| service with a long ward in his
hand, and if any of the congrega'
t ton we're asleep they we're instant
Il " awakened by a tap on the head
& At Dunchurch, in Warwickshire
I a similar custom existed. a per
son bearing stout wand, like
hav.fork at the end, stepped stealth
lis up and down the nave and aisles
IL and whenever he saw an individua
}. asleep he touched him 80 eBectual
!. Il " that the spell was broken; thi'
u being sometimes done by fitting tho
1t prongs of the fork to the nape OF tn
y neck.
% A more playful method Of arous
y =, ing sleeping sinners from the arms
- of Morpheus was used in anthe
~ church, where the beadle wen
20 round the edifice carrying q loni
staff at one end Of which was
10 knob. at the other Il fox's tail. Th
" latter was used to tickle the face
~ of the lady sleepers, the former Z
= thump tie heads of the somnolen
-. men.
~ The day for personalities in tn
- pulpit has long ago gone by. Som
- years since the Rev. DIR. Bendo
~ was rector of the parish church i
ls Ethan, Kent. One day he too
:. for his text, 'Who Art Thou
10 After having read this he paused
=. az was his custom, to give tn
-, audience time to think upon h
" words. Just thena military Office
entered, aud walking down Ii
...-....ol tl,o ouaafion Ws