The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-01
PREACHERS WIVES.
The Old Loves OF Many Noted Ministers
OF the Gospel.
What Is Good wifes-A Biehop with
Four and Eager for - Fifth BaK-
ter's Wife.


ter's Wife.
The lot OF q preachers wife is by no means
an easy one. She is second in Importance to
the preacher himself Her incomiDas and
out goings are all noticed her personal pieiy,
the number of her dresses, the trimmings Oh
her bonnet. the mar agement OF her family.
are all matters that the ladies of the coDgre-
CATION make Ii special point to comment
upon. Many a poor clergy nan has been in
greater danger of dismissal from the color OF
his wife's bonnet strings than from any error
of doctrine on his own part She must be o
good mixer aoroad and an expert manager
at home, know how to live on next TO moth
ing, keep a clean and smiling face, visit the
sick and poor, and not neglect the rich and
naughty. Her course is continually between
Scylla and Cbary bdis-quioksan on one
SIDE ifs on the other. Her fate is indeed
an unvenviable one, and If il is proven bisl
that preachers soDs turn out bad, why lay
lie not at the door of their
poor ha'assed mother. Many
aud curious are the anecdotes
related of distinguished preachers wives
would form a readable article. The story OF
Rev Robert HalPs marriage Is unique. One
day, while getting off his horse at friends
dosr for the purpose of dining with him, he
was ioked on his cid bachelor proclivities
he n ale no rep y but at the table he took
especial notice Oh the servant girl who came
in to fix the fire. After dinner, rs he was
sitting alone in the parlor, the young WON.
an again entered with the Goa scuttle, when
Mr.. Hall, who in her eyes was scarcely less
than q king, remarked: Betty, do you
love the Lord Jesus Christp The girl re
piled she hoped she did, taking the question
merely ss an accustomed one from a minis.
ter. To her great surprise, Mr.. Hall at once
| fell upon his knees and exclaimed: Then,
Betty, you must love mer and asked her to
marry him. Greatly astonished, she ran
away and told the family that she believed
Mr. Hall had gone crazy. the bad been
once insane) Her master was surprised,
and spoke to the preacher on the subject,
when the latter declared that such was his
intention of marrying Betty. that he favored
the way she put the Goals on the ire. They
were married and lived happily together.
Archbishop Leighton lived a bachelor.
| When he held the see of Dumblane, he was,
of course. subject OF no inconsiderabe in.
terest to the unmarried ladies OF the neigh
borho One day he received visit from
one of them who was on the verge OF despe-
ration. She had something of grave import
ance weighing upon her mind The good
bishop noticed her dilemma, and by KIND
ness and cosxing urged her to IN bosom her
self. Finally she said she had received a rev.
violation from heaven. The revelation had
said that she was to be united to the bishop
| in marriage.
| Il is easy to imagine the start the good
bishop gave, who was welded to his books
aHd studies. He soon recalled his self pos
session, and assured her that these revels
tions were tot to be despised. As yet the de
signs of Heaven were only imperfectly ex-
planned, as they had only been revealed to
one of the parties 1t would be best 70 wait
and see If any similar communication were
made to him, and if any such came he would
not fail to let her know. Thus the inportu-
nate female was quietly let down.
Queer laws once prevailed in England In
regard to the lives of clergymen. Macaulay
says that in Charles Ills time "a waiting
woman wss generally considered as n most
suitable help-mate for parson. Queen
Elizabeth, as the head of the church. had
given what seemed TO be a formal sanction
to this prejudice by issuing special orders
that no clergyman should presume TO marry
q servant girl without the consent OF the
master or witness Such order as this is,
however, easily explained, when one consid-
ers that the feudal syiem prevailed. The
sons of sffiuent gentleman were proud to
wait upon great peer or officer OF state to
serve him at table, and the sisters of these
we'll born pages esteemed II no degradation
to serve In like manner ladies whose degree
was higher than their own. Thus every
| Lords castles contained fema'e servants
whose manners and birth were geltle. and
who were never COMPOUNDED with the cangh-
tiers of plowmen. If they were orphaos their
masters stood in The D ace of parents TO them
aud guarded them from disadvantage as
rto.ro a0ffn In fu,eC n
not uncommon for q clergyman to select his
wife by deputy If this discreet neighbor
tn ought she would make a good pastor a
| wife, the matrimon lally in clined clergy mrn
was wont to lake her TO his parsonage with
out regard to her beauty, temper or qusii6-
cations. The story of the celebrated II Dok
er's love affairs shows the spirit in which
clergy men married in those times and how
they suffered the consequences He was q
very diffident man, aud was once summoned
up to London 10 preach at 81. PaQTs he
| went to the house of a man named Church
man drenched to the skin with rain, and
his good wife. seeing his plight put him to
bed and physicked him with WARM teas aud
lgruel until he was IN condition 70 preach
Seeing his loneliness. and having herself a
husband, and being thus unable to recon-
mend herself to the position of his wife, she
did the next best thing-brOught forward
lher daughter, aud the two we're married,
II and she became the torment oil the poor
mans life. Two OF his old pupils-Crsnm er
and Sandays-once called upon him, and
she called him away from Their. to rock the
bsby's cradle.
The celebrated William Baxter, author OF
the Saints Rest, was wooed and won by
one Margaret Charlton. Says the historian
of this singular courtship, which nothing
short of the privileges enjoyed by ladies in
leap year could have invested with decorum:
She, bel ng pious and devout young lady,
fell in love with him on account of his holy
life and fervency In preaching, and there
fore sent friend to ucqualnt him with ner
respects IN his chamber He replied that
since he had passed his youth In celibacy it
would be reported madness in him to marry
a woman while he could not discharge the
part of husband in all respects. She was,
OF course, listening at the door, and she
said:
Dear Mr.. Baxter. protess with sincere
and real heart do not make the tender Of
myself to you upon any worldly or carnal
account, but to have q more perfect coDve
with so holy and prudent yoke fellow to
assist me in the way to heaven, and to keep
me steadfast In my perseverance"
She triumphed, and the good man was led
under the mstletoe bough.
Bishop Thomas was married four times
and, not content with this exploit had this
epitaph carved on the wedding ring at his
fourth marriage:
IL I survive
I'll make them five.