The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-10-02
Sleeping in Church.
Boston Herald.


The Presbyterian church authorities
in Pennsylvania have been considering
the subject of mapping in meeting,
habit which is prevalent during the sum-
mer season wherever the church-going
customs are kept up. One of them-it
was minister, of course-declared that
sleeping in church manifests 'disrespect
to Gods house, and shows indifference
to the worship of the Almighty This
good man would have more charity if
he were to occupy pew instead of the
pulpit. The latter post affords no op-
portunities for mapping, however much
it may sometimes conduce to the habit
in those who feel the poppy-like inAu-
ence of its soothing sing song, or the
lulling drone of its long drawn prayers.
Nodding in church is not an act of vo-
lition, and therefore is, in large meas
ure, destitute of the qualities of moral
ST conscloIGge fifRsd ne 1Nful dsaEsspsst
no more will himself to keep awake and
attentive, when real drowsy fit takes
possession of him in the calm seclusion
of a pew corner, than he can will him.
self to sleep when thoroughly and OBJ
stinately awake. The eye grows dim,
the eye-lids droop, the articulate sounds
from the minister become mere unin-
telligible murmur, and the mans head
droops lower and lower, until brought
up by sudden jerk, followed by an
amusing endeavor to create the impress
sion that he hasn't been asleep at all.
He clears his throat with a vigorous
'h-m-m,' fixes his eye intently upon the
minister, and moves his head slowly, as
if by way of assent to what was being said,
and nodding were a very wide-awake
habit of his. How vain the attempt
The glaze again creeps over the eye, the
eye lids gently close, and an unmistak-
able nod follows-unless the sleeper has
the courage and faith to rest his head
and surrender himself to the spell. Of
all the tantalizing and irresistible in
fuences upon men of mortal frame, the
approaches of the sleep god in church
of drowsy summer Sunday are the
worst.
In regard to a remedy the authorities
differed. The minister before quoted
thought that church members should
seek grace to resist the habit. But a
good deacon maintained that grace
wouldn't do it. He simply cannot keep
awake at times, and says the only rem
edy he knows of is 'an active applica-
ton of shawl-pin by less drowsy wives,
who are too much interested in looking
at the other women's bonnets to fall in
to sleepy state Passing by the slur
upon the more wide awake sex, it is
enough to say that this remedy needs to
be applied with care. A lively jump
and cry of ouch from the awakened
sleeper, following the jab of the adj
monitory shawl-pin, would not add to
the comfort of the situation. The old
fashioned preventive, as we remember,
was strong Glove, or bunch OF cara
way-otherwise known as 'go-to-meet-
in seed'-chewed vigorously.upon the
CO. y. Puugcnt spiCC rCutfafI1in5 s"~
soporifc effect of the dead and droning
service. An unregenerate and active
fly, if he will attend strictly to business,
can keep would-be worshiper open to
the influences of the sanctuary, albeit it
is doubtful if his attentions will conduce
to a strictly religious frame of mind.