Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-07-01
d Speech Of Welcome.

Boston Trosscripf.
a Speech Of Welcome.
Al the annual festival connected with the
nitsrisn yearly meeting held in Boston on
The 9th Of May last, the Hos. George NJ
Siearns made aspeeeh Of Welcome 10 the
osereymen, which may be read With srea,
profit and pleasure BY oil, whatever their
reiisiou. belief may be.
Mr.. President, Gentlemen Of the Clergy
have been depu,ed by my associate iay-
men 10 bid the clergy here present welcome
20 this banquet and ! perform. in all
Christian lov. .nt forgiveness. ,hi. present
tlty although We have suffered much a,
your hands | ron this se.tlve and hospi,-
able occasion, ~e ~illinsly ssive the many
grievance. We might Justly declare. Your
impotence al our somnolenee during YOUR
a'u.lly long and dull sermons you, incr.d-
Jl.ty when ne have excused our non attend
ance al church by weekly recurring lines.
-augh;er your lack Of faith in the period
icl,y Of disease llaush,er your semi-sn-
nu.l soourging OF our, shortcomings when,
taking your text. from, the prophets, way back
before even Nhcelbarrovs and hair combs
were invented, YOU have hurled down the
prophets ihunders on our heads for the
error. Of modern progress; your perns,en,
and continuous lashIng Of our sore spots
for nothing can be more dreadful than q
minister ~ith such . special mission; as long
as he fires brosdside. Of saiiling batteries at
sin IN general he is no, Objectionable, he 10
really admirable, but when he undertake.
and engages IN rife practice aSains, an in
diyiGuai sin TO which We are attached he
becomes iniolersbe y your ins;ruc,ins US
how 10 carry on all our business drawing
your information from and bs.ins your
teachings upon the simple commercial trans
action. Of Abraham and Jacob. Laughter.
These, all, everything. IS forgotten and for
given tonight. and We heartily bid you
welcome.
Your eloquent secretary, Mr.. Ede., when
he pressed upon me the duty Of extending
tins welcome lsst year, sppealed 10 me to do
80 IN remembrance Of the many country
c.ersymen who would come down here from
Their i!iie churches and parishes on the hill
sides aud the mountain slopes and the quiet
valleys, and whose lives Of retirement and
faithful service and sacrifice were deserving
of the warnest and kindest greeting and
recognition. Being my.ef the con Of
country clergyman, and the grandson also Of
country clergyman, both Of whom, with
their fellows, have borne the privations and
rendered the sacrifices Of the pure and sim
PIE bu, great hearted and nnagnifcen,ly in
'elleetusly equipped sentinels on the out
posts Of Zion, hsving niyself been . part Of
his history. and having myself knsvn the
snno,anoes and troubles that environ and
surround them, could TO, deny the cell.
Applause And TO these pioneers iu the
forests Of liberal religion se extend . vel
come OF especial warmth.
The .i!e of the country minister o. il vss
40 Years aEo, and as II ls now, ! imagine,
however faulty the picture may be drawn,
would seem q grotesque exagseratlon. lie
had 10 time Of his own. His labors we're
never at an end. Two sound. prolonged,
elaborated sermons, sandwiched with an un-
abbreviated Sunday school between and an
evening lecture in an adjoining hamlet, con-
sti,uted the measure Of fair, ordinary Sun
dsS's services. In addition TO this, no child
ever gasped this vital air briefly but its
death mus, be commemoreted BY full fu-
neral discourse. Laughter No person
ever died so old, 30 idiotic, SO outside the
pale Of human society, no tramp 90 un-
known, no beggar 90 vile. but his demise
must be the subject of the parson's highest
vord. Laughter and applause. He mus,
neglect nobody be must bear unnoticed the
neglect Of everybody. The annual visitation
Of the parish il memory never to be lost
until all things are swept beneath oblivion's
horizon. The cheerful and the gloomy, the
wise and the foolish, the gay and the dull.
the sweet and the sour. none must be omit
ted l. and If any one chances TO be omitted
the subscription list the coming year will
testify to the neglect. Laughter and sp-
pl.use. And so the minister and his wife
put on their Sunday apparel, and with sad,
professional smile laughter start out to
make the circuit. They must take the little
boy along, for nature. which delights in con-
traries, has decreed that the holier the
father the wilder the boy laughter and
they dare not leave the little boy behind,
lest he burn the barn or cruelty the cat dur
And so the harmless, barefoot lad 10 drsgged
in from the outside, ruddy, dirty, in form
and shape like the jack Of clubs daughter,
and made to array himself in his best Sum
day go to meeting clothes, cut Of q size to
ture growth. Laughter.l Upon his bare
feet they put again his winter boots, billowy
with undulating wrinkles which no psrsua-
l.ceratine his ankles and feet. And, al
though it is hot, seorching August day,
they put his fur cap on his head, because it
is his best one. and the parish like to see
the minister's family we'll dressed. Laugh
teri Arriving at some honest mani home,
they are at once ushered into the unspeak-
able horrors Of the best room daughter
which has not been opened since his last
visit, unless for funeral, and into which no
fading ray of sunlight has been permitted to
enter and rest upon the wonderful furniture.
Laughter Every chair is q miracle Of
discomfort, and the little boy is hoisted up
on one of these engines of torture, With
whispered warnings not to put his boots on
the rounds, and to sit still and behave him.
self at his peril. He looks over the room,
al the ingram carpet, With figure the size
Of barn door; the rug before the fireplace
worked in wonderful designs in worsted. of
a wolf with q swelled head pouncing on q
lamb whose only visible leg is the same size
as his body; brass andirons; . haircloth
sofa; and the little boy wonders II all the
rooms in the mansions Of the skies are
equipped a. luxuriously - ttis. Loud
laughter.l The little boy, weary Of the of
told tale, pulls out his pocket-handksrchief
his Sunday 60 to meeting pocket-handker-
chief,-a yellow cotton fabric, on the centre
of which are printed the ten commandments
Laughter on one margin of which is pic
ture of Moses, originally resembling the por-
traits of John Brown, but from whose face
repeated washings have so dispersed the
features that il now looks n though he had