Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-08-18
TIE CELEBRATES WIFE.


popular among his Pensioners. And de-
seryedly so. Had he not, at his own ex-
pense, reseated the church, laid down the
most elegant tile floor, kept the parish
supplied for years in all the newest designs
in altar cloths, and generally done every
thing that the most model rector could
do? Never was there pastor who was
so generous TOT his flock, or who presided
over the church in such truly liberal
spirit.
But he had one fault, tn ough his par
ishioners did not perceive it. He was
ready to sell his soul, or anything else that
he possessed or did not possess, for one
particular object
Souls $50 spelt) are not generally speak
ing marketable commodities. Much mis-
apprehension is shown on this point. 1t
is true that Faust had an opportunity of
regaining his youth at the price of his
soul, and he not unnaturally accepted the
offer; but l believe | am justified in stat
ing that his is the only recorded case of a
man obtaining valuable consideration for
that article. Yet in all ages there have
been numbers of men who overlooking
the fact that souls are Of value only to
themselves, have offered them for sale.
Some have been ready to sell them for
gold some for love; others for fame.
Rev. Peter Livingston followed differ
eht line. He was ready to sell his soul
for what he considered religion. He de-
layed sending his boys to school from year
to year that he might restore the parish
church he kept his house as comfortless
as Jail that he might gild and decorate
the chancel; he starved his children TO
buy altar cloths.
He was blessed with a small income and
a charming wife, who was considerably his
junior, for whom he had provided in case
of his decease by insuring his life. His
wife, although not by any means averse to
divine worship, did not agree with an en-
tire sacrifice of home duties to parish pop
ularity but the rector never hesitated to
sacrifice any of her comforts to his darling
church. With him charity began and
ended abroad.
For instance, Mrs. Lillingston was de-
voted to music, and while permitting her
Jealous husband to sell the dining-room
furniture to endow the Burg lars Sunday
Evening Society" with an exhaustive
library, and to melt down the family sill
yer to make offertory plates, she had al
ways managed to retain a beautiful grand
piano, which had been given her before
her marriage, the strings of which had
metaphorically wound themselves round
her heart. One day, however, on return
ing from weeks aisit to her relations,
she found the piano gone, and in answer
to her fearful inquiries she was informed
that it had been sacrificed to a worthy OBJ
iect A few months later her husband
proudly showed her what he was pleased
to call the "Lillingston Vestry," which had
been built with the proceeds of her worldly
instrument, and was warmed with a gas
stove which Mrs. Livingston had herself
purchased for the nursery.
From this instance of the many acts of
fanaticism committed by Rev. Livingston
it will be understood that his parish popu-
larity increased in inverse proportion to
the strength of his family affections. One
result to the children of their fathers
idiosyncrasies was that they grew up to be
practically atheists They understood at
very early age that all their comforts and
Joys were sacrificed to the parish and this
started them in life with a prejudice
against religion; and when, as they grew
older, they saw all their innocent pleas
ines frustrated by the illimitable claims of
mother church, their aversion to that in
stitution became unconquerable.
1t was well known about two years ago
that the rectory drains were sadly out of
order But the leaders of the local board,
being for the most part church wardens,
were not so indicate as to allow their
pastor to be troubled about such worldly
matters, knowing, as they did, that so long
as the church was dry and clean the rector
would care little though his own house
stood in a swamp.
But something less exorable than SAM
tary inspectors brought the matter to
light Disease is no respector of persons.
Mrs Lillingston's youngest child, a baby
of wears, sickened, and the doctor who
was at length called in declared a month
at the seaside to be absolutely necessary.
This news was great trouble to the
rector. He had his eye Just then upon a
new thing in lecterns-a magnificent de-
sign in polished brass of an impossible
bird standing on one claw, and holding a
kind of exaggerated shepherds crook in
the other, while it balanced the enormous
book on its back as if it was performing on
a tightrope. This little article was
priced at about ESQ, and it became a
question between the lectern on one side
and the month at the seashore on the
other
A terrible conflict ensued in the rever-
end gentleman's mind. He thought the
matter over for nearly three weeks, which
the wife spent in incessant watching by
the sick child's bed.
One night he dreamt he saw the brass
bird fighting with the child, thrusting the
crook down the baby's throat, and finally
crushing it under the Bible. He woke in
a fright with the resolve that the child
should 60 to the sea that very day, aud
FASTENED to his wife to tell her of his de-
cision. He peeped in and saw her kneel-
ing at the bedside. 1t was in the early
morning, and ray of cold gray light fell
on the white baby face upon the pillow.
He had delayed too long. The child was
dead.
Sorrows never come singly. Fer the
next three weeks Mrs Lillingston who
had fallen i'll on the day of her child's de-
cease. lay on the brink of death in q raging
fever. Then at last the clergyman began
to feel the stings of renorse as he watched
bv his delirious wife's bedside night after
night: for he was really fond of her,
though his love had been swallowed
ND in his one absorbing passion. For
the first time in his life it gave hiza
no pleasure to enter his beautiful
church and feast his eyes on the rick
walls and windows. He resolved in future
to spend what he could afford on his fam
lily, and not sacrifice them entirely to the
church. He selt-though he could hardly
believe it-euite a loathing for such
things as reading desks and reredos. The
new lectern was ordered-though not paid
for-so that could not be helped But he
determined never again to spend his pri-
yase money to CRAFTY his parishioBers.
The crisis passed, and, gradually Mrs.
Livingston recovered, till, after three
months at the seaside, she was almost her
self again. Gradually, too, her husband
began to forget his good resolutions, and
feel once mr5rsa hankering after abs and
stoles and stained-glass windows. But
first there was the lectern debt to be paid.
The money that was to have been paid for
it had been spent on Mrs. Lillingston's i'll.
mess. The rector was good customer OF