The Washington bee., 1888-10-20
MT. CARMEL LYCEUM.

On last Sabbath an appreciative
audience assembled at the Mt. Car.
mel Baptist Church, the occasion
was the meeting of the society af
ternoon lyceum. The meeting was
called to order by Mr.. Lsssitor,
who opened the exercises with
singing. After which Miss Jennie
E. Anderson, of the "Bee" was in
troduced and read the following
paper:
PRETENDERs.
The selection of a subject of this
character may be considered with
amazement by you, and yet
nothing should be looked upon
with surprise, especially a subject
of this nature. by those who are hon.
est in their dealings with human
nature and their fellow man. As
you all we'll know the world is full
of pretenders, the pulpit not OK.
cepted, which above all should be
above suspicion. Don't understand
me by this assertion that the en-.
tire pulpit is looked upou with sus-
picion, far be it for me to think so,
nor would l have you to entertain
such thought or impression, but
| do aver that, to an extent, our
pulpit is not all it shonld be,
and those who claim to be teachers
of what is good, and the best road
to pursue in life should follow their
own teachings, and not pretend to
those they would have to follow
them. 1t is not reasonable to sup
pose that we would follow our teach
ers into the sea, if we were confident
or led to believe that We would
be drowned. If We were inclined to
the Intoxicating cup, he would be
a bad teacher who was seen cOntin-
ually drunk. How often then do
We listen to such pretenders; how
many OF us are persuaded in the
abyss of ruin, by placing too much
faith and confidence in those who
claim to be our teacher. Our teach I.
els are not always our best guides
and before we come to conclusions
we should first consider how we
are to be benefited or whether such
act will be to our detriment. Peo-
pie will often find fault with things
and acts, that they fail to practice
and when We find such class our
first duty is to ascertain whether
such ADVICE is adopted by them.
PretentiOns are the peculiar trait
of some pretenders, We find our
friends or those who pretend friend
ship seeking into our very nature,
making all kinds of Overtures, ten.
dering ovations to ingratiate them
selves in our favor like a worm
penetrating rotten wood. Their
desires are accomplished, and
when We come to reflect it is too
late. Our imperfections are ex-
posed to the world,
and we become the victims of ridi-
cule and contempt. Does it stop
here? No! That aim in life has been
blasted, our ambition has lost
it's vigor, our physical nature is
weakened, and thus we fall and
crawl at the feet ofthe pretenders.
They say women are weak, this 1
deny.
They are ruined by those in
whom they conide and trust all
that is dear to them-repu'ation.
Females, who have fallen by the
intrlgues of pretenders, seldom
rise again, man, who con-
tinues.. to be the lord of crea-
tion. They can steal and the law
will handle them; they are con-
vlcted and the cour sentence
them to a fine or imprisonment,
and still, after they gain
their liberty they are recognized
by society and rule it by preten>
tious utterances, while the female
looks back in dispair for her lost
jewel. The offence for which she
was convicted was pretty: the one
that inearserated the pretender
was capital. They, in time, become
OR Judge and we their victims.
We have pretentious females as
we'll as males; we are just as often
influenced by our sex ss we are
by males. Be then what you are
and not what you pretend you
are. Shakespeare says, nature
gives rs one face, and we make of
ourselves another. Whatever
your teachings are at home, they
will show themselves elsewhere,
you cannot hide away that which
was formed by nature. Those of
you who have read Shakespeare's