The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-03-09
Clemenzy Jane Fowler
Gives According to Her Blessings.

NISiuinS dC MiSS hOSerseS, dHu size
said if the women folks would get
together she'd talk to them about
how the heathens lived. Well, !
haint never hankered extry much
after the heathens. To be sure, I've
felt it my duty to do as well.by them
as possible, so have paid my yearly
dues for the support of the Gospel
among the home and foreign
heathens without a murmur. But /
never set any very great store by the
heathens themselves, didn't care
much about them, nor returned mis-
sionaries either, seeing as how you
may prepare for a collection every
time one puts in an appearance.
didn't intend going to hear the
one visiting at Miss Rogerses, but
Sister Rogers sent over special in
vitation, and not liking to appear
unfriendly l thought I'd go and set
a spell just to show had nothing
agen the cause OF foreign heathens.
You know some folks prefer to do
their duty by the home samples only,
and leave the foreigners to shift for
themselves.
Ofcourse / knew there'd be col
lection took. I've never gone to a
foreign heather meeting yet when
there want; and I've attended con-
siderable many in my day, because
my conscience is always nagging me
on into the belief that it is my duty.
/ debated while in my mind about
how much I should give; and that
Scripture text, according as the
Lord hath blessed you," kept run
ming in my head in spite of me. 1
couldn't deny having been signally
blessed this year. Wehad had plenty
of rain, and the beauty of it was it
had generally rained nights and Sun
days SO there wasn't any time lost.
1t certainly was as fine growing
weather as ever you see. The crops
had all been good, fruit middlin, and
the pigs and poultry extry. The
calves, too, couldn't be complained of
and that old rhyme,
"What shall render to my God
For all His gifts to me?"
that | learned away back inmy child
hood, when children were expected to
say hims and Bible verses every Sun
day at Sunday school, began to ring
in my head, kind ofkeepingcompany
and going linked arms, as it were,
with the text According as the Lord
hath blessed thee" It's curious how
things we learn when we're
little do run in our heads all
our lives long, whether we
want them or not. That's why l
stand by the old-fashiohed plan of
having children learn bible verses
and other sensible notices to kind
of brace them up in an hour of need,
which is more than likely to come
afterwards. With the generality
these hours of need come frequently,
a sight frequenter than we enjoy
having them.
Wanting to put a quietus on that
text and verse which had been run
ming in my head, l just said to my
sell, firm and liberal like, "Clemenzy,
in view of past mercies in the way of
growing weather, and good crops,
and pigs, and poultry, etc., you
ought to do the generous thing.
just double your thank offering and
give so cents this time" But when
] came to consider it automatically
flor never was any hand to spend
money rashly) and reflected that SO
cents meant four dozen of eggs at a
shilling dozen, and four dozen of
eggs were As in number, which, if I
had set would very likely have
Matched out 35 chickens, these at 25
cents head latter they were raised
would bring me most SIT did seem
like terrible heap to give to q mis-
sionary woman thatl' dnever laid eyes
on before. | could only hope she
was truly the Lords servant. Any
how, / gave her the benefit of the
doubt and carried the so cents with
me; but l took good care to have it
in two quarter pieces SOS if the mis-
sionary woman shouldn't seem like
a worthy object could give just the
halt oft. | think we ought to sea.
son our charity with discretion.
The hired girl wanted to go to
singing school that night so | helped
her up with the supper dishes and
the milking, and against | got to
Miss Rogerses it was a trife late.
The missionary woman was already
to begin, so just laid off my things
quietly and took q back seat out in
the setting-room, though | could |
see real well through the folding
doors into the parlor where the lady |
sat. She was real pleasant looking.
] made up my mind she was worthy
the minute | laid eyes on her, and
was glad | had decided in favor of |
the so cents.
She began by saying she want q |
missionary herself (which was quite
a blow to me, as | had hoped to see a |
real live sample) but she had spent |
a year in japan and had greatly in
terested in our missionaries there |
and the noble work they were doing.
She thought it might be pleasant for |
us to hear about them and the peo-
pie they had to dealwith. She hadn't
talked more than five minutes until
/ came to the conclusion it was
worth fully so cents not to have
been born Jap. 1t would have
been just my luck to have been a
woman, and women in that country
are not account at all. don't mind |
being a woman here. Indeed, I'd
rather than not, because women
folks do certainly have some advan-
tages the sterner sect don't. Butin
Japan the tables are turned. Wom-
EN- folks don't amount to row of
hnrIlx- @.o L. |