Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1889-01-19
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them as for the sake of finding some
thing new to talk about. This day
her theme was the prayer-meeting Of
the night before. Eyes, was there,
but might as we'll have stald at
home, for all the good it did me.
There were about ten others, beside
myself, present. including Mr.. Cros-
son and the sexton. There was no
one to lead the services, and the
lights were so dim no one could see
the words If they'd wanted to sing.
Mr.. Crosson's subject was the same
old thing; scolding the absent ones
because they didn't come, and hit
ting at those who were there because
they weren't consistent with their
professions. l think we might as
well not have any prayer-meetings,
for all the good they do"
swell, it strikes me there couldn't
be church that needs them more"
spoke up bright Nellie Goodwin,
who was paying her old Auntiea Wis
it, and had been an interested listen
er to the conversation. 81 think it
woald be rood idea to hold pray
er.meeting over your pastor, as he
seems to be so wicked, and see ifyou
couldn't convert him, and laughing
merrily, she left the room. Mrs.
Gaddess soon left, and after her de-
parture Nellie's words kept return
ing to her Auntie's mind.
"The child's fun has truth in it,"
she said to herself. s'Surely, if any
one ever needed prayers, our minis
ter does and here We have been
wasting all this time finding fault
with him, and grieving because we
couldn't make him what we wanted
when the Lord could have changed
him in minute if we had only ask
ed him. | don't believe one of us
has prayed good, earnest prayer
for him since he came. But / will
not waste any more time in neglect.
Why can / not have little prayer
meeting in this very room, where no
one need know of it but ourselves
and God ? / will invite the five ell
ders, who, ] know, will be in sympa-
thy with me, and together we will
plead for blessing upon our church
and pastor"
And just here let me say word
about these five elders. You might
wonder how church with five earn
est, Christian men-as all elders are
supposed to be-should have been al
lowed to sink down to such low
level. They were indeed cody,
Christian men, who, while realizing
that Mr.. Crosson was not just the
man for the place, nevertheless prac-
tlced the virtue of silence, and did
not encourage by any word of theirs
the critical fault-fnding spirit of the
majority of the people. In SO far
were they wise and their conduct
commendable, but their influence
was mainly of this negative charac-
ter; they did nothing wrong, neither
did they anything decidedly good.
Elder A., the eldest of the FIVE, was
a good old man of seventy, who had
been an active member in his young
er days, but was now too feeble to
attend church regularly. Elder B.,
was little lame, and, living quite a
distance from the church, had grad
ually convinced himself that he was
excused from attending upon, all the
services as he had once done. FL
ders c., D., and E., were all good
men too, and anxious,-in a mild
way-that their church should pros
per, but so absorbed just then in
their farming, merchandise and poll
tics that they hadn't much time left
for hunting.up lost souls and bring
ing them into the kingdom. So that,
instead of by their own prudence
and activity rectifying the mistakes
of their pastor they had forgotten