Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-12-20
BUTLER, PA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1889

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extremely careful 10 keep up The breed
partly because they belonged To- chivalrv.
and were in great request at the stately
banqaets of the oldeR time. and partly be
cause they had pJnp and msgniheenct
about them highly becoming an old fani-
ly mansion. Nothing, lac was accustomed
TO say, had al air Of greater state and dig
nifty, than peacock perched upon :
unique stone ballustrade
Mastes Simon had now to hurry oil hay
ing an appointment at the parish church
with the village choristers who were Ia
perform some music of mis- selection
While we were talking, we heard the
distant toll of the village bell. and | was
told that the Squire was little particular
in having his household at church on q
Christmas morning; considering it day
of pouring out Of thanks and rejoicing; for,
as old iusser Observed
"At Christmas be merry, and tkdHlful
aithdl
And feast thy good neighbors, the great
with the small
III you are disposed 10 60 to church, -
aid Frank Bracebriige, II can promise
you specimen of my cousin Simon's mus
ical achievements As the church il dss-
titute of an organ, he las formed a band
from the village amateurs, and established
d musical club for their mprovement, he
has also sorted a choir, as lac sorted my
fathers pack Of hounds, according to tue
directions Of JeIvaise Markham, IN his
Country Contentments; for the bass he has
sought out all the deep, solemn mouths ,
and tor the tenor the'l0ud ringing mouths,
among the country buuiPkins; and for
sweet mouths he has culled with curious
ta,te among the prettiest lassies in the
though these last, he af-
firms, are the most difficult to keep i'll
tune; your pretty f-male singer being ex
ceedingly waywari and capricious and
very liable tn accident
As the morning, though frosty, Was re
mark ably fine and clear, the most "f the
family walked to the church, which was a
very old building Of gray stone, and stood
near village, about half mile from the
park gate. Adjoining il was il low snug
parsonage, which seemed c0eyal with the
church The front al il was perfectly
matted with yeW tree, that had been
trained against its walls, through the
dense foliage OF which. apeltdTes had been
formed to admit light into the small an
Iique lattioes. As We passed this shelter
ed nest, the pafson issued forth and PIE
,ed us.
had expected to see sleek we'll con
pastor, such a. is often found in a
snug living in the vicinity Of a rich pat
rons table, but | was disappointed The
alittle meagre, black lOokingman
with grzzled wig that was too wide, and
stood off from each ear; 81 that his head
.eemed to have shrunk away within it,
like dried filbert i'll its shell. He wore Il
rusty coal, with great skirts, and pocketsthat
would have held the church bible and pray
-r book and his small legs seemed still
from being planted in LARGE shoes,
decorated with enormous buckles
was informed by Frank Braeebridge
thar the pars0n had been chum 0t his
ather's and had received this living after
he latter had come TO his estate He was
4 complete black letter hunter, and would
scarcely read a work printed in the Roman
.haraCter
On reaching the church porch. We found
he parson rebukiug the gray-headed seS-
an Tor ba wing mistletOe among the greens
With which the church was decorated. 1t
vas, be observed, all unholy plant, pro
fame by hayine been used by the DTuids
n their mystic ceremonies; and though it
night be innocently employed in the fes-
i've ornamenting OF halls and kitchen, yet
i had been deemed by the Fathers of the
Church as unhallowed, and totally unfit
for sacred purposes. So tenacious was he
IN this point, that the poor sexton was
obliged 10 strip down great pant Of the
humble trophies Of his taste, before the
pafson would consent to enter upon the
service OF the day.
The interior Of the church was yenera-
BILE, but simple; on the wall several mural
of the Braoebridges, and just
beside the altar, was a tomb of ancient
workmanship, ON which lay the eftigy of a
warrior in armor with his legs crossed. a
sign of his having been crusader | was
told ii was one of the family who had sig
nalzed himself in the Holy Land, and the
same who4e picture hing over the fire
place ia the the hall
During service, Master Simon stood up
in the pew, aud repeated the responses
very audibly; eyincing that kind of eere-
monions devotion puntually observed by a
gentleman of the old school, aud man Of
old family connexions.
tolerably we'll. the vocal parts
generally tagging little behind the in
and some lettering fiddler now
and then making up for lost time by tray-
cling over passage with pIodigious celer-
lty, and clearing more bars than the keen
est fox. hunter. to be III st the death. But
the great trial was thea nthem that had been
prep ared and arranged by Master Simon.
and on which he had founded great eSpec
tati0n Unluekily there was blunder at
the veIy outset-the musicians became
Hurried; Master Simon was in a fever; ev
erything went ON lsmely and irregulsrly,
until they came to a chorus beginning,
Now let us sing with one accord" which
seemed to bs a signal for parting company;
all became discord and confusion; each
shifted for himself, and got to the end as
well, or, rather. as soon as he could;
excepting one old choirist, in Il pair
of horu spectacles. bestriding and pinch
ing long sonorous nose; who, happening
to stand little apart, and being wrapped
up in his own melody, kept On quaverine
course, wriggling his head, ogling his
book, and winding up all by nasal solo
of at least three bars duration.
The parson gave Us most erudite ser
mon on the fites and ceremonies of Christ
mas, and the propriety of observing it, not
merely as day of Thanksgiving, but ofle-
joicing; supporting the correctness of his
opinions by the earliest usages of the
church, and enforcing them by the author
tiles of Theophilus OF Ceasarea, 81. Cypri-
an, St. Chrysostom, ST. Augustine, aud a
cloud more of Saints and Father. from
whom he made copioua quotations. ] was
!. Ittla nt a lnaa In nerreirr the nechHsitX