Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-07-17

time past. For
~ twas fully seven
months since the council had as
semb!ed to formally dismiss Mr..
Barnes, and had declared the pull
pit vacant. Mr.. Barnes had labored
faithfully in their service for five long
years. During this time he had
preached good, if not brilliant ser
mons; attended regularly at the
prayer meetings; and made all the
pastoral calls that one mortal man,
without horse and buggy, could
reasonably be expected to make.
And yet his congregation were not
satisfied. limitations finally reached
the ears of the good man that his
resignation would be resignedly ac-
'cepted. He sent it in, and the papers
next day announced the grief of the
First Church at the resignation of
their beloved pastor, Mr.. Barnes,
whose wife's health forced him to
Seek a more salubrious climate.
Whereupon it devolved upon the
orphaned congregation to choose for
themselves a pastor-a man after
their own hearts; one who should
possess all the virtues of their late
pastor as we'll as those he lacked.
They proceeded to search for him in
a truly orthodox way, namely, by
entertaining candidates. Sabbath
after Sabbath beheld a different d.
vine in the pulpit. They came, we
knew not whence, and returned, we
knew not whittier. They embraced
every known type OF man, from the
venerable ID. D., of three score and
ten to the immature theological stu
dent OF twentyone summers.
The doctrine. preached to that
people during the season ofcandidat-
ing was as variegated as the patch
work silk quilt which they presented
to their late pastors wife on her
birthday. 1t branched out into
every known "ism." There was the
cold school" and the "new school,"
old-tashioned orthodoxy and modern
free thought. There were sermons
with strong leanings toward liber-
alism, and there were Others OOzing
orthodoxy Mt every pore. And
there were scientific sermons with
out end, and poetical and philosophi-
D,% -, so%x hn
people found not the man they
sought. There were some insur-
mountable objections to every cam
iidate. Rev. Mr.. Abercrombie gave
them good sermons, but the college
students declared that his gestures
were ''eXecrable," and would de-
moralize their own ''style;" and they
came en- masse to the church meeting
and voted him down. Rev. J. Erwin
Smith was youthful and handsome,
and the young ladies shed tears OF
regret when the church decided not
to call him. Bat Deacon Grimes said
his sermons were mere "froth," and
he hoped they wouldn't in his day
get down to q man who parted his
hair in the middle. Rev. Mr.. Lorins
was too dramatic, and threatened to
convert the staid old church into a
theatre, while good Mr.. Blakesly,
who despised show, was rejected be-
cause he didn't ''draw." One can
didate was too solemn, another too
frivolous; one too reserved, another
too common"
And 80 the spring and summer
came and faded away, and fall was
last merging into winter; and the
people were growing weary of Their
search, and longed for settled pas
tor, but he still eluded them. As ole
Mr.. Grove aptly summed up the stu
alton: We've had close to a hun
dred men here to preach to us. aut
we've given 'em n fair show. ant
there hain't been a perfect mar
among 'em.
At length, when expectation was
well-nigh exhausted, a cheering ra,
penetrated the gloom OF their des
pondency. and in their minds ey,
they could see as their own esta blish
ed pastor the brilliant young preach
er who was holding audiences spell
bound in q Western city. A delega
tion was dispatched to treat Will
him. He had graciously consentet