Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-10
The Country Parson Finds Much
Good in the Abused Insect
he KEEPS ON LIVING.
Fuss Raised in Society BY the Two.Legged
and Wingless Kind.
WHAT THEY MANAGE TO ACCOMPLISH
rwRrrTxx roR THE DrsPAroH. !

OF young writer" may not follow the
advice, Just for once? This has been bad
year for flies; or possibly it might be more
logical to say good year, if numbers indi-
cate goodness. The flies have seemed to en-
joy the summer thus far with almost unal-
loyed happiness. I know that it is diff
cult thing to persuade bald-headed men that
flies have their uses, and that Providence
has designed them to carry out His pur-
poses. While cannot enter into full SYM
pathy with the numerous class of men de-
scribed, for obvious reasons, (although
married man) yet nevertheless am almost
ready to agree with them when they assert
that the devil has something to do with
flies
read the other day in areligious paper
so Of course it must be true-that Darwin's
theory of mans evolution was considered to
be of the track when he asserted that man
ceased to have a tail like monkey when
that appendage became useless. The critics
ground of criticism WAS that the great evo-
luter had surely not thought of a. bald
headed compositor on morning newspaper
in fly time.
Flies of Biblical Fame
If the readers of THE DISPATCH will also
read the Bible, as hope they do, they will
find that reference is made to almost every
thing that touches human life. Flies even
have their little inches in that wonderful
book. We read in Psalms 105, 81, "He
spake and their came divers sorts OF fies."
And then again in Eco. Z, l.: dead flies
cause the apothecary's ointment to send
fourth sinking SAVIOUR" The natural con-
clusion is that flies are a nuisance anyhow,
whether they be dead or alive, yet 1t can be
proved that the live fly, at least, serves a
purpose in the world, and has place among
the many mysteries of Providence. The div
ers sorts Of flies" spoken of by the Psalmist
were sent to the children of Israel to keep
them in condition of activity, or to awake
them from their lethargy. That they filled
their mission no one will deny, for where
can you find more active and enterprising
people to-day? Having served out the full
measure of their utility they were un.
doubtedly gathered to their fathers, but those
miserable dead flies in the apothecary's oint-
ment were an abomination. They did no
good to anybody and spoiled the medicine.
II detest anything dead. A dead fly in
q q
anybody about to drink it, but live fly
does not have exactly the same effect. More
than once have rescued fly which was
trying to escape going on an Involuntary
voyage of discovery into the innermost
parts of my intricate anatomy. And when,
having thus rescued it from such terrible
fate, and having witnessed its evident rap
ture at its unexpected deliverence, have
not had the heart to kill it. As between
the live flies of Israel and the dead flies of
the drugstore, vote for the live fly every
time.
soavengers of the Air.
Now if you take live fly and place it
beneath q powerful magnifying glass you
will find, I am told, thousands Of infnitesi-
NAL insects adhering to the gummy sub
stance that covers his body. It is said that
these invisible microbes propagate certain
diseases that afflict humanity, and that the
fiy, in his rapid excursions through the air,
collects, devours them at his leisure, and
thus purifes the atmosphere. At any rate,
it has been observed that when summer
was a comparatively fyless one disease was
rampant. I remember just such year In
nv bovhood days. If this be fact, and
believe it is, ought we not to welcome these
little scayengers, even if they do annoy and
perplex us?
There is no Joy that comes to life.
But has its little sting:
Nor tossing tempest's winter strife.
Devoid of brighter spring.
Then buzz and futter if you will,
And human patience try;
With ali thy faults love the still,
Thou lively little ny.
How much flies are like human beings,
and how easy it is to make an application Of
the dual text we have been consideringi
We find human flies, both dead and alive,
in society, in the church and everywhere.
In society, particularly the circumscribed
society of small community, that they are
wonderfully active. They buzz and hum
tinual ferment. They can turn o molehill
of gossip into Q mountain Of facts, and can
create domestic equinoctial gale out Of
q little, Heecy summer cloud of trouble.
= y
Industrious Social Flies.
They stir up the village editor, and as
tound him with the profound knowledge
they have OF how he should run the paper.
Their sympathy goes out to the poor scribe
on account of his simplicity, and after hay
ing read the paper through. they declare it
contains nothing. and so return it to the
subscriber from whom they borrowed it.
These lively little pests criticise the munich
pal government, they question the wisdom
of the public school system in general and
their own school in particular. They are a
pestiferous nuisance, looked at from one
point OF view, and yet am in favor OF the
live society fly. By keeping things In
state Of effervescence they prevent fne pest
Ingredients of the community from settling
at the bottom of the chaldron.
And then there is the church ny. This
insect is peculiarly testy fellow, and very
| hard to manage. Sometimes he is a woman.
| In their way they do great deal OF good.
The principal object of attack is the pastor,
| or perhaps the pastors wife. He breaches
| too long, or too short (the latter not oiten);
uses too many illustrations or is so meta
| physical and prosy that he morphiates the
congregation. BE dresses too well. or else
! is shabby. He smokes, and therefore is
wicked sinner, or he refuses cigar and Is,
| in consequence, churlish recluse. de Is a
moping book worm, or is constantly gaddlng
about from house to house when he ought to
| be in his study. He either prays the people
| to death when he visits and makes them
| tired, or else he doesn't pray enough. He
is either poor, miserable dyspeptic because
he doesn't take enough exercise, or he is
always making mountebank out Of HIM
sell riding bicycle, or rowing q boat, or
playing croquet. Ii he parts his hair in the
middle he is dude, and looks more like q
billy-goat than preacher, and if he doesn't
part it at all he is aping Andrew jackson
| or some other great man..
X
The Pastors Unhappy Helpmeef.
| And the pastors wifel The Lord pity her.