Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-05-10

l. - IL
E-HE vi with the most laugh
f%NINh" ~ able scenes where one
-. would expect moth
l. ing but ehurchlike
solemnity," said a well known minis
ter the other day,
81 have stood by the sick and the
dying and have seen incidents worthy
of description by humorist's pen.
l have stood at the marriage altar
where the very air breathed solemnity,
and have with difficulty kept down
laughter over some ridiculous scene
or situation. A minister's life is full
ofrich and happy changes, and pity
the man who can pass through such
a life an exemplification Of n walking
tombstone. Poor man, no never
learned the secret of lifel
| was fresh from -- theological
seminary, and had entered upon the
duties of my first charge at IA salary
of $500 a year. Never shall forget
those days nor the novel way one
brother insisted upon paying his
part of the minister's salary. This
dear, good pillar of the church kept
q small country grocery, and one
day, while making my pastoral call,
! stepped into the establishment OF
the brother to inquire after his
spiritual welfare. He motioned me
to where he was seated, and after
finishing his pipe ofthe yilest tobacco
| ever smelled, began:
q" i amt much good anyhow, par
son, and don't deserve very large
share of the kingdom, but durn me II
Idon't want to do the square thing
by you, so I'll contribute $40, to b.
paid in peanuts
Il took the first installment and
retreated soon after, wondering all
the time what some of my young
ministerial brethren would say to
such n pastoral call
Zone night shortly after this |
made u pastoral call at the home OF
the young lady who afterwards be-
came my wife. While there an ignOr-
ant, but good meaning, country fel.
low came ~ the door and asked for tho
minister, saying he understood TINT
parsonage was there He was invited
in and | was called To meet him. AZ.
ter blushing proflsely and making
several Intellectual attempts TO make
known his errand, he managed to say
in broken sentences, with tears, az Il
were, in his voice:
II want to-I-comc to see you
abo-that is, what will you charge 20
ma-marr-marry Ins?'
when informed that there was no
regular charge, that any donation
would be gladly received, no opened
his heart to the extent OF a cord oi
wood and the bargain was closed
but what ] was TO do with such u
barter was IA mystery TO me.
Son another occasion at a socini
meeting | had become quite eloquent
in prayer, and I'm afraid lengthy.
had prayed for the sick, the afflicted,
the absent ones, the heathenut home
and abroad and had impOrtuned
blessings upon everybody on the
earth, sea or in heaven, aud reached
the, now finally, Lord. when an I'M
thinking brother, whose heart was all
right, called out, 'Amenl ameuv so
frequently and the situation seemed
so ridiculous that / brought my Pc
tition to n most speedy close, even
more speedy than had intended.
after the finally.
THAT was twenty-five years MAO
in small New England village, and
I've served better churches since then.
At one ofmy city appointments had
an experience in n wedding ceremony
that for an amusing situation sur.
passes anything ] have ever seen.
The groom wanted ceremony with
no break whatever, one OF tho
smoothest Of the smooth, so
ne borrowed my ritual to
pip up on the questions and answers.
but by mistake he got hold Of tho
baptism covenant and committed the
answers to il. The wedding day mr..
rived, 30 did the nervous groom with
his bride, and they walked M the
church aisle keeping step to the grand
old strains Of Mendelssohn's wedding
march. / had premonition oi
trouble. The ceremony began.
" John, will you have this woman
to be your welded wife, to live after
Gods holy ordinance, to love and
cherish in sickness on in health ?"
i renounce them all, answered
John.
You're a fool, said I to him nm.
der my breath.
"'All this / steadrastly believe
came the answer and ditto sound
ofsurppre5sed laughter from the audi.
ence. There was a hurried conyersa-
ton between John and me and then
repeated the question, likewise tho
answer to it and to all succeeding
ones.
cat another wedding the contract
ing parties were young man, long
and lank, about twenty and Ave
and a fat buxom willow about forty
The ceremony was performed ut TIA
parsonage, and on the chair behind