The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1892-02-13
OUR MINISTER'S WIFE.

Our minister is a tavorlte in the
congregation, as he IS so approach
able, so kind, so pleasant, SO sym
pathizing. Every body likes him
the young and the old, the rich and
the poor. And he is such an elo
quent preacherl In all his private
relations as we'll as his public minis
teries, he seems as near perfection
as can be hoped for on this earth.
Now this is saying a COOL deal Tor
our minister.
But there is no unmixed good IN
this world. We are not permitted
to enjoy our minister without the
accompaniment of some unpleasant
drawback. Mr.. Elmore has wife,
and a minister's wife, it is we'll known
is not usually perfect in the eyes of
the congregation. There was no
exception to the rule in our case.
Mrs. Elmore was no favorite. What
the trouble was | did not know from
personal observation; but no one
seemed to have friendly feeling
toward her.
When l say no one, refer to the
ladies of our congregation. When
Mr.. Elmore was the subject of con
versation you would be almost GER
tain to hear the remark, "Ah, If it
wasn't for his wife" Or, "what a
pity for Mr.. EImore isn't it shame
that he has a wife so poorly fitted
for her position. -
So the charges ran. Mr.. Elmore
had been our minister for over
year, and during that time very little
had been seen OF his wife in a social
way. The ladies of the congregation
had called upon her, and she
received them kindly and politely,
but with a certain dlftidence in her
manner that repelled rather than at
tracted. In every case she returned
these calls, but, when repeated, fail=d
in that prompt reciprocation which
her visitors expected. There are, in
all congregations, certain active,
patronizing ladies, who like to
manage things, to be referred to,
and to make their influence felt all
around them.
The wife of our previous minister,
weak and facile woman, had been
entirely in their hands, and was, OF
course, a great favorite. But Mrs.
Elmore was a different character
altogether.
You saw by the poise OF her head,
by the steadiness of her clear, dark,
blue eyes, and by the hrmness OF her
delicate mouth, that she was a
woman of independent thought, pur
pose, and self reliance.
Polite and kind in her intercourse
with the congregation, there was
withal coldness of manner that
held you at a certain distance as
surely as if 4 barrier had been inter
posed.
1t was a serious trouble with GER
tain ladies of the congregation, this
peculiarity in the minister's wife.
How he could ever have married d
woman OF her temperament was re-
garded as a mystery. He is SO
senial-she is so cold; he so ap-
proachable by everyone-she so con-
strained; he all alive to the church,
and she seemingly Indifferent to
everything but her own family. If
she had been lawyers wife or the
doctors wife, or the wife Of mer
chant, she might have been as distant
as she pleased; but for the minister's
wife?
Oh, dear! it was terrble
| had heard so much said about
Mrs. Elmore, that, not having met
her Familiarity, or knowing anything
about her from personal observation
l took for granted the general I'M
preston as true.
Last week one of my lady friends
a member of Mr.. Elmore's congre.
cation, called in to see me. | asked
her 10 take off her bonnet and si'
noon. But she said:
'e called !oE you to &C
1irs. ElmoreS.
! sheen in the habit o
y ~my eed,~~~
Is our p}i