Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-04-21

must die and he didn't know how to meet
his God. P'rhaps tn elder was foolish,
| but he forgot to take his geology along
with him, SO instead he took that history
o the Jews. And he read some passages
out o 1t that somehow seemed to reach
over tn Jews TO tn present time. Come
unto me all ye that labor and ar heavy
laden. | will give you rest Young Pitts
| field said he never heard anything half so
sweet afore
Then tn elder read sunthin about 'th'
speret an tn bride sayin' come TIL
young man was all the time listening
eagerly And then he turned to tn place
where 1t says Let not your hearts be
troubled, va believe 10 God believe also in
me. In my Fathers house are many man
sions, and then he prayed with him, an
tn gates o heaven seemed to open and
tn young fellow began to shout. The
elder stopped all night Now | can't help
thinkn' what foolish man tn elder was
to spend 80 much time with that wuthless
vsgabond. All night in prayer. Why be
might have taken 'Dana's Geology or
'Lyelrs First Principles along and read
chapter or two and not taken half tn time
But tn fact is. suppose III elder dare MT.
fer he don't know thing about geology
and young Pittsield says he knows it by
heart. But I'm not done yet. I've got
more to say.
You remember what a place Rams
Horn Pint used to be only a few years ago?
1t put me In mind q swamp with alders
CROWN thick aud great rank weeds and
stagnant pools o water an pizen vapors.
breathin' death out o. it would come
fevers and diph.herey an malsry an
everything catchabe We'll. tn Pint was
moral swamp, a sper,tual quagmire
There wasn't pra, in man there. Sunday
was Ike any other day. Everybody smak.
ed an chewed an good many drank
Every body cussed and swore an III chill.
dren were dirty an ragged an the women
never combcd their hair, the houses were
unpaintcd, the windows broken and iilled
with old rags an old hats when III men
weren't wearin' EN-. Moral death was IN
tn air, pizen was floating everywhere.
Well, Elder Elnathan Rapemhard went
there an be went into that swamp o. In
iqulty He had good AK x-prsyer-an he
Kept it sharp on tn grind>tun o faith, an
he jest cleared that place o. weed an
brush an the sun o righteousness shonc
in an dried up the stagnsnt pools an
sweeiened tn air An now where is there
better place: House, ar neat an paint
ed, children clean an well dressed. no
Sabbath breakin'. no swesrin. no talkin
bout neighbor-. Where will yer hnd
better farms better crops. better schools.
or better school house? lt- III best
part o Oldacre; an it was all done hy
preachln' out o that old history o tn
Jews. Prhap> ne made a mistake, prhaps
preachin geology would have made short
er work. But tn folks are satisfied |
don't believe science would ever have made
Jim Blanchard stop stcalin'. but he's
stopped. Ye can leave things out o. nights
now. | don't believe that science would
have made Ezra Whaiem stop hghtin' he
don't hght now an there's Pensive Glib
tong, he used to b~ an awful liai, bot he
dout lie now Science would have got
di-gusted with III JOB, but III elder pinted
them TO One who takes away III sins o
tn world. He did II.
The elder preached o heaven tn other
day. The mighty city was disclosed 70
Uly sight. He made me see the cloudless
land | seemed to be there 10 the com
pany Of the white-clothed He told Us
tha, We should talk with tn prophets.
apostles, martyrs, angels and our own
dear ones There sat Aunt kezish Straw,
she lately lost her husband her heart filled
with rapture an her face beaming with
JOY at til prospect held out by that old
history o the Jews. suppose geology
would have been a leetle more comfort
ing, but somehow her heart was satisfied
and so was mine. What does man care
about geology who has a broken heart:
Why people don't 60 10 cAureh9 Prhsps
| cant tell, but | think there's too much
progressive euchre, too much dancing. too
much Sunday novel reading, too much
theatre goin' and not enough parental ex-
ample an authority
Bro. Threadbare don't speak too hastily
short life Il book has: The tex books o.
ten years ago ar dead. Some books are
published an create a great sensation, but
In short time they ar forgotten. Ie
know that few years ago there was pub
lshed book that jumped into immense
popularity. Now everybody said, we've
got sunthin' that's goin to stay But how
is it to-day! There's hardly any one mean
enough TO accept the gift . one. But tn
Bible is one of tn Oldest books in tn world
and it hasn't a crooked spine, nor trem-
blin' limbs, neither does it go on crutches,
but its alive with vigor and possesses
more vitality than any other book tn
world can produce. It's tn leadln book
among tn cultured nations. Its the great
est agent in shapin' tn thoughts an civili-
zation of tn world. 1t has tn strongest
hold O. tn minds O. tn people of Europe
and America. 1t changes character an
conduct an moulds tn customs of society
An as long as tn church an that old his
tory O tn Jews keeps my farm at par
value, an gives me good neighbors, an a
good state. an good country, an good
conscience, VOID O. ofense. don't think
I'll take any substitute. Bro. Threadbare,
destroy tn church an tn Bible an in one
century from now yer descendants will be
goin round hunting for somebody with
war club in their hands and bone through
tn nose"
And Ptolemy Fogg bought a pound of
tea and passed out of the store. There
was silence in the store. When the clouds
Of smoke lifted the oraces were gone.
BENZ. Blossom.