The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1894-12-06
ARP'S HOMILY
On the Combination of Humility and
Poverty.
surprise to the Preacher, which Had
the Effect of Making Him Feel That
He Was Not Alone In the World.
How People Are Divided

III every community thRt has popule-
ton large enough 70 divide there are
circles OF society, circles of politics, cir
cles OF secret associations and circles of
the church. The first and last named
especially embrace the wives and
daughters of the community. Women
make up society and are more particular
than men about who they admit into
their circle. These circles arc graded
like the pupils OF public school
graded according to wealth or educa-
ton or occupation. Tho dividing lines
are not fixed nor we'll defined, for some
times poor woman who is smart and
we'll mannered and of good family is
admitted into higher circle. know
very bright and beautiful lady who
once was rich, but is now milliner,
and yet she is never omitted, never
sighted by the charmed circle, as it is
called. She mingles freely with those
above her and those below her. This
is the tribute that all classes pay to
refinement and good breeding. A good
woman who has been well raised and
has good education can live in place
that is higher than the aristocracy of
wealth. She has more social influence
in the church or out of it than all the
swells whose diamonds are their chief
passport, and when she dies she has
more mourners at her funeral.
But l was Eliminating about the
church society-the good will and
charity that prevails in church circles
among all its members. If they don't
mingle together on week days they do
on Sundays, for the charity the church
teaches brings all it's members on a
level. Among Christians Il don't mean
pretenders or hypocrItes)' there is no
aristocracy. A soul is soul and the
humblest on earth will take the highest
place in heaven. | am not going to
preach sermon. These thoughts were
provoked by little episode that hap
pened in our church last week. Our
preacher and his sister went to keeping
house. They didn't have much to start
on and we were behind with his salary.
Our country churches are always be-
hind. For forty years l have been hunt
ing for church that was not behind.
So it was whispered around that our
preacher had to borrow money to buy a
cooking stove and he didn't have no
more furniture than Elisha had in his
little room that the Shunamite woman
fixed up for him by the wall. He is a
nf half Nnnlon- bonn Nnrth and
educated South, and his sister has been
teaching school up there. He is smart
and handsome and hum BILE and the most
devoted man in his calling ever saw.
The poorest people in the town and
vicinity know him, for he has been 20
see them, and everybody loves him just
because he loves everybody. He owes
a balance on his education and has gone
in debt for some books, but we didn't
know it. All Of sudden we found out
that he was distressed financially. We
told him when he came that If the
Lord would keep him humble we would
keep him poor. But at last our church
people became aroused. The ladies i'm
provised donation party and the men
hustled around and raised his back pay
and so last Friday evening the good
things began to roll in to the preachers
house. The ladies of the town sent
-four and coffee and tea and rice and
oatmeal and sugar and syrup and canned
goods and some furniture and every
thing else nearly and the country mem
bers sent chickens and turneys and lots
of potatoes and pickles and jellies and
all sorts of good things even down to pop
corn and persimmons from the children.
| never saw the like for two people.
We are afraid he will quit preaching
and open family grocery. When tho
first load came he told the drayman it
was a mistake, he hadn't ordered any
such things and he must take them
back. But the drayman smiled smile
and said; 81 is gwine to leave EN- here
anyhow-dats what dey tole me-" and
leave them he did. Soon another load
came and then another and there was
nobody's name on anything. The poor
man was bewildered. He had just
bought twenty-five pound sack of flour
and here were $50 pounds more. What
did he say?" | asked of drayman.
HE never said nothn', but he looked
sorter imposed on" That night our
people began to drop in on the par
sonage unawares, and by o'clock the
house was full of men, women and chill
dren. They found hearty welcome,
though they were not asked to take
seat, for seats were scarce. Everybody
was happy, for they had done good
deed, and deeds always make us happy.
The ladies slipped purse Of $40 in the
sisters hand andsthe men another purse
OF $50 in the preachers hand, which was
enough to pay his back salary, and then
we babe them goodnight with good
wishes, and all went home, where there
were chairs enough go round. That's
the way to do the preacher. 1t lifts
him up and renews his zeal and in
creases his faith. I'll bet there isn't
another preacher in the State who
dares to be like ours in one respect. He
dares to play baseball with the boys and
is ny far the best player in the town
for he was captain of team in college