The Newtown bee., 1894-01-19
The Secular Pulpit.
THE SERMON.
THE MEDITATIONS OF FARMER
 SNODGRASS.

My sermon, beloved, is founded on no particular text, but is digest of the medi- tations of Farmer Snodgrass. The good man had reckoned up his accounts for the year and sat by the fireplace watch ing the great logs being made into hot coals and then into ashes. And as he thought these ideas passed through his mind. "Now there's our parson, better and more faithful man never lived. 1 suppose he is thinking over the work of the church for the year and lamenting that we have not done more in good work. We'll he has done all he could and more than he ought. But I think we should have had better balance with heaven if he had planned to make our people do more of the hard work and he had planned more and done hard work less. He ought to have put our evening Sunday service in the hands of the young folks. They like to go somewhere Sun- day night and going to church is not bad time to do little sparkling, especial ly if the sleighing is good. And now he ought to have three or four good mother ly souls who should act as deaconesses in our church.
 A PARSON Is ALL RIGHT
 to pray in the sick room. But when it comes to washing the chldren's faces and tidying up the room and making beef tea :, he is not exactly suited for that business. Now why don't he tell the church to ap- point such set of officers and then tell them of the work they ought to do in stead of trying to do all himself. Ireck- on we should find the fatherless and com fort the widows great deal better if we had some one who felt it to be their spe- cial charge to do such things. Here at the close of the year is the time to plan some new work that will reach folks and take hold of them in true loving Christian fashion,
 | Just then the fire snapped out as though in great applause as Farmer SnOdgrass had new turn to his thought by the rustic of the newspaper at his side. "Now there's that editor. Mighty smart fellow. Gets hold of the news quicker than chain lightning and can draw dollar out of your pocket for the subscription better than Hollstock' s porous plaster draws the pain out of your back. But don't see why he runs so after all the murders and the robberies and the lawsuits and prints so much about them and says so little about the good deeds done in this part of the world If l was an editor I should like to print one solid column of the good things folks are doing. 1 would call it "Glimpses o1 Heaven" and I would show folks that it was not necessary for them to wait unti they got over Jordan before they found happiness. And if I was the editor think should praise people more when they did real well.
 NOW MY JENNIE
 spoke piece at the academy the other night, but the editor did not say a word about it in the report though she did real well, if I dc say it, who am her pa. Molasses catches more flies than vinegar, anc ones. I know they say the people like to hear all about the bad things folks are doing, but 1 know it warns my olG heart right up to my ribs, when 1 heal of the good kind things some folks art doing" And the fire sputtered and crackled as though it was trying to say Amen! to that, then the farmers medi tations took another tack.
 Here's my neighbor, Bill, over acros the way. His father left him nice farm few years ago. But as he figures up profit and loss tonight, l don't be lieve he will find a copper to his credit Well, every one knows his trouble. His wife told my wife that all he had earned this year on the farm had gone into Brother Demjohn's saloon for beer anG whiskey. But I didn't notice tha Brother D. sent him any Thanksgiving turkey, for one of Bills boys said they were too poor to have Thanksgiving thi! year. Now I call it rather small for { man to get all the profits of farm for { whole season and then not even send fellow present in return.
 IF BILL WOULD GIVE ME
 the farm to work on halves l would sent him half dozen turkeys to pay for it But then MT D. never was noted fol providing for the widows and orphans that his rum hole made. 1 suppose thu town has to do that. Now it strikes m, that any man is a fool who thinks he cal run farm by sitting in chair in bee shop. It can't be done. pity Bill and pity his wife and children more. I an sorry to see that good farm running down because one man wants to satisf, a devil in his throat.'' Directly afte this Farmer Snodgrass began to nod ant the meditations came to an end.
 GEMS OF THOUGHT.