The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-10-31
MIL ARP'S LETTER:
Arp's Bomily on the Combination OF: Hu-
tSS1eE mility and Poverty.
e. Q
}Jon}o Nm skfukon ,tj5h Eysct..t:

lation large enough to divide there
are circles of society, circles of poll
tics, circles Of secret associations and
circles of the church. The first and
last named especially embrace the
wives and daughters Of the commun-
ity. Women make up society and are
more particular than men about who
they admit into their circle. These
circles are graded Ike the pupils of a
public school-graded according to
wealth or education or occupation.
The dividing lines are not fixed nor
we'll defined, for sometimes poor
woman who is smart and we'll manner
ed and of good family is admitted into
a higher circle. I know very bright
and beautiful lady who once was rich,
but is now a 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 trib-
ute that all classes pay to refinement
and good breeding. A good woman
who has been we'll 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 pass
port, and when she dies she has more
mourners at her funeral.
But I was ruminating 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 its 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 happened in our church
last week. Our preacher and his sis
ter went to keeping house. They
dident have much to start on and we
were behind with his salary. Our
country churches are always behind.
For forty years I have been hunting
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 dident have no
more furniture than Elisha had in his
little room that the Shunamite woman
fixed up for him by the wall. He is q
sort of half yankee-born north and
educated south, and his sister has
been teaching school up there. He is
smart and handsome and humble and
the most devoted man in his calling l
ever saw. The poorest people in the
town and vicinity know him, for he
has been to see them, and everybody
loves him just because he loves every
body. He owes balance on his edu-
cation and has gone in debt for some
books, but we dident 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 impro-
vised donation party and the men
hustled around and raised his back
pay and so last Friday evening the
good things began to roll into 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 everything else nearly, and the
country members sent chickens and
turkeys and lots Of potatoes and pick
els and jellies and all sorts Of good
things, even down te popcorn and per-
simmons from the children. l never
saw the like for two people. We are
afraid he will quit preaching and open
a family grocery. When the first load
came he told the drayman it was a
mistake-he hadent ordered any such
things and he must take them back:
But the drayman smiled smile and
said: ~ is gwine to leave EN- here
anyhow-dat's what dey told me,
and leave them he did. Soon another
load came and then another and there
was nobody's name on anything. The
Door man was bewildered. He had just
bought a twenty-fve-pound sack OF
-four and here were 250 pounds more.
"What did he say?" asked of a dray-
man. "He never said nothin', but he
looked sorter imposed on. - That
| night our people began to drop in on
the parsonage unawares and by 6
o'clock the house was full Of men,
women and children. They found a
hearty welcome, though they were
not asked to take seat, for seats
were scarce. Everybody was happy.
for they had done a good deed, and
deeds always make us happy. The
ladies slipped purse Of $50 in the
sisters hand and the men another
purse Of $50 in the preachers s hand
which was enough to pay his back sal
ary, and then we bade them good night
with good wishes, and all went home,
where there were chairs enough to &c
round. That's the way to do the
| preachers. 1t lifts him up and renews
his zeal and increases his faith. III
bet there isn't another preacher in the
| state who darcs to be like ours in one
respect. He dares to play baseball
with the boys and is by far the best
player in the town, for he was captain
of team in college and likes the sport
CHOW boys" said he, 81 will be 4
to play with you, but you must prom
| Use not to use an oath nor an unkino
or ungentlemanly expression during
the game" And they promised
After the game was over he thanked
them and invited them so cordially tt
come out to prayer meeting that night
that they went. His gentle influence
over our town boys is always for theil
good. They respect him and admire
him and go to preaching more thar
has been their custom. And Pau
said unto Timothy: "My son magnify
thine Office" Our preacher magnihe:
his Office and dignifes the pulpit ane
inspires reverence for the sacred place
Our preacher can beat anybody marry
ing anybody except himself that
avor hoard. But he is young yet an(