The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-05-18
45ortrg.
ST. PETER AT THE GATE.

ST. PETER AT THE GATE.
St. Peter stood guard at the Golden Gate
With ST lemn mien and air sedatt,
| When up to the top CT the golden stair
A man and woman ascending there,
Applied for admission. They came and stood
| Before st. Peter, SO great and good,
| Iu hopes the City of Peace to will
And asked St. Peter to let them in.
The woman was tall and lank, and thin,
With scraggy bearCl-t upon her chin.
The man was short, and thick aud stout,
His stomach was built so it rounded ou:;
His face was pleasant and all the while
He wore kindly and genial smile.
The choirs in the distance the echoes woke,
AND the man kept still while the woman spoke;
ooh. thou who guardest the gate" said she
ave Two come hithel, beseeching thee
To let us enter the Heaven ly land,
And play our harps with the angel band.
Of me, St. Peter, there is no doubt
There's nothing from Heaven to bar me out;
Eve been to met tings three times week,
And almost always I'd rise and speak.
Fve told the sinners about the dAy
When they'd repeLt their evil way;
i have told my neighbors. | have told them all,
Bout Adam and Eve and the Primal fall;
I've shown them what they'd have to do
II they'd pass in with the chosen few;
I've marked their path of duty clear
Laid ont the plan of their whole career,
I've taxed and talked to 'em loud and long,
For my lungs are good and my voice is strong
SO good St. Peter you will clearly see
The gate of Heaven is open to me;
But my ol man, regret to say,
Hasn't walked in exactly the narrow way
lie smokes and he swears, and grave faults
les got,
And don't know whether he'll pass or not.
lie never would pray with an earnest vim,
Or go to revival, or join in a hymn
So had to leave him in sorrow there
While !, with the chosen, united in prayer.
lie ate what the pantry chose to atf,rd,
While l, in my purity, sang to the Lord;
And if cucumbers We're all he got,
IT'S chance if he merited them or not.
But. oil. St. Peter, love him so.
To the lleasures of Heaven please let him &C,
I've done enough-a saint Fve been;
Won't that atoneo Can't you let him in?
by my grim Gospel | know It's so
That the uhrepented must fry below.
But isn't thele some way you can see
Hhafh haV 10, = a
It's narrow Gospel by which pray,
But the chosen expect to find some way
Of fcoaxing, or fooling or bribing you,
So that their relations can amble through.
And say, St. Peter, it seems to me
This gate isn't kept as it ought to be;
\ gu ought to stand by that opening there,
And never sit down in that easy chair.
And say, st. Peter, my sigh; is dmmed,
But don't like The way your whiskers are
trimmed;
They're cut too wide and out ward toss,
They'd look better narrower cut straight across.
Well, we must be going our crowns to win,
So open St. Peter, and We'll pass in.'
And then he arose in his statue tall
And pressed button upon the wall,
And said to the imp who answered the bell:
''EscorL this lady around to h-r'
The man stood still as piece of stone
Stood sadly, gl,omily their alone,
A lifelong, settled idea he had
That his wife was good and he was bad.
He thought if the womal went down below
That he would certainly have to go
That if she went t. the regions dim
There wasn'ta ghost of a show for him.
Slowly he turned, by habit bent,
TO follow wherever the woman went.
St. Peter, standing on duty there,
Observed that the L"p of his head was bare.
He called The gentleman back, and said:
"Friend, how long have you been wed?'
Thirty years (with weary sieh.)
Aud then he thoughtfully adde "Why?'
st. Peter was silent. With head bent down
He raised his head and scratched his crown;
Then, seeming different thought to take,
Slowly, half to himself, he spake:
"Thirty years with that woman ther
No wonder the man hasn't any hair.
Swearing is wicked, Smokes not good
He smoked and 3wore-I should think lie
would.
Thirty years with that tongue so sharp?
Ho! ng Gabriel. Give him a harp.
A jeweled harp with golden string.
Good sir, pass in where the angels sina.
Gabriel, give him a seat alone
One W tn cushions-up near the throne
Call up some angels t. sing their best,
Let him enjoy the music and rest.
See that Oh finest ambrosia he feeds,
He's had about all the he'll he needs
1t isn't iu.t hardly the thing to do
To roast him on earth and in the future too.''
I hey gave him harp with golden strings,
A glittering robe with Il pair of wings,
And he said, as he entered the II calm of Day,
"Well, tits beats cucumbais, anyway"
And so the Scriptures had come to pass:
''The last shall be first and the first shall be
last
&C. F. S.
| 5rIrrt HisrrllQllu.