The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-08-21
Some Humorous "reminiscences
AND
Incidents in Ministerial Life.
BY. REV. I. j. BRISTow.
BY. REV. 7. j. BRrsrow.

l. the humorous side OF things more
noticed, than in that of preacher.
While display OF this is out of order
in n sermon or "A religious service, yet
in daily life it is very healthfuI in shak-
ing out the cobwebs which otherwise
might lodge in the brain. A classmatc
of mine used to tell good story Of
a. everything else had been tried iH
the way of reformation, il was sug-
sested that if some ghOstly appearance
were suddenly to confront and admon-
ish him il might work like Il charm.
so one night, - with twisted step, the
man was returning home from his ia
ro,isal 10y 4 lonely graveyard, voice
from the tombs accosted him. II was
all in vain; for the answer the ghost
received was: say, old man, is il the
gen'rl (hic) resurrection, or have you
come out on your own accOunt?'
1t is seriously stated that young
minister Of undoubted ability and vet
single, failed 20 secure a call from an
important charge for which he was
candidate by preaching from the text:
"My Heart is Fixed That appears
in that ease to have fixed him.
Ii is said of young minister that,
returning from his own wedding trip.
he concluded on the first Sunday 10
preach one Of his old sermons over
again. The congregation was sympa-
thetic and exPectant. Judge then, Of
their surprise, when he announced for
his text: ''The troubles OF my hear;
are enlarged; o bring thou me out OF
my distresses." He had picked up an
Old manuscript without - much "a
looking at the subject.
/ An EpiscOpalian minister relates that
at Il marriage at which he was ofiiciat-
ing. the groom said in nervous haste:
"With all my gcodly words thee en-
dow" instead Of worldly goods" a.
il reads in the service of that church.
ave want" said the minister, lust
now, your worldly goods, rather than
gOOdly words"
The unseemly practice Of the indis-
criminate eulogy of the dead at funerals
gave an opportunity for Dutchman to
say to a minister, who Officiated at one
in Chicago: .Mine friendt, did you
know the corpse ven he vas alive3'
\ Dutchman himself, however, Of
fieiating at the funeral of friend, in
giving catalogue Of his good qualities,
wound up with the remark: "Und he
vas "A rood schmoker.n
There are many good things record
ed in regard to the fOrgetfGlneSs and
NERVOUSNESS of some preachers. DIR.
Robinson, Of New York, was assisting
= pastor in an eastern city on a certain
day. When ne entered the pulpit witlf
/ him he noticed that the choir was
/ somewhat embarrassed and seemed To
/ Ike holding a consultation. Presently
/ the leader cs.nle and asked for the list
/ of hymns for that service. why said
! the pastor, II gave you the numbers
| The musician then handed him back
a list, not Of hymns, but to his horror,
one that his wife gave him when he
went down town Saturday afternoon.
/ Among the things enumerated were
/ hair pins, and a bottle Of patent food
for the baby.
In some churches an elder or some
I official makes the announcements.
I The pastor i'll one instance requested
/ that notice be given that the prayer
/ meeting on Wednesday evening would
: be omitted for that week, and was
amused as we'll a. was the congregation
by hearing the good man announce:
''There will be no wednesday evening
this week.
The Scotch are proverbial for their
dry and caustic wit. \ highland min
ister. noticing that one of his hearers
was inattentive, paused and said:
SANDY are We hearin'?' ''Yes," said
the Highlander, ''but TO vera little
purpose"
DIR. Blackie, who, as n profound
scholar and sympathetic man, was
brought into contact with many theO-
logical students, expected to be away
from home on certain day and placed
this written notice on the classroom
door: ''Dr. Blackie will not meet his
classes to-day" \ student read this
and erased the letter SC" - that j;
read: "Dr. Blackie will not meet his
lasscs to-day" Bat when the genial
Dr. came along he erased the next let
ter ''i'' so that il read: "Dr. Blackie
will not meet his asses to-day"
\ minister in the land of Robert
Burns, having preached powerful ser
mon on temperance in which he very
minutely described the symptoms of in
toxicatiOn, was thus praised by hear
er: ''That was a good sermon; but the
minister has been a lad in his day, |
tell We Even in the most sacred
places there will sometimes occur
things with humor in them.
IL is well known that the beloved
and learned Dean Stanley, of West
minister Abbey, was very quiet i'll his
manner and delivery in preaching.
Going home after preaching there one
day, he remarked To his wife that the
people regarded him with so much ut =
tention, scarcely removing their eyes
during the discourse. "And no Won
DER was the rejoinder, ''when you
had pair of gloves balanced upon
your head the whole time" The gloves
had been deposited in his hat in the
first instance and when it was remov-
ed in a staid and dignified manner they
rerlained on the head of the famous
; eeclesiastie.
The faculty OF humor and the sense
of the ludicrous are not confined To any
class of men. There are many good
things said about the humor of the he
: role Abraham Lincoln; none perhaps
are quite 50 good, We think, as the fol-
lowing: \ wealthy Englishman was
visiting this country and sought an
r interview with Lincoln, who was then
{ President. They had quite pleasant
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