Middletown transcript., 1897-08-07

take hand in the subsection of the
little rebel.
While such an Intervention would
have been well meant upon their part,
l had no doubt in my mind that it
would only add the last straw to the
annoyance of the preacher and the con-
gregation, as it would help to cOncen-
trate attention in more cohspicOus
and disagreeable way than ever upon
the unfortunate adults who already
had by many, no doubt, been Innocent
ly ranked as participants in the combat
One of them, at least. and the other
as a spectator guilty of maudlin SYM
palhy.
What might have betn the end of
Sandy Humphreys rebellion, | am net
able 10 say; but jus: ~ the moment
that the situation WAS beginning almost
uncomfortable by reason of the increas-
ing belligerency of tie little rebel,
whose cap, eye, mouth and feet were
on war footing, relief suddenly Came
from an unexpected source. PArson
Humdrum, in fit of providential
desperation, abruptly and most mex
plicably dropped the septennate like
hot cake, and launched out with au
illustration quite foreign to his factory
made stock, thus:
"A little bootblack one day Gallo d
out to crowd of his chums on the
sidewalk Who wants to buy my kit ?
A quarter for my xii ~
SIN an instant, like flash, the rebel
lion Of Sandy Humphreys. down in the
"amen corner " Of the Wimpleton
church came to an end. All the symp-
toms disappeared simultaneously. He
forgot to blink at Mrs. Smith; he for
got 10 twirl his cap; he forgot to adj
vertise his truant intentions by lurches
toward the aisle; he forgot mutely but
eloquently to interrogate me. He sat
bolt-upright in the pew, riveted his
eyes upon the preachers face, aud
listened through the rest of that "boot-
black" illustration. Wi tiDglY or un-
Willingly, the preacher had fired d
home shot at Sandy Humphreys re-
bellion against being compelled to sit
still during church services. His colOrs
were grounded; his guns spiked. He
had cared very little for Mrs. Smiths
threatenings or coaxings; he had cared
very little for the authority of Deacon
Jones, or for the frowns Of Sister
Brown, or the stern, incorporating
demeanor of myself, or the annoyed
glances and overaWing silences which
preacher directed at him; but he did
care for the little booi black, Tim, the
instant he heard his name mentioned,
and he was interested in the sale of his
kit, and increasingly so, as the illus-
tration developed the fact thai the sale
Of the kit was for the purpose Of print
ing an obituary of his brother i'll the
newspaper.
l affirm this last on general principles.
Presumably, it is correct. AS matter
of fact, however, my personal interest
in Pals Hundrunl's new style of ser.
monizing led me quite to forget Sandy
Humphreys. The others forgot him,
too. They forgot tn nod and yawn and
doze. There was something almost
like flutter of new. born interest in
this element of actual life which had
been introduced into the discourse.
Some smiled where they had yawned,
and others wept where they had been
wont to nod.
From that moment on, the preacher
held Sandy Humphreys's attention so
closely that he had no time to plot re-
bellion. The revolt was over, and tn g
forces which had been called out for
its subsection were ANONYMOUSLY
ordered home. Parson Humdrum gave
the order by the glance of triumph be
shot at Sister Smith and me. The
little rebel was pardnned by the So
vereign of the pulpit, and, must be-
lieve, policy was then and there re-
solved upon by the preacher that would
hereafter keep Sandy Humphreys so
busy listening to the things in the
sermon that interested him, as to leave
him no time for rebellion against sit
ting still unemployed. Some of US
slyly dubbed this "the new preaching. "
And noticed this. From the day
that the preacher began focusing his
preaching on Sandy Humphreys every
body in Wimpleton congregation began
to brighten up. / never caught as few
yawns and mods, as on the second Sun
day the "new" sermonizing of Parson
Humdrum stood tie exactin 6 test OF
keeping Sandy humphreys interest
up TO the notch of self-forgetfulness of
hard seats, of lack of footrests, etc.
The empty pews began rapidly to ill,
tho am sure Parson Humdrum had
given no special thought to- this result.
He had simply resolved that lie would
make the Gospel so enticingly simple
and pregnant with pratical Interest,
that this ten-year- I'D boy slio I'D listen
to it with keen relish. And, some way,
there seemed to lie just enough of the
ten -yeaI-old boy in human nature in
general that all Winpltton soon found
itself hanging on Lis humanity inter-
ssting sermons, filed vi b pictures Of
everyday life aud experience. The
Independent.
Effects Were soen Felt.
Last summer was feeling weak and
tired. had taken medicines without any
benefit, and friend called my attention to
Ty~..atu O. all f.ow l,a1 kn1 1ror. fho