The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-15
F%UN-BURDENEn PREACHER,
SENSE OF HUMoR a CROSS TO q,
MINIsTER or THE GOSPEL.

MINISIhh VT I'M ~
| One of Them Tells of Ludicrous Things he
Hns Seen In His Calling and the Tormcnt
He Has Had to Suffer to Keep from
Laughing Outright on Solemn Oc.asi"nssi
"A sense OF humor is n saving grace for tho
ordinary man. but It is n terrible trouble TO u
clergyman" said a mild-faccd minister OF tho
gospel to n sympathetic layman.
Il wish I had been born without IL, but I'-n.
cursed with an abnornlally keen appreclatianI
OF the ludicrous. and it has almost driven mH
TO give up my profession and turn vagabond =.
The torture I've undergone at funerals andI
prayer meetings. because something absurdA
has happened. and l couldn't laugh. has madei
mo gray haired before my time. l don't believer,
| am lacking in spirituality or human sympaor
thy. No one could be more impressed by thGl
solemnity OF a funeral than l am. Perhaps tho
very tention to which sympathy and grief HAYS.
strung my nerves has som ethtng to do with,
my seeing the funny side of things atafunerali
but | reproach myself bitterly because | have,
10 struggle against ungodly mirth, in the Very
face OF great sorrow.
Now. Just this last summer j was spandin1I
my holiday in n little Massachusetts, town, and
/ was asked to conduct funeral services, II
didn't want to do 1t. In the first place. needed
rest: and then / had known the woman whai
was dead, and | couldn't conscientiously SAW
much that was good about her. It's very hard4
to ohlciate at a funeral when you know thal
dead person was a hard-hearted. bad-tempcred,I
uncharitable old Tartar. However. L couldntt
get out Of the thing: so I patched up an inn
personal sort Of n talk and a sorrowful express.
sion. The funeral was at the house. and | wasf
getting along fairly well, when there was a ter
rihle clatter outside. A wagon ratified up to-!
the side door. There was n tremendous thumpo.,
and n stentorian voice shouted lceP
THE awful suggestiveness Of it was too much
tor me. No one else seemed to see it, but l felt
that l was going to disgrace myself. l strug-
glcd for a moment. Then 1 caught the eye of a
stout old gentleman. in a back seat. and le
deliberately winked; / buried my face in ma
kerchiet. overcome by grief. and II was ~seyeraAA
R been Z IN the eg MIDST I Of zane Sn a&tSie re 8h. passage paska!s. and a "fI Il
got credit for being very sensitive and emo
IL itHs a terrible thing not. t1 b be able fde to depend
upon ones risible muscles.
I've one man in my congregation who is thst
m,iseriy near affnf,o He's E I a a ,is sionl abIarv and y
and doctrine. He gives a reasonable amount!
TO the church. but it's q real martyrdom for rrA
liSiIon's sake, and outside his donations to theN
ton every time, he spends a quarter; There,:
was an cid Scotch lady in the church who knew
last month and left word that Sandy must haj
one q her pqIlbearers. He was willing. wi
wouldn't entail any expense. and he has q reaLi
Scotch love for solemn occasions.
"The day on Of the he funeral everything wemei
the casket into the outside box; It was heavy
and e. dd q tight IT, As i ,drSGpped in it cRHght onef
a sharp noise and the tail parted company with
the coat and disappeared. l saw the, catas-
lace as the enormity. of the disaster dawnci
II non him. 1t was the funniest thing lever saw,
I'd a. II everI should be without a kerchiefs
S %aee ' ,'n. q The m' %ce satadfi eoald Hsf f be r naSneGde
It was, buA led with sssndy's G9mpatriot and NO
"'HecRt. H. a sad day for me. sir. this is,ss
he he had had had EpGo a ga use Of, humor and I I hadn't how
much better it " ould have been.
funeraIss' I love prayer meeting. bat mors
funny things haPpe.' fhe ERE than rnHywhen err GO
most MOST stone dsaf: but they, have the Population
1To bfip 1.f HSo1d b4ay tSs q tied do a in PhEfgsr si and ii thu fS1,
S SSf'' a f SraSsr : From RTsSss Ga Il Of f6sn;,, NM Tis
follows WIS Last week. 10, some reason or.
s stHss; of The the room. They ei'd dldn t set a chance 10
anything for quite a while. Then. as q sis;
around. without seeing each oth'er knelt. with
their backs turned to each 9th e5, and began
Pna a sssy tf faiFly e $a! stSp l6sn 5o3 9or N'sy sC%aSId iR
hssr' ana n9d turn ] T9u h1m a Pgaa 9n and O. pa sn int o9 Ut RRiis s
rival. So they charged ahead and nrayed and
prayed, 1t got funnier every, min tte. put
l had ever entered the ministry.
sense Of humor. Life will BIZ too hard a
struggle for him. no matter how s zoe a a
elders. never could. That's the, W orst Il
Understand why I could feel like iauGhtnA' at a
Two or three years ago I had q charG 3 in a
in my yard. One day one of the elders. a .Uost
IE c y, n man AHA f9 IN Etc to ca Mr % Smitb. ne %o wf15 q V;aT
smith They are so fine this year.
He said he'd admire to do it,, so / told him@|
while | found my hat. and then I'd walk down :
round the house. just in time to see an
lppaliing sight. / had a doE 2 fat, GhGrtj
him TO protect our fruit. The elder
Talked in solemn dignity down the garden.
The cur followed suspiciously. The elder
lit. idted m, his . h hr16s and s piesSsd ins a pTGar' nv me bs
and there he hung. gasping and
yrowling., The holy man cried out and tried -
ess dog fell on his hack wlSeeZing. with the
tails spread over him like a pail. ana
he tailless elder fled up the waltz and met me.
old reIspiration in my effort to lc1k seriously
hooked and grleved. Then / broke out into
laugh. and that settled me. He has never
nG tSe NEXT %'Sti fall. R%Sa ow. if f' the Elders I'D rs H hhssd ,tGo
ems" OF humor. and the Clergyman hadn l.
,,ow, easy the. ministry would seem COZ upaih-
lvely speaking. you understand. As II -.
one ,cIerGyymen have much to contend WIN
side from their spiritual responsibilities ana
y my ease the nesh-and muscles are WAX
cry weak"