Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-07
NOT A SUCCESS.
Spite of Precedents Church
Lost Money on Supper.
Water Street Merchant Performed
Great Deed Of Charity.
As a Result He Lost Cast With the
Church.

Will, NoANSANC Tic
idea of giving a church dinner or sup.
per and thus gather together a goodIy
pile of the dross of this earth that the,
may be able to respond more readily tC
the appeals for help that always come
from the less fortunate ones. The
scanty clad heather over in Patagonia
or some other local option town may
want an extra string Of coral beads OF
II bottle Of moth and freckle lotion tc
protect them from the sudden change
of climate or the suns burning rays SC
that a few dollars in the treasury does
Tot come miss.
1t has often been said by the wise
ones that money is the root of all evil
yet it is a noticeable fact that the
fortunate mortal with the liberal heap
OF that peculiar king of goods find
fewer hummocks in their pathway than
oes the fellow with the abbreviated
] ank account. Socially, the church or
ociety gatherings are a very good
| thing and tend to bring together more
Closely both the young and the old of
the denomination and, financially, they
have q tendency to loosen up the long
string on many a pocket book and set
| in motion coin of the realm that other
Wise would remain in hiding and only
scatter itself to the birds when some
Ioor relation is called in by the lawyer
| to settle up the estate after the former
owner has passed over the river
| There never was but one church din
Eer or supper in the history of man but
proved roaring financial success and
netted the promoters a good large divi-
dend, and this was one that came off
| late in the season and came very near
| Iankrupting the church. The society
| il question decided after due delibera-
Ton to rig up and foster on a long suf-
fcring public a dinner; SO the commit
tee who had the matter in charge start
eI in and appointed some sub-commit-
tees to canvass among the brothers and
sisters and find out just about how
| l. UGH proVender was available for the
| fast.
| After satisfying themselves they had
cough plates to feed a regiment, all
tie nice looking ladies in the society
constituted themselves a committee of
tie whole to sell tickets to the men,
bors and all the heather they could in
| Vclgle out of a quarter. One young
| lady who had Water street on her
route called upon a well-known mer-
chant who always purchases tickets to
every thing but very seldom goes. She
impressed upon his mind in her very
persuasive way that he could purchase
the ticket and then if circumstances
were such he could not attend he could
do little deed of charity on his own
hook by giving it to some friend.
The mprch1n took the finkQf Maid
the quarter and never gave it
thought until the day of the dinner
when, low and behold, the opportunity
presented itself for that deed of char
ity that would send his name thunder
ing down to posterity as a philanthro-
pist, along side of Andrew Carnegie
and the rest of the boys. A Weary
Willie, who had tramped from Wiscas-
set along the kings highway, blew into
the merchants place of business along
in the forenoon, and told the old stereo-
typed story of hard luck and the cold
and unsympathetic world giving him the
marble heart, how he had been look
ing for work for years, yet dreading to
find it; was not afraid of work but could
lay down beside it and go to sleep; how
every mans hand was raised against
Iliu DeCduse lie WdS SOCidlly dH OulCdSt
and poor.
Here was the golden opportunity the
merchant had been longing for, not on
ly to help the church, but the heather
as well; SO the ticket was presented to
him together with a long letter on table
ettiquet and how to behave in company.
Long before the dinner gong sounded
Weary Willie was rubbing his should
ers up against the vestibule entrance,
| waiting for the welcome sound and,
realizing that many are called but few
are chosen. At last the doors We're
opened and the crowd filed in. with the
heather very much in the lead.
| He was the first to strike seat and
| the young lady who started in to wait
upon him rather enjoyed the novelty of
F! the thing until she realized that she
| had bumped up against the real thing.
| She tramped from the kitchen to the
| table loaded down like a pack horse
| until she was about exhausted and had
| to call for help. Then two girls worked
| in unison and did their utmost to fill
! him up but he never wavered. Finally
the third girl joined the procession fully
| resolved that the hobo should get his
| moneys worth. But Willie was like
| the potter's field and took everything
/ that was coming to him. Other guests
We're neglected by the young ladies in
/ their hustle to keep that one particular
| plate full. The table for several feet
! in all directions looked as If an army of
| grasshoppers had held a field day there
| while as far as his arms could reach
the empty dishes were piled up in wind
rows.
| The management of the dinner began
| to get a little uneasy. They were all
| familiar with that old story of the
miracle which was performed with the
/ loaves and fishes and thought that I'M
| less some miracle was performed in
their case and that mighty quick they
stood an even chance of being bank
rupt. BY a little diplomacy on the part
of the committee and a good generous
boost on the part of the janitor the
heath was helped onto his feet and out
the door and the last seen Of him he
was heading toward Hallowell where
he no doubt anchored long enough to
wreck some other congregation.
The promoters of the dinner after
doing some tall figuring on the fly leaf