The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1903-01-31
MA b b DO D I i
INCIDENT TIA RUINED CARE.
S FULLY PREPARED SERMON Is.
comblnat'on q &: eIrI, Chewing. Gum
!. and 81 Sleeping Man Too. Much for the
R'slbtlltiss Of 81. Louis Clergyman
!. I: and No Wonder. L ::.<,~.'; z-,5sks.$*s4

d a prominent minister of st. i Louis
was asked yesterday If he had ever
been tempted to- laugh during services
and what would be the effect il the
teacher Of large congregation should
burst In upon, the. full solemnities of
regular, service with, a genuine hearty
laugh. Interruptions to services were
under discussion, and all the talk had
been about Observation-Disclosures in the
pews. The question suggested: the
awful = possibilities Of. a similar
break" in the pulpit, says the St..
Louis Globe-Democrat. - ,.s5 !. ~ ~. -.
: Well. can answer that question
very nicely, because. did that very
thing one time myself" he replied.
1T was one Sunday when. my church
was unusually crowded: I, had pre-
pared a sermon that considered de-
cidedly above the ordinary, and when
I had~got well into it I realized that
my audience was thoroughly impress
ed. Twas deeply. in earnest and they
were fully sympathetic. In the midst
of the discourse. happened to glance
toward the choir loft in the other end
of. the church. A young girl singer
was sitting with her arms crossed on
a railing and her body rigid, seeming
", with the intentness OF attention.
She was such good listener that
unconsciously talked at her as any
speaker will under such circumstan-
ces. a,&$Ass I: talked I tried to catch her
eye and was puzzled: to note that they
were not turned in my direction at all.
l followed her gaze. and saw some
thing comical in the extreme. A man
in the back pew was sound asleep
His head was thrown completely over
the back of the pew anu his mouth
was open to its widest extremity.
"The girl was intent, true, but in
tent on the open-mouthed sleeper i'm
mediately below the edge of the choir
loft. X Slowly she lifted her hand to
her mouth, and I fully realized that
she extracted a large wad of gum.
Her eyes never moved from the man,
and save my life my eyes could not
leave; her. did not know her pur-
pose, but she slowly, very slowly,
aimed that gum at the mouth below.
Her hand went up and down as she
fixed her aim and my eye rose and
fell with that hand as surely as bird
sways2 before the fascination of rep
tile. My words went on in mechani.
cal monotone, but my mind had left
my subject and my people,. Body,
soulsand sight were strained ii watch
ing that girl. Up and down went the
hand in motions that grew shorter,
and then, as the snake would make
the dart, she flashed that gum at its
target. 1t fell like a shot and as; it
disappeared into the cavernous mouth
below broke my flow Of meaningless
words with a shrek OF laughter that
fell on the audience like bombshell.
1t seemed that I laughed for five
minutes and thatI swayed and shook
with emotion. ! suppose it was really
less than five seconds. The sermon
was ruined and it is surprise that
was not. managed to call for the
singing of hymn and under cover Of
this I retreated from the pulpit. My
assistant dismissed the congregation.