The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-05-31
SPOILED SERMONS.
Little Child Who Unexpectedly Be-
came a Member Of His
Fathers Congregation.
Rev. Alex. W. Pealer in Atlanta

JOQl
Did YOU ever try TO think about two
things at the same time: / have.
and it is difficult thing to 90. |
tried once to preach sermon and
yell at a triAing dog that was killing
chicken, but l found out that l
couldn't do both at the same time,
however much I wanted to.
It was in Gainesville. | had been
very much annoyed by strange
dog which had slaughtered seven
young Pekin ducks for me and | don't
know how many chickens. l had been
looking for him for several weeks
trying to give him dose OF bird
shot, but I had never been able to
locate him. One Sunday morning
in the balmy month of May, when
the ground honeysuckles around the
church building was in bloom. when
the hum of bees and the fragrance
OF flowers were on the breeze, I was
preaching to crowded house. The
windows were all open and l had es-
tablished that connection between the
pulpit and the pew that is SO delight
full to every preacher when something
happened that came near breaking
the connection OF my sermon. In the
midst OF an impassioned appeal l
heard the cry OF a distressed chicken;
looking out of the window | saw a
coach dog had a cl!icken-a frying
size chicken, one good and ripe
jamn1ed down in the honeysucEIe
vines. I could see that the poor
little chicken was being murdered in
cold blood before my eyes. l wanted
to save his life, but how to do it l
couldn't see I knew if | yelled out
nv sermon would be spoiled and yet
it was one OF the hardest things |
ever had to do, to keep from stopping
in the midst OF my sermon and ask
Deacon Cobb, who sat near the win
dow, to go out and slaughter that
chicken killing dog.
Rev. NJ. L. Wood, the Baptist pas
tor, at Staunton, Va, with whom |
stopped in Nashville, told me Sim
liar experience. He and mis- wife
were attending church one bright
Sunday morning; he was in the pulpit
and his wife was in the choir loft be-
hind him. They had left their little
four-year-old boy home with the
nurse, attired in home dress covered
by a blue gingham apron, and minus
his shoes. He had been playing
around the yard until both apron,
feet, face and hands, were covered
with the dirt in which he had been
digging. About midway his sermon
Mr.. Wood saw the little fellow enter
the front door of the building and
stand for moment surveying the
scene. He thought OF his wife and OF
some way of stopping the boy, but he
could not turn lose the sermon he
was preaching. After completing his
survey the little fellow coolly pro-
ceeded down the aisle. One OF the
deacons taking in the situation caught
hold of the boy as he passed, but he
;erked away from him and walked
down in front OF the pulpit where he
stood for a moment looking up into
his fathers face The thoughtless
ones of the congregation began to
eisgle and even the more thoughtful
ones were forced to smile. Everyone
was thinking more about the boy
than the sermon his father was
preaching.
The child passed from in front Of
his father, climbed the steps leading
up to the pulpit, walked over to vase
of flowers and began to examine
them. Then, for the first time, the moth
er, saw him and her embarrassment
was very great when she realized that
she couldn't reach him without max
ing a scene. Having examined the
flowers the little fellow, taken with
the sofa on the pulpit climbed upon
it and sat there dangling his dirty
little legs in front OF the congrega-
ton. He grew tired Of this in little