Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1904-10-06
The Weeks Work Of a Country Minister.
BY REV. F. N. M'HALE.

At 8 O'Clock Monday morning b
opens his eyes. and, remembering tha
this 10 wash day, tumbles out Of bed
He 10 over 40 years Of age and know
we'll the routine Of prairie ministry
His charge is In village Of the plains
. half dozen other churches strug
CLING likewise for existence In thu
community. The Other minister
have an experience similar to BIZ
own.
Hurriedly DOMINIC q suit Of bis old
est clothes, he starts fire In the
cook stove, puts on the wash boiler,
pumps cistern water, cuts wood and
10 soon In the midst OF busy morn.
ing's work. Breakfast is dispatched,
the children are started for school.
the washing machinery is started and
the weeks laundry is soon boiling
and steaming In the suds. He must
help In this work. His wife is not
strong and she 10 usually worn out
with the duties OF the day before.
His salary is often in arrears-he
must dress well, keep his family, pay
house rent and meet all the various
expenses OF life on seven hundred dol
lars--of course he must help with
house work.
He tolls amid the steam and suds
all the forenoon. Finally the wash is
on the line. Then be takes bath
mot in a luxurious porcelaine-lined
tub, with streams Of hot and cold wa
ter ready for bis use, but in a bed
room with wash bowl and crash
towel. he eats q hastily prepared
lunch-which goes by the name Of
dirner-and goes into bis study for q
quiet hour.
He has number Of papers laid
away that be wants to read. just as
he gets settled down neighbor calls
with the request that he call upon
new family just moved into town.
..The mother used to belong to our
church in Illinois," 1t 10 explained.
1.-THE children all have the measles"
The minister lays aside his papers,
perhsps with suppressed Sigh walks
three quarters Of mile to the home
Of the new resident. Part Of the way
there 10 no sidewalk. In the summer
1t is dusty, at other times it is muddy.
He gets 10 the house and finds the
people poor. The house is untidy,
the chairs are sticky, the room ID bad
" ventilated and the ietid breath Of
the sick children almost stiles him.
He listens to the mothers story Of
how the children became III one after
another. There are no quarantine
acquisitions In the town. The chill
dren, sick and well, hubble together.
the well ones going to school.
uaingling there with other children
and spreading the disease. Every
one has to have it," 10 the common
saying, and everyone generally "gets
H."
He talks with the mother, trying to
cheer her up. He tries to talk with
the sick children but he usually makes
o failure.
On the way home he goes q half
mile extra TO call on a sick sister Of
the church and hears over again the
story Of her ailments. She tells him
the kind Of medicine she uses, and
the various remedies suggested BY
others. The character Of her doctor
10 discussed and all the details OF
her illness are fully gone over. She
may ask him to read TO her chapter
ont Of the Bible. He reads one and !.
offers o short prayer.
Il is difficult sometimes to get away
from these places. The watchers and
nurses take advantage Of the minis
ter's presence and 60 out to breathe.
He fans the sick sister, speaks con- '
solingly to her and finally leaves, I
to call again.
He walks to the post office, gets bis
mail. talks politics and finance on the
street, jokes with the town marshal :
and finally goes home to supper.
After supper he calls on the church |.
treasurer and gets what there lie in '
The treasury. By the time this is =
finished and the various church ques-
Ltora 40 taibad ovar Nth tho kraaa. II