The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-14
ST. PETER At THE GATE.

When up to the top of the golden stail
A man and woman assembled there
Applied for admission. They came anc
stood.
Before st. Peter, SO great and good,
In hope the City of Peace to win,
And asked st. Peter to let them in.
The woman was tall and lank and thin
With a scraggy beardlet upon the
The man was short and thick and
stout,
His stomach was built SO it rounded
His face was pleasant, and all the
while
He wore a kindly and genial smile.
The choirs in the distance the echoes
woke,
And the man kept still while the wom-
an spoke.
ooh thou who guardest the gate, y
said she,
1--WE two come hither, beseeching thee
TO let us enter the heavenly land.
And play our harps with the angel
band.
of me, ST Peter, there is no doubt;
There's nothing from heaven to, bar
me out.
I've been to NEE ting three times a
week,
And almost always I'd rise and speak.
sI've told the sinners about the day
When they'd repent of their evil way;
I've told my neighbors-L've told 'em
all
Bout Adam and Eve, and the primal
fall
I've shown them what they'd have to
do
If they's pass in with the chosen few;
I've marked their path of duty clear;
Laid out the plan for their whole
career.
sI've talked and talked to 'em loud
and long,
For my lungs are good and my voice
is strong.
So, good st. Peter, you'll clearly see
The gate of heaven is open for me,
But my old man. regret to say,
Hasn't walked exactly in the narrow
way;
He smokes and he Swears, and grave
faults he's got,
And l don't known w neither he'll pass
or not.
"He never would pray with an earnest
vim,
Or go to revival, or join in the hymn.
So had to leave him in sorrow there,
While I, with the chosen, united in
prayer.
,fo hot ho fry n
afford
While I, in my purity. sang to the
Lord.
And if cucumbers were all he got,
It's chance IL he merited them or
not.
"But oh. ST. Peter, love him so,
To the pleasure of heaven let him go.
I've done enough-a saint I've been,
Won't that atone? Can't you let him
in?
BY my grim gospel / know tbs so
That the unrepentant fry below,
But isn't there some way you can see
That he may enter who's dear to me?
"It's a narrow gospel which l pray, 4
But the chosen expect to find some
way
OF coaxing or fooling or bribing you,
So that their relation can amble
through.
And say. st. Peter, it seems to me
That gate isn't kept as it ought to be.
y gu ought to stand right by the open
ing there,
And never sit down in that easy chair.
and say, ST. Peter. my sight is dim
med
But don't like the way your whiskers
are trimmed.
cut too wide, and outward
toss;
They'd look better narrow, cut
straight across.
Well. we must be going, our crown to
win,
SO open, st. Peter, and we1l pass in
st. Peter sat quiet and stroked his
But, spite of his office, he had to
laugh.
Then said, with fiery CLEAN in his
eye:
who's tending this gate. you or To-
And pressed button upon the wall,
And said to the imp who answered
the bell;
Escort this female around to hell"
The man stood still as piece of
stone
Stood sadly, gIoomily. there alone
A lifelong. settled idea he had
That his wife was good and he was
bad.
He thought if the woman went down
below
That he would surely have to go;
That if she went to the regions dim,
There wasn't the ghost of show for
him.
Slowly he turned. by habit bent.
To follow wherever the woman went
st. Peter. standing on duty there,
Observed that the top of his head was
bare. i
He called the gentleman back and t
said: q