The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1907-04-18
~
{, Easter I
! Gt Spruce
BY 10o10
FRANK H. I0llllUl.
SWEET.

Z n NEW minister had come 10
Z NA slow moving. ont % the way
4 IoA Spruce Hil and with his COM
ing had appeared d spirit of
& change aud improvement
+ lie was fresh from bis theological
T course and eager with youth and loye
Z for the work aud with advanced ideas
about music aud active cooperation Of
\ the young people Hitherto the church
/ had been TO them place Of solemnltg,
only 10 he visited at required Intervals
and as a scarcely TO he avoided duty
/ Now, under the ministatiOus of this
\ young zealot, II gradually came % them
that duty could be approached from
mauy directions and that not all OF
them were necessarily thorny aud mar
row 4 choir was formed and n sing
Ing class started to stimulate and en-
courage greater proficiency; then came
q bible class. il which the lessons were
presented IN way 10 encourage inter
cst. auI Christian Endeayor society
that brought out the young people At
Christmas there was an entertainment
with much singing, and during the
winter there Were praise services and
social gatherings, and In June a ser
mon especially for the children, and
through the summer and fall plcnies
nnd outings that brought all the people
together and kept their interest In the
church undiminlshed.
Among the other innovations were
the Easter sermon and church decora-
tion. The new minister made the an
nouncement one Thursday evening aft
er prayer meeting aud added that he
hoped all would be present and that
the ladies Of the church would arrange
for tasteful and appropriate decora
tion.
After service the women stood about
irresolutely, looking at each other with
blank, questioning eyes. Spruce I'LL
was undeniably on the road toward
prosperity, but its people had not yet
loosened their grasp ON the labor that
was bearing them there. Every wo
man and girl Of the community, from
the eight year mite who washed dishes
and ''chored" TO the white haired
grandmother knitting In the corner.
had duties for each hour of the day. II
was the natural condition of the hard
unsocial life which had taught them to
value the practical and substantial and
remain ignorant of much that wds
beautiful and sweet. They had little
time for flowers and. besides the lilae
bushes and 'popcorns" In their yards
and few such perennials as lilies and |
phlox and daffodils and perhaps ge
raniun ar calia in thar titohar ,.iA
dows, had literally nothing for even an
outdoor summer display, much less for
n church decoration at Easter. And |
even had there been a profusion OF |
flowers they would have been scarcely |
less dismayed. The mere thought OF |
decorating church would have ap- |
palled them.
II guess you'll have to excuse me,
Mr.. Kent" one Of them said at last |
bluntly. Il haven't any flowers except |
one geranium which don't bloom, an, |
besides, don't know anything about
decoratln' an amt got no time either
Nor me-" "Nor me-" "Nor me-"
came in rapid succession and with evi
dent relief from the other women.
"Oh, come, come, this will never do"
expostulated the minister decidedly
surely each OF you can spare n little
time from work will help with thh