The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1909-12-17
LETTER FROM REV.
w. S. P. BACON.

cannot be said OF all church members
/. All Of you are always present. NJ
MATER about the weather it is new
or too hot or too cold tor you to be at
church. In fact, the more %unfavor
able the weather the more numerous
you are. And then to no programme
at any other churCa can attract yol
away from this n not even Il Ton
Thumb Wedding" un a praye: meet
ing night. And besides, had you
wanted co go there vas plenty 81
time TO nave gene after the prayer
meeting was over. Furthermore,
you do not not frequent places OF
doubtful and questionable amuse,
ment.
You empty pewS are present at
every service. You attend well the
Sunday-Sch1ol and are present ir
great crowds at prayer meeting.
2. You are very decorous. This
cannot be said of all church members
You are quiet and respectful before
services begin. You never talk on
laugh during services nor do you look
around when n comes in to see who
it is, where they sit or whaG the,
have on. You never watch the clock
to see IL / am preaching too Iony. An.
other thing l admire about you is
that you never criticiSe my sermons
adversely. Ii you can say nothing
good you never say anything bad.
). You never change. Church
members sometimes do. What pleas.
ed them last year may not suit them
this And too if anything Should
please n Of you it would please all.
This cannot be said of all church
members. Ii | preach what suit,
some OF them the others do not like
it at all. II | preach what some of
them need they get mad.
And then again you have 10 S-rr
places on y"u. Some members have
and when | run that place they get
mad with me just as if | knew they
had a Sure place. , And then too when
you are not pleased with what |
have Aaid it makes no difference you
are here the next Sunday just as if
nothing wrong had happened. | can
not say this OF all church members.
When / rub the sore on them al
though l may have been perfectly
i%9D0rant that they had aSore, why
they get mad at me.
4. / commend you most heartily for
another excellent trait: you never
quarrel with each other and talk
about each other as the people some
times do who sit upon you. | never
knew one Of you to get mad with any
other pew, and quith the church be-
cause you did not like the other pew.
Nor do you threaten to 90 to some
other church il you are not made
much of and brought much to the
front and considered very prominent.
5 Again you are always here at the
first note OF the organ voluntary and
remain through the entire service no
matter how long it may be. And
really, | never heard one of you COM
plain that the services were too long.
6 l heartily commend you because
you do not say a word ii l dent come
round during the week and see you
and talk a little nonsense for ten or
fifteen minutes. Whether | visit you
in the week or not you are here again
next Sunday on time just as if l had
paid you a pastoral visit every day
in the week. l cannot say this or all
church members. They say | am no
good if dOn,t quit my study and run
around and see them during the
week. And yet when | 60 tc see
some they scamper away just as fast
as they can and all | can see Of them
for a long time is their skirts as they
disappear through d door into another
room. And some Of them c%ongratu-
late themselves that they were out
when | called and so do /. What ]
am now about to relate is a fact |
called at a place once and all were
out but one member of the family, |
the others when they returned con
graduated themselves on their eS.
cape and that, too, when if they only
could have known it, l made the visit
much as [ would have taken a dose of
castor Oil, as a matter OF conscientious
duty, with whatever pleasure there
may have been ia it ''Strictly on the
side"
You empty peTS never act that
wa.
Z You are always at the front un- {
less there is a wedding and then Of
course you are not to blame for it 5
if some n gets between you and the {
preacher. | do not mind this any J
way for | know 20 will be in your /
accustomed place next Sunday be. c
tween the people and the speaker. |
You will be right up at the front c
"doing business at the same old 4
You do not mind being near
the front. nor does it embarraSS n
you 10 occupy a prominent place C
in church. D
8 And then again you are never Z
inconsistent. No one can point to v
you and say that your profession is fl
one thing and your conduct another. k
[ wish [ could say as much about all n
my members. You faithfully dis b
every obligation and carry out I'll
rs far as you can the purpose for W