The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-13
PARSlN WHO SAW lOKESI
Humor in Clergyman's Work
in Country Parish.
MOSES, POPULAR PERSON

DTunkeNnobh w IN AHcu WVUlah'
What People Understand by War.
Feeding an infant Mamma Because
Angels Eat II.
The country clergyman, In visiting
and talking to the poor, has an un-
rivaled opportunity of gaining an in
sight into their way of looking at
the world says a writer in the Ma
tlunal Review.
II is not easy, suppose, for educat-
ed people TO form any idea of the
| vagueness of the rustic mind with re-
gard TO the world outside it's own i'm
mediate surroundings. Board schools
are making a change, and the men In
village reading rooms look at Illus
trated newspapers, but for the female
portion OF the rural population the
rest OF the denizens of space and time
outside the circle OF the local news
papers are included in the all-em-
bracing they"
"Ain't II awful when they cut their
heads off?" will be the comment on
An engraving OF the execution II
Charles l. at Whitehall. or a DAILY
Mirror" illustration of some contem-
porary horror in Armenia or the
Congo State.
remember being asked in North
Country village-some naval maneu-
vers were being carried on at the
time in the North Sea-"The war is
getting very near now, isn't it?" The
war was conceived as a great natural
force always raging over the face OF
the earth, now in this direction, now
in that. There has been more news
paper reading since the South African
war. though many of us will sympa-
thiZe with the good lady who told
me, Il can't feel the same interest in
! this Japanese war as | did in the
South African one, the names are so
much harder"
But the outside world is very little
realized. The wife of a village builder
told me one day that she had son in
Rome. Seeing. | suppose, that | gave
a start of involuntary interest, she
added, in an explanatory tone. "Oh,
mean Rome in America-not Rome in
Paris"
have often found that works OF
fiction are regarded as literal trans
cripts OF fact, though 1t is sometimes
suspected that the story may have
been little embellished in the tell
ing. IL daresay, sif the truth were
known" was once told, "a little bit
OF romance goes down as well as the
strict facts" Print is very sacred
thing TO the rustic mind. have
sometimes received the pathetic as
surance-perhaps OF some miracle OF
healing wrought by patent medicine
We'll, it's + print"
In me gray monotony OF the lives
of tho poor, It is the most genial and
expansive, | think the kindliest ma
tureas who are the predestined vic
| Tins Of drink. Drink is so often the
adventure OF the artistic temperament
seeking brighter and kinder world.
'Drunkard' is, perhaps, too harsh a
term for another old woman, this
time In south country parish who
was certainly too fond of her cups.
In spite of everything her husband
had retained his first affection for her,
and, apart from the wife's fondness
for drink, they were as decent an
old couple as one can we'll imagine.
Late at night he would go out and
patiently look for her, and, like a
good shepherd bring her home.
One summer evening met the pair
coming along steadily and quietly in
the twilight stopped to speak to
the worthy old people, and to Inquire
after their daughter, who was III. But,
alas! no sooner did they step than the
old lady fell to the ground, from
which all her husbands efforts to
raise her were IN vain II was SO
overcome by the clergyman speaking
to me that sudden" she explained
from her recumbent position.
On another occasion-I hope no
reader OF these anecdotes will suspect
me Of making light of drunkenness
she fell on spittoon in public
house and split her skull. The YER
sion OF the incident she gave me was
as follows: Il went to the circus.
and when | saw the elephants come
prancing in | was that alarmed that |
fell and knocked my head against one
OF them circus poles"
In the Middle Ages the conscious
sharing in world wide tradition
bound the local to the universal life,
and through art and ritual the minds
OF the poor we're familiarized with the
facts OF the Christian faith. BY our
own poor fear these facts are very
dimly realized. have been shown
picture of the Nativity with the flute
playing angels and the shepherds
bringing their lamb. and have been
told that It was Moses when he was
a baby" Moses at all times occupies
an enormous place in their spiritual
world.
One is sometimes startled by the
evidence OF very naive faith. Only
| the Othap dow a vr1tha,. t,Ia -. "a, .