Year: 1861

meuIately presented with his card with n
little story on it, and statement that '4o
swear Is neither brave, polite nor wisonI I
very well remember hearing the old gentle.
man say that though he had given away
hundreds OF these cards, be had never learn.
ed that one OF them had done any good.
DO not wonder at it. 1t was q sneaking
way OF doing good, or of trying to do it.
OF trying TO. If the old man had remon.
stra'eu personally with these swearing fel.
lows, and told them that their habit was
both vulgar and wicked, does any one sup.
pose the result would have been so unsatis.
factory lie had not pluck enough to do
/ this so he gave them card, and they
either lhrew it 10 his face or threw it away.
But then, the cards did not cost much


have been much interested in watching
q carload of passengers while receiving each
from the hands Of professional distributor
reIlgiouS tract. All have received the
gift politely, in Difference to the motive
when prompted, or was supposed to prompt
its bestowal yet have never failed to per.
celve that politeness was really taxed in the
matter. Now let me be candid, and confess
that was never pleasantly impressed by
being presented with tract in railroad
car. This fact cannot be attributed to any
lack of disposition TO contemplate religious
subjects but there is something which tells
me that 1t is improper and ndelicate for
any man to come into a public vehicle,
and thrust upon me and upon my fellow.
passengers a set of motives and opinions on
religion which may or may not accord with
my own and theirs-just as it happens. /
think the natural action of the mind is to
brace itself against influence sought to be
| sprung upon it in this manner and l am
yet 10 be convinced that this indiscrimnate
and wholesale distribution Of elgious tracts
in railroad stations and public conveyances
| is not doing, and has not done, more harm
than good. l know that multitudes of men
hot viciouS-are disgusted with it, and
offended by it, and that there is something
-7call what you may-in the emotions ex-
cited by the presentation of tract under
such iIl-chOsen circumstances which counter
acts any good influence that it was intended
to produce. A gentleman will receive a
tract politely, aud read it or not according
to his whim !; but it will be very apt to dis
gust him with the style Of Christianity which
it represents.


| am aware that the secretary and the
agents of the tract societies make very en-
couraging reports of the results of their
operations. am always interested in these
details, and do not diScredt at all the state.
ments which they make. Nay, am con-
vinced that in certain departments of their
effort they are successful in doing much good.
believe that their noble army of colpor.
teurs, going from lonely neighborhood to
neighborhood, and carrying with them an
unselfish, devoted life, and the living voice
Of prayer, exhortation and counsel, win
many souls to christian virtue. l am will.
ing to acknowledge, further, that here and
there O tract, chance sown, may fall into
ground ready to receive it, but | have a
right to question wheather the same outlay
of effort and money applied directly in other
fields would not bring very much larger re-
turns. Ny point is that in all efforts to do
good, in this way, appropriateness OF time
aud place is always to be consulted |
once took my seat in q dentists chair to
have an operation performed upon my teeth.
If | remember correctly, an ug Y fang was
to be removed. At any rate, pain was in
volved in the matter but no sooner was
the destst's arm around my head, aud his
instrument in my mouth, than the we'll
meaning and Jealous operator began ques-
ton me upon the subject of PERSONAL re.
lipion. Now it seemed quite as bad to un-
dertake to propagate Christianity at the
point of surgical instrument, as it would be
to win proselytes by the sowrd and the
utter iucorgruty Of two operations DISCUS
ted me. At any rate changed my dentist.
| felt like the man who found upon his land.
laday's table au article of butter that was
inco1yenieutly encountered with hair, and
who Informed her that he had no objec-
tion to hair, but would perfer to have it
served upon q separate dish.


A good many years ago, read Sun
day school book entitled, Walks of Use.
fulness." II represented a man going out
into the street, aud pitching into' every
person he met with, upon the subject of re-
| iigion, or starting a conversation and i'm
mediatey giving it o spiritual twist.
thought then than he was a remarkable in
genious man--a wonderful story teller, tC
saw the least of him. | am inclined to think
now that he romanced little. Every op
Grafton was so neatly done, and turned ou'
so we'll, that really suspect it was pure
fiction. have this to say, at any rate tha
if he did say what he professed to have done
and said, under the circumstances which be
described, he owed it to the politeness Of
those whom he addressed that he was not
dismissed with decided rebuff, aud told to
90 about his business "a word fitly spoken
how good it is I" All yes how very good
il is Christian zeal is no excuse for bad
taste. nor is Christian effort exempt f,0m
the laws of fitness and propriety which at
tach to human effort of other aims in otheI
fields. IfIwish to reach mans mind up
on any important subject, and circumstan
ces to chance, or pave my way to his mine
by series of carefully adjusted efforts
Abrupt transitions of thought and feeling
and violent interruptions of the currents 0
mental life and action, and never Favorable
to reflection. If wish to cheer q man wh'
is bowed to the earth in grief for the los
OF a companion, | will not break in uPol
his mourning with lively tune upon nd
die. III wish to attract him to religion
life will not interrupt the flow OF his lnno
Gently social hours by some terrible threa
or warning In truth, l know OF nothing
O., mama cara a nicer liSprimlua