Year: 1868

o the curious liquors They have mad


us weary, aud in dreamless sleep these tive


long centuries have we lain. Our homes
are desolat, our friends are dead. Behold


the jig is up-let us ante up and pass th.
buck.s'iA And the same day they went and


laid them down and died Ea-
! Such. is the story of the Seven Sleeper;


with slight variations) and [ know it is


true, for have seen the cave myself"


MRS. GRUNDY IN TIE CHURCH.
The Easy Chair has long looked
through the religious magazines. reviews
and journals, to find an article upon " Mrs


Grundy in the Church," Mrs Grundy


in society we all know Mrs. .Grundy in


politics is also a familiar acquaintance


But it is in the church that Mrs. Grundy


mods supreme and holds highest her


virtuous hands of horror. She denies


moral freedom of action to the clergyman n


Erecting a certain standard, of action


he must conform. She spreads for him


what seems to many very soft and pleas
ant couch Itis the bed of Procrustes,
and she tries to force him to- lie upon il,


Mrs. Grundy does not permit the
clergymen to do what be thinks right and


best, but insists upon what she thinks he
ought to think right and best The very
person whom she has invited to take
spiritual charge of her, and in whose
moral reetitude and best Judgment she
must therefore be supposed to confle, is
the very one whom she will not suffer to
dance, if he wishes to, or to hear any but
slow music.9 Isislowness religious? Is
tune impious because it is merry? The
opera is device of Belzebub, is it, dear
Mrs. Grundj and what do you think of
a bobolink !? The accessories are bad /?
But what of malice, and backbiting, aud
spiritual pride: and jealousy, and intoler-
Bile personal gossip in church, Gt


1t is extraordinary how that old women
controls us. Here. is a young fellow a
preacher in the bud, and full of the hap
piest promise : and he goes-well, pretty
often, to see as lovely aud admirable a
young person of the other sex as can be
found anywhere; and merely because this
wretched old women puts up her eye
glass and says: HIM. ha, twice last week.
" hat does that mean No young
clergyman ought to be suspected of
hirting," the young fellow drops off, and
the young person of the other sex begins
to grow pale. Or there was the good old
pastor of the church, so we'll known to
those of us who are familiar with it, who
after his long and faithful service proposed
that the afternoon service should be omit
ted. And why not 2 Every Sunday after
noon he preached to very few brethren
more or less asleep. It was not very
unreasonable that he should supposd that
they would prefer to sleep at home. In
any case it was cruel tax upon him
But Mrs. Grundy was aghast.s She could
sec in. suehsa suggestion nothing but
softening of the brain or the overthrow of
the Christian religion, and she stated her
case SO strongly that the rest of the parish
yielded and still continued to take their
Sunday afternoon napin church instead Of
at home. 5a' 10 aoe3t3'71o5 has H#IT


Why don't the minister break Mrs.
Grundy's head !? Why do they not say to
their societies that they will not, because
they ought not, continue to work so
severely for pay so miserable? And why
donot we who sit in the pews interfere
Above all, if we cannot pay large salary
and choose occasionally to send purse to
our clergy why do we notzmake it
point of honor that nobody shall mention
the fact to the newspapers? What hou
est man does not vince with shame when
he reads that the parishioners of he
Rev. Mr.. Bland presented him On Tues
day evening, at his residence, with neat
purse containing fifty cents in now five
cent pieces; that the Honorable Some
body or Nobody made a few felicitous re
marks to which the pastor feelingly re
sponed What is the object Of this
kind of tlling?. It is a glorifcation of
the generous society that presents the
purse. It is not, as somebody claims, a.
beautiful public tribute Of respect and re-
gard for the minister TO: the knows and
they know and everybody knows that the
sole public impression is that poor blank
must be sore pressed indeed wien he is
eloquently grateful for fifty cents, or
new bat or coat, or whatever it may be-
The whole ceremony is Mrs. Grundy's
attempt to eat her cake and have it at the
same time. F.-- -..i5t -4A1- --


A conscientious clergyman is the hard
est worked man amongst us; and yet
there are very many who look. upon him
as kind Of drone in the great hive, and
who have vague idea that he is pretty
we'll paid for doing very little tits this
half contemptuous feeling which DR.. Way


land, the chief of the Baptist clergy, had


in mind when he said, in his caustic way !;
"Brothren, if one of you have a lazy,


good for nothing son, about whom you are


in despair, you are sure TO make Bap-


"a b;,,, - - TF +ho+ ;o <bo e. ol