Year: 1874

Like poor Prudy who chad sneeze
and could MT sneeze it," Ihad a speech
and couldn't speak it, at ourlast Sun
day School concert. The reason why
| could not make my speech was that
no one asked me to say anything.
Had / been invited to give five min-
utes' talk, would have said some
thing like ths:


"Our world is so full Of fiction that
we often cause each other deal Of dis
comfort and pain oy u selfish disregard
of the rights and feelings of those about
us. For


"Evil is wrought by want of thought


AS well as by want Uf heart"


and just now I wish to speak Of some
particular "evils y and annoyances
caused, / am sure, by want Of
thought. ves<... y.e. -.r s-.


This afternoon, my dear boy, you
were Il few minutes late in coming
into Sunday School. The reason was
that you did not begin soon enough to
get ready. When you did come, you
entered the door in u hurry, and before
you had time to see that the Superin
tendent was praying, the door had
slammed noisiiy behind you and your
new boots were tramping up the aisle
to your seat. This disturbed the rest
of us, and for n moment we all stopped
praying in our hearts to wonder who
was coming late. So while the Super
intendent was trying to lead our
thoughts to the Saviour you were lead
ing our thoughts to the door and to
your creaking5 boots. If you had
thought, you would have opened the
4. II, 4 tlxr., flNn.r
stood with bowed head until the prayer
was ended. .4t tr


/ had at first intended to address
myself only to the younger portion Of
my audiences; but some things / have
seen in Sunday School and church, in
various places, have convinced me
7 that it will not be quite fair to lay to
the charge of the children only, what
their elders do as well.


! know young lady who could re-
ceive company at her own house most
gracefully; who could charm with her
musical talents and her beautiful face;
vet from her scat at the side Of the
pulpit she kept up such q rattling fire
of grimaces, whisperings behind her
fan, half-suppressed laughter and un-
suppressed irrevercnce that her minis



on much longer he must publicly re-
buke her, for the sake of himself and
the people.


You will not so much wonder ar the
Young lady, when | tell you that |
have sat beside her mother in the
choir gallery, when, leaning toward
commentary OH the people as they
low Gh nj
caustic wit would seize on some pc
culiarity of character, gait, or dress, in
each one, and unkindly fix it in my
mind forever, while | was trying to
listen to the reading of the hymn.
During the sermon She occupied her
time writing letters, using the singing
book as desk. ~9


Proud as she was of her familiarity
with the usages Of society, she prob
ably did not for one moment think
that she was guilty Of fragrant
breach Of good manners, as we'll as
well as ineXcusable irreverence.


One of the severest tests of good
church breeding is the temptation to
turn ones head to see what is going
on behind him. The most insidious
form OF this besetment is the uncon-
scious desire to look at the genial
faces of Deacon A. and his wife, or
to know whether the bride has made
her appearance, or whether mother
BIS rheumatism has allowed her to
come out. 1t is almost irresistible
when door opens, or some one goes
out during a sermon.


But beg of you, don't do it. For
the sake Of the speaker who is trying
to lead you to logical conclusion,
don't dc it. And for the sake of your
own just impressions of what the
speaker says, don't do it. From the
time you take your seat in n religious
assemblage, observe E. E. Hale's rule:
"Look forward, not backward"
remember when child hearing
an eccentric old preacher, who used,
iust before finishing his prayer, to feel
round on the desk for his glasses, so
as to have them ready to begin read
ing the hymn as soon as he opened
his eyes. Chile as was, felt such
saving of time to be improper.


1t is no less improper, it seems to
me, to gather up ones belongings, to
put on rubbers, pull on coat, adjust
a shawl, or get hat and cane in readi-
ness during the doXology; and worst
of all to continue this rustic of prepar-
alton during the solemn henediction.


Think Of these things. SIS. s. Times.
A ,DIao for urit, for uca ora OlantV in