The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1881, Page 19

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

19

foot on that—but into the last house in the vil-
lage street, which was to be had at a low rent,
I. partly because it was in a dreary and unhealthy
Squire Jack read his Bible; and there were locality, and partly because it was commonly
one or two chapters which had a peculiar fas- reported to be a favorite resort of ‘‘spooks.””
cination for him. These were the tenth of St.| Here the Rev. Solomon and family lived, or
Matthew and the tenth of St. Luke. Of read-| tried to live. They all came very near dying
ing and expounding these, especially in the) of fevers before all was over: and though they
presence of # new parson, he never wearied.|saw no ghosts, they got much ghostly advice
A self-made theologian was Squire Jack, and] and counsel during their afflictions, and from
great indeed was he in the department of Ex-| no one more than from Squire Jack himself.
So especially in so far as it concerned our! Jt was in the village store that the Rev. So-
ord’s instructions to the apostles as to the vas again assai , al be
manner in which they should go forth into the ee pe eererritee Ua saat
world, and the means by which they should be| pq Jike to — is, is preachers now-a-days
supported. He was ‘‘dead sot agin preachers] petter’n the apostles was?”

hevin a Selery. Let fom work like Paul did,} ‘The Rev. Solomon said he did not think they
; were: acknowledged there was great force and

an’ earn their own livin’.
Some ten years back the Hickorytown Church | much truth in what the Squire had said. It
was a subject which he had never thought

had been about to take steps to buy a parson-

age, but Squire Jack threw the whole meeting} much about before coming to Hickorytown,
into helpless confusion by a powerful speech, in| nnd which he had never seen in this strong
which he challenged any man in Hickorytown | jight before meeting with his good friend Squire
to give the Scriptural authority, chapter and| Jack, He promised the good company to ex
verse, ‘‘fer preachers hevin’ personages. He'd | amine the subject carefully, and let them know
like to know whether Peter ever hed a person-} the result.
age?” The ‘“‘personage’’ was never got. A few days thereafter, all early in the morn-
“No, my friends’’—thus would he, time and ing while Squire Jack was yet lingering over
again, begin his harangue in the village store} pis pipe in the kitchen, there was a loud, sharp
of winter nights, and in none the lower tone} rap at the front door; on opening which the
because the Parson was by—“‘No, my friends, | Squire beheld standing on the porch the Rev.
I ain’t agin the preachers. Preachers is all) SoJomon Sly with his wife and three children.
good enough in their place. What I am agin, | Before the Squire could say ‘good morning,’ the
is this thing of preachers gettin’ personages, an’| Rey. Solomon said, in a grave and impressive
wearin’ shiny black coats, an’ hevin’ white} yoiee—‘* Peace be unto this house!’’—and
hands like a woman, an’ gettin’ from four to six} walked in, followed by wife and children. Now,
hundred dollars a year. I'd like jest once in although the Squire could not help but notice
my life to see the Scripter authority fer that. | something unusual in the manner of his reverend
Did Paul hev a personage? Did Peter have a guest, still he regarded this visit of the reverend
shiny black coat? Did Thomas or Philip or| family as only a pastoral visit, as it were, on a
any of the rest of ’em ever hev any selery? No, | jarge scale. And such, indeed, it turned out
sir! they hed nothin’, an’ the Lord told ’em/to be, Only, before all was over, the whole
they shouldn’t take nothin’; not two coats, nor} occurrence presented itself to the mind of the
a purse, nor money, nothin’ at all, but maybe Squire rather in the light ofa pastoral visitation
astaff. That’s the way they was to go out,| than of a pastoral visit.
’ with their lives in their hands, an’ trust in the} oy the Rev. Solomon and family had evi-

Lord to keep ’em, An’ now, what I want to dently come to spend the day. The morning
know, an’ what I’ve been askin’ every preacher] \o, spent in pleasant conversation by the old
we've hed here in Hickorytown fer the last} ¢9),5, while the children played and romped on
twenty year—an’ we've hed right smart of ’em| 4, Jawn. Dinner came, and a right royal
in that time—is this: is preachers now-a-days dinner it was, to be sure; for the good Squire,
better’n the apostles was?” however he might praise fasting as a pious
It was a telling speech. It was a knockdown practice befitting the successors of the apostles,
argument. In vain did the preachers argue] helieved in good beef as profoundly as the best
with Squire Jack. He was a plain man, and Englishman that ever carved a roast. After
could understand plain words, and there it was] ginner, the Rev. Solomon, excusing himself on
in the Bible, in black and white, and as plain| jn, plea of pastoral work to be done in the
4s the nose on your face, and you couldn’t and parish, left wife and children to the care of
shouldn't get out of it, twist how you might. Squire Jack and family, remarking as he put
tl 48 preachers now-a-days better’n the apos-| oy his hat in the hall, that he would be back
€8 was??’that’s what he'd like to know! to tea at five o'clock. After tea, they stayed
I. and stayed, and stayed, ae ae Es

moves “PPened about this time, that there|that the wit S oebse bet also the night!

into Hickorytown a new pastor of spend not only .

Wekytown Church—the Rev. Solomon Sly. | _ Prayers Ca sige cn
Not ie and three children he moved into—| Ing; Rev. ang ‘prophetic UDpET ehambend

Parsonage, for Squire Jack had set his quiet room,

Squire Jack and the Parson.

Tt }

where he might devote the morning hours to
meditation and study. ‘To be sure,’’ said he,
“T have no books or library with me. I have
arrived at your conclusion, Squire Jack, that
preachers now-a-days are not a whit better than
the apostles were: and it is now my fixed and
settled purpose to follow their example to the
very last letter.”’ With which words the Rev.
Solomon ascended, with slow and solemn tread,
to the upper chamber of the prophet.

Squire Jack began to suspect, as he remarked
to Mrs. Jack, “that this here pastor of ourn
ain’t got his name of Sly fer nothin’!’’ and so,
wondering what all this might mean, and when
and where it was all going to end, he deter-

mined at last to ask an explanation from the
Rey. Solomon himself.

Which, accordingly, came off on the front
porch, on the morning of the sixth day; when
and where the worthy Squire managed after
much clearing of the throat, to ask in plain
English how long the Rev. Solomon and famil
were going to tarry at this house? To whic
honest inquiry the Rev. Solomon replied with
a merry twinkle of the eye, that he purposed
to abide under the shelter of good Squire Jack’s
mansion until he took his journey hence—in
short, so long as he remained pastor of the
Hickorytown Church. ‘‘What! ‘hev ye giv up
livin’ in the parsonage?’’ said Squire Jack,
Yes: the Rev. Solomon had given up the par-
sonage, and would never occupy it again, for
he intended to adhere rigidly to the practice of
the apostles, ‘“‘none of whom, you know,’’ said
he, ‘‘ever had any parsonage.’ At which,
when Squire Jack expressed his wonder, and
asked whether his salary was not sufficient to
enable him to live without going around in this
way, the parson interrupted him, with “Salary,
Sir! I have given up my salary. For none of
the apostles ever had any salary, and ministers
now-a-days are not one whit better than the
apostles were. I am about to sell off all my
little household furniture, and mean, so long as
I remain here in Hickorytown, to do precisely
as the apostles did.’’

“Well,” said the Squire, ‘‘to be sure, that
was all right. But ef he was goin’ to take to
boardin’ round, he would see Deacon Smith
and neighbor Boggs whether they wouldn't
keep ’em a week or so.’’ ‘‘Alas! good Squire,”
said Parson Sly, ‘‘on this point my instructions
are very positive and plain. I am not to go
from house to house. ,Jnto whatsoever city or
town ye enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and
there abide till ye go hence.’ That is Matthew.
And Luke says: ‘and in the same house remain,
eating and drinking such things as they give * * *
go not from house to house.’ My instructions on
this point are clear; their sense is plain; board
around I cannot; here, under your ample and
hospitable roof I must remain till I go hence!’”?

What was to be said or done? Turn the
parson out of doors he could not and dare not.
He was caught in his trap, and twist how he
might, and grit his teeth as he would, he could
not escape. He had found a practical, and
quite uncomfortable application of his own doc-
trine which he had preached for twenty years
past, that ‘‘Preachers now-a-days wasn’t a bit
better’n the apostles was.’’

The Rev. Solomon shortly left Hickorytown
for good and all. People often wondered, but
never quite discovered why Squire Jack never
again preached in the village store from his
favorite text that “the’d like to know whether
preachers now-a-days was better’n the apostles
was?”’—Selected.