| Show PRAYING TO THE POINT at a religious anniversary niver sary in england a few years ago a very eccentric clergyman was called on to close the meeting with prayer and as the exercises had been protracted to an unusually late hour and many of the audience had already left th the house ehouse from excessive fatigue he lie was requested to make a short prayer which he did in the following lawin manner ner I 1 oh lord rd forgive the tha tediousness tedi ausness of the s speaker and the weariness of the hearers amen 2 another anecdote of praying was related to us some years since in portsmouth N II 11 of an old clergyman who mho once resided there he ire was in the habit of making very long prayers in the pulpit so one of his deacons admonished him on the subject I 1 well brother said the minister you must take a seat in the pulpit with me and when you think I 1 have prayed iong long iong long 0 elou enough bh you must pull puli my coat tail accordingly the next sabbath the th e good deacon took his seat beh beb behind ind the minister in the pulpit and when he be thought the prayer iad had lad occupied time enough he pulled the ministers coat tail but the minister still went on S so 0 the deacon pulled dulled again this ibis occurred a number ber of times till at last the clergyman paused a moment and then con continued tinned lord thou that I 1 have still much to asic asid and to offer oner but as deacon godding keeps pulling my coat so I 1 will add no more amen olive branch g it is I 1 s a singular fact that in all heathendom but f few ew can i be found who speak or use the names of their dumb gods irreverently while there is scarcely a christian c community omm unity destitute ot oje blasphemers blaspheme rs and sweaters swear ers |
