The Spirit Of Democracy

PARSON SURELY'S EXPERIMENT.

BY AUSTIN C. BURDICK.

The small parish at Fallowdale had been for some time without a pastor. The members were nearly all farmers, and they had not much money to bestow upon a clergyman, yet they were willing to pay for anything that could promise them any due return of good. In course of time, it happened that the Rev. Abraham Surely visited Fallowdale, and as a Sabbath passed during his sojourn, he held a meeting in the small church. The people were pleased, and some of them proposed inviting him to remain with them, and take charge of their spiritual welfare

Upon the merits of this proposition there was a long discussion, Parson Surely had signified his willingness to take a permanent residence at Fallowdale, but the members of the parish could not so readily agree, to hire him. "I don't see the use of hiring a parson," said Mr. Sharp, an old farmer of the place. "He can do us no good. If we've any money to spare, we'd better lay it up for something else. A parson can't learn us anything"

To this it was answered, that stated religious meetings would be of great benefit to the younger people, and also, a source of real social good to all. "I don't know 'bout that," said Sharp after he had heard the arguments against him. Sharp was one of the wealthiest men in the parish, and consequently one of the most influential. "I have heard tell," he continued, "of a person that would pray for rain, and have it come at any time. Now, if we could hit upon such a person as that, I would go in for hiring him."

This opened a new idea to the unsophisticated minds of Fallowdale: The farmers often suffered from long droughts, and after arguing awhile longer they agreed to hire Parson Surely upon the condition that he would give them rain whenever they wished for it, and that on the other hand that he would give them fair weather when required. Deacons Smith and Townsend were deputised to make this arrangement known to the parson, and the people remained in the church while their messenger went upon their errand.

When the deacons returned, Mr. Surely accompanied them. He smiled as he entered the church, and with a graceful saluted the people there assembled.

"Well, my friends," said he, as he ascended the platform in front of the desk "I have here your request to me, and strange as it may appear, I have come to accept your proposal; but can do it only on one condition; and it is that your request for a change of weather must be unanimous."

This appeared very reasonable, since every member of the parish had been interested in the farming business, and ere long it was arranged that Mr. Surely should become the pastor of Fallowdale, and that he should give the people rain whenever they asked for it.

When Mr. Surely returned to his lodgings, his wife was utterly astounded upon learning the nature of the contract her husband had entered into, but the pastor only smiled, and bade her wait for the result.

"But you know you cannot make rain," persisted Mrs. Surely; "and you know, too, that the farmers here will be wanting rain very often when there is none for them. You will be disgraced."

"I will teach them a lesson," quietly returned the pastor.

"Ay, that you cannot be as good as your word; and when you have taught it to them, they will turn you off."

"We shall see," was Mr. Surely's reply, as he took up a book and commenced reading

This was a signal for his wife to desist from further conversation on the subject, and she at once obeyed.

Time flew on, and at length the hot days of midsummer were at hand. For three weeks it had not rained, and the young corn was beginning to curl up beneath the effects of the drought. In this extremity, the people bethought themselves of the promise, and some of them hastened to his dwelling.

"Come," said Sharp, whose hilly farm was suffering severely, "we want some rain. You remember your promise."

"Certainly," returned Mr. Surely. "If you call for a meeting of the members of the parish, I will be with you this evening."

With this the applicants were perfectly satisfied, and forthwith they hastened to call the flock together.

"Now, you'll see the hour of your disgrace," said Mrs. Surely, after the visitors had gone. "Oh, I am sorry you undertook to deceive them so."

"I did not deceive them."

"Yes, you surely did."

"We shall see," responded the pastor.

"So we shall see," added the lady.

The hour for the meeting came around, and Parson Surely met his people at the church. They were all there; most of them anxious and the remainder curious.

"Now, my friends," said the pastor, arising upon the platform, "I have come to hear your request. What is it?"

"We want rain," bluntly spoke Farmer Sharp; "and you know you promised to give it to us."

"Ay, rain! rain!" repeated half a dozen voices.

"Very well. Now, when will you have it?"

"This very night long," said Sharp, to which several others immediately assented.

"No, no; not to-night!" cried Deacon Smith; "I have six or seven ton of well made hay in the field, and I would not have it wet for anything."

"So I have hay out," added Mr. Peck. "We won't have it to rain to-night."

Then let it be to-morrow," said another.

"It will take me all day to-morrow to get my hay in," said Smith.

Thus the objections came up for the two succeeding days, and at length, by way of compromise, Mr. Sharp proposed that they should have rain in just four days. "For," said he, "by that time, all the hay which is now out can be got in, and we need not"

"Stop, stop!" uttered Mrs. Sharp, pulling her worthy husband smartly by the sleeve. "That is the day we have set to go to Snow hill. It musn't rain then!"

This was the law for Mr. Sharp, so he proposed the rain should come in one week, and then resumed his seat. But this would not do; many of the people would not have it put off so long. "If we can't have it rain before then, we'd better not have it at all," said they.

In short the meeting resulted in just no conclusion, at all, for the good people found it utterly impossible to agree upon a time when it should rain.

"Until you can make up your minds upon this point," said the pastor, as he was about leaving the church, "we must all trust in the Lord." And after this the people followed him from the place.

Both Deacon Smith and Mr. Peck got their hay safely in, but on the very day that Mr. Sharp and his wife were to have started for Snow hill, it began to rain in right good earnest. Sharp lost his visit, but he met the disappointment with good grace, or his crops smiled at the rain.

Ere another month had rolled by another meeting was called for a petition for rain, but this time the result was the same as before. Many of the people had their muck to dig, and rain would prevent them; some in one, some in two, and some in three days, while others wanted it to be put off longer. So Mr. Surely had not yet occasion to call for rain.

One year rolled by, and up to that time the people of Fallowdale had never been able to agree upon what kind of weather they would have, and the result was that they were beginning to open their eyes to the fact that the world would be a strange place if its inhabitants could govern it. While they had been longing for a power they did not possess, they had not seen its absurdity, but now they had, in good faith, tried to apply that power under the belief that it was theirs, they saw clearly that they were getting beyond their sphere. They saw that Nature's laws were safer in the hands of Nature's God than in the hands of Nature's children.

On the last Sabbath in the first year of Mr. Surely's settlement at Fallowdale, he offered to break up his connection with the parish—but the people would not listen to it. They had become attached to him, and to the meetings, and they wished him to stay.

"But I can no longer rest under our former contract with regard to the weather," said the pastor.

"Nor do we wish you to," returned Sharp. "Only preach to us, and teach us and our children how to live, and help us to be social and happy"

"And," added the pastor, while a tear of pride stood in his eyes, as he looked for an instant into the face of his now happy wife, "all things above our proper sphere we will leave with God, for 'He doeth all things well.'" -Gleason's Pictorial.