---

PREFACE.

Again it come to pass, in the fulness of time, that my companion, JosiahAllen, see me walk up and take my ink stand off of the manteltry piece,and carry it with a calm and majestick gait to the corner of the settin'room table devoted by me to literary pursuits. And he sez to me:

"What are you goin' to tackle now, Samantha?"

And sez I, with quite a good deal of dignity, "The Cause of EternalJustice, Josiah Allen."

"Anythin' else?" sez he, lookin' sort o' oneasy at me. (That manrealizes his shortcomin's, I believe, a good deal of the time, he duz.)

"Yes," sez I, "I lay out in petickuler to tackle the Meetin' House. Sheis in the wrong on't, and I want to set her right."

Josiah looked sort o' relieved like, but he sez out, in a kind of a pertway, es he set there a-shellin corn for the hens:

"A Meetin' House hadn't ort to be called she—it is a he."

And sez I, "How do you know?"

And he sez, "Because it stands to reason it is. And I'd like to knowwhat you have got to say about him any way?"

Sez I, "That 'him' don't sound right, Josiah Allen. It sounds more rightand nateral to call it 'she.' Why," sez I, "hain't we always hearn aboutthe Mother Church, and don't the Bible tell about the Church bein'arrayed like a bride for her husband? I never in my life hearn it calleda 'he' before."

"Oh, wall, there has always got to be a first time. And I say it soundsbetter. But what have you got to say about the Meetin' House, anyway?"

"I have got this to say, Josiah Allen. The Meetin' House hain't a-actin'right about wimmen. The Founder of the Church wuz born of woman. It wuzon a woman's heart that His head wuz pillowed first and last. Whileothers slept she watched over His baby slumbers and His last sleep. Awoman wuz His last thought and care. Before dawn she wuz at the door ofthe tomb, lookin' for His comin'. So she has stood ever sense—waitin',watchin', hopin', workin' for the comin' of Christ. Workin', waitin' forHis comin' into the hearts of tempted wimmen and tempted men—fallen menand fallen wimmen—workin', waitin', toilin', nursin' the baby goodin the hearts of a sinful world—weepin' pale-faced over itscrucefixion—lookin' for its reserection. Oh how she has worked allthrough the ages!"

"Oh shaw!" sez Josiah, "some wimmen don't care about anythin' but crazywork and back combs."

I felt took down, for I had been riz up, quite considerble, but I sez,reasonable:

"Yes, there are such wimmen, Josiah, but think of the sweet and saintlysouls that have given all their lives, and hopes, and thoughts to theMeetin' House—think of the throngs to-day that crowd the aisles ofthe Sanctuary—there are five wimmen to one man, I believe, in all themeetin' houses to-day a-workin' in His name. True Daughters of the K

BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!

Sitemize Üyelik ÜCRETSİZDİR!