She Prayed For Bread, But Not For Butter

1901

Olivia was visiting her grandmother. Olivia's grandmother had money to burn. So have Olivia's father and mother. Although the father and mother had come to the wicked city of New York to burn some of their money, leaving Olivia with grandmamma in the west, they are nevertheless very good people. Olivia is well acquainted with the Lord's Prayer. One morning she climbed into bed with her grandmother and began to make conversation.

"At home," she said, "we often pray God to bring us bread."

"Do you?" said grandmamma. "And butter, too, I suppose?"

"Oh, no!" said Olivia airily. "The butter man brings the butter." — New York Sun.

Manna a Fungus

1900

It seems that in the present day Arabs who are obliged to traverse the sandy wastes of Arabia depend to a large extent upon "angel's food" both for themselves and for their camels. The manna is in reality a fungus which is found in great quantities on the sand after rain. Of a gray color and of the size of a pea, it has a pleasant, sweet taste, and although its analysis shows that it is by no means a perfect food, it is sufficiently rich in nitrogenous matter and carbohydrates to sustain life for a long period. — Chambers' Journal.

Acknowledges Debt to the Bible

1905

Justice David J. Brewer of the United States Supreme Court for over half a century has been connected with Sunday schools as scholar or teacher. Ever since going to Washington twelve years ago he has had a class of adults. The justice says he frequently has been indebted to the Bible for sentences which have given emphasis to the thought and vigor to the argument of his legal opinions.


Besetting Sin of "Gentlemen"

All people above the condition of laborers are ruined by excess of stimulus and nourishment, clergy included. I never yet saw any gentleman who ate and drank as little as was reasonable. Looking back on my past life I find that all my miseries of body and mind have proceeded from indigestion. — Sydney Smith's Confession.


Welsh Tangles Pastor

In one of the southern Kansas towns the preacher at a funeral made a sad mess of it when he attempted to read an obituary of the dead woman. She was born in Ystradgyulas, Glamorganshire. Wales. — Kansas City Journal.

How to Have a Clear Head

1905

The man who desires to have a clear head, a brain keenly alive to the subtle influences of the universe about him, alert to respond to every call made upon it by the bodily organs under its supervision — ready to receive impressions from the infinite Source of universal thought, and capable of thinking the high thoughts of God after Him, must live simply, abstemiously, naturally, and must avoid every harmful and inferior food.

He will select the choicest foodstuffs. These consist of fruits, nuts, dextrinized grains — that is, well toasted grain preparations, toasted bread, toasted wheat flakes, etc. He will eat sparingly, never to repletion. He will exercise out of doors at least two or three hours daily, living as much of the time as possible in the open air. He will sleep eight hours at night. He will take a vigorous cold bath every morning on rising, and will take at least two or three times a week, a warm, cleansing bath, just before going to bed at night.

He will conserve for useful work every energy of mind and body. He will endeavor to live righteously in the largest sense of the word.

Things To Learn in Life

1907

Learn to laugh. A good laugh is better than medicine.

Learn to attend strictly to your own business — a very important point.

Learn how to tell a story. A well-told story is as welcome as a sunbeam in a sick room.

Learn to stop grumbling. If you cannot see any good in this world keep the bad to yourself.

Learn to keep your own troubles to yourself. The world is too busy to care for your ills and sorrows.

Learn to greet your friends with a smile. They carry too many frowns in their own hearts to be bothered with any of yours.

Learn to hide your aches and pains under a pleasant smile. No one wants to know if you have the toothache or headache.


Bread and Lilies

The Chinese have a saying: "If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily. It is not the body alone that needs to be fed. Mind, heart and soul grow hungry, and many a time they are famishing when the larder is full. There are homes where the lilies are entirely crowded out by loaves, where there is no room for beauty or enjoyment, or even for love, to grow, because of the mad scramble after wealth. Fewer loaves and more lilies — less of the rush after material good, and more time for the gracious and beautiful things God has placed within reach of us all — would make happier and nobler lives.

Garden of Gethsemane

1917

The site of the garden of Gethsemane, on the western slope of Olivet has been recently enclosed — there is about a third of an acre — and is maintained by the Franciscans. Eight olive trees of very great age are among the interesting features of the garden, and it is thought, with some probability, that they may have sprung from the roots of those which were there in the time of our Lord.

Three special sites are shown to travelers — the one known as the Chapel of the Agony, in a cave, and revered by the early pilgrims, the place where the three disciples slept and the spot where Judas gave the kiss of betrayal. The last two are not mentioned by the early chroniclers and have possibly been added at a much later date. In an age when few could read and write and when there were no convenient guidebooks sites and objects were pointed out quite innocently as memorials of the details in the story which pilgrims were following. It must be remembered that vast numbers of pilgrims today — especially Russians — cannot read and expect to see marked the exact spots of the gospel incidents. When a simple minded peasant has traveled hundreds of miles to see the holy places and is shown the scene of the denial of St. Peter he will undoubtedly expect to be told where the cock crew.



Old Easter Customs

The English people formerly had two very large cakes divided among the congregation at the church on Easter. In 1645 parliament forbade this by law, providing that the money spent for cakes should in future be used to buy bread for the poor.

"At Easter let your clothes be new
Or else be sure you will it rue."

The boys in the north of England will tell you that if you do not put on something new on Easter day some misfortune will befall you.

Underneath most Easter customs and carols lies the symbol of Christ's resurrection.

This Pudding is Hot-Hot-Hot!

1874

An anecdote is told of Parson Shute, the first minister settled at South Hingham, which for ready wit ought not to pass unrecorded.

It appears that the reverend gentleman was very fond of pudding, so at a ministerial meeting one day the hostess in order to gratify the taste of her guest, had pudding for dinner. Unfortunately it came very near the fire while it was cooking, so that when it was served it was extremely hot. The parson, without allowing it time to cool, placed a piece at once in his mouth, and then followed the usual contortions incident to such an occasion, but all to no purpose.

The pudding would not go, so the parson, who was a polite gentleman, quietly slipped it out of his mouth and into his coat pocket, all of which was observed by his brother ministers, who for the purpose of a joke said, "So you are putting the pudding in your pocket, are you?" "Oh, yes," said the parson, all unmoved; "I put a little piece in there merely to light my pipe with after dinner." The explanation, it is needless to add, was sufficient.

52-Year Pork and Bean Desire to be Satisfied

1921

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17.— With a 52-year-old appetite for pork and beans, the Rev. W. D. Marsh arrived today from Australia, en route to Boston. He has been in Australia as a minister and Y. M. C. A. worker since 1868.

"I'm just going to fill up on Boston baked beans and then go back to Australia," he said. Marsh is aged 80.

—Oakland Tribune, Oakland, California, May 17, 1921, page 32.