THE SABBATH EVENING TEA-TABLE.
When this evening comes we do not have any less on our table because it is
a sacred day, but a little more. On other evenings we have in our
dining-hall three of the gas-burners lighted, but on Sabbath evening we
have four. We try to have the conversation cheerfully religious.
After the children are sleepy we do not keep them up to recite the "Larger
Catechism." During summer vacation, when we have no evening service to
attend at church, we sometimes have a few chapters of a Christian book read
or a column of a Christian newspaper, or if any one has an essay on any
religious theme, we hear that.
We tarry long after the tea has got cold. We do not care if the things are
not cleared off till next morning. If any one has a perplexing passage of
Scripture to explain, we gather all the lights possible on that subject. We
send up stairs for concordance and Bible dictionary. It may be ten o'clock
at night before the group is dispersed from the Sabbath evening tea-table.
Some of the chapters following may be considered as conversations condensed
or as paragraphs read. You will sometimes ascribe them to the host, at
other times to the hostess, at other times to the strangers within the
gates.
Old Dominie Scattergood often came in on Sabbath evenings. He was too old
to preach, and so had much leisure. Now, an old minister is a great joy to
us, especially if life has put sugar rather than vinegar in his
disposition. Dominie Scattergood had in his face and temper the smiles of
all the weddings he had ever solemnized, and in his hand-shaking all the
hearty congratulations that had ever been offered him.
His hair was as white as any snow-bank through which he had waded to meet
his appointments. He sympathized with every one, could swing from mood to
mood very easily, and found the bridge between laughter and tears a short
one and soon crossed. He was like an orchard in October after some of the
frosts, the fruit so ripe and mellow that the least breeze would fill the
laps of the children. He ate scarcely anything at the tea-table, for you do
not want to put much fuel in an engine when it has nearly reached the
depot. Old Dominie Scattergood gave his entire time to religious discourse
when he sat with us at the close of the Lord's day.
How calm and bright and restful the light that falls on the Sabbath evening
tea-table! Blessed be its memories for ever and ever! and Jessie, and De
Witt, and May, and Edith, and Frank, and the baby, and all the visitors,
old and young, thick-haired and bald-headed, say Amen!