After a dinner in one of the most hospitable residences in Washington, a
party of very distinguished men--Cabinet ministers, senators, diplomats,
scientists and soldiers--sat in the smoking-room, and the conversation
drifted from politics to religious questions. Somebody remarked that he
once sat in the Union League Club in New York, with Roscoe Conkling,
Chester A. Arthur and several other distinguished gentlemen who had been
carefully educated in religious families, and that none of them was able
to name the Twelve Apostles.
"That's easy," said a senator brashly, beginning: "Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John, bless the bed that I lie on, Paul, the two Jameses, Jude,
Barnabas--" and there he stopped with some embarrassment.
"Timothy," suggested a major-general, who was a vestryman in an
Episcopal Church.
"Nonsense," answered a senator. "Timothy was a disciple of Paul's. He
wasn't one of the Twelve Apostles."
"Nicodemus," added one of the company.
"Jeremiah," suggested another.
"Judas was one of the apostles," meekly came from a voice in a corner.
"I'll be blamed if he was. He was a disciple, so far I'll go, but no
farther," was the curt reply.
"Weren't the disciples and the apostles the same thing?" inquired the
meek voice, getting a little bolder.
Bartholomew was next suggested, and accepted by several.
"What's the matter with Peter?" exclaimed a modest young member of the
Diplomatic Corps who had hitherto been silent.
"How many does that make?" somebody asked, and they counted up eleven
for sure, with as many more doubtful.
"Lets look in the Bible," some one suggested, and the Good Book was
overhauled in vain. Nobody could find the place, some insisting it was
in Chronicles somewhere, while other authorities were equally certain of
Corinthians. Then an encyclopedia was appealed to, but it was not
entirely satisfactory, for it included Thomas and Andrew in the list,
and that would make one too many--thirteen, an unlucky number. Besides,
the justice of the Supreme Court and two senators were positive that
Andrew was not an apostle--all of which teaches the great usefulness and
the pressing need of Sunday-schools.