Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 February 1891 — The Elder’s Silence. [ARTICLE]

The Elder’s Silence.

A story is told of a Scotch elder which illustrates the fact, already too well known, that ingenuity is much stronger in some m?n than conscience. In Scotland it is the custom to stand in public prayer: One Sunday a worthy elder happened to fall asleep while standing at the head of his seat during prayer, and Unfortunately he made a further slip. by.falling all his length along the passage. Instead, however, of making any fuss about it and exposing himself to the charge of sleeping in church, he lay still as if in a fit and allowed himself to be carried into the vestry, while the doctor felt his pulse and pronounced it a decided case of falling sickness. After the patient had recovered, by the application of cold water to his temples, the doctor sagely advised him to eat' only the most laxative food and drink nothing stronger than table beer by way of preventing a recurrence of the sickness.