Scotland/Scots > Licht frae the smiddy o' Saunders Dinwuddie

60 CHRISTIAN KINDNESS TO MINISTERS.
can, to uphaud divine ordinances, and keep the
minister aboon the fear o’ want and poverty.
There’s a married couple—the husband tak’s and
pays for aye sittin’ in the kirk, that’s a’. He
seems to think that his wife and himseF are nae
longer twa, but ane, sae ae sittin’ may serve them
baith. Wad he be allowed to do the like on ony
ither gait ? No likely. Sic a way o’ doin’ is
mean and shabby. It’s just cheatin’ the congre¬
gation ; that’s what it is. Ye pay for ae sittin’ to
baud twa folk. Weel, the breadth o’ ae sit¬
tin’ is auchteen inches, therefore each o’ ye maun
sit on nine inches ! If ye sit on nae mair than
what ye pay for, ye’ll be gay sair chirted and
birsed for room, a body would think. If ye tak’
up mair room than ye pay for, ye sit on ither
folk’s coat tails. To do that is no very discreet
in ony place, far less in the house of God. Ay,
ye may find half a dozen wi’ only twa seats to
hand them a’. That is, they sit ilka ane on six
inches, if they mean to be honest, and no tak’ up
mair room than belangs to them. Waur than a’
—some, no the poor, but folk weel able to pay,
sit a’ the year round, and pay naething. Though
every member o’ the kirk pays for his seat therein,
he does nae mair, after a’, for religion, than when
he pays for his ain house rent.”
“ But you have the collection box, or plate at the
church door, Saunders. The freewill offerings of
the congregation are poured into that, and these
are the expression of Christian liberality.”
“ Poured into that!’’ Sir. You should say
dreepit, or dribblet, rather; for what’s a’ that’s
gi’en but a dreepin’ or a dribble ? Mony flee by