He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much.— Luke 16:10. 



MYSELF AND MY NEIGHBORS. 



Whosoever shall confess me before men, liiin will 

 T confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 

 —Matt. 10:32. 



N coming home from the Michigan State 

 I Convention, on account of the extreme 

 cold weather tlie trains got behind ; and 

 on strilcing our own Medina road, I 

 found that our train had been gone 

 about twenty minutes. I'nder such circum- 

 stances, people usually decide to wait all 

 dav at Elyria, for the evening train. I made 

 up" my mind, however, that 1 was going to 

 get home before niglit, by hook or by crook. 

 The station agent' said 'there was ho coal- 

 train nor freight that I could go (m. Now, 

 one wlio gives up easily might have thought 

 tliat that settled the question ; but I replied 

 that [ knew there was a coal-train some 

 time during the afternoon. lie admitted it, 

 but replied they did not stop at Medina. 



" But, my friend, they can surely be pre- 

 vailed upon to slack up so 1 can jump off 

 .somewhere in the vicinity of Medina." 



He replied, that they were often desired 

 to do that verv thing, Ijut had strict orders 

 not to do it. Now. a good many would have 

 said that I was shut up on that score. Xot 

 so, however. I had begun to get a little 

 acquainted by this time. You remember 

 Avhat 1 have been saying to you about get- 

 ting ac(iuainted with people, and the ad- 

 vantages it gives. When we had got into 

 conversati«jn so he did not regard me as one 

 of that class of people who keep continually 

 bothering station agents witli useless ques- 

 tions, he suggested tli^J- I might see the su- 



perintendent of the local freight, and that 

 he could, if he chose, give me a line to the 

 conductor to slack up, as requested. He 

 further remarked, that the superintendent 

 would be at the depot in a short time. I 

 told the superintendent who I was, and how 

 important it was that I should be at my 

 place of business, and he quite good natur- 

 edly gave me the written order I so much 

 wished. 



Now, friends, when we succeed in getting 

 something we want from a neighbor, are we 

 always careful to express our gratitude? I 

 thanked the superintenden-t, and told him 

 that, when it should be in my power to do 

 him or liis road a favor, to bear in mind that 

 it would afford me pleasure to return the 

 favor just granted. Then I went to the 

 voung man who is agent, and thanked him 

 for so very kindlv taking the trouble to help 

 me get liome. l>y this time I felt pleasant 

 toward almost everybody. While waiting 

 for the train, a couple of hack-drivers came 

 in and sat down l)y the stove. A couple of 

 loungers made the company large enough so 

 they could tell stories. The stories were 

 principallv in regard to the ability with 

 which different persomiges in Elyria could 

 drink beer and whiskv, and still stand up 

 and walk around. A voung lady came in to 

 wait for a train. The station is a very small 

 one, at the crossing of the two roads. There 

 was only one waiting-room for both ladies 

 and geiitlemen. Now, these boys did not 

 smoke in the lady's presence, but they told 

 stories that were pretty nearly as offensive 

 to good taste as tobacco smoke: and they 



