THE NEEDLE'S EYE.

There is a well-known passage in the New Testament which says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. The meaning is clear enough; it is an impossibility; yet preachers of the Gospel, and many others, have argued over this plain statement and many explanations have been given. That celebrated though fictitious character, Mrs. Gamp, once made the remark- "Rich people may ride on camels, but it ain’t so easy for them to see out of a needle's eye;" which, as an explanation, is perhaps rather beside the mark. But several years ago in a certain place of worship at Feltwell, the preacher, for his text, selected the famous passage about the camel and the needle's eye. And to add force to his words he knelt down on the rostrum, as he was preaching, and put his head through the bars of the rail. It was a most effective illustration of the needle's eye and its impossibilities for he was unable to withdraw his head. It was also a most ludicrous position to be in, for which he had himself to thank, as the camel, about which he was preaching, had made no such attempt. Eventually, two members of the congregation came to the rescue, broke the bars, which fortunately, were of wood, and set him free. Needless to say, this demonstration of attempting the impossible caused a certain amount of amusement.

Some years ago a certain Mrs. X died at Feltwell. The rector of the parish, being indisposed at the time, sent word saying that he would be unable to take the Funeral, for which he was sorry as he much wished to bury Mrs. X. Whether Mrs. X wished to be buried and not disappoint the rector is, of course, another matter. It was not unlike the country doctor (not of Feltwell) who, during his morning round, visited the parson, who was sick, and said that he must hurry on to visit the squire, as he wished to kill two birds with one stone. It is possible that, on second thoughts, both the rector and the doctor might have expressed themselves differently.

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