MODERN SERMONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2288, 6 January 1898, Page 53

MODERN SERMONS.

No. 5. " Pat a cakf, p\t a cake, baker's man, Make me a cake as fast as you can ; Pat it and prick ifc aud mark it with T, Then send it home for Tommy and me."

Our first thoughts on reading the above words are that the young person who gave tha order wished the cake to be treated kindly, for when we administer a pat; it generally signifies affection for the patted. Thus, when a mother is sUrt'.ed by the cry of her infant she often gently pits its little back, and in after years, wheiV that infaut has assumed the proportions of an adult, should it be seized with a fib of coughing, well-disposed people will say pab his or her back.

We cannot mistake the words of this young person. She probibly thought the baker was capable of misunderstandiug her ; therefore she is not satisfied with Bayiag "Put ft cake" once, but repeats tho words, aud sayp, "P^t a cake, pafc a cake/

This was not sufficient for the baker's man ; he wished to know what sort of a cake he was to pat ; s;> he awaits furbher orders. Annoyed at hia delay the girl says : " Pat a cike, pat a cake, baker's man." This time there is no reason to doubb that she is in earnest ; but still the raaa hesitates.

A few moments elapse bafore ho again hears tbe sound of her voica. Then, in impatient tones, she says :

"Make me a cake," and not -only does she express a desire for ?. cake to be made, for when ehe pays

" As fast as you can" we hiay safely c seclude that she wL-lud it to be made as quickly as possible. After having thus not fied her desires she agaki eoraniaiifls him to pat ifc.

Fancy you hoar fcbis irate young damsel saying those two little words "pal it," and at the same time couveyiug by he? gestures that she desired, befort: giving fuibher orders, to see whf-ther the man reaily could pat it to her satisfaction. Ha evidently did, fos shortly after che haci sviri " pat it" sbe adds

" And prick ifc "

Now, bslvreea patting and pricking there ss a wide difference. While the forrrser signifies kiiidneta, the latter signifies cruelty. Thia treacherous young person, after oi-d«rmg the b^kc-f'g man to tres.fc the cake kiadlj 1 by patting if, actually cotumaida him to destroy any good impression which it may hwe previously formed of him by ordering him to piick iv.

We have fll bsen pricked al different periods of our life— forna oi' us by the venomous nett'es, into a bed of which we feli as we involuntarily descended from ahedge, the thorns of which had so pricked us that for soma time after we ventured not to disturb those birds which, according to Dr W^tts, do

" In their little nesis agree," therefore we cm moefc fervently sympathise with this persecuted cake, which had scarcely time to return thanks for being so kindly patted befora it was moat ciuflty pricked. However keenly it may have suffered duriug the barbarous operation ifc was both helpless and domb.

We cry shams as we read the words " and prick ii " ; but our indignation knows no bounds whtn we leatn that it is to be mvrked with T. What Lad this cake doce that it should be thus ignominiously branded ! Surely when ifc had baen patted and then pricked its cup of sorrows was full to the brim ; but altogether unmindful of it« sufferings this girl deliberately says : " And mark it with T." Seare&ly are those word'i out of her moatli before she is ashamed of her brutal conduct, for she saya :

" Then send it home."

Fearing that someone h*d heard her give the treacherous and cruel order, she not only declißes to give tbe number oi tb.e house in which she lives, she carefully conceals the n&me of the street in which ifc 13 situate, so skoply says :

"Send it/fome."

Anxious that no stain should rest upon hor family (which would have been the case had it become kuowa to the world that among its members tlitre was one who was so young bub yet so ciusl) she doss nob givb hei.' name :

" Se jfl it home for Tommy aud me,"

is all that she Bays. Carefully looking into those words : " For Tommy and me," a thought flashes across my Eaind. You will not, j'GU cannon, have forg>tten that this cruelly-treated cake was to be marked with T. Some of you may be awar-3 of the fact that T is the initial letter of Tommy. Baing marked with his monogram, we may reasonably assume that the cake was his property — that he it was who suggested that it should be so treacherously dealt with.

Like anoi-her Macbeth, his courage for evil deeds vanished when the time arrived for those deeds to be committed. Therefore af; the eleventh hour he sought for au ally, and found one ia the vixen who said :

"Send it home for Tommy and rrre."

There is yet another ground for this supposition : not only is T the ioitial letter of Tommy, it is also the initial of tempter. So you see, dear brethren, that it ia not till we arrive afe the worda

"For Tommy and me" that we are able to partially exculpate the young person whose fiendish order has formed the foundation on which I have built this evening's discourse.