Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-08-13

Of Samuel Drew, 4. H., bY his cdea oR.'-Bi-
ographcal sketches of distinguished men almost
always interest the general reader, and WHEN Judi
ciousIy written, therefore, they are calculated 10
do much good Ofthis class is the work, the liz
tic of which stands at the head of this para
graph.
Samuel Drew was born in Cornwall, (England,)
in an obscure district OF country, and his father
of the purcst ofits inhabanis--workine
ndusrionsly and living abstcmiouslv, and vet
scarcely able TO 9 keep the wolf from the door,
1t is not to be supposed, therefore, that his chill
dren were favored with many opportunities of IN
ellectual or moral improvement Tho subject of
this biography, indeed was remarkable for his
dullncs IN comprehcnding even elementary princi-
pies of learning and morality, and was onScqucnt-
ly at an early ace transferred from the patcrna
howell to shoemakcr's bench, being regularly APP
prcnticed to a son of ST. CrSpin. He was almost
as dull, however, with his awl and lapstonc as he
had been with his books and ethics and he seem
ed indeed to be apt in nothing but mischief
for which he always appeared to be ripe and rca-
dy. Thus ignorant and dcpravcd, he was any
until, at about the age Of 10 or 20, under the
preaching of Dr. Adam Clarke, then stripping
itincrant, Just commencing his luminous career Of
usefulness, he was induced to reflect upon his lat
ter end, to make a public profession OF religion,
and to connect himself with the Wesleyan Mctho-
dists, then despised and prosecuted sect. Forth
with a change, as remarkable as il was complete
H. Il. III. ,.
He went steadily to work in 1888, as a ourncyman
shoemaker, devotine every moment which he could
snatch from his labors 10 reading such works as
chance or friendship threw in his way, but delight
ING particularly in abstrusr philosophical spccua-
tons. Friends now 10 his assistance and
by their aid he enabled in l7SS three years at-
forwards, to commence business on his own ac-
count prospecting in which he after IA short period
devoted greater portion of his time to intcllCctu-
pursuits. 1t not long afterwards before he
burst upon the literary world a star of the first
magnitude. His first work, which was published
in 1919, was Reply to Paines Age of Reason
and the mastery style in which he relued the So
pliStry of that apostle of modern nidslitv, immc-
diatcly attracted the attention of ndicious crit
c, to its author; one of whom, particularly Chc
Rev. Mr. Whitaker learned divine OF the Estab-
lshcd Church,) took him by the hand encouraged
him to engage in now literary enterprises and aid
ed him by critical revision of his writings. Then
giving himself up to metaphysical studies, Mr..
Drew, after one or two minor works, presented to
the public, in 1902, an Essay on the lmmacria-
ty and Immortality of the Soul in 1907, Com
vcrSation between Dcist and Christian; in 1900,
an Essay on the Identity and General Rcsurrec-
ton of the Human Body in 1873, Scriptural and
Philosophical Arguments, to prove the Divinity Of
Christ, from the cayils of the Unitarians in 1917,
the Life of the Rev. Thomas Coke, l.. l.. D.; in
1920, an Attempt to demonstrate from Reason and
Revelation, the Necessary Existence, Essential
Projections and Experimenting Providence ofan
Eternal Being, &c. !; besides various other voumi-
nous works subjects requiring vast dcalot stu
DIV and research OF the character of his mctaphy
steal works, some idea may be formed, from the
circumstance that Professor Kidd, of MarcScha
College, Edinburgh who had never seen the au-
thor, but who had only an cpistolary acquaintance
with him. pronounced him 10 be the Locke of the
nineteenth century Mr. Drew closed his career
in 1884, at ulic', time he was the Editor of the
mucriai Waga=jac, a monthly of nooriety in
England, besides experimenting the publication
of various other voluminous and important works.
Mr. Drew was also local preacher in the Mctho
dist Church, and continued ~ exercise tic duties