The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1849-02-24
Random ShotS,-No. q
BY NoNDRsCRIPT.
Hints to Teachers.

The aid of the muses. might, perhaps, with
great proprety be invoked in this article, but |
forbear, and only ask the reader when he finishes
this "Random Shot" to 90 and consult "Cowpers
talk" and he will find in it few "Shos" that
were not made at "Random." It has been my
fortune to have heard some of the best, and also
some of the worst Preachers in this part OF the
country. Ipref.' Of all things, spending an hour
or two under the teaching Of one who breaches
in spirit and in truth; but to he bored to death
by one of those who have been called to preach
by their mothers, and not by God, is excrutiating.
If they fulfil their stated appointments and occu.
py their usual time in the Pulpit, their task is
done.
1t is supposed by many, that the grace' Of ora
tory and the flowers OF rhetoric should neither be
studied nor enlisted, in the cause of Religion and
salvation. This is miStdke shall not enter in.
to an argument to prove my positions, but ask
those to whom write, to consider them we'll
Many have an opinion, Judging from their prac-
tCe, that no sermon is perfect unless il is divided
into exactly three parts, Time, place and occa-
zion are completely lost sight Of for "frsrly sec
ondy and thirdly or finally" The opening chap.
ter is read in an artificial tone, manufactured ey-
presslv for the occasion; and the hymn is drawl.
ed out in half weeping, half sleeping sng.song
manner, which often puts the choir to shame. -
The prayer is five times as long as the moral law
and spritless in proportion; compensatng in
length for its other lamenable deficiencies The
Scriptures have spoken concerning it-,There is
also certain artificial tone of voice, in which
many sermons are delivered and a contemptlbl,
affected pronunciation for giving effect to what
otherwise is of no account. Many people, if they
do not understand a sermon, comment upon it in
this style; "He is deep man, breaches deep
sermonsw Nothing ever will come out of them
because there is nothing in them.
Let nature be followed in all things Do not
cast your eyes up to Heaven like duck in thun-
derstorm, and lay the hand upon the breast in
mock reyerential manner Feyour and feeling
should be manifested in the matter not in the
manner Of discourse; or rather, let it be mott.
ced, that earnestnc's and feeling will always
bring along with them the concomi'ants Of ac.
ton and tone and manner A certain cclebia.
ted preacher in the early part Of hs ministry used
uniformly a loud and violent manner of delivery
but suddenly he left that, and fell into the 9TH
er extreme, adopt 'ng mild and easy style:-Up.
on being nterrogated as 10 the reason Of the
change, he replied "IWhen young, | used to
think the thunder killed people, but found out
subsequently it was the lightning %
While soma pour death and damnation among
their hearers like grape and canister others ''woo
them as gently as a sucking dove !" These things
should be reformed altogether. II our Preachers
would make practice Of hearing each other
preach, they could easily improve many things in
delivery and manner by their own observation
which are disgusting to thsir hearers. TIE ear
and eve must be mi,,f,d, # not pleased, or the
feelings and reason cannot be enlisted by the
Preacher. Another thing which should par'icn
Iarly he attended to in the manufacture of a ser
mon ia brcrity There are fsw men who ran on
,b,rp an audience for an hour a lon5 and sylrt