The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-11-26
Written forthe N Y. Sunday Times.l
PETE n CAR TW RIGHT,
The JocOse Preacher.
A Genuine Portrait, from Life in Illinois.

The JoeOse Preacher.
"A Genuine Portrait, from Life in Illinois.
Immense was the gathering at the Methodist
camp-grouHd near Springfield, on the second Sun
| day in September, 1892. A powerful magnet had
attracted thus great mass OF people from their homes
/ in many counties for a hundred miles around The
new presiding elder, late,arrvaI from Kentucky
an orator Of widespread and wonderful -rehown it
was known would thunder on that DAYS The glit-
terlng prestige his fame had lightened far before
him, and hence tho universal eagerness to see and
hear one concerning whom rumor' 5 trumpet-tongue
/ discoutsed so loudly.
! Morning broke in the azure east bright and beau
/ tftl as dream Of heaven but the expected pro-
/ Dizzy had not made his advent. Eleven O'Clock
| cafne--the usual honr Tor the, defamation Of the
| heavy guns Of orthodoxy--and still there was no
news Of the clerical lion. A common ciFcuit-rider
| took his place. and sensible Of the popular disap-
| pointmeRt, increased it by meuthing a miserable
/ failure The vexed and restless crowd began TO
| dlsperse, when event happened to excite afresh
their curiosity, and concentrate them again denser
than ever. messenger rushed to the pulpit in hot
| haste, and presented a note, which was ImmedI-.
afey read out TO prevent the people from scatter
ing. The following is literal copy of that singu-
lafepistle SAL
Dear Bre,Ersa-I6e devil has fouudeted my horse.
ming; might have performed the journey foot bot
eoad 9ol eage poor Pagl sgeeay Is be has never e e
more duty Of Christians take care Of their bodies
be I before candeEbt ,yhea sSs BE- At my pos you 0
Your brolh=r, PEFER CARFwRieHF."
In fashionable phrase the reading of this strange
| etfuson produced quite a sensation Some
/ thought the man mad others deemed the letter
hoax But still the effect as to one particular was
unquestionable it heightened and intensified the
public curiosity and SUCH very likely, was the
precise result intended by the writer.
| At length the day closed. The purple curtain
Of twilight fell over the earth from the darkening
sky Gods golden fires flashed out in heaven. and
| men below klndled their pale candies. The en-
e equipment, village Of snowy tents. was aluriin
ated with oFIllianey that caused every leaf in TIN
grove to shine and sparkle as if all The trees wer
a FURNISHED with phosphoTeseeut flame Il was ike
) theatre. 1t a theatre in the open air, on tn
T. green sward, beneath the starry blue, incompatible
= | more picturesque and gorgeous. than any stag
scenery ever prepared within walls of brick or maj
i ble where the eiite of imperial cities throne
feast their eyes on beauty and their ears on Ia
music of silver sounds
Not only the altar and theFows Of benches undo
the, broad she'd but the entire dimensions of In
grove also, werr crowded to the verge of suffoca
ton. The word had been circulated that IN
mighty orator had come at last, and the teverisl
anxiety to behold him0ugmented more and more
Presenty-a form arose IN the pulpit and com
menced giving out hymn preliminary to the mali
exercises and every eye became instantly riveteC
on the person ofthe stranger. Indeed, as some one
said Of Burke, single flash Of the uazers vision
was enough to reveal tle extraordinary man .
although m the present case 1t must for the sake
rnth be Acknowledged that the iirstimpres ion was
ambiguous, If not cngmatical and disapreeable,
| His figure was tall, bufly, massive and seemed
even more gigantic than the reality from its crown
ing foliage of luxuriant coal black hair wreathed
into long, curling ringlets. Add head that looked
large as hall-busheli beetling bgows, rough and
| Craggy as hagmentaFy granite, irradated at the
base by eyes of dark FIRE, small and twinBling like
diamonds IN 4 sea they were diamonds Of the
| soul, shining in neasureless sea of humor:) a
swarthy complexion, as il embrovRed by the kisses
OF sunbeams rich, rosy lips, always slghttyparted
as il wearing a perpetual merry smile and YOU
have hfe-Ike portrait of Peter Cartwright the fan
, famed jocose preacher.
Though heard it all, from the text to the amen.
am forced to despair Of any attempt convey an
accurate idea of either the substance or manner Of
the sermon which followed. There are different
sorts Of sermons-the argumentutive the dogmatc.
the postuatory, the persuasive, the punitive, the
Ioombatiye, " in orthodox blows and knocks the
logical, and the poetic but this specimen belonged
to none Of these eategories. 1t was sWi go5tcris
Z and Of a new species. 1t might be termed prep
erly the 7raggiai.
| He began with loud, beautifully ,niodulated
tone, in voice that rolled the serene night air
like successive Peals Of grand thunder Methodist
ministers celebrated for sonorous voices but his
was matehless in sweetness as well as mower
For the first ten minutes his remarks being prefa-
tory, were commonplace and undressing but
then all OF sudden his face Redeemed his eve light
ened' his gestures grew animated as the wafturcs
OF iieFy torch, and his whole countenance changed
10 an expression Of ininitable humor: and now
his wild wagglsh, peculiar eloquencd poured lilp
mountain torrent CHANGING arrows Of wit, shafts
OF rdcule, ban B20tS plms and side-splttna anec.
dotes, sparkled flashed and flew like hail iii the
vast auditory was cOnvulsed with laughter. For J
while the ascete strove to resist the strong
current of their own spontaneous emotions; the
sour-laced clergy trowned and hung their heads
and all the old maideny saints groaned asvth I'M.
speakabe anguish at such dissertation of the cyan
gelica desk. These, however, soon discovered
e that they had undertaken an impossible achieve.
ment la thinking TO withstand the facetilg OF Cart
e wright Hisevery sentence was like a warm finger
tickling the ribs OF the hearer His very looks in.
cited 10 mlrth far more than other mems Jokes, 50
that the effort to maintain ones equilibrium only
increased the dlspOsition.tO burst in louder expo-
Slons, as every schooboy has verified in similar
A cases, AT length the encampment was in roar
the sternes features relaxed into smiles the cold
est eyes melted'te tears Of rrepressble nerriment
Moheres best comedy Sheridan funniest farce
was never half so successful This continued foI
thirty minutes while the orator painted the oliv ii
the sinner, which was his theme. looked on ant
laughed with the rest but finally beganto fear III,
result as to the speaker. How | exclaimed men
tally, viii he ever be able 10 extrcate his audience
from that deep whirlpool Of hmnof2 If he end
: thus, when the merry mood subsidies and calm re
Election supeTvenes, will not the revusion of feen,
, be deadly to his lane2 Will not every nearer re-
aize that he has been rihed with in matters of "a
eredaad eternal interest? Al an events, there
no prospect Of revival tonight for were the ora
b tor magician, he could NOT change his sdbiee
g now and steIA this torrent Of headlong laughter!
e But the shaft Of my inference fell wide Of ih
mark; for eyen-then he commenced to change-no
all at once but gradually as the wind OF thunder
cloud. His features lost their comioal tnge o
pleasantly has voice grew first earnest, and then
+ solemn, and soon walled out in tones Of the deepes
pathos; his eye was shorn OF It's mild light, an,
yielded streams Of tears the fountain Of the hill
l. yields water. The effect was indescribable; tn
81 rebound Of feeling beyond al revelation in word
or porIaitre BY Imagination, He desCantad o.