The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1850-07-06
From the Republican and Argus.
HENRY B. BASC0M.
D Y II o Il A C E .

young lady friend OF mine in Kentucky
Offered to take me in her carriage to a
camp meeting, few miles from her resi-
dence, to hear the distinguished orator.
1sladly consented, both for the sake of
the company Of my fair companion and
for the pleasure OF hearing Mr.. Bascom.
When lad had heard this gentle
man and the lamented SummerfeId, and
had been struck with tho disSmiIar but
great powers Of both preachers. Sum-
merfeld's sIcquence was the summer
mornings snnshln', with its dew and
flowers; Bascom's the Iurid light and
flashing tempest. One preached the
love and the other the te:rors Of the gos-
gel, Summerfeld's altraotvrness seemed
that Of another world and his exceeding
naturalnrss, and the absence Of all appa-
rent effort, were remarkable. II ascom
was full Of p.h and point and prepara-
tioa; he poured forth sentence after Sch
tenre with intense elaboration.
To borrow, not incorrectly phrase
from the theatre in relation to the stage
eF"rts Of Forrest, he spilled the agony
up iuIly-so fearftIIy as to make the
nearer tear he would never get down, ex-
cep. by tumbl,ng. 1t was whip and
spur from the word 60. His style and
manner reminded one very much Of Ma
ryland's most distinguished orator Pink
ney. The almost beardIe>s chin and pal
ed again with the flashing eye, the ruddy
cheek and the black beard OF Bascom.
NV lady friend, though rigid Eps-
copalIan, was q great admirer Of Mr..
Bascom. She thought he would look so
well in the gown, and that he would read
the service SO eloquenlly. She said she
felt like presenting hun gown anyhow
Mr.. Wesley and Mr.. WHITFIELD always
preached In gown, and she could not
see why he did not.-She was warm in
her eulogics OF his personal independence
and dwell particularly upon the fashion
Of his toilette, and how becomlngly his
apparel fit his manly front. She thought
him the handsomest man she had ever
seen, and wondered why he smoked SO
many segars-and above all how he
could chew SO much tobacco. She said
that unlike every other popular preacher
she had ever known. he seemed to be in
different to the admiration of hel SEX
and that he certainly had no address
whatever in ladies society. This she
liked as she thought it proved his sim
certify She then told the anecdote of
some rich lady, (she was rich herself
and wondered how any woman could SO
unsex herself, who offered him her
purse, heart and hand-and his reply
was, that she had better give her purse
tot the poor, her hear! to God and her
hand 10 him that asked for it. ! told
her that l had heard the same story OF
Summerfeld and others; she replied Sum-
merfield had too little Of this earth about
him TO inspire such an offer, and was too
gentle ('gentlemanly' SON one asked,
she repeated to make such reply, though
she thought it the very one ior the occa
sion-a Christian rebuke
How she delighted to talk of the ora
tor, and she was so proud that he was
Kentuckian She said the conference
Ind kept him for years itlneratng about
IN the "knobs'' OF Kentucky, to take the
pride out ofhim, particularly the pride
OF dress, but that he would make his adj
vent from the wllds into Franklin or
Lexington, with as exquisite toilet as
IT he had just left the shop ola tashiona-
Bile tailor. She said he had been taken
to task for his dress by some quarterly
conference, and thai he had replied TO
them that if they should cut hole
through blanket and put 1t over him
that he should still be- Henry B. Bascom;
that dress was no part OF his religion, aGd
1t it Was Of theirs, it was we'll for them
to look to their habiliments, that he had
no idea what a religious hat or what
religious pair OF boots were. Here, again
he was in contrast with Summerfeld,
who, upon some weak brother finding
fault with seal he wore, abolished Il
and wore nothing but the ribbon.
In this pleasant chat, for the lady talk
ed well, and in fact the Kentucky ladies
generally have more conversational tai
ent than any other ladies in the Union,
we approached the camp.
1t was placed on the gentle slope of
hill, at the foot of which broad branch
rippled, and the white tents and the
crowd OF people presented most pic
turesque appearance. We were late.
for we heard the bold tones OF the orator
ringing through the woods in the highest
note of declamatlon.-We thought we
should have been early, for it vas under
stood that it was at night the orator was
to address the multitude. The sun was
about halt an hour from his setting. and
we hurried from the carriage to the
place Of worship. A dense crowd Occur
pied the who'd space; not only IN front