Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1854-05-07
Hhuarp.
Old Father Morris.
A SKETCH FROM NArr-Rr

there IS none remember 10 tins day with so muc
interest as the old man whose name forms my can
b, tion. When knew him he was an aged clergy
man, settled over obscure village in New Eng
land. He had enjoyed the privileges of liberia
education, had strong original power of thought
an omnipotent Imagination, and much general in
formation But SO early and SO deep had the as
} sociations OF the plough, the farm and the coun
try life wrought themselves into his mind that hi
after requirements could only mingle with them
forming an unexampled amalgam, like unto moth
ing but itself
He was an ingram New EngIander and what
ever might have been the source of his informa
tion, it came ont in Yankee form, with a strong
provinciality Of Yankee dialect
1t is vain to attempt to give a full picture oi
such genuine unique, but some Slight and i'm
perfect dashes may help the imagination to faint
idea of what none can fully conceive, but those
who have seen and heard old father Morris
Suppose yourself one of half dozen children.
and you h.ar the cry, Father Morris is coming -
You run to the window or door, and you see tall
bulky old man, with pair Of saddle bags on one
arm, hltching an old horse with fumbling careful
ness, and then deliberately stumbling towards the
house You notice his tranquil, forid, fu-moon
face, enlightened by pair of great round blue
| eyes, that roll with dreamy inatentyeness on all
objects around, and, as he takes off his hat, you
see the white curling wig that sets off his round
head. He comes towards you-and as you stand
staring with all the children around he deliberate
| ly puts his great hand on your head and with
deep rumbling voice, inquiries,
: How dye do my darter ?--Is your daddy at
homer My darter usually makes off fast as
possible in an unconquersble giggle Father
Morris goes into the house, and we watch him in
every turn, as with the most literal simplicity he
makes himself at home-takes OFF his wig-wipes
down his great face with checkered pocket hand
kerchief-helps himself hithcr and thither to what
ever he wants, and asks for such things as he can
not lay bis hands on, with all the comfortable eas-
ness of childhood
remember to this day. how we used TO peep
through the crack of the door, or hold it half aar
and peep in, and watch his motions-and how
nightly diverted We were with his Deep slow man
ner OF speaking his heavy cumbrous walk, bat
above all, with the wonderful faculty of Aemming
which he possessed. M .a. -. ...
dis deep, laundering, protracted ahem-em was
like nothing else that ever heard !: and when once
as he was in the midst Of one of these performan-
ces, the parlor door happened to swing open. |
heard one of my roguish brothers calling in sur
pressed tone Charles, Charles Father Morris
has hsmned the door open and then followed the
signs of long and desperate litter, in which I
sincerely sympathised
But the morrow is Sunday. The old man rises
in the pulpit. lie is not now in his own humble
little parish preaching simply to the hoers of corn
and planters of potatoes-but there sits Gov. d..
and there is Judge r., and Counsellor P and
Judge G. In short, he is before refined and lit
erary audience. But Father Morris rises-he
thinks nothing of this--he cares nothing--he
knows nothing as he himself would say but 4Jesus
Christ and him crucifed" He takes passage Of
Scripture to explain; perhaps it is the walk TO
Emmaus. and the conversation of Jesus with his
disciples. Immediately the whole start out before
you. living and picturesque-the road to Emmaus
is q New England turnpike-you can see its mile
stones its mallen stalks, its tollgates. Next the
disciples rise. and you have before you all their an
guish and hesitation, and diSnay, talked out to
you in the language Of your own freside You
smile; You are amused, yet you are touched, and
the illusion grows every moment. You see the
approaching stranger and the mysterious CONVEX
sation grows more and more Interesting. Emmaus
rises in the distance in the likeness of New Eng
land village, with white meeting house and spire
You follow the travelers-you enter the house
with them do you wake from your trance
until with streaming eyes the preacher tells you
that =" they saw it was the Lord Jesus and uhaf
pity it was they could not have known it before ~
1t was after sermon this very chapter of
Scripture history, that Gov. Griswod, in passing
out of the house laid hold the sleeve of his first
acquaintance, :" Pray tell me-" said he, who is
this minister"
"Why, it is old father Morris"
Well, he is an odity, and genius too | de- |
clare" he continued, have been wondering all |
the morning, how could have read the bible to 80 |
Iittls purpose as not TO all these particulars he
hps presented"
| once heard him narrate in his picturesque way |
the story of Lazarus The great bustling city of I
Jerusalem first rises to view and you are told with
great simplicity, how the Lord Jesus used to get
tired Of the noise and how he was tired preach
ing again and again to the people, who would not
mind word he said; and how, when it came
evening, he used to go out and see his friends in
Bethany Then he told about the house of Mar
tina and Mary; "a little white house anon. the
trees he said you could just see it from Jerusalem
And there the Lord Jesus and his Disciples used to
go and sit in the evenings, with Martha aud Mary
and Lazarus,
The narrator went On to tell how Lazarus died;
describing with tears and choking voice, the dis
tress they were in--how they sent message to the
Lord Jesus and he did not come, and how they |
wondered and wondered, and thus on he went wind |
ing up the interest by the graphic minutia of an
eye witness till he awoke you from the dream by |
his triumphant joy at the resurrection scene.
Among his own simple people, this style of |
Scripture painting listened to with breathless
interest. But it was particularly in those rustic
circles called in New England, conference meet
ings," that his warm soul unfolded and the Bible
in his hands became gallary of New England
paintings.