Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1855-10-18

VI 'N"itSeauS W NaAe care OF tneir Oouies. w atch
and pray. and don't let the devil get among
you on the sly before candleligbt, when shall
be at my post
Your brother, F.........
PETER CARTWRIGHT.
AZ length the day closed. The purple eur.
tain Of night fell over the earth from the dark.
ening sky, Gods gOldep FIRE flashed out in
Heaven, and men below kindled their watch,
6rss. The encampment. a village Of snowy
tents. was illuminated with briIliancy that
caused every leaf to shine and sparkle as il all
the trees we're Furnished with phOspllOrescent
fame. ItwAs like theatre. 1. was theatre
in the open air, on the green sward, beneath
the starry blue, incOmpArably. more pictures
que and gorgeous than any stage scenery pre-.
pared within walls OF brick or marble, where
the elite Of cities thrOug to feast their eyes on
beauty and their ears on music.
Presently form arose in the pulpit, and
commenced giving out hymn, preliminary to
the main exercises, and every eye became riv
eted 10 the person Of the stranger. Indeed, as
some one said Of burke, single fash Of the
gaEer's vision was enough 10 reveal the extra
ordinary man. although in the present case, il
must, for the sake of truth, be acknowledged
that the first impression was ambiguous, il not
enigmatical and disagreeable. His figure was
tall burly, massive, and seemed even more
gigantic than the reality, from the crowning
foliage OfluKuriant coal black hair, wreathed
into long curling ringlets. Add. head that
looked as large as hall bushel, beetlins
brows, rough and craggy as fragmentary gran.
ite. irradiated at the base BY eyes of dark fire,
small and twiHkliug, like diamonds in sea-
they were diamonds Of the soul, shining in a
measureless sea Of humOr--a swarthy com.
rlexion, as il embrowed by southern sun,
rich rosy lips, always slightly parted, as wear.
ing perpetual smile, and you have life-like
portrait of the far famed baOkwoods preacher
Though heard it oil, from the text to the a..
men, am forced to despair any attempt to
convey an accurate idea of either the substance
or manner Of the sermon which followed. -
There are different sorts of sermons-the ar
gumentary, the dogmatic. the postulary, the
persuasive, the punitive, the combalive, in
orthodox blows and knocks the logical, and
the poetic, but this specimen belonged to none
Ofthese categOries. 1t was sui generis and of
new species.
He began with loud and beautifully mod
ulated tone, in voice that rolled on the serene
night air like successive peals of thunder.
MethO dist ministers are celebrated for sonorous
voices. but his was matchless in sweetness as
we'll as power. For the first ten minutes his
remarks, being preparatory, we're commonplace
and uniuteresting; but then, all Of sudden,
his face reddened, his eye frightened, his
gest tuTes grew animated as the waftings Of q
torch, and his whole cOuntenance changed in
to an expression Of inimitable humor, and now
bis wild. waggsh, peculiar eloquence poured
forth like q mountain torrent Glsncng ar
rows, with shafts ofridicule, bon mOts. puns,
and side-splitting anecdotes sparkled, flashed
and few like hail, till the vast auditory was
Conynlsed with laughter. For while the as.
cstic strove to resis. the current Of their own
spontaneous emotions. These, however, soon
discovered that they had undertaken an impos.
sibIe achievement, in thinking to Withstand his
factiae' His every sentence was like warm
finger, tickling the ribs Of the hearer, His
verp looks melted to mirth far more than 9th.
er peoples jokes, so that the effort to main
tain ones equilibrium only increased the dis.
position to burst out into loud explosions, as
every school boy hss verified in similar cases.
AT length the encampment was in roar, the
stsrnest features relaxed into smiles, and the
coolest eyes melted into tears Of irrepressible
merriment. This continued thirty minutes,
while the orator painted the folly Of the sinner,
which was bis theme. looked on and laugh
ed with the rest but finally began to fear the
result as to the speaker, ssY so@ , Oh
How | exclaimed, mentally, will he ever
be able to extricate his audience from thai
deep whirlpool Of humOr? If be ends thus
when the merry mood subsidies, and calm re-
aeOtiOn supervenes. will not the reyulsiOn o
feeling be deadly to his fame? Will not every