The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-12-05

= lily, mnssfFe, aud seemed eYen more q
gantic than the reality, from the crow
ing foliage of luxuri mt, coal black hail
wreathed into long curling ringlets Ad
/ a. head that looked as large as a ha
bushel; bsetling bfows, rough aud cra5
p gy as fragmentary granite, irradiated :
the base By eyes Of dark ere; sma
and twiakiing, like diamonds of the SC q
shining in a measureless sea of humor-
. swarthy complexion, as if -embrowsei
By . Southern sun; rich rosy lips, a
ways slightly parted, as wearing pc,
petual smile; and you have a life-lik
i portrait of the far famed backweod
preacher. = --aa.
I Though / heard it all, from The tex
I TO the amen, I am forced to dispair az,
i attempt to convey an accurate idea o
either ths substance or manner of tht
sermon which followed There are diff
ferent sorts Of sermons-the argument
tative, the dogmatic, thc postuiary, ths
persuasive, the punitive, the combative
g in orthodox blows ind knocks, !" the 10
gical, and the poetic; but this specimen
belonged to none of these eategories
It was sHi generis and of a new spe,
cies - EEs
He began with loud and beautfullJ
modulated tone, in a voice that rolled
on the serene night air like successive
lpeals Of thunder. Methodist ministers
are celebrated for sonorous voices; but
his was matchless in sweetness as well
as power. For the FIRST ten minutes bis
remarks, being preparatory, were COM
monplace and uninteresting !. but then,
all Of q sudden, his face reddensd, his
eye frightened, his gesture grew aDima-
ted as the wafsiugs of a torch, and his
whole countenance changed into an ex-
preston of inimitable humor; and now
his wild,' waggish, peculiar. eloqueuce
poured forth like a mountain torrent.
Glancing arrows, with shafts of ridicule,
bon nlots, puns, and side-splitting anec-
dotes sparkled, flashed and few like
hail, till the vast auditory was eonyul-
sed with laughter For a while the as
cetic strove to resist the current of their
own Spontaneous emotions These, how
ever, soon discovered that they had un-
dertaken san impossible achievement, in
thinking to withstand his facteie. Hi
every sentence was like wara fingers
tickling the ribs of the hearer Hi,
very looks melted to mirth far more
than other speople's jokes, SO that the
effort to maintain ones equilibrium ouly
increased the disposition to burst out
into loud explosiohs, as every school
Coy has verified in similar cases At
length the encampme1t was in roar,
the sternest features relaxed into suailes,
AZ ~ e<1I<4<sf sv,,e -, o1f,d into fnor
of irrepressible merriment. This con
tinued thirty minutes, while tie orator
painted the folly of the sinner. which
was his theme. I looked. on and laugh
ed with the rest, but finally began to
fear the result as to the speaker. 80.
How exclaimed, mentally, "will
he ever be able to extricate his audi
ence from the deep whirlpool Of humor?
IF be ends thus, when the merry mood
subsidies, and calm reflection supervenes,
will not the reyulsion of feeling be dead
" to bis fame Will not every hearer
realize that he has been triaed with in
matters Of saere1 and eternal interests?
At all events, there is no prospect of
revival tonight; for evea though the
orator was a magician, he co lid not
change his subject now, and stem the
torrent Of headlong laughter
Bat the shaftof my inference fell short
of the mark and evensthen he com
menced to change, not all at once, but
gradually. as the wind of a thunder
cloud. His features lost their comical
tinge Of pleasantly; his voice grew first
earnest, AMI then solemn, and soon
Ii At.ok 81
hos; his eyes were shoarn of their mild
light, and yielded streams Of tears, as
the fountain of the hill yielded water
The effect was indescribable, and the
rebound Of feeling beyond all coneep-
tion. He descanted on the horrors of
hell, till every shuddering facs was
turned downward, as if expecting to see
the solid globe rent asunder, aud the
fathomless, fiery gulf yawn from be-
Meath Brave men moaned, and fair
women, covered with six
shrieked as if knife were working
among their heart-strings.
Again he changed the theme; sketch
ed the joyso righteous death-its
faith, its hope, its winged raptures, and
angels attending the spirit to its happy
home-With such force, great and evil
dent belief, that all eyes were turned
toward heaven, as the entire congrega-
tion started to their feet, as if to hail
the vision of angels at which the finger
of the preacher seemed to be pointed,
elevated as it was on high to the full
length of his arm.
He then made call for mourners
into the altar, aud FIVE hundred, many
of them till that night were inidels,
rushed forward and prostrated them
selves on their knees.-The meeting
was continued for t8o weeks, and more
than = thousand converts were added
to tho church. From that time his sue
cess was unparalleled, and the fact is
chiefly due to his inimitable wit and
masterly eloquence that Methodisn is
now the prsEailing religion in Illinois
He was distinguished by one very
unclerical neutrality-suspicious.
His battles, although always apparently
In the defensive, we're as numerous as
the celebrated Bowie The only differ
ende was this, that Bowie Tough with
deadly weapons, while the iteuerant
used but his enormous fist, which was
as effective, however; in the speedy set
element Of beliigeEent issues, as any
knife or pistol ever forged out of STEEL
Let the reader judge from the follow
ing anecdote.
At the camp meeting held at Alton.
in the autumn Of 1888, the worshippefs
we're annoyed by set Of desperadoes
from st. Louis, under the control Of
Nike link, . notorious bully, the tri-