Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-10-25

sea ofhumor-a swarthy complexion
) as if embrowned by a Southern sun
: rich, rosy lips, always slightly parted
as wearing perpetual smile--and yol
have Gfe-likep portraito of the far-famet
: Backwoods Preacher.
"Though ! heard it all, from the tex
to the amen, I am forced to despair
of any attempt to convey an accurate
idea of either the substance, or the
manner Of the sermon whichfollowed
There are different sorts of sermons
the argumentary, the dogmatic, the
postulary, the persuasive, the punitive.
combative, Hin orthodox blows and
knocks the logical, and the poetic:
but this specimen belonged to none
of these categories. It was sm gener9s.
and of a new species.
"He began with loud and beau
tiful modulated tone, in voice that
rolled on the serene air like successive
peals of thunder. Methodist min
listers are celebrated for sonorous voices,
but his was mattcchhless in sweetness
as wen as power. For the first ten
minutes, his remarks were common
place and uninteresting, but then, al
of a sudden his face REDEEMED, his eye
Enlightened, his gestures grew anima-
ted as the waftures of a torch, and his
whole countenance changed into an
expression of inimitable humor; and
now his wild, waggish, peculiar elo-
quence poured forth like mountain
torrent. Glancing arrows, with shafts
of ridicule, bon mots, puns, and side
splittingsanecdotes sparkled, flashed,
and flew like hail, till the vast auditory
was convulsed with laughter. For a
while the more ascetic stroye to
resist the current of their own spon-
taneous emotions. These, however
soon discovered that they had under
taken an impossible achievement in
thinking to withstand his facete.-
His every sentence was like warm
finger, tickling the ribs of the hearer.
His very looks melted the mirth far
more than other peoples jokes, so
that the effort to maintain one equi-
hbrium only increased the disposition
to burst into loud explosions, as every
school-boy has verified insimilar cases.
At length the eneampment was in
roar; the sternest features relaxed into
a smile, 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 his theme. Hooked
on and laughedwith the rest, but finally
began to fear the result as to the
speaker.
How / exclaimed, mentally, will
he ever be able to extIicate his audi
ence from the deep whirlpool of hu-
NOR? If he ends thus, when the
merry mood subsidies, and calm re-
Election supervenes, will not the revul-
sion of feeling be deadly to his fame?
Will not every hearer realize that he
has been trifled with in matters Of
sacred and eternal interest? At all
events, there is no prospect of a revi-
val tonight; for even though the orator
were magician, he could not change
his subject now, and stem the torrent
of headlong laughter
"But the shaft of my inference
fell short of the mark; and even then
be commenced to change, not all at
once, but gradually, as the wind of al
thunder cloud. His features lost
their comical tinge of pleasantly; his
voice first grew earnest then solemn,
and soon walled out in the tones of
deepest pathos; his eyes were shorn
of their mild light and yielded tears.
The effect was indescribable, and the
rebound of feeling beyond all eoncep-
ton. He descanted on the horrors
of hell, till every shuddering face
was turned downward, as if expecting
to see the solid globe rent asunder,
and the fathomless fiery gulf yawn
from beneath. Brave men moaned,
and fair, fashionable women, covered
with silk drapery and bedight with
gems, shrieked as if knife were
working among their heart-strings.
@Again he changed the theme;
sketched the joys Of a righteous death
its faith, its hope, its rapturss, and
angels attending the spirit to its
starry home-with such force, great
and evident belief, that all eyes were
turned toward heaven and the entire
congregation started to their feet, as
if to hail the vision of angels at
Ilis so7gsa saea