The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-08-19

vet practlced the whole Of what he preach
ed. Suffer me, then, to be the painted
sign, which stands at the crossroads, d.
recting the wanderer as to the right way,
while itself remains moti0nless as the
earth beneath it. Or allow me to resent
bic the lighthouse, which lies on the
sunken rocks Of the ocean and bears
the rage of innumerable billows and the
pitiess fury of ten thousand storms, and
points out to the mariner during the dark
est nights the safe channel into that har
Dor which it shall never enter till the
world shall disappear like dream =
Of course l have quoted the above
from memory, and have but indiferently
presented even the matter; but no pen
or pencil can do anything Of the sort of
Justice to the manner, SO full of fire, of
passion, of inimitable and easy gesticu-
lation. 1t was all that / could do to
keep from bounding to my feet and utter
ing a wild cry Of admiration and delight :.
and the entire audience seemed to be ac-
tuated by similar feeling for as the
orator paused an instant, after this intro
duction, the thunders of applause were
absolutely deafening. There might be
heard crying, clapping Of hands, rapping
of canes and enthusiastic stamping OF
feet, while several actually shed tears
have never, either before or since, seen
any similar effect produced, although |
heard eloquent men Of the nation. Most
powerful speakersg gather up their strength
gradually, and work as we'll upon the pas
sions as on the intellect by slow degrees.
But this one struck his hearers all at once,
like bolt Of lightning, or the coming OF
an earthquake.
He then launched boldly forth into the
heart Of his subject, painting the many
horrors of intemperance as with a pencil
dipped in Internal fire. But his conclu-
sion was most beautiful Of all, in which
he described the countless charms and
blessings of cold water" He portray
ed the precious fluid as bubbling from the
mcsses of mountain spring, as ringing
in the silver rill, as laundering in the cat
aract, as rolling the freight Of commerce
down the broad breasted river, as bearing
over the ocean innumerable snowy sails,
and forming the great highway of the
world; as decorating the very sky, in the
form of floating vapors, with the most
gorgeous tints Of purple and gold: and
finally, as flinging the rainbow wreath on
the black brow of the storm-cloud, and
thus appeasing its tempestuous anger. -
He closed, and the cheers followed till
the walls of the house seemed to shake
as if they were about to fall. And then
the most distinguished men Of the repub-
lic-physicians, lawyers, politicians, TIVE
ex- presidents, and others who have since
been in the Senate-crowded around to
congratulate the second Patrick Henry.
Wealthy planters shook him warmly by
the hand, and invited him to make his
home with them; and not a few beautiful
women, who had never before seen his
face, gazed upon him with undisguised
admiration, and almost smiled with i'm
plicit love as he passed. Such are the
wondrous triumphs of genius that divine
fire which falls down from heaven, when
and where it will, but which no human
power can create or command, which
comes and goes like the wind which is
wild as the wave, chainiess as the light
ming, and mourful as the music of the
ocean shell.
4 The following day Jack Mills was deep
ly intoxicated, raved around the village,
discharging his guns and pistols with
little regard to the safety of others, and
| attempted to provoke quarrel with al
most every person he happened to meet,
and the same night he disappeared in
company with his friend Bill Diamond,
) and both resumed their vagrant habits
j and appearance. '3
J 1t is now time for us to conclude BY
sketching briefly the history of that ex.
traordinary young man. He first appear
, ed in the western part of Tennessee as an
) independent preacher, and astonished and
delighted the public with his matchless
i displays. His ministrations, however,
/ lasted but a single year. He next APP
! piled himself to the law, and masteredits
. thorny mysteries in less time than il
! would take most others to comprehend
, the mere rudiments. He then removed
/ to Arkansaw, and entered upon caree
i Of the grandest prospects. Indeed, h,
! was offered by the democratic party th
: place ofrepresentative in Congress. whic1
t he refused, pleading as an excuse his in
: finite preference for jurisprudence owe
J politice. But all at once he became dis
, gusted with the practice of the court,
: fought duel with the district Judge, an
, crippled him for life. and then he chans
: ed his location for the wild woods Of re,
n asA Here, however, he did not settle
b allSbut travelled continually mostly alol
t and only at intervals in the 0 nlpany
: Bill Diamond, whose habits and tast
9 were in many respects similar to his ow
o He would pitch his tent for weeks, al
i