The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1859-09-03
c1!ltcrGstill1 5IictcI)cs.
CHAPTERS from an Autobiography OF
william Henry EiIburn, the Blind
Preacher,

EEcaCHer.
| The author Of " The Rifle. Axe and Saddle
| bags" has been induced to write his own
! biography, or ra'hora series Of pictures taken
from the life Of blind Methodist preacher
The opening chapter. containing an affecting
account OF the accident by which Mr.. MiIburn
lest his sight. is followed by a brief nara tive
I'll his cary ljfranl the causes which induced
hlnl t. cutter The r,iulstry. Then we have The
curious details Of his i,inerant life as a wan.
derlng Methodist clergyman. some Of which
are highly amusing. Much Of the book is
occupied 10y tilc writer s rccollcc;ions of the
time he spent in Washington as Chaplain to
the House Of Representatives, and the entire
narrative is replete with anccGotical reminis-
ccnceS. told in racv, graceful style We
copy the following, as giving good idea Of
the style Of the book:
SERMON INTER RtPyED.
One OF cur beloved bishops, the Rev. Thos.
a. Morris, when young man, was travelling
somewhere in the West, and left an appoint
mcnt to p.cach in ncighborhood little fire.
qnentod by the ministry. Due notice was
given, and large company assembled
The service was to be held in double log
cabin with porch in front. The men were
gathered in one room, the women in the
ether. and the boys on the porch. The
preacher stood in the door. AS hg preceded.
couple OF men i'll the congregation began to
whisper, and al length spoke so loud that all
the congregation could hear them the theme
of their discourse being q horse swan.-
Tie preacher paused and said that, as
II was bad manners for more than one to
speak at time, if it were necessary for them
to bring their trade to conclusion on the
In W. n Il Ct, 4 a., L..
1h"y were silent, and he resumed, when an
oico0, old gentleman came brsilng through
the crowd with a Splt-Lvttom,d chair raised
high above his bead and placing it in front
o. HE preacher, said: II forgot YOU had no
pulpt;s ,nan can't preach without pulpit.
here Is one. The preacher began again, but
was soon interrupted 10y the noise made by
thr boys IN the porch quarrclling. This was
promptly Qucilcd by the old gcntlcmans
StrldnG among tie hrchlns. cutting and boxing
them sonndly, and shouting, . BE still you
llttic sayagcs, or I'll knock your heads off"
orde" restored the preacher tried to 90 on
again, hut now there came noise from the
female side of the house. A boy. four or five
years old. who was seated in his mothers
lap, was engaged in earnest whispering with
her. He said, " nanny, nanny" and she
" huStl.' AT length he seemed to think that
endurance bud ceased TO be virtue, and
baWr'l ont, say, nanny scratch my
back" She, in fiery Indignation, boxed his
ears soundly; whercat, he set up a terrible
yell. She rose, and dragging her promising
offspring after her, forced her way among the
auditors, rushed by the preacher in the door
and at once began the satisfactory operation
of trouncing. she shouting " hush !" and he
" won't scratch my back - This last
attack was too much for the preachers
equnimity, and the excited state of his
rislblcs obliged him TO close the service on the
instant
A JOURNEY WITH FANCY CREEK MINISTERS.
My llineIatEg life was yet fresh when the
two preachers from the Fancy Creek circuit
visited one of our quarterly meetings: at its
close they hcSought, the presiding cider to
lend me TO them iora week round, promising
TO deliver me safe and sound at his appoint
ncnt the next Saturday. lie aSscned, and
AZ ny trotied with my new.makc friends.
Oar first stopping place was at a house much
ike the one before described. whcie the senior
preacher was to SoIemnlZc n marriage.
As We procl cd,d he told me should have to
prcacN that afternoon at four clock, and he
turned a deaf car to all my cntrcalies to be
let OIL. Up to this time | had never taken
text. for all my exercises had been in the
siapc Of cAhortalOHs, delivered alter some
more experienced poison had cXpounded -
My first sermon must he preached somewhere.
and why not then and there ! SO it was
dc!vcEeI, to half dozen mon in their shirt
sleeves, with the sweat Of the pillow or
their broWs., their teams left standing IN the
fields the While. and to as many women in
| sun homes, whose knitting and pipes were
laid aside when the hymn was gwen out
| The rustic Of the green leaves, stirred by the
pleasant wind, the song of the binds. and
the golden sunshine as it lay upon the pun.
chcon floor on that cheerful summer after
noon, are remembered yet, and also that my
first sermon was but fifteen minutes long.
The next day we reached village consist
ing Of dozen or twenty houses. In the
evening we attended an examination of the
school at the close of the exercises, one
of my new friends mounted an empty
| barrel which stood in the corner of the room
and had been used as a seat and call ed out
III the old Norman form, "Oyez Oyez take
notice that Brother William Mlbarn will
! preach in the meeting house tomorrow night
at cal Iy candle lighting" No sooner was
the last word out of his mouth than the barre
! heal gave way. and the reverend clerk, falling
! to the EARTH went. after the fashion of Rcgu-
luS, rolling about among the legs of the
audience, his desperate eXeration to escape
only making his plight the sadder and
increasing the confusion.
MIR MTLBURN S FIRST SERMON.
The quarterly meeting was held at pri-
! waite house, as Was frequently the case serving
/ on such occasions the tw0fold purpose of
| chapel and hotel. 1t was a double log Ca bin.
| Wlth door communicating between the two
rooms, the women occupying one, the men the
other, in both the uses to which the house was
| pnt. Seats Ior The congregation were provided
| by puncheon slabs resting Oh four legs. The
| young people who could not find access to
the house would stand beneath the trees. or
iOll upon the grass. The congregation would
come from fifteen to twenty miles around to
enjoy the services. The exercises invariably
! began on Saturday at eleven o'clock, with IA
sermon from the presiding elder, In the
afternoon the conference of official memn beers
was held; IN the evening the most available
preacher was put up" in the language OF
the country, and after this sermon an eXhor-
tatlon was usually delivered by some one else.
nn Saturday night IN question, after the
/ sermon, the sonorous voice of my chief said,
" William, exhort." The will of the prcsid.
ing elder at these times is absolute, and
obedience is one of the lessons cnjoned upon
young preachers. | had no recourse but to
stand up, frightened as was almost to death,
behind my split bottom chair, in lieu of a
| pulpit, in front Of the huge fireplace md