Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-07-22

PULPIT ORAToRY.-The editor Of
the Methodist Protestant, Baltimore,
in answer to . correspondent, thus de-
fines his position on the "spread-ea-
gle"style of pulpit. oratory II
Young Flowery has q pretty good
delivery, and If he would always be
natural and not try 80 DO theatrical,
Ne wouldA plesss. 80 rhereis not much
practical common sense in him, for the
reason that he has not cared to supply
his mind with facts, and the informs-
ton that belong to them, which are al
ways the basis Of strong common sense.
He has natural love for the beauti-
full, but it is uncultivated, and he
therefore too often mistakes daub of
Aashy coloring for a finished picture.
Unfortunately he has fallen into the
error Of supposing that he has tow-
ering Imagination. This is a sad
misfortune. 1t is bad enough for q
young preacher to haze o towering i'm
agination; and if any one Of our read
ers is in possession Of such faculty,
the sooner he gets rid Of it the better.
But with Young Flowery it is only a
mistaken fancy; and the result is, he
not unfrequently supposes himself to
be towering, when he is only founder
ingA In such moments some Of his
critical friends are wont to say,
''Young Flowery is now soaring in
spread-caglc style - but they, Of
course, speak ironically, and mean lot
to degrade the spread eagle by any
such reference. The other day Young
Flowery was making temperance
speech. Incidentally he referred to
the physical effects Of intoxication.
This opened the way for regular
''spread" on the wondrous machinery
Of our physical organism - the fact
that we are Hfearfully and wonderful
ly made" Was exhibited with an ener-
Icy and passion rarely heard. BY the
time he had gotten through with his
eloquent description, the people had
pretty we'll forgotten that they were
listening to temperance lecture, and
it required no great stretch Of imagin-
alton to fancy the brother lecturer on
minute anatomy.
After while some allusion was had
to the superiority of mind over matter.
Instantly Young Flowery began to soar.
Mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, cata-
racts, oceans, whirlwinds, and volca-
noes, passed like panorama before
the audience. Everything was still as
death. But the earnestness of the
speaker was startling, while the tenn
per0nce cause was almost forgotten.
1t required q coming down to get him.
self and his audience back again to the
subject un Ter consideration.
Presently he touched upon the ma
tton1l effects of the vice. Here was q
very fine opportunity for assuring the
audieEce that % profound patriotism
pervaded his bosom. The early histo-
~ Of the country suggested the name
Of Washington, and Washington sug-
gested the Revolutionary war, and the
war suggested the "Star, Spangled
Banner, /" and the banner suggested the
american Eagle" and what with
them all, as they one after another
awakened bursts of oratory, the peo-
pie were quite carried away; but the
temperance cause was far in the rear,
and half the audience momcntarily
supposed the Fourth Of July had come
this year in the month Of March.
We notice one popularity in Young
Flowery which is very apt to be found
in "spread eagle orators" He is very
fond Of applying scientific terms un-
fortunately he does not use them with
a clear perception Of what they mean.
lie almost invariably says strata for
stratum, and phenomena for phenons-
enon. This only exposes his ignorance
to a fev, however, the majority think
he is learned, and so it PASSED off very
we'll. g.. q B. ~
The writer Of this was somewhat ill.,
clined to the spread eagle sty'e in his
boyhood, and can therefore sympathize
with those who have leaning that
way. But he has lived to learn the
folly Of it, and is exceedingly anxious
to induce others to avoid it. Use a
plain but forcible vocabulary; and be
more solicitous to enforce your theme
than to ornament it. Ornament is
good thing in its way; but it requires
no little Judgment to use it in its proper
proportions. .sIt1ItIt III
SINGING IN SLEEp.-We heard
child trying to SIM in its sleep. The
storms artillery was laundering against
the gable end Of the house. and the
timbers shook in distress, but the Iln-
nocent sleeper, away out in the path
less flower grounds Of achild's dreams,
broke forth in half defined song
8 "Oh Lily sweet L lily, 3 sl
Wees Lily Da-a:e, ale, ~"
ssLord Godn was the prayer Of our
heart, tsthat I could go out, too, to the
Elysian fields where, the Shepherd Of
souls leads the little ones of his flock
by the perpetual rivers OF peace and
joy" But we could not go. Age had
built q defensive wall Of the huge
blocks of years gray hair was laid
across the stile, and we could not as
.cend a golden ladder leaned against
the wall, but Time, with his destroying
scythe, stood on the thirty third round,
and we could not pass. Yet we heard
the voice Of children, singing in the
n,rodisa IF Youth -Yr;n;fv .L,,,~nry