Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-05-24

CalVlnlsm. he figured considerably as q
writer. We have before US a copy of his
Polemical works New York, printed and
sold by j. G. Totten, 9 Bowery, 1914 :" IL
mo. of 800 pages. His Journals, and those
of his wife Peggy are quite voluminous.
His writings have passed through various edi-
tions, and have been extensively circulated and
read Most of them are quite readable some
of them instructive. His mode of reasoning
may be seen in his "Chain of five Links, two
Hooks, and Swivel" He often reasons con.
secutively and logically, and not unfrequently
deals in aphorisms and sarcasms, which are
more telling upon common minds than the Sc
verest logic. A double L does not spell
part :" and, "You can and you cant, you shall
and you shan't you'll be damned if you do,
and you'll be damned if you don t." announced
and reiterated in the hearing Of thousands,
we're often more terrible blows inflicted upon
the Calvinistic doctrines of limited atonemeut
and the decree of reprobation than the most
learned and ingenious reasoning
Dow held himself bound by no conventional
laws of society. He feared nobody, and cared
for nothing beyond the simple claims of con-
science He was just as likely to open his
batteries against Calvanism in Presby terian
church as anywhere else The fear of man
was not a snare to this singular character !;
nor was he very much restrained by the COM
mon laws of courtesy. He seemed to take it
for granted, that when he was invited to q pull
pit, he entered it by common consent, eccen.
tricites and all.
He was deeply interested in New England
politics at the time the question of Church and
State was agitated, and contributed his full
share in the reduction of 1.-THE standing or
der" to level with other denominations He
often rallied vast assemblies, and held them
for three, and even four hours together, upon
the impolicy and the vices of religious cstab-
lishments or the support of'a particular de-
nomination by law, and the support of the
ministry by taxation. In those diScourSeS the
most terrible facts came out without the least
matgation-such as selling poor mans COW
at auction to pay the minister. And there
was no use in murmurs of dissatisfaction
The more "the CALLED jade minched" " the
heavier the burden was heaped upon his back
1t was Lorenzo Dow, and there was no use
in saying a word. Every effort in the way of
trying to sustain the old order of things really
as he used to say, only made a bad matter
worse.
Dow performed many curious antics, which
were published in the papers and rehearsed
everywhere until they became familiar as house
hold words. AS specimen, the story of his
raising the devil may suffice. Dow put up at
a tavern in the South, and soon discovered
that tho landlord was absent from home and
that there was so unusual intimacy between
the landady and q gentleman visitor. The
landlord returned in the evening, as it would
seem, unexpectedly, and put his good lady and
her friend in a panic. Under the directions
of the lady the terrified visitor jumped into an
empty hogshead and the lady covered him
with cotton. The landlord came in half drunk
but was most dfectiOnately received by his good
wife Upon finding Dow in the house he very
nncermouously demanded that he should raise
the devil from him, alleging that he had often
heard that he could do it. Dow declined, but
the landlord insisted. " You will be frighten-
ed when you see him." said Dow. No |
shan't," added the brave man. WE'LL" said
Dow, "if | must raise the devil must :" and
and taking the candle n his hand, he said,
Follow me-" Passing into the back room,
and coming ND to the hogshead, he adroitly
lighted the cotton with the candle, and, sure
enough, up came the devil enveloped in a blazel
Not word did his satanic majesty say, but
instantly disappeared The fellow was CON-
pletely deceived and the next day went before
magistrate and made oath that Dow really
raised the devil iu his house, and he saw him.
The matter being likely to call for q repetition
of the miracle, and it not being probable that
he would meet with the concurrence of the
same favorable circumstances, Dow was oblig-
ed to make public explanation.
Dow'S lest special mission was to expose
the Jesuits He lectured long and loud upon
the wles of the disciples of Loyola showed
up their eternal intermeddling with politics,
and their designs upon the free institutions OF
this country. He eXpounded the prophecies,
quoted history, poured out food of invective
and warned the nation most solemnly of the
perIs which we're impending. On his way TO
Washington, for the purpose of enlightening
and awakng the government upon the subject
he passed through Wyoming. He delivered
several powerful discourses in the old church
| in Kingston, and passed on South. In one oi
| his discourSes, he said the Jesuits were watch.
ing him, and would kill him if they dare, but
| knowing that if he should be missing they would
be suspected, they dare not molest him. He
went on to Washington, and there died sud
| denly few weeks after this. Some surmiSet
that be was poisoned by the Jesuits whether
this was so, or whether he died of organic
affection of the heart, or from some other cause
we know not.
Lorenzo Dow was strange specimen o.
humanity. He was called, aud often called
himself, crazy Dow" He was not lunatic
nor was be monomaniac for if he was insane
on one point, he was equally so on many
He was so eccentric as to the border oninsan
ity in everything. His conduct could not will
Justice be judged of by the ordinary laws o
social or conventional propriety. Upon the
whole, we always had very high opinion o.
his piety and his integrity. He was strang'
good man-a man of rare natural endowment
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