The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-04-25
McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1860
Famous Apostrophe to Water.

Famous ApostrOphe to Water.
! Some time since we alluded to the fam
Gus apostrophe to water, which James B.
,, Cough, the eloquent lecturer on temperance
has repeated to electrified thousands in En-.
land and America We stated that it orig
mated with Paul Denton, an itinerant of the
Methodist Church in Texas, and that it was
delivered at barbecue which Denton had
prepared, and to which he invited strangers.
It had been years since we read the Incl
dent, and we are delighted to find it in an
exchange, credited to Texan paper. We
feel sure that our readers will be equally
delighted with its pcrusal.-Httsburg Dis
patch.
The smoking viands were arranged on
the table by scores ofslaves and the throng
prepared to. commence the sumptuous
meal, when a voice pealed from the pulpit,
loud as the blast Of the trumpet in battle,
Stay, gentlemen and ladies, till the giver
of the barbecue asks Gods blessing"
Every heart started, every eye was direc.
ted to the speaker, and whisperless ST.
lence ensued for all were alike struck by his
remarkable appearance. He was almost a
giant in stature, though scarcely thirty
years of age His hair, dark as the ravens
wing, flowed down his immense shoulders
in masses of natural ringlets, his eyes black
as midnight, beamed like stars over face
pale as Parian marble, calm, passionless,
spiritual, and wearing singular, undefina.
BILE expression.
The heterogeneous crowd, hunters, gam
blers and homicides gazcd in mute aston
ishment. The missionary prayed, but it
sounded like no other prayer ever address,
ed to throne of grace. 1t was the cry of
a naked soul, and that soul beggar for the
bread and water of heavenly life.
He ceased, and not till then did become
conscious of weeping. l looked around
thro' my tears, and saw hundreds of faces
wet as with rain.
"Now, my friends" said the missionary,
''partake of Gods gifts at the table and
then come and sit down and listen to his
Gospel"
1t would be impossible to describe the
sweet tone of kindness in which these sim
pie words were uttered, that made him on
the instant 500 friends.
One heart, however, in the assembly, was
maddened by the evidence Of the preacher S
| wonderful power.
Col. Watt Forman exclaimed, in sneer.
ing tone:
"Mr. Paul Denton, your reverence has
lied. You promised us not only a good bar
bacue, but better liquor. Where is the Ii
9uor?'
"There!'' answered the missionary, ir
tones of thunder, pointing his motionless
finger at the matchless Double Spring gush.
ing up in two strong columns, with sound
like shout of joy from the bosom of the
earth. "Therer' he repeated, with look
terrible as aslishtning, while his enemy actu
ally trembled at his feet. 'There is the IL
quor Of God, the Eternal brews for all his
children. Not in the simmering still, ovel
smoky fires, choked with poisonous gases
and surrounded with the stencil of sicken
ing odors and rank corruption, doth your
Father in Heaven prepare the precious es
sence of life, the pure cold water.
But in the green glade and the grassy
dell, where the red deer wanders, and tn,
child loves to play, there God himself brew:
it; and downtown in the deep valleys
where the fountains murmur and the rills
sing; and high on the mountain tops where
the naked granite glitters like gold in the
sun-where the storm clouds brood and
the thunder tones crash, and away, far out
howls music, and the big waves roll the
chorus, sweeping the march ofGod," there
He brews it, that beverage: of life, health
giving water. And everywhere it is thing
OF beauty; cleaning in the dew-drop, sing
| ing in the summer rain, shining in the ice.
gem, till all the trees seemed turned to liv-
ing jewels-spreading golden veil over the
setting sun, or white gauze around the
midnight moon; sporting in the cataract,
sleeping in the glacier, dancing in the hall
shower; folding its snow curtains softly
about the world; and weaving the many
colored iris, that seraph's zone Of the sky
whose woof is the sunbeam Of heaven, all
checkered over with celestial flowers by the
mystic hand of refraction. Still always is
it beautiful-that blessed life water. Nc
poison bubbles on its brink; its foam brings
not madness and murder; no blood stains
its liquid glass; pale widows and starving
orphans weep not burning tears on its clear
depths no drunkard's shrinking ghost
from the grave curses it in words of etern-
al despair. Speak out, my friends; would
you exchange 1t for the demons drink, AL
cOhol!"
A shout like the roar of tempest an
swered, "Nor'
Critics need never tell ME again that
backwoodsmen are deaf to the divine voice
Of eloquence, for saw at that moment the
missionary held the hearts of the multitude
as it were, in the hollow of his hand, and
the popular feeling ran in current so IRE.
sistable that even the duellst, Watt Fore.
man, dared not venture another Interrupt
ton during the meeting.