The Shasta courier., 1866-05-26
An Eloquent Appeal for Water.

many eloquent things, but We never heard
water defined in such thrilling. eloquence as
in the following. 1t will pay reading dozen
times. Mr.. Cough often declaims it, but
il originated With Paul Denton. an tener
ant of the Methodist Church in Texas, and
was delivered at a barbecue which Denton
Eprepared, and to which he invited the ran
gers.
The smoking viands were arranged on the
tables by scores of slaves, and the throng
prepared to commence the sumptuous meal
when a voice pealed from the pulpit, loud as
the blast of a trumpet in battle.
Stay, ladies and gentlemen, until the
giver of the barbecue asks Gods blessing
Every cart started, every eye d.
rected to the speaker. and wbisperless
silence ensued. for all alike were struck by
bis remarkable appearances. fAt*
He was almost giant in stature, though
scarcely thirty years of age. His hair, dark
a. the ravens wing. flowed down his i'm
mense shoulders in masses of natural ring
let's his eyes, black as midnight. beamed
like stars over face pale as Parian marble.
calm. passionless. spiritual, and wearing a
singular. indpinable expression. The he.
terogeneous crowd of hunters. gamblers and
homicides, gazed in mute astonishment.-
The missionary prayed. but it sounded like
no other prayer ever addressed to throne
| Of grace. 1t was the cry Of naked soul,
and that soul beggar for the bread and
water of heavenly life.
He ceased, and not I'll then did ] become
conscious of weeping looked around
through my tears, and saw hundreds Of
faces wet as with rain. .snf
- l.. Il
"partake of Gods gifts at the table, and
then come aud sit down and listen to the
gospel"
1t would be impossible to describe the
sweet tones of kindness with which these
simple words were uttered, that made him
on the instant, five hundred friends One
heart, however, in the assembly, was mad.
dened by the evidence Of the preacher 3
wonderful power
Col. Watt Foreman exclaimed, in sneer.
ing voice:
MIR. Paul Denton. your reverence has
lied. You promised not only a good bar
becue, but also better liquor. Where is the
liquor ~
There" !" answered the missionary, in
tones of thunder. and pointing his motion
less finger at the matchless double spring
gushing up in two strong columns, With a
sound like a shout of joy, from the bosom
OF the earth. There" he repeated, with
look terrible as lightning, while his enemy
actually trembled at his feet. ''There is
the liquor which God, the Eternal, has
brewed for his children. Not in the sim.
mering still, over smoky fires that are
cboked with poisonous gases and surround
ed with the stencil of sckening odors and
rank corruption, does your Father in Heaven
prepare the precious essence Of life, the
pure cold water. But in the green glade
and grassy dell, where the red deer wanders
and the child loves to play, there God brevs
it; and downtown in the deep valleys,
where the fountains murmur and the rills
sing; and high on the mountain top. where
the naked granite giitters like gold in the
sun, where the storm clouds brood and the
thunder tones crash, and far away out on
the wide. wide sea- where the hurricane
h"wl> music. and The big waves roar the
chorus, sweeping the march of God = there
he brews it, the beverage of life, health
giving water. Ard everywhere it is thing
of beauty; cleaning on the dewdrop, sing
ing in the summer rain, shining in the ice
gem, till the trees all seem turned to living
jewels, spreading golden veil over The
setting sun, or white gauze around tbe
midnight moon; sporting IN the cataract
sleeping in the Z la:Ier, dancing in the hail
shower folding it's bright snow curtains
softly about the wintrv world, and weaving
the many colored iris. that serapb's zone Of
the sky. whose roof is the sunbeam Of Heaven,
all checked over with celestial flowers by
the mystic hands of refraction. Still, always
it is beautiful-that blessed life water! No
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 in its clear
depths no drunkard' shrieking ghost curses
it from the grave in words Of eternal despair |!
Speak out, my friends, would you exchange
it for that demon s drink-alcohoI ?"
A shout like the roar of the tempest an.
swered No!'
Critics need never tell me again that back
wOOdsmen are deaf to the divine voice of
eloquence, for | saw that at that moment
the missionary held the hearts of the multi
tude, as it were, in the hollow of his hand
and the popular feeling ran in current 80
irresistible that even the duelst, Watt Fore.
man, dared not venture another interruption
during the meeting.
The camp meeting continued. and re-
vival attended it such as never before OF
since was witnessed in Texas.