Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-06-05
Peter Cartwright.
THE ADVENTURES OF A PIONEER METH
.- ODIST PREACHER. .-
The Chicago Tribune says {:

|
cred lecture on Tuesday evening in
the Park Avenue Methodist Episcop-
al Church. He spoke as follows: II
Il have but poor command of my
voice, and since coming to your city
| have taken very deep-seated cold.
would rather preach three times
than lecture once. The state of the
country and Of the church in my
early days are necessarily connected
with myself therefore you will excuse
any egotism which may appear. |
am Virginian by birth, and the son
OF revolutionary soldier. In my sixth
year my parents emigrated to Ken
lucky, and spent the greater part
of my life in that State when it was
a wilderness. Young America has
outstripped me; | cannot possibly
identify myself with the present gen
Grafton; the young people of to-day
seem to pass me with an air that | do
not undertake. | have been cit
izen Of the West seventy-seven years.
l did not see a newspaper, religious
or secular, for twelve years of my
life. We never heard of a steamboat
or rail car, and if | had seen loco
motive on the prairie | would have
thought the devil was after me. Our
little cabin, about fourteen by six
teen, was in the wilderness. Bishop
Ashbury, hearing that my mother was
professor, called and preached there,
and it was from that time that | date
my conversion.
"Just about that time a gentleman
from Georgia called at our cabin who
possessed deck of cards, fiddle, and
a race horse. | was an apt scholar
! and soon won the cards, the fiddle and
the race-horse. There was a good
deal of whiskey about the country al
! that time, and one evening | took toe
much, and that was the first and last
time | was drunk. We had an ole
: Scotch doctor in the settlement who
was an infdel. He had heard fron
my friends that | was much troubled
= in mind, so he called, examined my
tongue, felt my pulse, &c, and deter
mined that | had a rush of blood tC
the head, and advised that my head b,
shaved and blister applied.
Shortly after this, became so i'm
IS pressed with the truth of religion tina
e | used to 90 from house to house, e1
" horting all to turn from the errors O.
is their way and embrace the Gospel
..4-I a. Ii Aaato
;e to attend. That evening a young lad
e swooned away. She happened to $
: near the old doctor, who attempted t
ol revive her by the usual means, whe
N she, coming to, threw her arms abou
II his neck and cried, Glory to God
which very much discompoSed the oil
d doctor.
a at is a question to me this da
y how | managed with nv first sermon
d but at the close Of it there came a
IS old gentleman to me and handed N
o SIX dollars-quarterage. There wa
young scapegrace in the villae
y whom | frequently enticed into th
ut woods TO pray; [ usually pray wit
r my eyes shut, and when | opened N
IS eyes he was generally absent, whic
mode of procedure was very ammo,
IN ing to ny religious flesh. My expe
I'd lence at this time was very varied ,an
| soon found the avocation | had 81
,e, lected no sinecure. | have rode ele'
Id en- or twelve circuits, and | presun
w | am the oldest travelling preacher
p the United States. If there is an oil
er preacher should like to see an
We know who he is. When [ joined tt
ne Methodist church, sixty-seven yea
)e- ago, there was only one cOnferen'
west of the Alleghanies there wel
nd only twenty-five ministers to cover ii
W, whole Northwest and Southwest, al
| am the only survivor of them. ha'
10, no father, mother, sister nor brothe
ed and sometimes | feel lonely. But &
he though have travelled thousands {
ed miles, and brought hundreds into Il
Methodist church, and suffered mai
ed hardships, yet | say to you, that il
to had my life to live over again, shou
, I choose to be a Methodist travelil
de preacher.
ltf. This is the thirteenth general CO
ference that | have been elected
yht serve At one of my meetings, To-
'ds time ago, there were two young ladi
ed very nicely dressed, who appeared
7as be very much affected. After me-
ed ing | ascertained that they liv
me about half mile away, and that tn,
me mother was, according to my infor
vas ant pretty hard case. determin
Ter to call on them, and did so. Wher
to visited them | found the moth
rm at the door, and Immediately kn,
ike she was angry. | asked her if t
lys young ladies were her daughters, a
it, she said they were; but that W
nd none of my business. | said: MAZDA
un- | have come over to talk with 20
art daughters and pray with them. S
avs said should do no such thing, sho
to her fist under my nose, told me
" | should not pray, and that L must lea
| her house. | told her to sit down, I
ove | should pray, and if she cut up a
Ugh tantrums | would put her out of doc
yer Then said she: "Put me out of doc
her if you dare. then commenced,
Sue | knew that | had to watch as we'll
ned pray: 40 Lord, this lady wants
= lead her husband and daughters
Ind hell. She has more devils in her th
o, Mary Magdalene had. If there is a
Z i p,opoxr fo, hor cbaxr- IL