Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-10-13

and they wore what they called small
clothes, buttoned to the knee, with q
good long pair of stockings and top
boots, vest turned up at the corners,
(fOlding back his vest to show how
they were worm and straight breasted
coats. Young as l was, they drilled
me into it. Bishop McHenry was my
presiding elder, and when he came to
the quarterly meeting of the confer
ence L was the junior preacher-the
first year | ever travelled. He asked
the question all presiding elders ask,
were there any complaints or appeals.
There was grave old class leader,
with a broad-brimmed hat and
straight coat; he rose and said, ayes.
| have a complaint against the young
preacher" Says Mr. McHenry, "what
is t?'' why" says he, 1.-The young
preacher is cOrrupting the morals of
the young people, for he is following
the fashion," 'What fashion?" said
the elder. "Why, he has got a pair
of gallows (suspenders)." Laughterl I.
Now, as L was, it scared me consider
ably; thought l was to be sent home
for wearing gallowses. But God
always provides, they used to say in
the backwOOds, for the lame and the
lazy. He provided for me. Bishop
McHenry, in his rOtundity, was very
! full in front, and ne was of necessity
compelled to wear suspenders, or he
could not have kept his breeches up.
/ lIIaughterl. 1 did not know it, but
the Bishop put the old brother Off
/ He said, Never mind, brother; /
/ will talk to the young man, That
night we slept together, and when the
/ Bishop undressed l saw the gallOwses! /!
L will not say, like the girl said when
she got a nice set of bows for her hair,
that 1 was ''shoutin' happy, but /
| felt pretty comfortable. 1 thought 1
| had fallen into the right hands. /
only give you this as a specimen of
| how the fashions have changed.
When / entered the travelling min
istry in 1904, we had only one college
bred ministerin the Methodist Church,
and he was only half-bred, as a good
many of them are now. Laughter. !
Now, / will tell you another little
thing: When, through the influence
of my venerable friend, DR.. Akers, l
got the ID. ID. stuck to my name, be-
lIeve that the Doctor labored hard to
get it, more from self-interest than for
my profit. If misjudge him. hope
he will forgive me; but L think he did
it because he was lonesome, for he was
the only Doctor we had. The very
day / got the certificate, was taken
ill with pain i'll my back. Laugh
teri
was a poor soldiers boy, and the
only son he had in the world. There
were no schools in Kentucky, especi-
ally in the southern part, where my
father settled. There were no mills
within forty miles of our habitatiOn,
and there was not paper published
in that region, political or religious
We had no schools worth calling
schools at all and being an only son,
the old fighting soldier, though he
was poor, wanted to make an educated
man of me, but he missed it tremen-
dOusly. 1 had a good mOther-I thank
God for it-a religious mother; and
when it pleased God to give me a re-
ligion, it was not one of your tip-tOp,
fashionable, silver-slippered, best bib
and-tucker rcOnversions-itw was back
woods conversion. / thank the Lord
for it. ] know / obtained the pardon
of my sins; and to-day thank God
that the chief thing that has borne me
upis the comforts of religion. If l had
been after money, would never have
travelled two years-no, not one; for
could make more money by splitting
rails than L could by travelling a cir
cult. It was not honor; there was no
honor about it. 1t was the reproaeh
of my young companions and assOci-
ates, and an old Scotch doctor in the
neighborhOod, an Infidel. When l
got under deep conviction, my father
sent for him to come and see what
was the matter with me. The old
Doctor made me poke out my tongue,
and fumbled over my pulse, and pro-
nounced it determination Of blood to
the head :" and advised my father to
shave my head close, and put large
blister or plaster on it. Laughter. J
Now, got full satisfaction out of that
old codger. After God converted my
soul, / appointed a little grove. to
preach in. / didn't know anything
about preaching under heaven, but L
wanted to talk to my young associates,
and they didn't know any better, but
called il preaching, and thought it
was tremendous preaching. When
came to the dancing ground we had
cleared out for that purpose, there
was young lady just before me that
fell as if rifle ball had penetrated her
heart. l had never seen the like. |
frankly confess to you didn't know
what to do. The old Scotch doctor
hirsled up and examined her pulse,
and if her teeth had not been clenched
he would have examined her tongue;
but he had a phial of hartshOrn and
ranmed it to her nose, and she snort
ed like a blind horse. Laughter l
was & poor, wild, ignorant boy, but
concluded he must quit that, and
went to him and said: Now, doctor,
don't do that again. The girl is cry
ing for mercy; you are an educated
man, and 1 want you to get on your
knees and pray for her." He said:
"My dear sir, l never prayed in my
life.n "Well," said l, 81 want to see
YOU do it now.n Said he, "YOu are a
poor, foolish boy; get away" Ididn't
get away, but l said to the people ]
wanted to pray. / got down and
praved, and lust as 1 closed the young
iady cot converted, and never saw
ANYBODY get up and cut such eapers in
my life. She sprang up like top, and
bounded, and bounded, and wanted to
nut her arms around the old DOCTORS
neck. and he ran like the devil was
after him. Laughter.l That struck
me; / ran after them and said Doc
tor, don't run; try the virtue of harts-
horn" He was like most doctors; he
could prescribe very freely for others,
but did not want to take his own pre-
scriptions.
Through the blessing of GOd-I do
not say it boastingly-I reckon L have
preached as many sermons as any liv-
ing man-whaI we will call sermons.
1t might take dozen of them to make
one good one, for what 1 know, but
they cost me physical labor as well as
mental labor.
| have been blessed with many re-
vivals of religion, and from the office
I have held in the Methodist Church,
l reckon 1 have licensed as may
preachers to travel as any living man,
and I hail them with delight when !