, 1870-05-28

! Can you build Sor1ne7zom the baselesB past,
: Eterua, unehang1ng, yet made Of clay7
i Long Prayer.
;. Frun the Lou,triHt Cou-ter, Nay q,
q Among the miuistera nov in Louisville. a
= | tending the session Of the HresbYtef5aa ia
? eral Assembly. is ono having slight figure a,
] sHaIt Complexion, Hho attracts degree OF a
tenhon aomewhst out OF proportion to h
rather unlnposinE presence and unobtrusi,
demeanor. One would hardly take this 1ua
for famous divine, and, still less for bill
iant orator He mosea about quietly like
shadow, but he IL an active religious leade
and close, obse1vant scrutiny vii presently d.
tect Certain tone and ch1raeter in hia metho
q moving and having his ueing; q certai
glow IN the eye; q certain restless treuo
about the Up certain exceptional plAy o
features, which mark the difference betwee
great faculties in common Case and ordinar
faculties IN large and showy cAse-the dir
t1nction, in shoTt. between outward port an
presence aud inward genius The na1n
named Palmer, and he comes from New Oh
teams, where he Is very well known and app1e
ciated.
OF Dr.. Palmer, as OF many Of bis colleagues
much might be written; but tho purpose O
this writing is not personal sketch or clori
ca criticism, but story, which We shall tal
| lu,4 Ii
played the part, unintentionallY. Of hero.
It was in the summer Of 1862. It was in
Little, old, rusty. depot town. It was in tn
midst Of war. The popular fnrF hsd not quit
spent its force, nor the passion nor th
gloes Of a!ms won of, iks gilt braid
sds and '9st ;s tsr,5 Gaafslsyg ahny charm In tAos
stuff and color, and the stars and bar
and gold lace on mans coat were neither
dl101ned nor raTel1ed by Hetvice7 80 that, il be
eaw fit, he might get himself up wondtous
brave and spruce In those dars the girls OF
the South were not reduced to wiudow-cur-
tains for dresses, nor to tho moro ignominious
ripping mp Of certain uncomfortable neither
! garments for collars cuffs, aud handkeschiefs.
The bloom Of young hope was on the ya1or
o. the men The glow Of new glory wks in
the hearts Of the women. The star OF the
| and even there in Chastanoogs- that dusty,
| ia rnass of ccmbusdbIes and and
non-combatants, its hospitals md magazines
and aua1teIfnaatets, surgeons and dead-beats
! even there, Ii that rear aud cul de sac, IS
one may say, u Rraggts nzmy, which vas
stretched Ike party OF horse marines along
! the Tennessee Riyet from the Narrnxs down
! to Bt1dgepoH-eyen there amid tho underel-
oped martial spirit Of co1umissary clerks, and
the undetected military genius OF the provost
guarda-even there might be found fair women
and brave men oye1aoWing with tho wild en-
thusiasm Of the times and orerhowcred by
the Iosy atnosphcro OF day which was
ross only with the red reflection OF blood.
Il WAS ID the golden prime OF the August
Of 1852. It was 1t Chattanooga. II Was un-
der the weird guardianship ef that beautiful.
brown peak from whose fair lookout not
note, save notes OF love, had yet been sent.
It was Oh the banks ot that great stream whose
silver, many~muftipIying horseshoe had never
known hestle pontoon-bEidge. It WAS day
thing to ba thankful about. Nay, in those
days we vera easy to please, and, withal,
somewhat genial, if not iocose, in our deal.
| ings with Providence Be this as It msF, it
was = day Of Thanksgiving. and . great
number ct officers and soldiers, had come
up from The front to q little church-going and
Little counting, aud more especially after
this combination OF piety and sentiment, to
hear the famous Dr.. Palmer, OF New OtIeans.
The church vas crowded Not pew Was
vacant, not seat was unoecupiod, and chairs
had been placed up and down the aiales. Gold
lace, and cocked-hats, and cavalry boots and
prettiy- iy-uounted sabres were mixed up indis-
criminately with ribbons and unusiins and the
profuse whina1es, jitn-csacks, and fal-laIa that
enter into the mysterious and ambitious fincry
Of 3 wonana, OF rnaIzT women's, summer
d1esasng. 4 wes, Of truth, . sight to see
Without, 500 horses hitched carelessly to
trees, And dusty streets and quiet pasture
lands fanked round abont by the picturesque
Tennessee bills. Within, q tropical flower
garden, quite peaeefua in its lovelincss and
warhke in ita splondoz. Be sure the pertldioua
Thought OF the hated Yankee perished before
it entered there! Be sure there was not in
the mind Of Ill that multitude 30 much "a tile
echo Of the idea OF an advance OF the enemy
Dr. Palmer was in the pulpit Tho congre-
CATION had been loohng and listening with
curious attention, while he read so1no an-
nouncernenta, and gave out hymn. The
hymn was snng stentotously, ard tLen began
"the long prayer," everybody standing, and
not the rustic OF frock nor the clank Of .
spur disturbing tue eerenity;;of the moment.
Oh, Lord, the good man WAS saying "giyo
us grace, in The midst Of VAR. to Do God.a ear
vice on esrth Of peace and good Til to man :.
mako US, amid the tunult and the rack Of
arms, as still and fixed in the service of God as
the everlasting "(bsng!N @hi1is" (whew!) 1t
WEB the ringing report Of cannon, and it
came from over the rivss, fetching twelvc-
the centre Of group Of startled dardes out
side, who were watching the horses aud car
nnges Of tho s'white folks" Two moro fol-
loved before the preacher had time to
complete bis neptence. He did com:
Lord could not FholI5 and % tho instant
man nAture+ The consternadon WAS i'm
mediate and intense, and yet, strange to
say, not noisy. There waa q single CT Of
alarm. A number Of officers, who had posts
three ladies' approached the door, hat ,Dr.
Palmer did not bulge muscle nor alter a
tone. He proceeded with PRAYER a. the shells
came faster aId the din grew louder. There
WAS Just never such prayer prayed out Of q
pulpit Tue man stood up there glowing in
shot With message Of Christiau love, and
the noise. great az it wss, did not drown 3
word. he prayed for everything and for
everybody. At ono time It seemed tha. ho
was about to turn his attention to the gentle
men On the other side Of the wases, aud pray
''long prayer" A. the leaden devils cane
whizzlng over tho roof and cracking through
the trees-tbe upgodly rAscals had got the
range Of the church exactly y-aa they buried
themselves sullenly in the ground under the
vindoTn or e1ploded fsighttuIly .mong the
might have thought the preacher would never
come to An end. To be su1e this was well
enough for Dr. Palmer. He lAd an un-
common good thing, aibeit the pulpit was
The most exposed positiou, and evory one
expected 70 see him drop any rnement; for,
to heaven straightway IN ahand basket, OF any
other ready conveyance, sure OF blessed in
mortality for his fame in this world and his
spirit in the world to come. Tho rest wore,
however, not SO sure, and 1t VIII hardly Hur-
prise the reader to learn that they waited ue1-
youRly. They may be said to have been very
nervous. But finally, after o1hsnsting the
catalogue, after stretching the long prayer to
lts longest, after praying for al sorts and con-
ditions Of men, beasts, birds, and tLin9s,
The preacher sounded the ready words:
{" And the grace Of onr Lord, and
the lore Of God, and the fellowship Of the
Holy Ghost, be with you Ill, now and forever
Amen" Then, quietly descending from the
pulpit, he added: "The congregation is dis
missed" and the people moved out Of the
church, and thence out Of the range OF dan
ger, at1lid rnking fire that continued ia uour
scross the river It was an advance OF the
enemy's cavalry outpoat, with battery at four
pieces OF Light artillery. The party had crept
IN under Bragg's elbow, which was very long
and almost tGnbo, and it glided back uupua,
isled as it had come unexpected.
That was q long time ago: Many things
have happened since. Many hearts are cold
J that were warm that day. Many hopes have
died out that then we're bright and fair. There
live little people now who IT'LL reaa this
little story curiously, for they we're not borE
when it hnppened-eight years having PASSED
and gone. and there are old people whose eyes
are like 10 grow dim with the memoraes Wh1ch
it Will recall. BIT the preacher staA ls Hath US
| and here's his health, and his family, anu may
| they, live long and prosper. For the rest
| Gods will BE- doue
Tempting undertaken, h8vipg apart
ments to let, pasted his bills upon The eof6nf
n The xindors, announcing II 1.ods1ngsfoz sn'