The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-11-07
A Story of Lorenzo Dow.

lC is SOmetnlng, SAID 1r1enQ OF ours
the other evening, in a desultory CONVEX
sation concerning Preaching and Preach
erS, to have heard that most eccentric,
wandering, half-crazy servant of the
Lord as he used to delight to call him
self, Lorenzo Dow. Isnever heard him
but once-but that once 1 never shall
forget.
"It had been given out for weeks be-
fore that at a certain day he was to be
at the little country town of O.,
where 1 was born and brought up, and
was to preach in the morning, in pleas
ant shady grove little off the street,
whose few scattering houses gave it the
dignity of a VILLAGE
"At the appointed hour he was seen
coming down the main street, his long
brown-yellow hair and terrific beard
waving in the wind, and his small wild
eye flashing in the light, as he turned
toward the gathering, and assembled the
rough platform, and walked up to the
temporary pulpit or desk, which had been
erected for him. For although his ap-
pointments were made six months, and
sometimes even year in advance, be-
lieve he never missed one; at least, at
this time he had not, for remember dis
tinctly his mentioning the fact.
"I was present with an elder brother,
who was good deal of q wag, with an
eye and ear open to whatever was odd
or striking, and his risibles were greatly
excited at the hirsute appearance, and
independent, off-hand manner of Lo-
renzo.
"The itinerant expounder took from
his pocket worn and very dirty copy
of the Bible-a small quarto-and spread
it upon the rough pine board which
made the top of his desk. He then took
from another receptacle in his old but
capacious coat, a red bandana handker-
chief, and wiped his face, which was
streaming with perspiration. He then
leaned forward, made short prayer, and
prepared to begin his discourse.
"At this time my brother was desirous
of changing his position on the tree !;
so he climbed up to higher branch, and
in doing so detached dry and withered
limb, which fell upon the ground direct
ly in front of the speaker.
Lorenzo looked up land as he spoke
his red lips were surrounded by the first
beard-mustache had ever seen in my
life, and in voice that must have been
a cross between John Randolph's and
Daniel Webster's, said:
"B-o-o-y-s up in the tree there be
still-keep still-or come d-o-,o-n ! You
are like the dogs in the man-ger-you
won't eat yourselves, and won't let the
0ren eat p
81 needn't say that we were 'hush as
mice during the rest of the sermon
parts of which, by the way, were of ex-
ceeding eloeuence, if that can be called
eloquence which, however rude, has the
power of deeply moving the feelings.
"He spoke of the thousands of miles
he had travelled, at all seasons of the
year, often in storms and tempests,
through bowling wildernesses of his
perils by water and perils by land, by
night and by day but never had his
heart failed him-never had he shrunk
from his mission.
"Lorenzo had keen eye for the hu-
morous, and his satire was of the most
biting character. 1t was Dow who so
discounted brother itinerant who had
demonstrated with him for his eccentric
ity, both in his matter and his manner
"I think said he, you had better
study your Bible little more you don't
always get the right meaning. I think
you was mistaken, for instance, when
you told your hearers, the other day,
that under the old Jewish dispensation
all small crimes were punished with
cropping off an ear; that it was rare
thing to find large assembly gathered
together, in our Saviour's time, without
finding half of them with their ears off
and that this was what Christ meant by
saying so often, "He that hath ears to
hear, let him hear "'
al never said SO! Indignantly re-
sponded the itinerant.
"'Well, never mind said Lorenzo
never mind now; it has all gone by
but whole congregation is seldom mis-
taken ?
DOUBTLESS the whole story was made
out of whyle CLOTH to annoy and hoax
the preacher"