The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-11-13
E. E. WHEY,
FRANK RICHARDSON

4. =. W llE1s
FRANK RIoHARDsoN
Harion, Va, Oet. IS, 1878
Mr.. EDIToR.-It is published from
one end of this country TO the other
that ! use stimulating spirits too freely.
Their use l have entirely abandoned,
prefering to be sick, or dead, than to lay
myself liable any longer TO such COM
plants. | used them by medical, and
otherwise respectable, advisement.
Their use saved my life.
was poor boy, and had to support,
single-handed, for many years, moth
er and five children. / did it most of
the time by manual labor, as a hireling.
i had little time TO go to schOol-thFee
months will comprise all the time which
was of any profit to me. Then had to
walk several miles 10 the school-hOuse,
after cutting, and often carrying upon
my shoulders from q neighboFiDg ridge
enough wood to supply the necessities
of the family for q wipter-day-retu
ing at night, doing my work, and
learning my lessons by the light of pine
knots and chips. In the meantime
God Eegenerated me, and six ears af-
terward-called or God to preach-I
started. without an education, to my
first and only circuit, three hundred and
forty miles away, OH foot, with bat SO i'm
"
money by the Rev. A. G.. WorFey, of
the HOlston Conference God bless him y
to enable me to get to MY work. But
had to deny myself the privilege of
eating, save once, from Bristol, Tenn,
to Charleston, Tenn, and seventy ii, re
miles OF the road was then travelled by
the stage
Thus | started to preach-stndying
everywhere, and undei all circumstan-
ces, and sometimes nearly ali night, to
try and make myself an approved work
man. My record in the Holston Con-
ference is well known. In 1866 | was
sent by Bishop Early to Alexandria, Va.
Always having feeble, nervous con-
stitutiOn, and never flinching in my life
from the post of duty and danger, nv
health rapidly began to give way. Elk
hOrted to nse stimulants, | refused
During the eighteen months / was sta
toned in Alexandria / tasted ardent
spirits but few times, and then IN only
few cases of real illness-never as a
beverage. At the end of INV terua ill
Alexandria l ought to have located fer
one year, but had horror of such a
step. | was then removed by Bishop
DOggett to Baltimore. Baltimore was
our frontier work. The membership
was small. had to make. my own
congregation. With sNeh au,inspiratiOn
| gathered up all my feeble powers and
did my hest, i'm the meantime helping
other charges all IcQuld- My efforts &c,
preach at this time We're succeeded by a
Kind of convulsive vOmit, and this OF
ten followed by severe attack of cramp
collie, which at several times threatened
my life. l was told by friends-and
among them the late DIR. Thomas L.
Bond, M. b, and President of the Med
ical University OF Maryland--to use a
small portion Of whisky or brandy after
preaching, aud it would prevent the
vomiting. had to do IL or give up my
station and stop preaching. | tried it,
and IL effected a cure, and counteracted,
after time, the tendency to collie. The
amount used was small. The first sum
mer ] was In Baltimore 1 was threaten
ed with paralysis; my health seemed TO
| give way almost entirely, and / was re-
leased from my work for Rearly four
months. | recommended my work in
October; but, to fill the pulpit, had to
| give up, in great degree, pastoral visit
ing. The state of my health caused me
to accept the position, of Secretary of
the Board of Foreign Missions. During
that Summer ! was threatened with an
other attack, and lost about three
months from my work; but after that
my health, for the first time, began to
recuperate in such way that l thought
l would have no more tFOubIe; and if
had not been put back into the regular
work for year more l would not have
been ineffective, as have been now for
twelve months.
Our troubles in Baltimore in 1872
kept me at my post during the summer,
till l fell there. l stayed, not because l
was able to do the whole work, but to
| prevent decentralization. l had to use
stimulants or desert my post. In adj
| ditiOn TO my threatened attack of pa
ralysis Harvey G. Byrd, NJ. D., of Bal
timOre, being one of the physicians who
made the diagnosis l have suffered
horribly with neuralgia. My brain
would not bear Opiates; again l had to
Use whisky or brandy. ceased awhile
last February, but was compelled to re-
sumo their use for awhile. | always
used them against my viii; ami one
great purpose of my coming to the
country was to get my nerves gradually
relaxed from tile tension Of twenty-five
| years, so could live without Il stimu-
liant. | was making battle tor life, and
in me it was no sin, hence never COLI
| cealed il. My intense horror of paraly-
Sis may have caused me to eXaggerate
my danger; il threw a gloom over my
! soul, and the year to me has been one OF
hand of God leading me through the
shadows. "But he knoweth the way
that / take: when he hath tried me,
shall come fourth as gold" | could
nave spared leg, an arm, or even an
eye, but my fault lay not in them. God
touched the point of my ambition, and
l will abide his time. ale perfOrmeth
the thing that is appointed for me, and
many such things are with him." L
never dreamed that I could and would
be misunderstood, and traduced as II
common drunkard, or that any of my
brethren would ever have believed it..
BUt, neuralgia or no ReHrdlgiG, paralysis
or no paralysis, hare abandoned its use,
ia any quantity and ia all circumstances,
except The most ertrdOFdiRary-i. G., IL
must be matter of immediate life and
death, and never In the sense of a tonic,
or to elieve pain, or i'm any continuous
sense whatever. IL would be well for
all to come, under God, after careful
thought, 10 the same conclusion. In
the end all stimulants all great physical
and moral curses. When ! am able to
work without stimulart, l will work
when aIn not, l will rest. | sacrificed
myself to emergencies, without having
the power in all instances TO meet them.
1 ought to have taken the advice of
friends, and have gone to places where
| would have had less responsibility
and 4 better support.
Not being able to take work at the last
session OF the Baltimore Conference,
and being too young u man TO take a
supcrannuatcd rclatiOn--and supernu-
merary relation would have left upen
me some measure OF responsibility,
which l wished tO avoid--I located, and
wept like a child when the appointments
were read | will be I'm the regular
itenerancy when God gives me strength
To meet iOily its responsibilities. My
health Is now better.
Your brother,
W. h. MUNsEv
JOncShOrO, Tenn, Oct. IL. Is7"