The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-06-05
A Regular s.Hard shell' Sermon.

Father Garter, q "hard shell' Baptist preacher,
whose youth had been spent in the mountains
of Carolina, but who was famous preacher in
his persuasion. He was an enthusiast on the
subject of immersion" and being strong in
his own convictions, earnest and decided in
expressing them, he Influenced Others; He
gathered around him as disciples men of higher
astonish any city congregation, but it was at
least stirring in its character. In the woods
and under the giant trees, and in the log school
houses of California, where he was brought
into contact with minds as rude and unin-
formed as his own, it was that his emotional
nature met response and carried his audience
with him. A favorite sermon of his he called
his "eagle" sermon, and was from text in
Deuteronomy: Gas an eagle stirreth up her
nest auttereth over her young, spreadeth
abroad her wings, taketh them" The writer
once heard it, and its general tenor is indelibly
imprinted on his mind. After long prelimi-
nary exercise, he began:
My friends, thar is menny kinds of eagles.
They are singular birds-that is, they is queer
birds. Thar is the gray eagle, with white hars
on his head thar is the bald eagle, ditto, who
goes about like roarin' lion seeking what he
may eat up. Thar is the grand old American
eagle, what fops his wings and flies over all
| CreaClO0 anu nav ueeIu I6ll VI d OOuUiS
hedded, an Austrian, but 1 never seed one, and
don't believe thar is one-though that don't
signify, fur some of you uns might say you
hadn't never seed God, consequently thar warnt
none. But thar is, nevertheless, notwithstand-
ing fur which.
Now I onct knowed an eagle-that is, I
knowed on him-and her too, fur thar wur two
on 'em, big rooster eagle and hen eagle. 1t
wur in the big mountings of Caroliny and
thar they pitched their tents in tall and tow
ering pine-right in the top-and it hung over
deep precipice, whar it wur in danger of be-
ing participated down the precipice when the
loud winds did roar on Caroliny's shore" But
it warn't; fur He calleth His sheep by name
and they follow Him, and the desert blossoms
like rose, and the barren are better than them
that beareth children-nevertheless, notwith-
standing fur which.
Wal, these here eagles pitched their tent in
this waste, bowling wilderness, whar they wur
as lonely as solitary snipe in dog-days.
Fust they got whar there war two cross.
limbs; then they brought big sticks, and laid
'em carefully around and round until it began
to look sorter like a big balloon careening to
the sky, only it was on a tree; then they put
in it little sticks, and little sticks, and little
and little, till bimeby it were small and COM
down and moss and soft things, and put 'em
down into the bottom, and on the sides of its
insides, and made iJ smooth and warm and
comfortable like-like unto the man that filled
his barns, and told his sould to be easy and
take things natural like-and laid their egs
thar-but for the terrible voice that said
"Fool, this night thy soul shall be''-that is, he
wur to die that very night, and all his nice
things wouldn't be emmy more use to him
though they wurn't hurt, fur THAR eggs wur
Matched and all their young uns came out with
marry single feather on them-nevertheless,
Notwithstanding fur which.
Wal, these eagles and THAR young uns in
THAR fine home, and had on soft clothing like
John the Immerser wandering in the wilder
ness, whar they war in kings houses.and the
big uns fed 'em, as parents feed their little uns
| though thar's commandment again steeling,
which the eagles have to do, but it's thar natur
though that don't signify, fur mans natur
that nature; fur when would do good, evil is
present-and man amt an eagle by chance
nevertheless, Notwithstanding fur which.
When the eagles crowd up and had feathers
that is, when they came to the age of coun-
liability, which is expected of boys and girls
though eagles nature is diherent-then the
old eagles wanted them to fly abroad and mount
up on wings of eagles and jine the song that
floats around the throne. And that's whar the
text beams; for that's the way the Father up
wonder wants us to do when we reach the age
of countability--to fly upward-to fly upward
and jine the band of the narrer way, and pass
through the straight gate. But they didn't
liketo leave home and THAR kindred and THAR
parents, and seek country like unto the good
! old Abraham
'Whar oh whar Is the good Old Abraham II
| Whar, oh whar is the good Old Abraham?
Whar, oh whar Is the good Old Abraham?
| Safe in the promised land!"
The old eagle goes off and "Auttereth over
her young," aud that brings us to the second
mint of our discourse. "She futtereth," she
| flops her wings, like unto as you have seen
hawk Just sitting ready to pouncc down upon a
poor field mouse-though it amt like that
neither, for the hawk futtereth in wrath, but
the eagle futters over her young uns in love,
lust like when you see your dear little ones a
treading of the downward path, and your heart
Hutters because you're afraid-and she goes
above the nest and hollers squawk-which
when you holler you means to tell 'em to take
kecr," "take keer"-only the birds talk is not
like unto our falkland they hear that voice,
and creep unto the sides of the nest, and see
their fond parent Topping of their wings and
cry with their little pecked voice peek-whlch
means father dear and mother dear, L like to
foller you-fur
"Im bound for the land of Canaan
Pm bound for the land Of Canaan!
Pm bound for the land Of Canaan!
For it is my happy homo"
The eagle hath stirred her nest, she hath
Auttered over her young-and that brings us
to the third pint of our discourse.
And now, my dear frinds, what does she doY
She spreadeth abroad her wings. Thar she is
right up in the sky her wings stretched, like
the shadder of a mighty rock in dry. land.
Thar below is the little eagles a standing on
their trembln' feet like grim death, while fiery
billows roll beneath-afeard to fly, afeard to
stay, afeard to do anything, afeard not to do
sumthing-knowing thar is deep purc!lplce,