The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-05-14
The Circuit Aider
A TALE OF THE HEROIC AGE.
By EDWARD EGGLEsroN.
IWLOr OF" Tie Hooster School las
ter" End Of tie llorla," ete.
From the Christian Union
CHAPTER NNNII- lIontinueA.

CHAPTER NNNII- lGoatiuued).
As there was every sign of an APP
preaching riot during the evening
service. and as no man could manage
the tempest SO well as Brother Good
win, he was appointed TO preach. A
young theologian of the present day
would have drifted helpless on the
waves of such mob. When one has
a congregation that listens because j,
ought to listen, one can afford 10 he
rrosy; but an audience that will only
listen when it is compelled to listen
is the best discipline in the world for
an orator. 1t will teach him meth
DDS of homiletic arrangement which
learned writer's on Sacred Rhetoric
have never dreamed OF.
The disorder had already begun
when Morton Goodwin's tall figure
appeared in the stand. Frontcr-men
are very susceptible to physical ef-
fects. and there was clarioa-hNe
sound to Moston's voice we'll calcula-
ted 10 impress them. Goodwin en-
joyed battle; every power Of his mind
and body was at its best in the pres
ence Of storm. He knew better than
to take text. He mus, surprise the
mob into curiosity.
"Ihere is man standing back in
the crowd there" he began, pointing
his finger in certain direction where
there was much disorder, and paus-
ing until every body was still, "who
reminds me Of funny story | once
heard A, this point the turbulent
sons Of Belial, who loved nothing SO
much as funny story, concluded 10
postpone their riot until they should
have their laugh. l.auel, they did,
first at one funny story, ami then at
another-stories with no moral III par
ticnlar, except the moral there is in
laugh. Brother Mellep, who sat be-
hind Morton, and who had never
more than half forgiven him for not
coming TO bad end as the result Of
disturbing a meeting, was greatly
shocked at Morton's leyitv in the pull
pit. but Magfuder, the presiding el-
der was delighted. He laughed at
each story, and laughed loud enough
for Goodwin to hear and appreciate
the seniors appr val Of his drollery
But somehow--th" crowd did not
| know how--at some time in his dis
course-the Salt Fork rowdies did
not observe when Morton managed
to cease his drollery without detcc-
tion, and to tell stories that brought
tears instead of laughter. The mob
was demoralized, and, by keeping
their curiosity perpetually excited,
Goodwin did not give them time to
rally at all. Whenever an interruption
was attempted, the preacher turned
the ridicule Of the audience upon the
interlocutor,and SO gain the sympathy
Of the rough crowd who were haiti
uated to laugh on the sitlr Of the WIN
ner in all rude tournaments Of body
or mind. Knowing perfectly we'd
that he would have to tight before the
night was over, Morton mind was
stimulated to its utmost. Ii only he
could get the religious interest ago
ing, he might save some Of these men
instead of furnishing them. His soul
yearned over the people. His oratory
at last swept out triumphant over ev-
erything; there was weeping and sob
bing; some fell IN uttefing cries of
anguish others ran away in terror.
Even Burcha,d shiyered with emo
ton when Morton described how, step
by step, a young man was led from
bad TO worse, and then reci,ed his
own experience. At last there was
the utmost excitement. As soon as
this hurricane Of feeling had reached
the point of confusion. the rioters
broke the spell of Mortons speech
and began their disturbance. Good
win Immediately invited the penitents
INTO the enclosed pen-ike place call
"a the altar, and the whole space was
filed with kneeling mourners, whose
cries and groans made the woods re-
sound. But at the same moment the
rioters increased their noisy demon-
strations. and Morton. finding Htlrch-
ard inefficient 10 quell them. descen-
ded from the pnplt and took command
Of his eamp-mceting police.
Perhaps the mob would not have
secured headway enough to have
necessi;ated the severest measures if
it had uot been for Mr.. Mellen. AS
soon as he detected the rising storm
he felt impeled to try the effect of
his stentorian voice in quelling it. He
did not ask permission of the presid-
ing elder, as he was in duty bound TO
do, but as soon as there WAS a pause
in the singing he began to exhort.-
His style was violently aggressive,
and only served to provoke the mob.
He began with the true old llomeric
epithets Of early Methodism, exp'od-
ing them like bomb shells. You are
hair-hung and breeze shaken over
hell,h he cried.
"lou don't say :" responded one
of the rioters, to the infinite amuse
ment of the rest.
For FIVE minutes Me,icn proceeded
to drop this kind OF religious aqua
forts upon the turbulent crowd,
which grew more aud more turbulent
under his inilammatory treatment
Finding himself likelyto be defeated,
he turned toward Goodwin and de-
manded that the camp-meeting pc
lice should enforce order. But Nor
ton was contemplating "A master
stroke that should annihilate the dis
order in one battle, and he was not be
hurried into too precipitate an attack.
Brother Mellen resumed his eXhor-
tation, and as small doses of nitric-ac-
id had not allayed the irritation, he
thought it necessary to administer
stronger ones. "You'll go to hell,
he cried, "and when you get there
your ribs will be nothing but a grid
iron to roast your souls in"
"Hurrah for the gridiron - cried
II