Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-03-28

Bangs, Asbury's jour mails, and Tia Biography or
Thomas, the psIson Of the islands. Th,ss men
and others have lett their record upon the his
tory and growth of Washington city; other itine-
rants who found no Biographies, could have
supplied sterling books on our topography and
well known in their day as visitors and preach
Father Bersey.
dsry line, between New Castle and Elkton
He was OF positive character and strong tenn
permanent, and although comparatively uned
W ated, he had native mind which neye.
failed to Put weaker, If more cultured men, ia
subsection to his will He was tall, gaunt, Wit
keen eye, a long nose, and a way of mount
ing men, as an eagle might Tasten on a sheep
overcoming the reason aud holding the victim
in objection until. like the Ancient Mariner
he had satisfied his forte and told his story. Hi
sterling confidence, never at fault, made him
equally efficient over large, miscellaneous au
dienees, and as pulpit orator, lie approached
Whitfield. When he leaned over the pulpit
he looked down as IL into the boiling furnace Of
hell, and his auditor could feel the heat OF the
place, IS well as hear the groans ascending
theIefrom, which Hersey could initiate with a
shrill diction that brought old and young to
their feet, and made all nature uneasy.
This man, according to tradition, had been in
early life q sort of Jim Fisk-a travelling ped
dler with snowy team, gilded wagon, AMI
that klnd OF personal bounce which attracted
desired to make sale. he was proud man,
as well as q confident one, and held his perigri-
mating reputation and success at a high stand
ard. There are persons Who remember him
riding into Washington city on the box, as lean
and Keen as John Randolph, q perfect republl-
can, admitting no man TO be his superior, and
the boys and negroes, the dogs and babies,
looked at his caravan as If itwere some sort OF
national property. The President may have
envied him; showmen always did.
At a certain time in Hersey's life, extrava-
ganee. profigacy, or error in business brought
him in debt. He suddenly found himself mort.
gagged for many years, and the iron Of oblig alton
entered into his hesh. The natural effect of such
grief upon bold, yet sensitive and pro vincisl
man, was to make him serious, ana then re-
ligious. Conversion affected him with the whole
force OF fanaticism. He was converted from the
crown OF his head to the sole OF his feet. Every
fibre OF his being appeared to cry out in praise
and fear to God. He conceived himself to be
the NEST awful sinner. His past life arose in
htdeous outlines, and the slightest errors OF
thought and conduct seemed 20 approach the
unforeivcn sin. He resolved that hencefOrth
until he paid his debts and cleared up his char
himself as he thought heaven might have pun
isbed him.
He became a Methodist, of course. because
that denomination was at the head OF spiritual
life in the region of country which he had ira
verSed; yet with his native boldness of charac-
til he refused to accept some leading tenets of
the Methodist church as to organization and
discipline. He believed that lsymen ought to
be admitted to church government; he don bted
the episcopaey as proper thing in a Christian
sect; all license, such rs wearing je1elry, eat
eschewed. Since the day of George Whitfield,
10 revivslist entered upon work with such ter
rible esrnestness. He fOurished at his best be-
tween 1880 and 1850.
His system of paying off his debts was the
same which ParsOn Weems, the biogrspher OF
Washington, pursued, viz: the writing Of books
issuing them himself, and being their colpor-
teurer. Like Freedom GarretsOu and John
Wesley, he addressed one of the earliest OF
these books to the slavery question, and it was
called, If remember correctly, Thoughts on
nks txxraxr
found at the booksellers stands. One Of them
was called "Small Things" and the slavery
book was always indispensibly placed among
his more orthodox publications. 1t was for
many years the only anti slavery book available
to the public in Maryland and Virginia. 1t was
the first book that the present writer ever read
addressed to the instinct OF the STAKEHOLDER, and
perhaps 1t insensibIy paved the way for that
political fermentation on the same subject which
at last threw down slavery and all connected
VIII 1t: The helPessness and individuality OF
could no more than back-bite, calling
him diseased man, reprobste, and
was guest at my fathers house, come super
serviceable postmaster tempered with his mail,
and found therein an abolition Newspaper
whether Benjamin Lundy's, or W. l.. Carl
sons, do not know. The charge was so helm
GUS that there was a rumor that tar and feath-
ers would be applied to this abolition ennis
sary.
The old man came into the house Just after
this talk, and one OF his long walks, when he
was foot-sore and painting, and as lay mother
tells me walked mp to him and said: "Father
eyes, son, am very tired. Father Hersey
has walked long way, and is quite tired
"But no. Father Hersey, is you tarred? They
eyes, son, old Father Hersey is all tired out"
By this time my mother was making motions
and winks or Intimidation at me, which stopped
the subject, and the poor old soldier of the cross
oh
meant to treat him with indfguity.
As q revival preacher, do net believe Whit
field was more effective. His stock OF ideas and
jnfoi nation was limited, but everything he
knew was ."ade available. His writings were
quaint and err eDtional. He had somehow
fallen across q trans >noD OF Macam Guion's
hymns, which he commitrr~, 70 memcry' sne
5sc HsS n 10 So %0f
was Catholic, but that makes no difference to
me-" well remember that one of these poems
used to raise the house with its sweetness, be-
rinnino s""'sthino like the following:
A little bird am /,
Shut out from light and ali,
Yet all the night i sit and sing
To him who places me there
ell pleased prisoner to be,
Because, NY God it pleaseth Thee"
He had about q dozen anecdotes which he
told over and over again, and they were at his
tongues end, 60 chat. year BY year, be told them
was theatrical with a purpose anything but
theatrical behind it. One night the daughter
OF q bank president OF an aristocratic town on
the Eastern Shore of Maryland came with sew
eral OF her schoolmates to hear this wild man
preach, and she was so terrified and stricken
with his sermon that when the invitation was
given to walk TO the altar and kneel for the
prayers of the congregation, she went forward,
to the surprise OF her comrades and to the scan
dial of her church. Next day her family
brought in the church parson, her relatives and
her lover, to disnlay her, and abe was sent Oh 70
Baltimore to take some lessons ct the theater
and get Methodism ont of her mind. The les
son was successful, but the Methodists kept up
the tradition Of this young girls conviction,
suppression, and loss of peace and heaven,
until the story had the force in the church of
one Of the Roman miracles,
ON one occasion, remember, my cousin, an
orphan girl, sat at the table with poor thin
little gold ring On her finger, mounted with q
red stone. Hersey would never sleep on a
feather-bed nor nattrass, but, hermit like, laid
down on sacking bottom on the door. He
came down stairs severe and ugly. At the
bre akfsst table his eyes lighted on the ring.
"My daughter ;" he said, " what are you doing
with that thing ON sour finger. II viii only drag
your pOef soul down to he'll"
My father who had an involuntary libeeality,
although . Methodist, said: "Fsther Jersey,
h~k DO III HkA "A n ~~A A.