New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-04-12

| ho" prices 1or our produce need not give US nov
Spruce up a little Mary, there's no mortgage o.
! the farm.
THE FLOOD AND THE ARK.
| A Hnrd-Shell GIethOdist Sermon on Nntur,
| and Noah.
| From the independently
In the autumn of 1880 attended Meth
Odist camp meeting in the interior of Geor
| gia, and heard sermon which l have neve
been able to forget or describe.
The speaker had just been licensed, ani
| 1t was his first sermon. In person he wal
small, bullet-headed, of a fair, sandy com
| piexiSn, and his countenance was indica
tive of sincerity and honesty. He wa:
| taking up the Bible in regular order for the
| first time in his life, and had gotten as fal
| as the history of Noah, the ark, the food
etc. Besides. Just before his conversion
he had been reading Goldsmith's Animated
Mater and the two together, by the aid and
| assistance of the Spirit, had led him into a
powerful train of thinking as he stood at
his work bench, day in and day out" The
text was: s. As it was in the days of Noah,
so shall the coming of the Son of Man be, y
and he broke out in the following strains:
eyes, my brethren, the heavens OF the
windows was opened-ah, and the floods of
pAAc q S-"Ip uSCp hAfOAOu lhO al,
and there Shem, and there Ham, and there
japheth-ah, all agwiue into the ark-ah.
And there was the elephant-ah that
great animal ah of which Goldsmith de-
scribes in his Animated Mater ah, what is
as big as a house-ah, and his bones as big
as tree-ah, depending somewhat upon the
size OF the tree-ah, all a-gwine into the
ark-ah. And the heavens of the windows
was opened-ah, and the floods of the gre at
deem kivaral rho at oh or1
Shem, and there was Ham, and there was
Japheth-ah all a-gwine into the ark-ah
''And there was the hippopOtamus-ah,
that great animal-ah of which Goldsmith
describes in his Animated Mater -ah, what
has great horn all six feet long. more
or less-ah, all agwine into the ark-ah
"And there was the giratfe-ah, my breth-
erin, that ill-contrived reptile of which
Goldsmith describes in his Animated
Nater-ah, whose fore legs Is twenty five
five feet long Yah, more or less-ah, depend
ing somewhat on the length of 'em, ah, and
neck SO long he can eat hay Oft the top of
a barn-ah, all a-gwine into the ark ah
and the heavens of the windows was
opened-ah, and the floods Of the great deep
kivered the waters-ah, and there was Ham.
anuthere was Shem, and there was Japheth-
ah, ALL a-gwine into the, ark-ah.
"And there was the zebra, my brethren
Goldsmith describes in his Animated Ma
r'ah, what has three hundred stripes a.
runnin' right straight around his bod -ah,
more or less. depending somewhat on the
number OF stripes ah, and nary two stripes
alike ah, all agwine into the arkah
''Then there was tho anaconder-ah, that
gre at sarpint of which Goldsmith de-
scribes in his Animated Mater. ah, what can
swallow six oxens at a meal-ah, provided
,tn coll e, l.,
gwine into the ark-ah. And the heavens of
the windows was opened-ah, and the floods
Of the great deep kivered the waters-ah
and there was Shem, and there was Ham,
and there was Japheth-ah, all a-gwine into
the ark-ah.
"And there was the lion, brethren-ah.
what is the king of beats, accordin' to |
;cripter-ah, and who, as st. Paul says,ah, |
Drowls around OF night like roarin' !
ievil-an, a-seekin' If ne can't catch some
1ody-ah, all gwine into the ark-af
"And there was the antelope-ah, nv
that risky little critter all, of |
which Goldsmith describes in his Animated
\ ater-'ah what can jump seventy-iv foot
straight np-ah, and twice that distance
iewnah. provided his legs will take him
hat fur ah, all a-gwine into the ark. ali.
And the heavens of the windows was
'pened-ah, and the floods Of the great deep
AlFcISu tuO waters dill, duI IQPIS Was |
'apheth-ah, all a-gwine into the ark ah
But time would fail me. my bretherin,
o describe all the animals that went into
lie ark-ah. Your patience and my strength
would give out before l got half through
h. We talk, my bretherin, about the
aith OF Abraham and the patience of Job
b.; but it strikes me they didn't go much
head of old Noer-ah. 1t tuck right
mart chance O. both to gether up all that
opher- wood and pitch and other truck for
0 build that craft-ah. | am a sort of car |
enter myself and have some idea of the
10 all. But to hammer, and saw, and |
laul, and split away on that one thing q
undred and twenty year-ah. an lOOkin' for
ispay in another world-ah-I tell ye my
retherin, IT the Lord had a-sot Job at that,
IS my opinion he would a-tuck his wifes
dvice inside of fifty year,ah. Be-
DIES, no doubt, his righteous soul
as vexed. every day, hand runnin',
18th the filthy communications of the |
lasphemlous set that was always loafer-
: and a-saunterin' around-ah, a-pickin' up
is tools and a-misplacen' 'ern, and a-callin'
I'M an old fool or somethin' worse ali; and, 1
clap the climax, he was preacher, and
i'd that ongodly gineratiOn on his hands |
7ery Sunday-ah. But the Lord stood by
IN, and seed him through the job-ah; and {
hen everything was ready he didn't send
Ger out to scrlmmage an scour an hunt I
| over the wild world for to git up the :
itters and varmonts that he wanted saved {
/. They all come to his hand of their own {
cord, and Noer only had to head 'em 6
and fix em around in their places all. .
len he gethered up his own family, il
i'd the Lord shut him in, and the | .
avens OF the windows was open -ah. | f
"But, my brethren, Noer-ah had use for v
) patience after this-ah. Think what a 6
ne he must had a feedin' and waterin' 8
ID cleanin' out SIGH n crowd ah. Some I
'em, according to Goldsmith's Animated /
ater'ah, was earniverous, and wanted ii
ash meat-ah; and some were herbiverOus, | K
d wanted vegetable food -ah and some D
re wormverOus, and swallowed live | t.
ings wholeah; and he had to feed every 81
ing accordin' to his mater. Hence, We | C.
ew. my brethren-ah, as the mater of the ! s;
finals wasn't altered by goin' into the N
k ali, some of 'em would roar, and howl, | b
d bark, and bray, and sGueal, and bleat in
3 whole indurin' night ah a drivin' sleep h,
I'M his eyes and slumber from his eyelets- fir
and aJ the first streak of daylight the di
It hoof OF 'em would set up a noise 10
,ordin' to his nater-ah, and the bulls of til
shan wern't no whar-ah. I've often OF
ndered how their women stood it, tr
'ipter is silent on this pint-ah, but think III
now OF some that would been vapOry bi
d nervous under SIGH eircunstance-ah, of
l in an unguarded moment might a said m
nethin' besides their prayers-ah. la
My bretherln, one more word for old | of
er-ah, and will draw to a close-ah. After | m
outbeatin' time he had, first and last, | sill
80 many hundred year-ah, if he did, by I 80