Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-09-08

An ASTONISHING STORY Told BY TIE
REy. $. II. PLATr-ENABLED TO
WALK AFTER TWENTY FIVE YEARS
OF tELPLEssNEss-WAs IT FAlTn?
The prolonged camp meeting in
Ocean Grove, which will close on
Friday next, has had an extraordinary
experience in the cure Of the Rev. $.
N, Plat, who had becn'apparently in,
curably lame for quarter Of a cen
turv. Mr.. Piltt, who is the pastor of
the DE Kalp avenue NJ. Z. Church, is
by no means likely to be deceived ei-
ther by his own imagination or by the
representations Of others. lie is the
aa;h2My az M6}flS qf lSryGrHld dgaqd2Fa "hi(rsophita
Christina Law of Giving, "Elijah the
Tisbbito," .'Punccly Manhood" $40
Every Man bis Work" and "Queenly
Womanhood." He is inclined to be
skep,ical as to the power Of prayer to
avert or remove temporal life. He is
native of Connecticut, and i'll 1850
was completing his studies for the
ministry in the Methodist University.
Mr.. platt is forty five years of age,
but looks some%hat younger. HIS
hair and his full beard, whiskers, aud
moustache, are iron cray, and his face
indicates seltreliance and energy.
Shortly before he preached his first
sermon IA an ordained Methodist min
ister, he was kicked by visclous
horse, and his right leg was disabled.
/ A floating CARTHAGE formed In tne
knea. and some Of the most eminent
surgeons in America declared it case
bevond their skill. -Four years ago,
while Iimping slowly along the side
walk near his house, he struck his left
/ + nee against the corner OF a dry goods
box. Precisely the same result fol
/ owed a. when Tie horse kicked him,
and within few Gays he was wholly
disabled, aud could move only with
the aid Of two canes Or crutches. lie
could 10 longer stand in his pulpit
even on one leg, but was obliged to
sit while preaching. This double at
Fiction was n terrible one, and be
again exhausted all the sources OF POS
siJle surgical relief; but nothing could
be done for him, and after the useless
expenditure of much time and money,
he became assured that he vas hope
Iessly crippled.
\ MESSENGER FROM TIE LORD.
Besides his house adjoining the DE
Kalb avenue church, Mr.. Platt owns
cottage ut Ocean Grove. in which,
with his family, he usually passes a
part Of thc sumner. Toward the end
of last month he was there, and one
evening alter having preached sitting
to alb ut four thousand persons, while
he was in his cottage suffering conSld'
erable pain, and trying to recruit his
strength, two ladies' were announced
One of them introduced herself as
Miss Moseman, and said the Lord had
sent her to see him Mr.. Platt, as
has been intimated, had little or nc
confidence in divine help for mere
physical Ills
lie received his visitors courteously
Miss Moseman .old him that if he had
taith in the Lords power to relieve
him, his crippled limbs could be cured
and the minister answered that he hao
no doubt of his power, but he ques.
toned his willingness. After some
further conversation, the lady proposed
prayer, but Mr.. Patt demurred, or
the ground that Christians should not
ask divine help for physical ills, unles:
assured that God would give them the
faith necessary to believe that he was
willing to assist them. She tried tc
convince him by argument, but the
clergyman, trained logician, easil,
reiuted everything she told. Willing
however, TO test her theory, if he coult
consistently do so, he asked he,