Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-02-09

NTY. IOWA, FEBRUl
fashionable women, covered with
silken drapery bedight with gems
shriekcd as If q knife were ut work
among their heart-strings.
Again he changed the theme, and
sketched the Joys Of q righteous
death-its faith, its hope, its winged
|raptures, and what beautiful angels
attended the liberated spirit to its
Fstarrv home-with such force, Ere,
and evident belief, that all eyes were
raised toward heaven, as the entire
congregation started to their feet, as
liz to hail the visions Of angels al
which the finger of the preacher
seemed to be pointed, elevated as II
was on high to the full length Of his
arm.
He then made a call for m0urners
to come to the altar, and five hundred,
many Of them until that night inf
dels, rushed forward, and prostratcd
themselves on their knees. The meet
ing continued for two weeks and
more than thosuand converts were
added to the church. From that
time the success of Peter Cartwright
was unparalleled, and the fact is chiefly
due to his inimitable wit and master.
ly cloquence that Methoiism is now
the prevailing religion in Illinois.
"In what college did he graduate
Surely il must have required a
mighty alma mater 10 develop such
10 SON"
You arc more than half right. my
good questioner. Peter Cartwright
like most preachers of his sect, re-
ceived his education in the great uni.
versal universitv-thc same that pro.
duced Homer, Plato, Shakespeare,
Moses, Mendelsshon, Franklin--that
weaver Of garlands from the light
ning's wing-Washington and Pat
rick Henry, High up on the highest
mountain top, deep down in the low
est valley, far out away OH the roll
ing billow, there he studied and toll
ed together in the most glorious OF
all schools--the free school of self
culture! "But did he graduate r.
Aye, and natures own hand wrote
his diploma with pencil Of living
light, and stamped twith a seal OF
fire-the immortal fire of true genius.
Cartwright became an itinerant at
eighteen, with no learning from
books save what he derived from the
pages Of his Bible and q collection. OF
hymns. Year after year he contih-
ued to travel the wild circuits of the
frontier, earning but a hundred dol.
lars for labor painful as those OF a
slave at the oar. But his vocation
Afforded him excellent opportunities
for meditation and even reading. In
his long journeys from one appoint
ment to another be was alone, with
nothing about him but woods and
water, birds, mountains, sun, moon,
and stars. These he might and did
ponder well. Aye, he did more; he
bought him books Of literature and
science, and pored over them as he
rode along, with an ardor and patient
perseverance such as perhaps never
was witnessed within the stone walls
Of college, Thus he mastered
mathematics, logic, physics, law, and
several languages, ancient and mod
|ern. Ohi believe me-all human
history-there Is no teacher like the
students own hard-working intellect
urged on to action and guided in Its
efforts by the omnipotence Of an I'M.
conquerablc will.
"Why did not this western prodi-
gy achieve for himself more exten-
sive renownf Why did he not climb
to the loftiest stations in the church ?
If this narrative be true, he ought
before now to have been bishop, at
the least"
The statement Of a few facts will
solve the problem. Let it be rcmcm.
bered then, that the Methodist Epis.
copal Church is hierarchy, in which
the dispensation of clerical honors
rests exclusively with the bishops
and general conference Of itinerants
where the laity and local preachers
are unrepresentcd, and consequently
have no voice. Hence, in that sect
popularity. eloanence and and Other
found sufficient passports to the pre-.
eminent distinctions of authority and
Office, but often to the reverse. Ths
bishops gown must be won by steady
austere devotion, not by brilliant or
atory or profound and varied learn
| ing.
On this perilous rock Peter Cart
wright's lofty vessel was shivered in
to the. atoms of hopeless wreck
He made no pretensions to superior
sanctity, nor was it mansfested in hi
conduct and demeanor, whether il
public or private life. Indeed he wa.
distinguished by one very unclerica
neutrality-suspicious. in the su
perlative degree. His battles, though
always apparently on the defensive
were as numerous as those of the Gel
ebrated Bowie. The only difference
lay in this, that Bowie fought witt
deadly weapons, while Cartwright
used but his enormous fist, which
was as effective, however, in th'
speedy settlement Of belligerent is
sues as any knife or pistol ever forg
ed out of steel Let the reader judg'
from the following anecdote;
| At the camp meeting held at Alton il
the autumn Of 1883, the worshiper
were annoyed by a set of desperadoe
from st. Louis, under the control o
Mike Fink, notorious bully, the tri
umphant hero of countless fights, il
none Of which he had ever met hi
lequal or even second. These coars
drunken ruffians carried it with
high hand-outraged the men and III
suited the women, SO as to threatel
the dissolution Of all pious exercises
and yet such was the terror the nam
Of their leader, Fink, inspired, tha
mot one individual could be foun
brave enough to face his prowess.
Il At last, ono day when Cartwright
ascended the pulpit to hold forth, th
, despersdoes on the outskirts Of th
. encsmpment raised yell so deafeu
| ing as to utterly drown every othe
sound. Cartwright's dark eyes she
lightning. He deposited his Ribll
, drew his coat, and remarked aloud.
"Wait Z few minutes, my brethrel
while l 60 and make the devil pray
. He then proceeded, with smil
on his lips, to the focus Of the tumul
, and addressed the chief bully:
"Mr. Fink, I have come to mai
! you pray"
The desperado raked back the tai
! gled festoOns Of his blood-red hal
arched his huge brows with com
! cal expression, and replied'
"Ry golly, I'd loike to see you d
/ II, old snorter! !"
/ Every we'll" said Cartwright, s'wi
i these gentlemen, your conrteoi
: friends, agree not to show foul play
II an course they win. They're ra
] gvit and wont do nuthip' hut II
!. clean thing, so they won't" rejoins
: Fink Indignantly.
!. aAre you ready r asked Car
/ wright.
s. Ready as race hoss with q ig.
] rider" answered Fink, squaring h
!. lponderous person Tor tho combat.
/. But tho bully spoke too soon +,
3 scarcely had tho words left his Iii
: when Cartwright made . prodigiol
!. .lbound toward his antagonist, and q
4 Icompanied It with quick shootir
.ipunch Of his hcrculean fist, viii,
|. fell crashing on the others chin, an
Il Al