Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-04-17
Lerenzo Dox's Vagarles.
STORIES FROM TIE LIPS OF HIS OLD
HEIGHBORs.

New York clergymen has awakened
lively echoes in the churches Of eastern
Connecticut. Hell" had long been
partially dormant here. or surrendered
it. claims as a topic Of ministerial dis
cussion to temperance. politics, and
poverty. The drift of public opinion at
length impelled the clergy to declare
their position. Some pastors have
met the issue square, with candor and
firmness; but the majority have handled
the subject in a genteel and tender
fingered manner. The sledge- hammer
armed "Thunderers" of reyivallsm that
Connecticut once sent forth to preach
hell a diabolical reality, are re-
membered by many sllver-haired
veterans OF the church, who regretf.lly
compare their brave deeds with the
weak artillery fire Of later preachers.
Coming from an exciting evening
meeting recently. a white headed,
rugged.faced old man broke forth: Il
tell you this business is all nonsence.
There's no sense into it. Just look at
the meetings Haiu't any OF 'em hall
full. Call this revival? Why it looks
more like the funeral Of Il poor relation.
Nobody takes no interest. aud why !
Cause nobody knows what they re
talking about. They believe IN hell,
and then again they don't. They We
riyged UP tive or six different kinds OF
he'll, aud every one on 'em has q
different kind Of temperature. The
Methodist hell is still pretty tolcrably
warm. but as ,e go down along they
keep growing cooler aud cooler, till IL
nally ye get ter weather that is "a good
deal more comfortable thau It's here IN
dog days. Iu my day it used to mean
somethn.' You could understan' one
of them preachers. 1t WAS come or De
damned. an' there was no hangln' roun'
church doors evenings, but every scat
was ruunln' over iull. aud sinners
hangin' Onter the pulpit. They Was
summat interested 10 know whar they
wax goin. 1t was one thing or t0ther,
no half way work. Hell then meant
live Goals, and live devei, and things
lively ginerally."
OfLorenzo Dow, the Peter the Her
mitn Of American reylvallsm.th timer
ant preacher, whose name was la
miliar word in every State and almost
every county Of the Union, the old mali
recalled many "reminiscences that haV'
never before been published. Dow was
born only tew miles from Norwich.
and the house in which he lived while
he was not assaiiiug tne"hOrdes OF the
deyirr in other States is still standing.
His eccentrIcites. his vigorous. agrees
i've sermous. his dry wittlclsms and
peculiar habits, are wildly remembered
IN his neighborhood. His strange
yrolesuueness excited curiosity wherever
he went. and his entry into village
was usually heralded by score or more
of youngsters. who preceded him cry
ing the news: Here comes old DOW
He chose the oldest and seemingly mos
ineligible places for his meetings whlcl
were usually held in the open air. A
mammoth stump in nook on The
verge of forest, all inverted barrel un
der the boushs Of an apple orchard or
rude platf Jrm Of rough boards at
country crossroads were the pulplts thai
he liked best to occupy. lie never
lacked an audience, for the announce
ment that "Old Dow" was going t.
"bold forth" at certain place, pro-
badly six months or year from dat"
never failed to call forth the country
veople, from far and wide, at the "P
pointed time. Dow never broS' d" &"
parenent, though some OF - "pp''"''
ment, were made sever" years III "'
vance and IN distap. parts OF the coun'
try, This SUI fait"iulneSS OF the
~.,.o,,,.r ,.ared the implicit confidence
.I,. ,,eope. Once, II is sad, he ap'
,.nted meeting tora certun lay an
hour aud place, two years IN advance III
a rude village in Virginia. At the
designated time aud place the pe"pl"
gathered and confidently awaited hi
arrival. At the expiration OF the ap
pointed hour, "A thin, gr zzlcd old man.
with long white beard and dressed in
shabby black suit aud torn straw hal
that tiappedit its broken brim in his lace
drove leisurely up 10 the gathering. Il
was Dow, punctual to the moment. IL
alighted, passed through the throns
without a word, mounted the platform.
and announced that, by the grace oi
God. the meeting would now be begun. "
One morning recently visited The
old home Of the famous preacher. 1t Is
in a cleft Of the hill in the north wes-
tern part of the town of Montvllle-a
low. rambling, two-st0ry country farm
house, upholding a corpulent ston'
chimney. and thrLsting out into til
stony, sterile pasture land acquisltiye
els and angles. Tall sycamorcs on tn
northern green sweep the mossy roo
with their motted boughs. The south
ern windows look out on the dimpled
surface of OxoboxC lake. not forty rOd-
away. A capacious barn. with exten-
siye outhouses, on swelling knoll
near by. completes the homestead
Betwsen the house and barn run
northward the open turnpike, which de
s,ands frat into the haunted depths OF