The Ottawa free trader., 1878-04-13
LORENZO DOW'S VAGARIES
stories from the Lips OF his Old NeiGhbors
Near Norwich.
From the New York sun.

J. rom Ic new lorh 'un
NORWICH, Conn, March 20.-Thc recent in
vestigation into Hell" by the New York
elergymen has awakened lively echoes in the
churches Of eastern Connecticut Hell" had
long been partially dormant here, or surrcn
dered It's claim as II topic of ministerial discus
sion to temperance, politics, and poverty The
drift Of public opinion at length impelled the
clergy to declare their position. Some paSorS
have met the issue square, with CandOr and
tirmness; but the majority have handled thC
subject in gcntccl and tcndcr-hngcrcd man
ner. The sledgc-hammer armed "Thundcrcrs
of reyiyalism that Connecticut once sent forth
10 preach "hell Il diabOlical reality" are re.
nembcred by many silver-haircd veterans OF
tne church, who rcgrctfully compare their
brave deeds with the weak artillery fire Of later
preachers.
Coming from an exciting evening meeting
recently, white-headed rugged faced old man
broke forth: II tell you this business is all
nonsense There's no sense in it, Just look
at the meetings. Iain't any of 'cm half full
Call this revival? Why, il looks more like
the funeral of poor relation Nobody takes
no interest, and why? Cause nobody knows
what they're talking about. They believe in
hell, and then agin they don't. They've rig.
ged five or six different kinds of hell and every
one on em has different kind of temperature.
The Methodist hell is still pretty tolcrably
warm, but as yc 80 down along they keep
growing cooler and cooler, till finally We get to
weather that is IA good deal more comfortable
than IT'S here in dog days. In my day il used
% mean somcthin'. You could understan' one
Of them preachers II was come or be damned,
an there was no hangin' roun' church doors
evenings, but every seat was runnin' over full.
and sinners hangin' onter the pulpit They
was summat interested to know whar they was
goin. II was one thing or tether; no half
way work Hell then meant live Goals, and a
live devil and things lively gincrally."
OF Lorenzo Dow, the Peter the Hermit OF
American reviyalism the itinerant preacher
whose name was "A familiar word in every state
and almost every county of the Union, the old
man recalled many "reminiscences that have
never before been published. Dow was born
only a few miles from Norwich, and the house
in which he lived while he was not assailing the
'hordes OF the devil in other states is still
standing. His eccentricities, his vigorous ag.
g,ressive sermons, his dry witticisms and pc
Culiar habits, are vividly remembered IN his
neighbOrhOod. His strange groteSqueness ex-
cited curiosity wherever he went, and his entry
INTO a village was usually heralded by score
or more Of youngsters, who preceded him cry.
ing the news Here comes old Down lie
chose the oldest and seemingly most ineligible
places for his meetings, which were usually
held IN the open air. A mammoth stump In a
nook on ihe verge of forest, an inverted bar.
rel under The boughs of an apple orchard, or
rude platform of rough boards at a country
crossroads were the pulpiis that he like best
10 occupy. He never lacked an audience, for
the announcement that "Old Dow" was going
20 ~hold forth" at a certain place, probably six
months or year from date, never failed 10 call
iorth the country people, from far and wide, al