The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1878-11-07

ern part Of the town of MOntville-a
low, rambling, tWO-stOry country farm
house, uphOlding a COrpulent stone CHM
ney and thrUsting out into the stony,
sterile pasture land acquisitiYe els and
angels. Tall sycamOres on the northern
green, sweep the mossy roof with their
mottled boughs. The southern windows
look out on the dimpled surface of Oxo-
bOxo lake, not forty rods away. a ca
paCiOus barn, with extensive OuthOuses,
on a sweeping knoll near by, completes
tho homestead. Between the house and
barn runs northward the open turnpike,
which descends first into the haunted
depths of witch woods, then trails away
over the lonely hills to Colchester village.
The old house is occupied by relatives of
Dow (by marriage), who came to live
with his widow a short time before her
death, a few years ago. Dow was twice
married but he died without children.
81 don't suppose" said my informant,
that there's a prominent spot round
here that the old man has not preached
and prayed on more than q half-dozen
times. This is the right kind Of cOun-
try" the speaker continued, CyniCally,
with q sweep of the hand towards its
stony fields and pastures, thatched with
briers and bayberTy bushes, ''tO produce
a religion hard enough for anybody. No
wonder that the preachers we're tough.
No nonsense about 'em. There's mate
rial enough lying round loose here to
turn out a hell without any very great
strain of Imagination. The old man got
his religion and his mission to preach
direct from here and from God.
II ,ITIvr1E hol1-,r-. 10 Inr,-v,,T
but set out on his own hook. He
didn't take no pay, and went about as
the apostles of old, wherever the spirit
called him. Lord, how he used to sail
into preachers that got salariesl He had
ideas Of his own, and was independent
of every one and everything-'specially
fashion. He always wore his beard long
when everybody else shaved theirs of
and he wore an old straw hat, summer
and winter, with the brim half tore off.
Everybody went to hear him, and when
it was known that old Dow was going
to preach, all the other meetings were
deserted. The boys sometimes put up
Jobs on him, though. I reCOlleCt once
that he was to preach in an orchard, and
a big crowd gathered to hear him. Well,
Just before the meeting began the fellows
got him a great hogshead to stand on,
and filed it about tWO-thirds full Of
water. They put in the head rather
loosely. and waited for fun. Dow mount
ed on the barrel, gave out his text, got
fired up, and was pranCing and thump-
ing around on that barrel-head in lively
style, and suddenly in she went, splash,
slush, boards, Dow, straw hat and all.
The water was about up to MS neck, and
he scrambled out dripping all over. Je-
rusalem, how the people laughed, and
how DOW-Well, he went right on preach
ing on the ground, but significantly he
had commenced on grace, mercy, and
peace, but he wound up on hell fire and
eternal damnatiOn.
Zone cold, clustering day Dow was driv-
ing in his sleigh along a narrow country
road that was banked high with snow.
He encountered a man who was driving
in the opposite direction. There was
only one path, and that in the centre Of
the road one or the other must turn
out Dow took in the situation at q
glance, and rising erect in his seat, whip
in hand and with threatening visage and
manner, called out sternly: Turn out,
turn out, I say, or I'll serve YOU as l did
q Llh4 Il5G BdEA 4ACAEa 44AD Gl4ehA4EG4r
oyeraWed, nerVOusly Obeyed, and wal
lowed through the deep snow on the
roadside till he could regain the path.
Then he turned toward the retiring figure
and asked somewhat angrily: Well, how
how did you serve the other man?
Why replied Dow, composedly, he
wouldn't turn out for me, so 1 turned out
for him."
In one of his pilgrimages through tn
backWOOds of Pennsylvania, Dow enter
ed a rude settlement on the outskirts Of
civilization. He was to preach in the
village church in the evening. The man
in whose house he was to tarTy over
night had recently lost an axe by theft.
The loss of such an implement was too
serious in those days to be borne resign
edly, and the farmer bitterly bemOaned
his misfortune to Dow, representing the
difficulties of obtaining a new tool. Just
keep quiet said the preacher, mysteri-
OUsly, and with a confident manner, and
I will get your axe for you"
"On the way to the church in the eve
ming. Dow stopped down by the roadside,
picked up two 1arge, round stones ana
placed them in his pocket. He quietly
entered the pulpit and waited until all
the congregation had assembled, and the
deep silence preceding the opening Of
service reigned in the house. Then ad-
vancing to the pulpit edge, with a stone
in each hand, he cried in a loud, COM
manding voice, My friend calling him
by name) has lost a valuable axe. It was
stolen from him. The eye Of God is in
every place. I see the thief before me
in the audience, and I am about to hurl
this stone (poising the missile in the air
at his head He accompanied his words
with a quick, emphatic gesture, and a
stout-built, rough man in the thrOng
lodged his head instantly one side to es-
cape the expected shot. There's your
thief" Dow shouted. to his friend, point
ing to the man; go and get your axe"
Dow carried on his journeys a medi-
cine that was called 'DOW's physiC.' 1t
was an excellent remedy for a number
of complaints, and the old man sold itas
he travelled, thereby realizing sufficient
profit to meet the trihing expenses Of his
peregrinations.
"He died in Alexandra, Va, at ripe
age, of the effects of exposure in the dis
charge of his ministerial duties"