Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-08-16
Lorenzo Dow,

VI Lorenzo Dow, the "Peter the Her.
init" OF American revivalism, the timer
ant preacher, whose name was a familiar
word IN every State and almost every
county of the Union, an old man now
living at Norwich recalls MANY reminis-
eences that have never before been pub.
llshed. Dow was born only a few miles
from Norwich, and the house in which
he lived while he was not assailine the
"hordes of the deviF in other States is
still standing. His eccentricities, his
vigorous aggressive sermons, his dry wit
tlcisms and peculiar habits, are vividly
remembered in his neighbOrhoOd. His
Strange grotesqueneSS excited curiosity
wherever he went, and his entry into q
village was usually heralded by a score
or more OF youngsters, who preceded him
crying the news: Here comes old Dow" !"
be 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 the verge
OF forest an inverted barrel under the
Doughs OF an apple orchard, or rude plat
form OF rough boards at country cross
roads, were the pulpits that he liked best
70 occupy. be never lacked an audience.
for-the announcement that "Old Dow
was going to "hold forth" at a certain
place, probably six months or q year
from date, never failed to call forth
the country people, from far and wide.
at the appointed time. Dow never broke
an engagement, though some of his ap-
pointments were several years in advance
and In distant parts of the country. This
strict faithfulness of the preacher secur-
ed the implicit confidence of the people.
Once, it is said, he appointed a meeting
for certain day and hourand place. two
years in advance, in a rude village in
Virginia. At the designated time and
place the people gathered and confident
" awaited his arrival. AT the expiration
Of the appointed hour, a thin, grizzled
old man, with long white beard, and
dressed IN a shabby, black suit, and a
torn straw hat, that tapped its broken
brim In his face, drove leisurely up to
the gathering. 1t was Dow, punctual to
q moment. He aiighted, passed through
the throng without word, mounted the
platform, and announced that, "by the
grace OF God, the meeting would now be
begun" .,.. p :. So
One morning, recently, I visited the
old home Of the famous preacher. 1t is
in the cleft of the hills in the northwest.
ern part Of the town of Montville-a
low, rambling, tWo-stoTy country farm
house, upholding a acorpulent stone CHM
ney and thrusting out into the stony,
sterile pasture land aequisitiye els and
angels. Tall sycamores on the northern
green, sweep the messy 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 sweeping knoll near by, completes
the 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 bis widow short time before her
death, a few years ago. Dow was twice
married but he died without children.
II don't suppose" said my informant,
shat there's prominent spot round
here that the old man has not preached
and prayed on more than half-dozen
times. This is the right kind of coun-
try" the speaker continued, cynically;
with sweep of the hand towards its
stony fields and pastures, thatched with
briers and bayberry bushes, "to produce
q religion hard enough for anybody. No
wonder that the preachers were tough.
No nonsense about 'em. There's mate
rial enough lying round loose here to
turn out he'll without any very great
strain of imagination. The old man got
his religion and his mission to preach
direct from here and from God.
He didn't belong to no denomination
but set out on his own hook. He
didn't take no pay, and went about IS
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
ofevery one and everything specially
fashion. He always wore his beard long
when everybody else shaved theirs ot,
and he wore an old straw hat, summer
and winter, with the brim half tore on. |
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, l recolleet 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 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, goe |
fred 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 mis- neck, and
he scrambled out dripping all over. Je-
how the people laughed, and |
how Dow-well, he went right on preach
ing on the ground, but (signifcantly) he
had commenced on grace, mercy, and
peace, but he wound up on hell ire and |
eternal damnation.
''0ne cold, clustering day Dow was driv-
ing in his sleigh along narrow country /
road that was banked high with snow.
He encountered 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 |
glance, and rising erect in his seat, whip |
In hand and with threatening visage and |
manner, called out sternly: Turn out,
turn out, / say. or I'll serve you as l did
3 man Just back here The stranger; |
overawed, 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: We'll, how |
how did You serve the other manP
Why replied Dow, composedly, he
wouldn't turn out for me, SO turned out |
for him."
In one of his pilgrimages through til
of Pennsylvania, Dow enter /
ed rude settlement on the outskirts of |
He was to preach in the |
village church in the evening. The man
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 anew tool. Just
Keep quiet, said the preacher, mysteri-
1usly, and with confident manner, and
will get your axe for you" .-7F- q
"On the way to the church IN the eve
ming. Dow stopped down by the roadside. |
picked up two large, round stones and
placed them in his pocket. He quietly /
entered the pulpit and waited until all /
She congregation had assembled, and the /
deep silence preceding the opening Of
service reigned in the house. Then adj |
vancing to the pulpit edge, with a stone
IN each hand, he cried IN q loud, COM
manding voice, My friend calling him
BY name1 has lost valuable axe. It was
stolen from him. The eye Of God is in
every Iliaca L gee the thief hafora na Il