The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-10-25
T,,e marp OF a Thousand strings.

.uos]iEst published in the Brandon Re-
nnbIicon. in the year 1854--twenty-fve
georg aro. Its authorship has been
dcclined by various persons, in all sec
t;ona a. the country, but it was first
written out in full for the press by kev.
Henry I. Lewis, in our office, and iirst
made RS appearance in the Republican.
Mr. lewis heard j. S. Morris preach it
over NJ convivial gathering, but he
added to it and embelished it, and he
and Andrew Harper, Esq, fixed up the
description of the preacher. We be-.
leye. Il was copied into nearly every
neneI in the Union, and has since been
re.conied by great many. We
now re-publish it for the benefit OF
our younger readers Brandon hepuo-
lican.
nm HARP OF THOUSAND STRINGS.
The following rare and unique produo-
tion in the way of sermonizing Glanced to
came in our possession a short time ago,
togetber with some of the attendant cir
cnmstances which accompanied its delivery.
Tho loeqle Of this Apostolic effort was the
small village of Waterproof, on the Mis-
sissippi. in the adjoining State of Loulsl-
ana Our readers need not hastily infer,
rom the name, that Waterproof was a To-
eality on the Father of Waters, high and
dry under all circumstances, for the genera
impression is that it was oyertiOwed once
at the time of Noah's deluge, and the oldest
jnbabjtnnt having some distinct recoilec-
tions of sundry times, even in the present
century. "when through the deep waters
their path did lie.
Though Waterproof may have been, from
these circumstances, thought to be part
of the territory commonly called the lower
grounds OF sorrow and inidulty, II not en-
+ tirely Gospel proof, there is no question
that it might be denominated rather hard
place, at least morally speaking; and II not
specially named and embraced IN the pro
visions of the Northern Benevolent Society
to Furnish Gospel Privileges to the South,
as a part of tie theatre of its operations
it may truly ard elnphatically be said to be
part of the Lords moral vineyard, where
the pruning-knife of the Gospel had not
! Topped off the grand and luxuIiant shoots
of sin and wickedness. In proof OF TINS
we need no higher evidence of these facts
than that there had not been "sarm1nt
preached in the place for half-a-d dozen years,
ii is therefore not matter OF surprise that
when free missionary came along, preach
ing spiritual privileges of all kind so cheap,
that he should have engaged the attention
and sympathy of the natives. We must
also give brief view of the history of the
preacher, and his appearance, and Tor THIS
suffice it to say, that he came down the
river on fat-boat from the Wabash, III
the interior of the Hoosier State, tied up
at Waterproof, gave them to understand
that he was a a preacher I; and they, not
having had had anything in that line for
several years, thought it would be n tavor~
able opportunity to take benefit, and as
Brother Zeke seemed to he rather on the
verdant order, they expected to have little
amusement mixed up with the exercises.
The b'hoys rustled up house for the SER
vices to be hled in, and on Sunday morning
Bro. Zeke rugged himself up in his finest
tackle, his Sundays best, and rolled up to
the ''place where prayer was (n0D wont to
be made" His dress oLssted of pair of
Kentucky jeans pants, very much too
short, and fitting tight to the skin;
corduroy vest; red neck-cloth, and blue
cloth coat, The style of which reaches back
to bygone period that knows no recent
date
The collar was stifly braced with buck
ram and coarse flannel, and mounted mp
very nearly TO the top of his head-the
skirts projected below the calves of his legs,
and set off each other, like the prOngs of
boot jack. These were the leading features
Of the costume, whole tout ensemble and
persoAme2 Of the fat-boat Apostle, present
ing the extreme converse and opposite of
our modern Shanghai gentlemen.
Rising in the pulpit he delivered himself
as follows;
81 Il ay say to you. my breethering, that
I an Lot edcated man, an am not one
of them as believes that edecation is neces
sary fur a Gospel minister, fur believe
the Lord edecates his preachers just as he
wants en- to be edecated, an although |
say it that l ought not to say it, yet III the
State of Lndianny, whar l live, thar no
man as gifts bigger congregation nor what
gifts.
Thar may be some here to-day my breeth- /.
ring, as don't know what persuasion l am
nv. Well, l may say to you, my breethrnR |
that Pm Hard Shell Baptist. Thars |.
some folks as don't like Hard Shell Baptista, |
but I'd ruther have hard shell as no she'll |
at all. You see me here to~day, my breeth- /
ring dressed up in these fine clothes you .
mought think was proud; but | am not
proud my breethring, and although I've
been a preacher of the Gospel for twenty |
years, an although Pm Capting of the fat
boat that lies at your landing, | am not
proud, my brethring.
I'm not agwire to tell you 0dgneklg Hhar |
my text may be found suffice it to
say it's in the leds of the Bible, and
you'll find it somewhere between the fust
chapter of the book of Generations and
the last chapter OF the book of Revolutions,
and eff, You'll go and sarch the scriptures as
heve sarched the scriptures, you'll not
only find mig text thar, but a great many
other tezes as will dc you good to read
and my tex when you shill find it, You viii
find it tn read thus
'.ANd lie plGyed on harp Of u @ohNttd
St!H9a--$p61ttS 40 Just men mate pefjrh.
My text. breethrIng leads me to speak of
spents. nov thar's a great many kinds Of
sperits in the W7rld-in the fust place thar's
the spcllts as solse folks call ghosts, and
then thar $ the sper1S of turpen-time, and
thars the sperits as soma folks call liquor,
al I've got as good an ,rtokel uf them
kim kind nv speIits on my fia~boat as ever
was fotch down the Mississippi river. but
tIdT D n u. --'ui4 JblC1 AlLAAo NV flbGtllS.
for the tex say HE played on a half nv
a Thousand strings, sperits nv inst men
made perfeek.'
But I'll tell you the kind NV sperits as is
meant il the tex; it's fire, That's the kind
nv 81 erts rs is ment in the text my breeth- |
ring Now thar's a great many kinds nv
fire in tie world. In the fust place thars a
common sort Of fire yOu light your PIPE or
--,s,,~ with, and then thar's fOx-tire and
ennp-pijre, fire before you're ready and |
lire aud fail back, and many other kinds Of .
81, for the lex says, "He played on harp !
Nv to1-sand strings, sperits of just men
made perfek7
But I'll tell you. the kind nv fire as is
meht IN the tex, my breethring Its heH
Fe-and that's the kind of fire as great /
many Nv you'll come to, eff You don't do /
better nor You have been doin'-for ''IIe 4
played on n harp nv a ho,t~sand strings. /
sperits nv just men made perfeck
Now the different sorts NV tre in the
world may be likened unto the 0r9erept
perrsuasions Of Christians in the world
In the fust plsce we have tho Piscapale- I
yuns, an they're high sailin' anda high /
lentin set and theymay he bkened INTO a .
fdtky buzzard that flies mp into the cir,
and he goes mp and up till he looks no big
SCI nor your finger nail, and the fust thing
y8n know Hita ant,fcc 1nun and down and