The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1880-01-30
THE HARP OF A THOUSAND
STRINGS.
A HARD SHELL SERMON.

ductlon In the way Of sermonizing
CHANGED to come into our possession
short time ago, together with some of the
attendant circumstances which accom-
panied its delivery. The locale Of this
Apostolic effort was the small village of
Waterproof, on the Mississippi, in
the adjoining State Of Louisiana. Our
readers need not infer from the name,
that Waterproof was locality on the
Father of Waters, high and dry under
all circumstances, for the general i'm
preston is that it was overiiowed once at
the time Of Noah's deluge, and the old
est inhabitants having some distinct re.
collections 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 a part of
the territory commonly called the lower
ground Of sorrow and iniquity, if not
Gospel proof. There is no question
that it might be denominated hard
place, at least morally speaking; and
if not specially named and embraced in
the Northern Benevolent Society to fur
nish Gospel privileges to tie South, as
a part of the theatre Of its operations, it
may truly and emphatically be said
to be apart of the Lords moral
( vineyard, where the pruning knife of the
4 Gospel had not Topped off the grand and
luxnrIant shoots of sin and wickedness.
III proof of this we need no higher evil
dence Of these facts than there had not
been a "sarmint" preached iu tile place
for half.dozen years. It is therefore
not a matter Of surprise that when
free missionary came along, preaching
spiritual privileges of all kinds so cheap,
that he should have engaged the atten-
ton and sympathy Of the natives. We
must also give a brief view of the histo-
ry of the preacher, and his appearance,
and for this ssuflice it to say, that he came
down the river on fiat boat from the
Wabash, in the interior Of the Hoosier
State, tied up at Waterproof, gave them
to understand that he was preacher;
and they, not having had anything in
that liue for several yeas, thought it
would be favorable opportunity to take
benefit, aud as Brother Zeke seemed
10 uc rather on The ye,l0,At oyleY, they
expected to haYe little amuse-
nent mixed up with the exercises The
b'hoys rustled up house for the serv-
ices to be held in, and Sunday morning
Brother Zeke rugged himself up in the
fiuest tackle, his Sundays best, and
and rolled mp to the "pace where pray
er was (not) wont to be made" His
dress consisted Of pair of Kentucky
jeans lants, very much too short, and
{ fittrng tight to the skin; a corduroy vest
red neck-cloth, and blue coat, the
style of which reaches back to bygonC
z period that knows no recent date, The
collar was stifily braced with buckrau
and coarse flannel and mounted up very
! nearly to the top of his head-the skirt
. projected below the calves of his legs
au | set off each other, like the prong
of a boot jack. These were the leading
il features of the costume, whole tout en-
semble personnel of the fiat-boat Apos
= tie, presenting the extreme converse ant
opposite of modern Shanghai gentlemen
Rising in the pulpit he delivered him
u self as follows:
" 'I may say to you, my breetheriug
thvt / am not edicated man, an l al
not one of them as believes that edeca
a ton is necessary fur a Gospel minister
b, fur I believe the Lord edecats hi
n preachers just as he wants 'em to b
N edecated, and although I say that
S oughtn't to say, yet in the State Of Ind
/. amy, whar live, thar's no man as gil
IN bigger congregation now what I gifts.
Thar may be some here ter-day, m
=. ~ breethering, as don't know what PEE
sua am NV. Well, / may say to yol
N my breethering, that am Hard She
" Baptist. Thar's some folks as don
like Hard Shell Baptists, but I'd rutht
have hard shell as no shell at all. Yo
$ see me here ter-day, my breethemnt
Us dressed up in these fue clothes; 70
mought think was proud; but I a
S. not proud, my breethering; and thoug
III I've been preacher Of the Gospel fl
at nigh onto twenty years, an though I
~ y, Capting of the fat boat that lies at yol
landing, I'm not proud, my breetherin
+ I'm not agwine to tell You adzact
whar my tex may be found; suffice
to say, it's in the leds Of the Bible, al
: you'll find it someuhar between the fu
st chapter Of the book Of Generations al
a, - .La..t,,. &c 4ba i,no1- Of RavOl