Nebraska advertiser., 1880-11-04
ACLBVERSOAPEGRAOE. A
A Youth Who Committed Lorenzo Dow's
Sermons to Memory.
little Rock Gazett,

tooned Talmage. Several weeks ago
Oliver Herring. son of Squire Herring.
conceived the idea of preaching to the
colored people. This, for boy of six
teen years old, would have been very
ereditable affair but for the fraudulent
plan adopted by the young, self-appOint-
ed evangelist. Among the few books
possessed by the squire, there was a
volume of sermons by Lorenzo Dow,
the celebrated "Old timer" whose ora
torical pictures Of fire and sulphurous
suffocation has caused many and many
a man to wend his way through an ex-
cited congregation to the mourners'
bench. Oliver found this book and
vas Immediately struck with the ter
rors of metaphor and horrors of trope.
"If j could only commit lot of these
to memory and preach to the colored
people," he said I'D soon bring the
plantation bows to their knees. Hanged
If don't do it." With mischief born
assiduity, the most successful parent
of juvenile application, he began work.
Possessed of retentive memory, he
was soon able to repeat sermon after
sermon. A sufficient depth of elocu-
tionary action was now to be obtained.
His voice, naturally deep, was rendered
more intensely masculine by the fact
that Oliver had just arrived at that
embarrassing walk in life known as
the quilting age" Securinga ministerial
rig and the necessary amount of black
ing material, young Oliver announced
himself as ''heeled for the evangelical
occasion"
Sunday night the cottonwood grove
church was crowded. The preachers
had exhausted their powers of draw
ing dark pictures, but still the young
male and female sinners flirted with
each other. Presently small darkey
entered, and advancing to- the pulpit,
whispered something TO one of the
preachers, who rose and said that a
new brother would address the cOngre-
CATION. The new brother hegan.
There was an earnest depth in the tone
of his voice that caused the female sin
ner to stop giggling behind her fan.
The preacher began drawing a terrific
picture of the sinner The devil
stalked abroad in the land. Sinners
fitted here and there like butterflies in
the garden of society. Repentance
must come or all would be lost. With
in a few minutes from the time the
new preacher began all the sinners
were on their knees. The Christians
shouted and the deacons walked
around through the half agonizing,
half-happy thrOng, as though they had
suddenly received glorious commits
sion direct from ecclesiastical head
quarters. The young preacher be-
fore closing announced that he would
preach in the same house on the fol-
lowing Sunday night. He refused to
go home with any of the colored
brethren, saying that mysterious pro-
vision would be made for him. IF,
however" he said, "any of YOU feel
like giving few nickels to aid in the
support of an aged mother and crippled
sister, the donation will be most thank
fully received" As if by one impulse.
every right hand of every man went
down into pocket and came out with
money. The hat was passed around
and when the contents were handed to
the young preacher he thanked the
congregation for such noble generosity.
On the following Sunday night there
was not standing room in the church.
The preacher was there before any of
the congregation arrived, and the ques-
ton of how he came there or where he
had lived during the past week was
mysterious one. He was asked, but re-
piled that the provisions of Providence
were equal to any occasion. The same
wild excitement was created. The
l.,
10 the emotional cloiSters of the sim
ners and lighted lamp which, by its
glare, showed the moral corruption of
the past. Shout after shout went up.
Hallelujah after hallelujah resounded.
Only one feature to mar the grand SOL
emnity of the meeting occurred. A,
farmer who lived in the neighborhood
came down and said that, hearing the
noise, he thought that lot of his hogs
had got hung under the fence.
Another collection was taken up for
the aged mother and crippled sister,
and after the preacher had announced
that services would be held on the next
Sunday night, the congregation, filled
with the grandeur of the evangelical
phenomenon, silently parted in the
shadow of the great cottonwood tree.
Late that night a boy sat in his room.
"Over $780," he said, removing his
wig, and preparing to wash the burnt
cork from his face. 'I'n be blamed if
amt the boss. Old man Dow didn't
know what service he was rendering
me when he arranged that book of
sermons"
On the following Sunday evening
the young preacher, thinking that in
quiSitive deacons might arrive early
in order to ascertain the direction of
his approach. went 20 church bef 1re
dark. Having sat up very late
the night before, committing another
sermon to memory, he became very
sleepy. Thinking that it would be a
good idea to 60 up into the loft and
sleep until nearly church time, he
climbed up, lay on the loosely arranged
boards and went to sleep. The con-
gregation assembled, but the little
preacher did not come. Another
brother was called upon to ''fil the
pulpit" While the Sub" brother was
in the midst of a learned discourse,
the young brother awoke. He realized
that he had "overslept himself" He
was contemplating plan of procedure,
when unfortunately, he turned over
ontothe edgeof the boards The boards
tilted up, and with crash the young
preacher fell on the pulpit and then
on the floor, among lot of mourners.
The excitement was terrific. The
deacons yelled "devil" and rushed from
the house. The mourners shrleked
and ran away. The young preacher
had lost bis wig, and perspiration had
taken much of the black from his face.
Recognizing the fraud an able bodied
man grasped the young preacher and
began to whale the benches with hIm.
The unfortunate boy was not long IN
revealing his identity. He was taken
home by a delegation and demand
Id H,