The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1880-01-09
TnE rLooD AND T,sE auli.
gard shc,l" sermon Nature ana NoaI


In tho Autumn Of 1880 attended
Methodist camp meeting in the interior
of Georgia, and heard sermon which
have never been able TO forget or de-
scribe.
The speaker had Just been licensed,
and it was his first sermon. In persoii
he WAS small, bullet headed, Of n fais1
sandy complexion, aud bis conutenauee
was Indicative Of sincerity and boncsttN
lie wax taking up the Bible in rcgtt-
| lar order for the inst time in his life,
aud had got as far as tie history OF
Noah, the ark, the flood, etc. BESIDES,
lust before his conversion ho had been
reading Goldsmith'a Animated Nature"
aud tho two together. by the aid and
assistance Of tho Spirit had led him into
a powerful train OF thinking as ho Hioa6.
ut his work bench, day in and day out.
The text waa; "As it was in the days
Of Noah, 80 shall the coming Of tho Son
of Man be- aud be broke out in the
following strain;
"Yes, my brethren, the heavens Of
the windows was opened all, and the
floods of the gi''-at deep kiycrcd the
wa.cts.ah, aud there Shem, and there
iIaui, aud there Japlietah, all ngwine
into tho ark-ah.
"And there was the clcphantah, the
great animal-ah, OF which Goldsmith
describes in his Animated Mater all
what is big as II house.ah, and his bones
as big ms II tree-ah, depending somewhat
upon the tree-ah, all agwino into the
ark ah. And the heavens Of tho win
dows were opened all, and the floods of
the g-rca deep kivercd the watcrs-ah.
and there WIS Shem, and there was
Ham, ana there was Japhot ali. all
gino into the ark ah
And there was the hippoptamus ah,
that r-e-a animal of which Goldsmith
Describes in his Animated Nntcrah,
what has "A great horn ab, a-slickiu'
right straight ont oi his forowArd-ah Nix
feet long, mole or l..ss al, depending
somewhat on the length II itai,, /
! a.g~ine into tie ark-ah.
Aud t!cie was the giraffe all. my
brethren, ill-contrivcd reptile Of which
Goldsmith Describes in his Animated
| Natcr'ah ~hosc forc-lega iA twenty H. ve
feet long, more or less ais, depending
somewhat on the length If em.ah, amJ
Il rcck So long he can eat hay oil the
top OF "a i,arn-sh, ali a-gwine into the
ark h. And the hra, chs If 10. win
dowa ~eru orene,l-sh, aud Ihe aoo,ls ol
the gre o.. iocp kivetci The ~atrrs ah.
and there was natn, ani there uas
Sheln, an'l there wrs Japltet-al,, all
o. gwine into tho ark.ah.
And theie WAS the zebra. tny brclh-
rcti-ah. that beautiful animal Of
which Goldsmith dcsei iiva ia L;s - nj
mated Satcr.ah, what has three hundred
stripes a.runnin' right straight around
his bosiy-ah. more ar less-s,h depending
somewhat ou the number Of stfipesah,
and nary two stripes alike all, all a-
gwine into the k-al,.
"And there was the anacondernh,
that great sargent of which Gold
smith describes ia his Animated Mater.
ais, what can swallow nix oxen nc n
tnea!-ah, provided his appetite don't call
ft iess-ah, all a-gwine into the ark-ah.
Aud the heavens of the windows were
,'lene,l-ah, and the foods Of tho great
deep kivered the waters.ah, aud there
WAS Ham, ard there was Shem, and
there was Jal,het ah, all a-gwine into
the ark-ah.
"And there was the lion, brethren
all, what is the king Of beasts accord
ing TO the ScIiptcr-ab, and who, as ST.
Paul saysah, prowls around Of night
like roarin' dcvil-ah, a-sccking If lie
cant catch somebotly-ah, all agwine
into the ark-ah.
"And there was the antelope all, my
brethren, that frisI,y little critter nh, Of
which Goldsmith describes in his Ami
mated Nater-ah, what can jump seven
ty.live feet straight up-ah, and twice
that far straight down.nh. And the
heavens Of the windows were opened
all, and the floods Of the great deep
kivered the waters-ah, and there was
Shcm, and there was Ham, and there
was Japhct.ah, all agwine into the
ark -ah.
But time would fail me, my brethren
to describe all the animals that went
into the ark-ah Your patience and
my strength would give out before
got half through-ah. We talk, my
brethren about the faitll>of Job.ah; hut
it strikes me they didn't go much ahead
Of old Noah-ah 1t took right smart
chance o both to gather up all that
gopher wood and pitch and other truck
for to build the crafe-ah. am sort
of carpenter myself, and have Bome
idea of the job-ah. But to hammer and
saw, and maui, and split away on that
one thing hundred and twenty years
ah, an lookin for his pay in another
world ali 4 tell ye my brethren, fthC
Lord had a-sot job at that, it's my
opinion he would a-tuck his wife's ad
vice, inside of fifty yearr-ah. Besiles
no doubt, his righteous soul was vGxed
every day, hand runnin', with the las
phemous set that was always loafgrin
and saunterin' around.ah, a-pickin9 NJ
his tools and misplacin' 'em and q
callin' him an old fool or somethin
worse-ah; and to cap the climax, he was
a preacher and that ungodly generation
on his hands every Sunday-ah But
the Lord stood by him and seed lin
through the job-ah; and when every
thing was ready he didn't send Noe
I out to scrimmage an scour and luu
: all over the wild world for to get III
: the cratters and varmonts that he wlnt
ed saved-ah. They all come to hi