The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-11-04
Death Of Rev. W. s. Plumer, D. D.

Inc name OF LIT. IluIneI uoS oeou
familiar to US all our life long. We can
not recall time when we were not ac-
quainted with it. When we were not ten
years of age we heard much taik of a
sermon which he had preached at or near
Hampden-Sidney College, from the text,
son that day shall there be upon the
bells of the horses, holiness unto the
Lord" For many, years past ne have
seen him at intervals. We saw his ven
,erable aform-in the Democratic National
Convention of 1868, whose. daily sessions
he twice opened with prayer. He pre-
sented the same striking. appearance then
which few years later caused, 8 Chicago
journal to compare .him=to Moses coming
down the Mount We have heard him
preach several times since the, close of
the late war between the States-once,
we, think, within the, last year. At all
times, and in all places, and under all
circumstances, he looked To be the great
man that he was. -, -,c' !.
- Dr. Plumer was most distinguished
theologian.. Yet-he was Of a tempera-
ment naturally belligerent;; and rather
sought than avoided controversy. He
was match for great lawyers when the
subject to be- discussed was in their line,
as he was for, the ablest doctors of diyin-
ity: when the subject to be, discussed was
in their line. He was master, of logic.
He was skilled in dialectics. Some Of
hisgreat successes in controversy was un-
doubtedly owing to his fine personal ap.
pearance but Of course not much of it,
else Paul had not been formidable an-
itagonist. DR.. Plumer's. very voice was "a
fortune in debate. His powerful blows
came down with. a steady, deliberate reg
ularity that was terrible to the man who
had dared to encounter him. He ap-
peared, too, to be the king of the council
as truly as the lion looks to be the king
of the forest.
{. Among the. Presbyterian diyiues of
Virginia DR.. Plumer was, we suppose,
tacile princeps-t is, of course, some
thirty or forty years ago. when he had
been living in the State all his life. We
think no one will doubt that it was by his
efforts and influence that the Virginia
Presbyterians we're anchored. in the Old
School denomination when that church
was some forty years ago severed into the
New School aud Old School divisions.
The UNCONVENTIONAL organ here sided
with the New School; but DR.. Plumer
t-once began the publication OF the
Watchman of offsthe South, and soon had
almost the whole Presbyterian denomina'
ton in Virginia at his back: Happily,
there is. no longer any division in that
church in Virginia; and even those who
were engaged in the contests Of that day, !,
of whom there can be. but few left on thls
side of the dark river, must be ready and
willing to confess that DR., Plumer had
no fosman who could stand before himt
however worthy of his steel many of his
opponents might have been..
Though Pennsylvania by birth, Dr.
Plumer was Virginian and a Southern
er in every fibre of his composition.
Even the title of his religious weekly
Watchman Of the S0uth-showed how
ready he always was to rush to the de-.
Tense of the people whom he loved and
as he was incapable of hiding his preiu-
dices or concealing his sympathies. be no
doubt offended a good many OF his North
erh brethren. We believe that before
the war, during its continuance, and after
its close, be was always and everywhere
an avowed Democrat. But nobody ever
doubted his sincerity, and nobody in this
city that we know of ever became Offend
ed with him on account of his party pre-.
dilections.
This rambling notice is, we fear, I'M;
worthy of its subject. Il is not intended
to be anything else than a sketch hur-
riedly penned of what DR.. Plumer ap-
peared to be to one person-the writer
hereof. Our admiration of him was, we
may say, handed down to us. We in
heritsd it. And we could not but say a
few words when this Prince of Preachers
went down to the grave.-Richmond Dis
IL