Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-07-08

about with dogs as David said he was. ,
He had scarcely commenced preaching
again before there was terrible squealing
and kicking among the mules and horses
that were tied to trees close by. He put
his head out Of the window, and said,
"No harm done, my brethren. Just a
creatur with side saddle on has broke
loose. Will some brother head the ami
NAL 7 for no sister can walk home this hot
day."
Quiet being restored, he con tinued:
swell my brethren, will now try to
say what I allowed to about the Presby te-
rians. AS l said before, they raise their
children a heap better than we do. They
behave better in church, and keep Sunday
better, and read the Bible, and learn the
catechism better than ours do. declare,
by brethren, their children are larnt that
Westminster Cateehism by the time they
can begin to talk plain.
ut amt three weeks since was out a
cattle huntin'-for two of my yearlins had
strayed off-and stopped in at old Bro
Their Harkey's, on Mud Greek, and took
dinner. He's deacon in the Presbyterian
Church over thar. Well, as true as stand
here. my brethren, Sister Harkey had her
little gal a-standin' right before her, with
toes just even with the crack o. the floor,
and her hands was Arranging down by her
side and her mouth turned up like chick
en- when it drinks, and she was a-puttin'
this question to her out O. that catechism:
"'What are the benefits which in this
life do either accompany or flow from JUS
LITIGATION, adoption or sanctiication?'
Snow the question itself was enough to
break the child down. But when she had
to begin and say that question all over flor
that's the way it was in the book and
then hitch the answer to it, and which all
put together made this: The benefits
which in this life do either accompany or
flow from justification, adoption and sane
LITIGATION are peace of conscience, joy in
the Hcly Ghost. increase of grace, and
perseverance therein to the end-I thought
the child was the greatest wonder I'd ever
seen in all my life. She TUX it right, too.
without balk'n' or missing the first word.
And she spoke so sweet, and looked so
like little angel that before 1 know'd it
the tears was running down my cheeks
as big as buek-shot. I've seen the day
when I could have mauled and split
thousan' rails quicker and easier that I
could have larnt that thing and said it off
as she did.
"Now, my brethren, that child don't
understand or know the meaning of one
word o. that. It puts me up to all I know
toatake it in myself. But just let that
Presbyterian young I'm grow up. and every
word of that cateohism will come back to
her, and her character will stiffen under
her, and she'll have the backbone of the
matter in her for life.
CHOW, can't put things into my chill
dren that way. Nothin' don't stay, some
how. It's like drivin' a nail into rotten
log
This last remark I never forgot. For
thirty years afterward. as would stand
at the black board trying to fix rules and
principles in the mind of dull pupil, this
remark would come back to nae with its
peculiarly pertinency.
81 tell you, my brethren, - he continued,
''if our children had little more cate
chism, and the Presbyterians a little less,
it would be better for both.
"Then we dom pray in our families like
they do. know their prayers are mighty
long, and they pray all over creation; but
after all, its the right way. Its better than
prayin' too little.
CHOW, my father and mother was good
Raptists, and raised their children to be
honest and Industrious; but never heard
one Of them pray in my life, and I was
most grown man before ever prayed a
prayer myself, and it was in this wise:
''There was to be big meetin' over in
Ebert county, and knowed pretty gal
over thar that I wanted to 60 and see. So I
borrowed little Jersey wagin'. which was
a stylish thing in them days, and went
over to her house and stayed all night, and
engaged her to ride to meetin' with me
next day, which was Sunday.
1--WE went, and had a glorious time-and
I may as we'll say right here that she was
afterward my wife-but comm home I
met with powerful accident, that I've
never got over to this day. AS I was a
comm down steep hill some part Of the
gearin' give way, and let me and the wag-
in on my cretur's heels, and bein' young
and skeery, and not much used to wheels,
she wriggled and kicked and tore from one
side of the road to the other. till I was
pitched head foremost as much as ten foot
into deep gully, and it is miracle my
neck was not broke on the spot.
"Ezpectin' to be killed every mint, I
thought ought to ask the Lord for mer-
cy, but as had never prayed in my life I
couldn' It think of the first thing to say,
but the blessin' my father used to ask be-
fore eatin' when we had company, and
which was this: Lord, make us thankful
FOR what we are to receive
"Now, my brethren, do you suppose any
Presbyterian raised boy was ever put to
such strait as that for a prayer? No.
&c would have prayed for himself and
gone after the Jews and heathens, while
vas a-hunting up and gittin' off tn at bles-
,in'.n
WHAT 10000 ACRES Is.-Men talk care
essly about acres and money. 1t is diff
,ult to realize to the mind large sums of |
money. Commodore Vanderbilt once !
old me that he could never realize how |
much $40 1000, 900 amounted to. The same |
fr,,o To- k~ooto oe locd Mo-, IL /