Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-04-16

HOu6Sb ucDtS.
Elder Culver was what is called a
STANDBY. As an old Deputy Collector
maintains his place in the Custom
House through all administrations and
a confidential clerk holds ON through
all changes of partnership, so the elder
from time almost immemorial, through
all the successions of itinerancy, re-
manned as sort of vice-regent in
ecclesiastical affairs. He assisted the
dominic in the services, supplied his
place when he was absent, and was the
acknowledged leader III prayer meet
ings. Occupying front seat in the
church he caught all the emphatic
passages in prayer and sermon, and
supplemented them with q peculiar
combination of howl and groan that
resembled a war-whoop toned down and
sanctifed. It was fearful in the ears
of an unaccustomed stranger and was
absolutely terrifying to nervous women
who heard it for the first time. But to
| those of us who knew him it came at
last to sound like an ordinary amen.
Once when Deacon Dominic Gilfillan,
after preaching somewhat more than an
hour, was seized with fainting fit, the
aged Elder skipped nimbly over the
altar rail, and, as he observed, "took
up the thread of the discourse from the
beginning" OBTAINING us an hour and
half longer. Therefore, however much
we respected the old man we did not
really love him.
The elder had much larger matri-
monial experience than falls to the gen.
eral lot outside of Mormondom. He
had married his fourth wife, and the
bride was the widow of three previous
husbands. So the family was consid-
erably mixed, and the brothers-in- law
and the sisters-in-law, step-brothers
and step-sisters had nice time in
"lawin' on t." When Steve Rhodes,
the carpenter, died the elder took
prominent part at the funeral, stepping
forward after the prayer and proceed
ing in this wise 90 1t seems appropriate
that should make some remarks on
this solemn occasion, as / have knowed
Stephen ever since he was a boy. /
knowed his father too. He was men,
Der of this church for forty years. Be
sides being n Christian, old Ezekiel
Rhodes was square kind of man. He
was honest in all his dealings, even in
n horse trade. l used to trade with
him considerable. OF course he wouldn't
tell you the outs of n horse; that
couldn't be expected. It's mans bus
mess to find them out himself But
Ezekiel Rhodes would never lie. Lying,
bretheren, is failing of some Chris
tians. When man iines the church it
don't give him any such privilege.
He ought to be as honest as he was
before We don't believe in the final
perseverance of the saints, but it won't
do for men to fall from grace too often.
There's great temptation for this in
| horse trading, / know, but it ain any
excuse. Ezekiel Rhodes didn't have any
mean ways about him. He never
dropped cent kind o softly into the
contribution-boxt to make believe it was
dollar bill, but he pitched it right i'll
so that folks could hearit. He'd always
give man lift on the road. He loved
to help the women folks out of the
wagon. In fact he was one of the best
natured critters / ever knowed. He
experienced religion about the same
time as my first wife-no, it want, it
was my second; and her children and
y
gether. They all growed up together,
and when my third wife jined the church
some of them came i'll too. My son
James-no, it want him, for it was
Ben-had a change of heart then l
wish it had been Jim, but" and here
came a prolonged whoop, "he is still
in the gall of bitterness and the bonds
of iniquity. The rest of my children,
most of 'em, and considerable part of
my fourth wife's, I'm glad to say, are
follerin in the straight and narrer path.
feel to say that we have been blessed
as general thing We git along as
well as could be expected. I'd like to
raise the mortgage on my farm, but it
seems to be the Lords will to let it lay.
Only if could raise it, might have
little more to build up the walls of
Zion. Bretheren, I'm afraid we are not
so specifically minded as we ought to
be- It's difficult for me to hunt up my
children and git 'em round the family
altar. Just now they're all busy hay
more of gittin' it to market than they
do about coming to class -meetin'. Like
enough hay will go down as a Judgment
on us for our sins and grieyin' the Holy
Spirit. As / said before, thought I
ought to say something on this solemn
occasion, and hope we shall all take
it to heart.
The elders rambling funeral discourse
of an hour, is thus compressed, and in
cludes the principal points from which
he started and returned, always care
fully avoiding any reference to the
lamented Steve.
One day on returning from the city
after long absence, L questioned
Bill Rowe, who was frequently styled
the bishop" on account of his hold
ing a mortgage on the church and
thereby was enabled, as he boasted, to
dictate the doctrine, in regard to the
revival that had been prevailing.
"Well, cap'n" he replied, "it's about
run out. They've rung in EN- amost all
the young and stopped the dancing.
Dean has burned mp his fiddle, and
they've brought in about all the back
sliders, and so there amt no more stock
to work on, and I'm glad ont; / don't
want to see no more revivals y
"Why not?' 1 asked.
"Why not ?" he exclaimed. "I'n
tell you why not. Dominic Gilfillan
set out to run this one on high moral
principles, as he called them, and they
amt no use in revivals. All that they
ought to do is to holler and sing. But
he want satisfied with that. He told
'em that if thev'd got religion thew