The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-12-14
gabriel, BLOW YOUR TRuMpEr.v .


An Oiu but GOOD StOiy of Lorcr no Dow.
Lorenzo Dow, the noted eccentric
travelling preacher of DAYS long gone
by, was very exact in the appointments
he made to appear and preach. and
sometimes had them arranged a long
ways ahead. lie once approached
near one of the small towns in the
vicinity of Atlanta, Ga, and told his
congregation that on that day, one
year, he would preach to them again.
The next season, on the Saturday af-
ternoon preceding the Sunday of the
appointed time, the old man was log
ging along the main road in the direc-
tion of the congregation. He noticed
before him stout little negro boy. of
peculiarly active step and manner. who
carried in his hand Il small tin horn.
such as is used to call the people TO
their meals.
The custom among many in the
South (previous to the wary was to
allow married men to go to their
wives houses, and children to visit
their parents, on Saturday evening. to
stay with them on Sunday: and as the
negroes are musically inclined, they
carry fife, horn or banjo, to give
notice of their approach and to be
guile the way; while in other eases
they whistle, sing or shout. Dow, ac-
cording to his usual manner. entered
into conversation with the boy, and
found he was about to visit the con-
gregation he was about to meet. If
the truth must be told. Lorenzo had
an Idea that the character of his flock
was that of reckless, frolicsome.
kind. careless people, upon whom il
was necessary to make a very decided
impression, or his time would be thrown
away among them.
What is your name, my. lad?"
asked Dow.
Gabriel, sir" replied the boy. lift
ing new straw hat, and showing his
ivory, while he actually stepped along
to keep pace with the preachers horse.
Can you blow upon that horn?"
Oh, yes, master, | can toot Il little"
"Well, let me hear you."
So the negro inflated his cheeks and
made the pine woods reSound.
Do you know a tall pine tree near
the stand at Sharon? 2" said Dow.
\ es, that | do. very well, master"
Lorenzo then put his hand into his
pocket, and pulling out silver dollar
showed it to the negro, and told him
that if he would climb into the pine
tree before the people met at the meet
ing, and keep there quiet until he
called out his name and then blow on
his horn rs he had just done, he would
give him the silver dollar if he did not
tell anybody about it.
The negro expressed himself highly
delighted ut such an offer, and prom
;sed punctuality and secrecy.
On Sunday large meeting assem-
bled at Sharon to hear the famous Lo-
renzo Dow. Serious old men and
their wives, wild boys and their sweet
hearts, almost all on horseback, s9me-
times by twos and threes, beside ne
grOes from Il great distance on foot.
being readily captiYated by the natural
eccentric, for they love anything that
has laugh attached to it, and they
knew that Lorenzo was good for n
joke, even if it did hit hard.
Dow selected rather of birthstone
text, and made the application az
strong as possible, but he forced his
way slowly among the mercurial.
healthy, h0nest-hearted people, who
were hard to frighten. He enumerated
The enormity Of the vices he thought
to prevail, but they were so used to
them that the words slid like water
over ducks back.
At length he boldly described, in the
plainest language, the appearance and
character of the last great day." and
what would be their condition when
that day came.
"Suppose," exclaimed the preacher
suddenly, and then he paused, "that
this were the day"
lie saw that some of the women be-
came little lidgeted, and that they
nudged the fellows into silence and
attention.
"Suppose," repeated he, elevating
his voice, "that Gabriel should sound
his trumpet !!
At this moment the little negro
showed he was trump" and from the
top of the lofty pine loud and clamor-
Gus blast overwhelmed the audience.
The women shrieked, the men rose in
the greatest surprise, the horses tied
around the camp neighed, reared and
kicked, while the terrified negroes
changed their complexion to a dull
purple color. Never was alarm, sur
prise and establishment more promptly
exhibited
Lorenzo Dow looked with grave, but
pleased attention upon the successful
result of his experiment, until the
first clamor had subsidized, and some
began to estimate the character of the
artificial angel, and were about to ap-
ply little hickory after the pine.
But this suggestion was arrested by
the loud and solemn tones of the
preacher, who, looking very firmly into
the faces of his disturbed audience,
leaned grandly over them to finish his
discourse, and impressively remarked:
"And now if a little negro boy, with
tin horn, Oh the top of a pine bush,
can make you feel so, how will you
feel when that day does Gomez"