The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-05-10
For the Central Presbyterian.
"reminiscences of Major James
Morton, of Wilmington.
Major Morton as a Magistrate.
Continued
BY REV. DRURY LACY, D. D.

BY REV. DRURY LACY, D. D.
Major Morton as a Magistrate.
Major Morton was civil Magistrate,
and when he was on the bench, and Cap
tain Nat. Price with him, the pee pie knew
they had to behave. The contrast be-
tween the good order and decorum of the
court when he was presiding, and the dis
order and confusion that existed when he
was not there was very marked every
body noticed it. But as Magistrate, he
often adjudicated small cases that were
brought before him at home, and like the
old English gentry, he held his court in
the hatt-the biggest room in the house.
One day, was there, a neighbor brought
in negro man belonging to another
neighbor, who had been impudent to
him, and wanted the authority of Mag
istrate to whip him, as the negro's master
had refused to let him do it. During the
investigation this insulted neighbor flew
into passion and uttered an oath or a
curse. The old gentleman stopped short
and said; "Mr. Willard, don't allow
such language in my presence, and if you
curse again, will fine you for both Of
fences But in his zeal to convict the
negro, Mr.. Willard got mad and cursed
again, and the old Major "fned him &C.
cording to law, 81 for each offence
Who, and where, is the Magistrate that
will do the like in these days?
A Trustee of Hampden Sidney College.
Major Morton was trustee of Hamp-
den Sidney College, and always took a
deep interest in the welfare of the insti-
tuition. No man was more punctual and
regular in his attendance on the meetings
of the Board, and though he never made
a speech on any subject, he never failed
to give judicious vote. Perhaps the
name of no trustee is signed to more di-
plomas issued by the Senatus Academicus
than his, and always in his bold honest
hand, reminding one of the signature of
John Hancock to the Declaration of In
dependence
The students used to tell great many
anecdotes about him. In my early boy
hood, there were only taOo carriages that
came to the College church all the rest
OF the people came on horseback, or in
carryalls, or on foot, and the congrega-
tons were always large. One of these
carriages belonged to Col Samuel Ven
able, of Springfield, and the other to
Major Morton. The boys used to say
that the old Majors carriage was so &C.
customed to come to church, that it knew
when it was Sunday, and would roll vio-
lently against the carriage-house door
until somebody opened it, and if the
horses were not hitched up very soon,
array 1t aOouLd go off to church 1Oithooet
horse or driVer A pretty tough yarn
this.
When [ was boy and growing lad,
the custom was to have precentor in all
the churches. The precentor stood in,
or near the pulpit, and raised the tunes. y
He received the hymn-book from the
hands of the minister, after he had read
the hymn,-then gave out" two lines
at time, and he and all the people sung
them, then two more, which were sung,
and so on until the hymn was finished.
Major Morton was the
Precentor in the College Church
for great many years, and in "parcel-
ling the lines as it was called, did it
with such infections and modulations OF
voice, as to make his reading the two
lines almost TecitatiUe-SolO. AS far as
hhOW1 1hS4O lOfOA was DuG C1dO Ouc
hymn-book in the church; but ten or
twenty people sang to one who sings now,
and they made church-music worth hear
ing-music incomparably better than we
hear in our churches nova days.
oldFashioned Singing and Modern
Progress.
But then, every family was regular
singing school, where they all practised
music twice day at family prayers.
Why, it would have been as strange to
have omitted singing then, as it would be
to omit reading the Bible or praying now.
[ do not know dozen families where
they sing regularly at prayers, while
ninety-nine hundredths of those that have
family prayers never sing at all. And
some Of the very few that do sing must
have piano badly played to help them
out. And so too in the churches; where
the whole congregation, white and black,
old and young, used to sing with all the
heart and voice, now they must have a
big organ in the city churches with a
paid organjSt, and choir of eight or ten
singers who are frequently quarrelling
and in the village churches small choir
gathered around wheeling little instru-
ment to make music Thus the people
have got to praising God by proxy, and
they call this progress l am thankful
to say that this miserable DTOIy- business