The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-08-01
Rev. John Jasper-.-" DE Sun Do Novel,

other famous preachers, does not depend
for his audiences wholly upon his personal
attractions, but uses proper amount of
sanctified drumming. The advertisements
OF his sermons are posted in the prominent
hotels. Like shrewd "fisher of men,
while he bats his hook with his own repu.
tation as a preacher,h his deacons are taught
to Gland the game" At the corner of
the street on which the church stands, we
were met by venerable cotton.headed,
tar-faced saint with the salutation "Tse
ben waitin' for yer Come right long
yer into de ark |" Under the shrewd
manipulation of this worthy we floundered
through the densely crowded church, and
were landed, gasping for breath, in the
chancel. Brother Jasper greeted our
party with smile, which we at first as
sumed to be one OF pure benevolence, but
which, repeated with far greater hearth
ness when the contribution plate was
passed. suggested at least mingled emo
ton. From our seat the view was i'm
pressive, a vast black "sea of upturned
faces" upon all of which were depicted
reverence and expectancy, prophetic of
the unctuous "amens which greeted
the prayer of the assisting minister that
"de good Lor' make his valiant servant
dis afternoon as terrible as an army wild
banners for de stampin' down OBJ de emmy
an inferdel wat goes gainsayin' agin de
truf."
Jasper is indeed a high priest among
his brethren-over six feet in his stock.
iings-mounted upon Pisgah pair of
legs, augmenting the dignity with which,
as Others from boosted nights of learning,
he surveys both the wilderness of scien-
tific wandering and the promised land of
faith. His bright, prominent eye and
breadth of forehead give to his front face
the suggestion of intelligence and force,
while his profile, showing the cut-away
brow and chin is equally suggestive of
imbecility. His voice is deep and mel.
low, and though little shaky with age,
retains all the peculiar richness of the
African tongue. Though altogether I'M
educated, having graduated from the to.
bacco factory as slave, he has a degree
of crude poetry in his diction and of
pathos in manner, together with native
aptness in quitting things" which, with
more culture, would have given him mer.
tied distinction as an orator.
We were fortunate in the occasion of
our visit, as Jasper had selected for the
sermon repetition of his argument that
Ode Sun do Move" In view of the vast
Importance of the subject, the preacher
laid broad, if not deep foundation fol-
his observations by reading as q prelimin.
ary lesson the entire 10th and 18th chan
ters OF Genesis, the genealogy of nations
4" de importantist records in de hull blessed
Book of de LORI" Some of the names OF
the ancient people staggered his tongue
but he conquered in the end by making a
flank movement and attacking them of
the line of their approved pronunciation
or mining under them with q sly and in
distinct enunciation which made them
crumble into the merest debris of their
original structures. There was an occa
sional assault and recoil, followed by re-
assault, which carried not only the single
word, but whole verse, routed in inex
tricable confusion.
The text selected, "by which to obsarve
dat de sun do move," was Exodus XIV 8
"The Lord is man of war" If the
logical connection of text and subject
was not apparent, the rhetorical purpose
in its selection was made evident by the
preachers warning: SIGH bein' de case
we orter be mighty wary how we deny d.
word oh de LORI"
The discourse had double introduc
ton, the first being occasional" il
which the speaker explained the occasion
OF the original delivery of the sermon, anc
took occasion to "polish off F" neighbor
ing clergyman for deriding his arguments
A splendid specimen of Quousque tandem
a6utere pdtientia nOstra" was finished witt
the challenge, "dat de Reberend WE'LL
link arms wild me an we'll 90 up to d,
judgment seat OBJ de Lor', an say :'Lor,'
you JUS eide 'twix' u.s. An if i'se wront
de good Lor' he say John, you hal
made mistake An if dat udder cler
gyman is wrong, de Lor' say to i'm Dicl
Wells, you 'bominable liar go down tina
to var own place ,"
The second part of the introduction wa
OF the remote order, dealing with tn,
history of the Hebrew people from tn,
call OF Abraham to the occupation of tn,
promised land, taking nearly an hour il
delivery and containing not the slightes
reference to the sun, except as the preache
exclaimed 81 'spects you folks wonder
when Pse goin' to talk bout de sun. Nov
look var l amt goin' to argufy bout 8,
important subject az dat while I's
talkin' bout Egypt an de wilderness
Fings was mighty unsartin in dose land
on de udder side OBJ Jordan. Wait till
done brung de narritive into de promise,
land, where l kin fix de fax. Den l shoy
you dat de sun do move, sure" But moi
withstanding its irrelevancy. the old stor,
OF Patriarch and Pharaoh was told with
picturesqueness of language and dramati
manner which impressed it upon tn
nearer as more faultless rendering woul
not have done. The ancient scenes wer
as vivid as if they had come down onl,
from the days before the war, and ha
transpired on the peninsula between tn
james and York rivers. Tears starte
down black faces when, with voice tremb
ling with emotion, he described Fathe
Abraham a-lookin' 80 lubbingly into d
turned-up face of Isaac, dat mighty fine boy
wat de good Lor', who wouldn't broke hi
promise, sent him when he was an oil
man." The scene on Moriah was superb
acted the preachers long arm raised, hi
eye frenzied as in the act of sacrifice. unit