Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-09-18

EARLY CIRCUIT RIDERS.
MIGHTY MEN OF BYGONE DAYS IN THE
VEST.

WEST.
Among the memories of the West of forty
years ago no figures loom up with more
prominence than the 'circuit riders" They
are almost extinct now, but at that time
they were mighty men who went about in
the name of the Lord and John Wesley,
and smote the children of Belial hip and
thigh with many goodly stroke. Their
memory has been handed down mostly of
tall, gaunt men, with struggling locks, nasal
voices and meagre purses, who allowed de-
fects neither in education nor surroundings
to interfere with the energetic prosecution
of their chosen work. Regardless OF IA
tigue and hunger, they journeyed through
"blazed" paths in the forests and by dead
reckoning over treeess prairies, preaching
and praying. They stopped not for storm
or torrent. or the roughs or the heather, but
went on, enduring to the end. The grass
by the wayside fed their shabby ponies and
gave place of rest to their weary limbs. A
Bible was often their sole property and the
succulent corndodger formed their sole staff
of life. They were the newspapers and
physicians, both of body and soul, at that
rude time.
When the iron horse commenced assist
ing empire on it's westward way, and afford
ing men better opportunity for lodging
their creditors, the circuit riders fame be-
gan to fade. Fleeing toward the setting sun
did no goodwill the railroad their glory
departed forever. People ceased to care for
circuit preaching. II. was not the riders
fault. He is not changed. His audiences
had, however. In the old days the pioneers
were of different stamp from now. Brave,
hardy men, who went on in the van of civ.
ilization, seemingly for the pleasure of
going, for having toiled and suffered to i'm
prove country they moved on to COM
mence the struggle over. These were the
material for the circuit riders ministra-
tions men who took their religion as they
did their whisky-straight. Nova big rail-
way corporation goes ahead and does the
work Of the old pioneers, who have long
since gone beyond the setting sun. Corpo-
rations, having no souls, were worse than
no material to the rider who has followed
the pioneer on his long journey,
True, there are missionaries to-day VINO
20 out on the worlds edge, backed by a
comfortable home mission fund, to preach
to waiting audiences of eastern people who
have been lured west by enterprising rail
way companies and the advance guard OF
real estate agents. The towns grow up 50
quickly as to be able to support permanent
pastors. Permanency would have been un-
endurable to the circuit rider. So perhaps,
it is Just as we'll that he is dead. When the
rider was in his glory meetings were held
anywhere, houses, barns or the open air
doing duty as churches, though these were
built as soon as possible. The extent OF
country covered by the average rider made
his visits of times like those of angels, and
his coming was a great event among the
people, who would assemble at an early
hour. The waiting time passed pleasantly
in various ways; the women gossiplng and
knitting, while the men sWapped yarns ana
horses, while some one watched for the
parson. When the latter hove in sight the
waiting, watchful brother struck up some
such hymn as ''Alas and Did my Savior
Bieed,b and gossip and business ceased for
the moment. Then came the sermon-a
marvel of matter and delivery, strongly i'm
pregnated with birthstone, and Withal lit,
tie molasses true "hickory Sermon
plain and practical, in which the little fail.
ings of the auditors were plainly noted ano
the consequence marked. After this there
was little friendly, social discourse, per,
haps brief stay, and then Oh to the next
little flock.
The riders were autocratic in their ways
and held in fear neither man nor Satan
They worked for almost nothing and board
ed themselves, hence they had rights which
their people were bound to respect, and ex'
ercised them, as a few instances IN poln'
will show.
Among the prominent riders in Northern
Ohio and Indiana thirty-ive years ago, was
the Rev. Mr.. DeLisle, descendant OF al
exhiled Huguenot family. He was man
of most commanding presence, tall, erect
and snewy as an Indian. AS speaker ne
was unequaled in his class. The heaviest
cloud of religious darkness at that time
hung over Hardin county, Ohio.
Here half dozen riders were wearing
themselves out in an effort to save some
wandering Hardin county souls and sup.
port families on the meagre salary of $5l
per annum. So low was the religious and
financial standard that DeLisle resolved tc
hold grove meeting-a sort OF religious
picnic-mal.ing stirring appeal for the
poor laborers in the barren Hardin county
vineyard and take up collection. Ihe
meeting was duly called and an assemblage
reaching into thousands came together:
made the aforesaid appeal. A natural ora
tor, he pictured the self sacrifice of the poor
missionaries, their ill-clad and ill-fed fami-
lies, in pathetic terms did his best, in fact,
and called for a collection. Two battered
beavers went the rounds quickly and re-
turned. From the size of the audience at
least 500 was expected. The contents OF
the hats did not promise it. In answer to
his questioning the tellers said that the sum
total would exceed 81, but would not reach
S.. Folding his arms, DeLisle looked for a
moment with infinite contempt at the pitt
full heaps of battered coins, buttons, ETC.,
and then said in voice that rang like the
changing of bell through the leafy aisles,
upon the ears of the astonished hearers:
"The Lord will never damn the souls IN
Hardin county single, but He'll put about
forty of them in box and damn the box"
DeLisle pretended to be something Of a
phrenologist. He certainly was judge OF
human nature, whether acquired by eXaml-
nation of bumps or observation. On one
occasion he chanced to be at the residence OF
a lady who greatly admired him, and who
besought him to pass Judgment upon her
five children. After some hesitation he
complied. AS he laid his hand upon the
brain box of the first hopeful his face fell,
and as the examination proceeded it grew
darker, until when the final victim, a miss
of sixteen, came to his hands the blank look
had settled into an omnibus froWn, and he
broke the fond mothers heart and hopes
with terse: "This belle is the smartest one
in the lot and she'd go to sleep washing
Dishes"
While attending conference, DeLisle,
in company with seven other clergymen,
dined with a parishioner. Fruit at that
time was exceedingly scarce, none Of the
newly planted orchards having reached
their bearing time. The lady of the house
had, by some process, saved up enough
cherries to make one pie, of which she was
sufficiently proud, and at the proper time
passed it to DeLisle to dissect it into enough
equal sections to 60 round. Either the
problem was too much for him or he didn't
understand the situation; for, doubling the
pastry into a huge turnover, he inserted