St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-17
CIRCUIT RIDERS.
Stories of the Eccentric Preachers of
Early DAYS.

prominence than those of the ''circuit RI
ders." They are almost extinct now, but at
the 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 fatigue
and hunger they journeyed through 'blazed''
paths in the forests and by dead reckoning
over treeless prairies, preaching and praying.
They stopped not for storm nor for torrent,
or the roughs, or the heather, but went on
enduring to the end. The grass by the way
side fed their shabby ponies and gave place
OF rest to their weary limbs. a bible was
often their sole property and the succulent
corn dodger formed their staff of life. They
were the newspapers and physicians, both OF
body and soul, in that rude time.
| When the iron horse commenced ASSIST
| ing empire on its westward way and afford
| ing men better opportunities for lodging
their creditors, the circuit riders fame began
| to fade. Fleeing toward the setting sun did
no goodwill the railroad their glory depar-
|
| cult preaching. 1t was not the riders fault.
! He had 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 civilization,
seemingly for the pleasure of going, for hav-
! ing toiled and suffered to improve a coun-
| try they moved on to commence the strug-
gle over. These were the material for the
| Oil rid r,c iDic trat xUhf
their religion as they did their whisky
straight Now big railway corporation goes
ahead and does the work of the old pioneers,
| who have long since gone beyond the setting
| sun. Corporations, have 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 who go
out on the worlds edge. backed by COM
| Portable home mission fund.- to preach to
waiting audiences of eastern people who
have been lured west by enterprising railroad
companies and the advance guard of real
| estate agents. The towns grow up so quickly
as to be able soon to support permanent
pastors Permanency would have been I'M
endurable to the circuit rider. So, perhaps,
| it is just as well that he is dead. When the
rider was in his glory meetings were held
anywhere, houses, barns, or the open air do
| ing duty as churches, though these were
built as soon as possible. The great extent
of country covered by the average circuit
rider made his visits ofttimes like those of
| angels, and his coming was great event
among the people, who would assemble az an
| early hour. The waiting time was passed
pleasantly in various ways; the women Cos
siping and knitting, the men swapping yarns
and 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 Saviour
bleed" and gossip and business ceased for
the moment. Then came the sermon-a
marvel of matter and delivery, strongly inn
pregnated with birthstone, and withal a little
molasses; true sshickory sermon,'' plain
and practical, in which the little failings of
the auditors were plainly noted and the con-
sequence marked. After this there was a
little friendly, social discourse, perhaps a
brief stay, and then on 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 boarded
themselves, hence they had rights which
their people were bound to respect, and exer-
cised them, as a few instances in print will
show.
Among the prominent riders in Northern
Ohio and Indiana thirty-five years ago was
the Rev. DR.. De. Isle, descendant of an
exied Hugenot family. He was man of
most commanding presence, tall, erect and
sinewy as an Indian. AS a speaker, he was
unequallcd in his class. The heaviest cloud
of religious darkness at that time hung over
Hardin county, Ohio.
Here half a dozen riders were wearing
themselves out in an effort to save wander
ing Hardin county souls and support fami-
lies on the meagre salary of $50 per an
mum. So low was the religious and financial
standard that DR.. De Lisle resolved to hold a
grove meeting-a sort of religious picnic
most popular at that time-making stirring
appeal for the poor laborers in the barren
Hardin county vineyard and take up col
lection. The meeting was duly called, and
an assemblage reaching into thousands came
together. After the lesser lights had shone,
De Lsle made the aforesaid appeal. A nat
ural orator, he pictured the self-srcrifice
the poor missionaries, their il-clad and i'll
fed families, in pathetic terms; did his best
in fact, and called for collection. Two bat
tered beavers went the rounds QUICKLY and
returned. From the size of the audieuce 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 to-
tai would exceed 81, but would not reach IS.
Folding his arms, De Isle looked for a
moment with infinite contempt at the pitiful
heaps of battered coins, buttons, ETC., and
then said in voice that rang like the clang-
ing of a bell through the leafy aisles upon
the ears OF the astonished hearers:
Tbs I ord r-ill Hau ha cn11la In,
Harden county singly, but he'll put about
forty of them in box and damn the box -
DR.. Isle pretended to be something of a
phrenologist. He certainly was a judge of
human nature, whether acquired by examin-
alton of bumps or observation. On one oc-
easiou he CHANGED to be at the residence of a
lady who greatly admired him, and who be-
sought him to pass judgement upon her five
children. After some hesitation he complied.
As lie laid his hand upon the brain-box of
the first hopeful his face fell, and as the ex-
animation proceeded it grew darker. until
when the final victim, miss of sixteen,
came to his hands the blank look had set
tied into an ominous frown, and he broke
the fond mothers heart and hopes with a
terse: ''This belle is the smartest one in
the lot, and she'd go to sleep washing dish
esp
While attending a conference, LIE Lisle, in
company with several other clergymen,
dined with parishoner. Fruit at that time
was exceedingly scarce, none of the newly
planted orchards having reached their bear
ing 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
De Isle to dissect into enough equal sec
tons to go 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 the smaller end
int his mouth and devoured the whole with
much gusto, to the unspeakable horror of