Smyrna times., 1885-09-23
King Solomon Converted,
AN INCIDENT OF rs YEARS AGO.
And an AnecdOte of the Introduction
Of MethOdism Into the Lo,Uer Pen
insuld.
THE REV. ADAM WALLACE. ID.

IHE REV. ADAM WALLACE, D. D.
On one of our trips, we called on
King Solomon" as they used to term
old father Solomon Evans. He was
over so, and told us of the introduction
of Methodism 40 years before that date,
L1850l, on the egroup of Tangier Islands.
Said "Uncle Solomon" "you see
there were not many of us hereabouts
then. We had an old church parson
who used to come over from Accomac
and read prayers for us, but we were
not far removed from heathens. We
heard of Camp Meeting to be held
over in PotatOe Neck, the first meeting
of this kind anybody had attended.
We agreed to go in body and see
what it was like. So one Sunday
morning in the month of August, we
took something to eat and laid our
course for the main land. Before we
came near the preaching place, we
found the woods full of horses, wagons
and people. Just as we entered the
grounds where some had put up tents,
and large company were seated on
slabs, and were looking about US in
wonder, a man blew tin horn. Then
another chunkey sort of a preacher,
whom they called DR.. Chandler, began
to read hymn. 1t was,
Blow ye the trumpet, blow,
The gladly solemn sound
Let all the nations know,
To earth's remotest bound,
The year of jubilee is come,
Return ye ransoined sinners home"
This startled us very much; but
such singing we never heard. Then
we felt the hair rise on our heads as
the man began to pray without a book.
lie wanted God to come among the
people and slay sinners right and left
and make them "new creatures" right
away.
THAT same man, DIR. Chandler
preached the sermon. His text, which
you will see marked in that old Bible
(pointing to one on the manteD was.
Awake to righteousness and sin not:
for many have not the knowledge of
God; l speak it to your shame
AS he went on preaching, some
thing got the matter with me. He
told me all about myself, and before
ne was through I saw some of nv
tumbling down on the
ground as if they were sick. Those
grew worse and 1 myself, and remem-
0ered nothing more, except the crying
and praying all around, until was up
on my feet again making as much
noise as any of them; for 1 got "the
knowledge of Cod" and felt that
he saved me through Jesus Christ, ex-
lctly as the preacher said he would.
Well, most of our crew got religion
that Sunday. The people came around !
Us and talked so good to us, that we
started home the happiest set of bare |
footed Islanders you ever saw. How |
we sung the bits of hymns we had
learned in our canoes, and when we
got home there was hardly any work
lone here, until we surrounded every
sinner on the Island, and, bless you,
hey got converted here, just like we
lid at the camp meeting.
That was the beginning of it, and
until lately, when the neighbors have
'een getting well off, and go to Balti-
more for new clothes, and gew-gaws
or the women folks, we had good re-
igion on Smiths Island. Now there
too much fashion, and it hurts nv
ceilings to go out to class and see the
listers with store bonnets, mock flow
RS stuck in them. The Devil had no
how here once, for if stranger set
led here, who was out of the ark of
atety,' we gave him no peace until we
got him converted and made him set
Up family prayer"