Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-06-24
Sam Jones, the Southern Revivalist.

Sam Jones, the Southern RevivaliSt.
The following are some of the pithy say
ings of Sam Jones, the now famous South
ern evangelistic revivalist:-
One sin cuts the soul adrift from God.
never saw pretty man that was worth
killing.
l tell you bathrooms are the ante-rooms
of hell.
What's culture worth if it's nothing but
whitewash on a rascal?
Don't 60 around with mud on your horns
paving up the ground.
I never met any of your boss ballroom
fellows that was any account.
I'd rather be in heaven learning my A
B C's than in hell reading Greek.
The profoundest enigma in this world to
me is Christian who is mad with some
body.
Twould not let my cook go to a german.
Dancing is nothing but hugging set to mu-
sic.
II have doubts" says one. Well, you
just quit your meanness and you will quit
doubling.
If a man hasn't enough religion to pray
in his family, he hasn't enough to save his
soul with.
It's not so much when and where man
joins the Church. It's all right, just so he
sticks up to it.
Be honest and pay your debts. There are
too many men in the Church boarding with
their wives.
Everybody ought to keep good company.
There is not an angel in heaven proof
against bad company.
Get in the right attitude and faith will
come. Bread is the gift of God, at the end
of a plow-handle.
Have religion at home, train your chill
dren right, and no revival will be needed.
Religion is catching.
The devil gives you the best he's got at
first, and it gets worse and worse ever af-
terwards. God gives you worst first and
gets better and better ever afterwards.
There is not man in Chattanooga who
doesn't have family prayers that has got as
much religion as goat.
Twelve years ago consecrated myself to
God, and since that time have never had
an invitation to ball.
A mans hates and his likes determine
character; mans affinities determine
what he is and who he is.
1 got mighty low down, low down, in
deed, but I never got low enough to be a
member of the Georgia Legislature.
He said there was never a sinner in this
town, however hoary-headed, who would
want the churches done away with.
Do you think pale, weak-looking fellow
like me could preach four times day the
year round if wasn't uplifted by the grace
of God.
The great trouble with preachers in this
day, is that they always refer to hell as the
'Burnt District" This sort of dignity is
the starch of shroud.
fthere's one man despise, it is the dane
ing master. He comes often from the
changing to teach the children of church
going parents how to attend the ball
In certain places they tell you if you
want to get into society you must join our
church. If you want to 60 to hell join that
church. That is the plain English for it.
If could have my choice getting to
heaven between church, Sunday school,
and good mother, would take the latter
every time, and be sure of the better home
above.
1t is something to be of good family. I
do not mean that man should make that
his boast, for have found that as gener-
Io1 | how yha ae l., Cot <bor r3c
family is the boy his fathers family is
ashamed of.
There are two kinds of talk we Should
not indulge-smutty talk and gossip; of the
two, though, l would rather be smutty.
One throws mud on you, the other stabs
your character one you can wash off, the
other will destroy you.
l have more hope for any man in this
wide universe than an old broken-down
politician. 1 have never prayed for one
since the war-gave them up as bad job.
Heaven help legislature that it takes five
hundred bottles of champagne to run.
[Sam Jones was born in Gainesville,
Barlow county, Ga, in 1849. His father
was soldier in the war, and afterwards
practiced law. Several of his uncles and
his grandfather share, or did share, with
him the preachers vocation, with prefer
ences for the Methodist denomination.
The revivalist married when young, and
began singularly harmonious domestic
life with daughter of Kentucky, who is
now living and the joyful mother of six
children.
1t was in the year 1870 that Sam began
to take religious view Of life, the occasion
of the change being the impression wrought
on his mind by the death of his father
Soon after this event he was "soundly con-
verted," joined the church, and began to
be heard in meeting. His gifts illumina-
ted his graces, and before long he was
popular preacher. The first ten years of
his work in the pulpit were spent in differ
ent parts of Georgia. After that time, in