Connecticut western news., 1886-03-17
REV. SAM JONES.
A Pen Portrait of the Noted
 Southern RevivaliSt.
A Sketch of His Career and a Few
 Samples of His Sayings

Samples of his Sayings
 The Rev. Sam P. Jones, has achieved wide fame as an evangelist. He was born in Chambers County, Alabama, Oct. 16, 1847. Soon after, his parents re- moved to his future home, Gainesville, Ga. MT. Jones is of eminently rel gious parentage. He adopted his fathers pro- fession of law after receiving an excellent ], education. An excess of animal spirits caused the future preacher to become dis sipated. He sunk lower and lower. When he now breaches against intoxicants, gambling, and other dissipations he knows what he is talking about.
 MT. Jones' father, on his dying bed, made last appeal to the better manhood of his son. The finer nature of the man was touched, and he reformed. He real ized the horrors of the pit from which he had escaped, and therefore all the more besought others to do right. He was in- tolerant of the vices of society and the inconsistencies of Christians. His plain speaking made him many enemies, yet his evident sincerity gained him high re- spect.
 In October, 1872, MT. Jones joined the North Georgia Conference of the Meth odist Episcopal Church South. He re- mained from two to three years on sever- al circuits. Gradually it dawned on him and his friends that he could do the most effective work as an evangelist. In 1880 Mr. Jones was appointed agent of the orphans home of his conference. He soon placed it in prosperous condition. There is a reminder here of over a centu- ry ago, when George Whitefeld went up and down the land preaching and raising funds for his orphan home in Georgia.
 Mr. Jones then extended his field. After many successful meetings in vari- ous Southern States, he attracted the at tention of the Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, who had him conduct revival at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. After more work in the South, MT. Jones spent month in St. Louis recently. He is engaged for months ahead.
 Mir. Jones is tall and rather good-look- ing. He is deliberate in speech, and is something of an orator. Although he sometimes indulges in slang to drive home truth, he is master of the speech of the common people. He is witty, sar castle, humorous, pathetic, elegant, whenever he wishes to be. To crown all, he is forever in earnest, always pcrsua- sive, and never loses the object of his discourses to save souls.
 MT. Jones has met with great success. His meetings produce intense interest. He is everywhere indorsed by leading or thodox ministers. In the South he has been provided with an immense tent, holding thousands. At Nashville and other cities it was jammed every day for weeks
 About 1872 MT. Jones was married to Miss Laura McElwain, of Eminence, Ky.
 Many of MT. Jones' sayings are of the kind that stick in the memory, and not a few are clear-cut gems of counsel He may be reckless of speech, but he ill some way manages to make good many cen- ter shots. Here are some of Sam's say ings:
 ''There is just as much religion in |, laughing as in crying"
 'I have never heard of man getting up in meeting anywhere and confessing that he was selfish or avaricious."
 "An obedience that dares to go, that dares to suffer, and dares to do. That is what we want"
 ''Red liquor and Christianity won't stay in the same hide at the same time. "
 ''1 like some folks that have got some laugh in them. There is nothing to be done with dead crowd"
 "One preacher told me he got down on his knees one evening and prayed to heaven, to God Almighty, to straighten out Brother Jones and change him in a few things, and that he would be a good preacher if that could be done. He prayed until about sundown, and got off his knees, and the Lord seemed to say to him: Well, l heard you praying for Jones, and if I was to take all those things away from him he would be no more account than you are' He said it liked to scare him to death, and he never prayed on that line since "-iSt. Louis Globe Democrat