New-York tribune., 1886-11-07
HUMORS OF CLERICAL LIFE.
pENry1scENcEs OF METHoDIsTs.

| "REMINISCENCES OF METHODTsTs.
METHoDIsM OF THE PENINSULA. BY Rev RoBKEr n r
Hurst. I ID i2 40. PIP 336. Phiiadol lphia: Meth
| odist Episcopal Book Room~
The Rev. Mr.. Todd has presented In TINS lnstruc-
| tive and entertaining book the recoliectlops OF
thirrvthree wears of ministerial labor the PENN
snIa between Delaware and Chesapeake Bays. Inc
eastern shore" has peculifr fame. as the home
| of n populat,on not TO he exactly matched in any
mart of the United States Many changes have
taken Mace here of late years Just before the II
the people were sngulary homogeneous. SELL
! centred Indifferent to the outer world. ignorant
| and hosptabe. Not more than hair the
whites could reid write. Their usaPes'
| borrowed from the cavalier colonies OF VIZ
| rnia rather than the Puritan commonwealths OF
| New England, had been subjected To strange mohI-
fcations anong these remote and uuettered farmers
and ovstermen. Mr.. Todd. who has not attempted
grave church history. but has preferred 10 give
Ms personal sketches and illustrations of character
and manners. has made a very quaint aud valuable
addition to the studies Of this interesting people.
looking at thoIn from side which others have
neglected Methodsm got a ioothod on he PENN
-sua with difficulty, but it throve IN time. and 1t
to have been particularly adapted to some If
the idiosyncracies of the population. The camp
NEE lnrs and other occasions Of spiritual excite
mcnt and the ordinary services with their homely
appeals to the individual and their freedom from
ceremony, served to call out originality aud TO
give play to sincere and natural expressions The
manifestations of religious exaltation were often
striking, and Incidents of both n pathetic and
com'ca character abounded IN every preachers cx-
perlence Some Of the preachers themselves were
unconscious emb dIments of drollery Mr. Todd
has dwelt with keen relish upon the humor
| hnf hn has
treated the pathetic also with consider
able power The long and touching narrative
of Uncle Stephen :" for example, told in the old
slaves own words. is an admirable piece of work
There is so an impressive account of the manner
In which the slaves OF the eastern shore Of Mary
land celebrated the adoption of the new State Con-
sti ution, with The emancipation clause. The Con-
stitution was to take effect the Isl of November
On the previous evening tho free Imam assembled
in their churches at the close of work, and the
night was passed in watcl-meetngs of rhanksgv
Ing. Mr. Todd DESERVES one of these meetings nj
which he was pre- ient. BY ID o'clock almost the
entire negro population of that region had come TO-
gether, crowdIng the chapel and blocking up the
door aud windows. A p itrIlrchal coored preacher
known as Uncle Jack led the proceedings, giving
out the hymn.
Blow We the trumpet. olow
The gla ily solemn sound
PRAYER praise and shouting followed; and after the
tulInult had snbsided ncle Jack said: Now den,
chii'n let's all dat loves dc Lord, an thanks him
fo' de comm freedom, main on der knees. an be
still; an let de heart say its thankSgvin', jest in
little Whisper so nobody but dc blessed Jesus KIN
hear"
For little while the dropping of pin might have
been heard then followed faint whisper, gradual
| y increasing. and at length, broken by sobs and
smothered exclamation; until finally, "great
and exceeding weight of glory settled down like
| Pentecost uDOn the assembly.
Mr. Todd then made few remarks which Uncle
Jack afterwards commended to the attention f his
hearers; and lhen the old freedman concluded as
| follows:
q tells We folkses. dis am great dav. I neber
'spected to know how free niger felt till got de
| kingdom an dc IN yalder. But guilory.
halloluyer In few mo- mints. dis ole slaveIl be
free man. feels IT in nv boaeS, an chin Ps
gwIne to shout y Saving which hc suited the action
10 he word, and leaped for very gIadness Then,
| heads were bowed III the solemn conservation of
their life OF freedom to the service of HIM who
| had strangely br 'kel their fet;ers.
| Now. chin, you kin sing cf We wants to-" said
| Uncle Jack. lyon 10 Igs 20 nobody but de Lord
now. sing~ And sing they did II was like the
voice of ne winds through field and forest, nnging
with the chime of falling waters. Soothing ca
dences swelling barmonies. Gus's o. praise and cy-
| clones of 'H1sanna in the highest went rolling
out from the little chapel and tlOated Oft 10 hill and
| dale on the still sweet breath of that November
morning. 1t was indeed, a ju ollee anthem amedley
| of ait their most joyful melodies, ineTuded with
the voices of fervent ejaculation and shouts OF
victorious praise
One Of the famous coored preachers Of the Della
| ware Conference-at one time presiding elder was
Frost Pollet, commonly call d. by himself well
as Others Old Frost. Here is n specimen of his ser
mons: his text was, And. without controversy,
| great is the mystery of godiness'
"Brethern' an slsterIn' dis am great 'cason,
an am Goi great tex. If po preachar take
| a little tex on a blg casion, an den done gone
preach po' sermonl, de semhly d mt git nothin';
| but dIs AFTERNOON, yer shore o. de tex anyway
"De Pos.e say 'wdout cOntivarsy great am de
mystry of godlIness;' and II 'iigiOn-fo' dars
what he means-am great mystry widout con
| tIvarsv, what M ghty big mystry IL must be wld
| contivarsy. When ole NICK Demus went TO de-
Mars to AK him bout de kingdom, he told hln.
| Nick, you cant squeeze III no how wiGout YOU
come like p ; little baby-got to be born agln,
| Mex neD Denus he say. Mars, how KIN dat ar
bei OATS a great mysrry' Den Jesus he say.
| Nick, don't you heah dat wlndf Don't you know
| it's blowinf Kin you 'spl lam III Den Nic6
| Demus he see the pint; an he an de Mars
| widout contivarsy.' aud godness a great
"Frens: I've hearn of some tullud pussuns
round desc parts that go TO meetin' an shout all
ober ue house: an den a goin' home dat night. dey
| takes hen Off somebody's apple-ree. Dat am
a great mystry But s'pose dat culiud man gits
'liglon right eend fo'most; den he sleaves all de
hens-au de- Deoil too-behlnd HIM. Dat am dc
mystry OBJ godlness,
| "Den oar am dc mvstry of de Lords keer fo' us.
! De book say ne count de hairs an watch de spar
rers, an tend TO the little baby ravens. 1t say
| also two sparrers Oney fetch fardin IN the mar
ket. Il reckon fardln am bout cent? If daf's
So one spaTTers oney wo'h "a half a cent Now
den; Of de good Lord take kee of de little sparrer
WHAT'S oney woth one half cent; does Won think
he won't take keer % you ff cen hundred doiah
niggersi No woudan do Possel say great am de
| mystIy oh godliness.'"
Unc Zeke preacher of oyerpowerng Dig
nifty and very particular about forms. He could
not read. but he always used Bible, hymn-book
and pair of immense brass-bowcd speciacles in
giving out the texts and hymns carefully turning
the pages and scrutlnlzng the books TO- de pear-
ance ob de thing to d. 'sembly." Before going INTO
the pulpit he used to prepare for this performance