Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-03-04
SAM JONES.
Pen Portrait OF the Great Revivalist

Pen Portrait Of the Great Revivalist
! Rev. Sam P. Jones was born in Ala
bama, but soon moved to Cartersville,
Ga, and therefore is. to all purposes, a
Georgian. In fact. to use slang word
which is quite common in that state, be
is d cracker. And it is to this fact that
ne is indebted in part for his great in+
| huence over the people of the South.
SOutberners, by the troubles and adver-
seem to me to have been drawn closer
! together and to have more in common
than do we at the North. In fact, they
seem more like enc large family than dc
Northerners. They are also. and per-
maps with reason, somewhat suspicious
ora Yankee. But Mr.. Jones is q South
erner, every inch of him; an easy-going,
pleasure-loving, contented man; man
who thinks Georgia and the South the
best place on the broad face of the earth,
and the men and institutions there form
ed of correspendingly high order of
excellence; man who is not yet quite
ready to admit that the North was right
and the South wrong 25 years ago; a
moderate and even
LAZY-APPEARING MAN
But withal an earnest man; a man who
thoroughly believes that the South will
outstrip New England, the West and all
ether sections in the near future; in
short, he is a man who believes in the
South, and especially in Georgia And
as such man Mr.. Jones forms an ex'
ception to the rule. "a prophet is not
without honor save in his own country"
1t is in his own country that his great.
est popularity is found. Being thorough
ly one of them, the people accept him
with no such questionings as stranger
would have to meet and overcome.
In his youth, Mr.. Jones led very dis
solute life. When the Federal troops
were thick in the vicinity of Carriers
vile, young Sam stole as many of their
mules as he could lay his hands on, and
in other ways helped on the Confederacy
as much as boy could. When Jones'
father was on his death bed be called his
son to him and urged him to give up his
wayward life. This Sam promised to do,
and what is more to the point, be kept
In ST, io6
the Methodist ministry, and was appoint
ed to circuit. He labOred for a number
of years as "circuit preacher" in the
mountains of South Carolina and Geor-
gia. Here he met very rough class of
men, bat by his fearless and straight>
forward manner he won their respect and
converted many to the cause be cham
pioned. 1t has been only for the past
year or two that be has been engaged in
the special work of revivalist, which
work has given him National reputa-
ton.
Mr.. Jones, to all appearances, is man
of about 35 years of age. He is of me-
dium height, rather slinly built, of dark
complexion, wearing a mustache which
oyerhangs the corners of his mouth. His
eyes are small and black, and twinkle
with spirit of humor, which is not long
quiet when he gets to speaking. His
cheek bones, like most Southerners, are
prominent. In his manner of speech,
Mr.. Jones reminds one very much of
Mark Twain. He talks along in that
same even, low tone of voice as does the
author of "Innocents Abroad" but, I'm
like Clemens, Jones enters into the spirit
of joke and laughs with his audience
rather, he usually anticipates the joke
and brings out his point in
AHALF-LAUGHINe TONE OF VOICE,
And at the same time brings one fist
down upon his knee or other hand, to
give it more emphasis. He calms down
while his audience is laughing and apt
plaGding, and when it has become some
what quieted he adds few words which
sets them in roar of laughter once
again. Having his audience now in
thoroughly good humor, he Immediately
changes the tenor of his remarks and
appeals to their sympathies and sense of
right; or. if he has any plain talking,
now is his time to do it, for we all know
people will stand a good deal more scold-
ing when they are in good humor than
when they feel that
The worlds as ugly. aye. as sin,
And nearly as delightful.
Jones does not depend upon his elegant
language to bold peoples attention so