The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-03
~How Old art Thou :"-.-Pharaoh to
Jacob.

Jacob.
In olden time it seems that people
were not as sensitive on age as they
are nowadays. At least the question OF
age appears to have been not lncom-
patible with the etiquette of Pharaoh
when he inquired of Jacob, "How old
art thou?n Jacob answered that he
was IAN hundred and thirty years"
and added that "few and evil'
had been the years of his life.
If this incident of the introduction
of Jacob to Pharaoh by Joseph was
Judged to be q matter proper for record
in the Pentateuch, it may be excusa-
bic for the editor to say in the CHRIS
T1AN NEIGHBoR that on last Sabbath
day, September %, 1888, he was sixty
nine years old. Nearly forty-three
years of my life I have been preach
ing the gospel, and nearly twenty-one
years of the forty-three have been ed
iting and publishing the CHRISTIAN
NE1GHBoR. While am thankful to
the God of my life that he has spared
me to live and work, yet a review of
what I have done in these years leaves
me to regret that I have not done more
and that what has been done was not
better done causes me to feel humbled
as we'll as thankful.
Howl should spend the day, God
willing, was arranged few days be-
fore. Accepting the invitation of the
Chaplain of the Asylum, Rev. E. A.
Bolles, and of the Superintendent, DR..
Griffin, joined them and a large per
cent of the 675 inmates of the Asylum
in their regular hour of worship, $50
a. m. j, holding not exceeding one hour.
The capacious, admirably arranged
and tidily kept chapel was filled with
an orderly and quiet congregation.
The men and women sit apart. The
same regulation obtains with the COL
cred inmates who occupied in the rear
of the whites probably third of the
seats. The seats arc all alike and
equally convenient and comfortable.
When with the Superint ndent and
Chaplain I walked into the chapel a
a few minutes before the time to be-
gin worship entire congregation,
decently clad, were seated, quiet and
waiting. Thought to myself what a
good thing it would be if some people
of nine-tenths of the congregations 1
have ever seen could have the advan-
tages of such an Asylum education.]
The Chaplain conducted the usual
well-suited order of worship, the peo-
pie conforming and many properly
taking audible part in the service. An
extempore prayer and sermon were as
signed to me. Never preached to a
more attentive audience.
The music led by lady presiding at
the organ and supported by other
voices near by and in the audience was
appropriate and inspiring. The occa-
sion was of much interest and profit
to me, and, it is hoped, to others. Ac-
cordant with all this was the kind and
gentle attentions of the Superintend-
ent and the Chaplain.
Not wishing to return home as I
came-in the Superintendent's car
riage-I walked a few squares and
dropped in for the II o'clock service at
the Second Presbyterian Church and
heard learned and eloquent discourse
from the Rev. DR.. Tadlock on "com-
fort We my people,"
The remainder of the day I was at
home, thinking from one standpoint
what long time I have lived, and
from another point it seems that the
days of the years of my pilgrimage
my life-has been "as tale that is
told" S. H. B.