The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-05-10
oGEECHBE oRoss-F1R1NGs.

Richard Malcolm johnson, the master in
nic.ures of ante-bellum life, gives us in this
Story Ife-llke portraits of some rare old
characters, The scene is laid on the Ogee-
c,ee. ard three of the chief personages ap-
rear in the extracts given in this article
Allen Swinger, the old time Methodist
,,reacher who dealt out fire and birthstone
and followed it up by making what be
called charges onto en-" Jerry Pound, his
s1anegrace nephew, " HON he caught hiding
Ike rabbit and brought to the nourners
bench by main strength, and Henry Doster,
a promising young p. eacher who had Just
Graduated from the old Franklin college at
Athens.
Fortunate to both it seemed, the Rev. AL
ian Swinger, native of the county, was
holding his headquarters in Gateston, aud
10 him as assistant in his circuit Henry was
assigned. This gentleman. very tall and
MUSCULAR. had been i'll his youth noted
fighter, having won his wife, SO the tradi-
ti5n went, by ais conquest of a formidable
rival, and he had not LETT behind all OF his
native combativeuess when he advanced
mon higher field He was fond of weld
ing what be styled his sledge-hammer, not
only against sinners in general, but pro-
nounced opponents of his own faith, of the
entire gertrude OF which he never had felt
a doubt since the day on which he en-
braced it first. Yet he was, or meant to be,
as pious as he was aggressive, aud he cordi-
aIlv believed that his interest in the welfare
of souls. outsiders and nominal insiders,
was as good as the best Many and many
a time with emphasis would he talk about
thus :,
"If Allen Swinger know anything at all
ahout hisself, his own self, aud if he don't
the question arise who do, but If so be,
am not against none of their souls saliva
tons, il they would only git their consents
10 give up their mean ways, aud then git
RIGHT straight up and come Alright straight
along where everybody that amt a actuil a
blinded With predijice is obleeged to see,
plain as open and shet, is tie way they got
10 foller, so they mayn't git consumed not
onlv to fire ut birthstone sprlnklad on top
of that, winch every sence ! ben converted
myself, like a brand snatched from the
burnin,' ben astonshed that airy body
. could ever be sech big fool as to think he
could stand airy one, let alone both Now,
as for Henry Dawster, If he wasn't quite SO
thin skin, and if he could get his consents
to pitch in four an a half aginst
wor)dlvans, and be more VICIOUS on them
Babti SEES. which if they amt headed they
coin' to take this whole country, same like
Fne sand of Egyp' him and me together
could git up rewivles almost a constant. But
| can't yit git him to make charges on 'em.
That whut call comm down out the pull
pit and marchin' right onto EN-, right and
left Yit he's good religious boy, same as
good Methods woman that don't know
no to be airy thing else, and love him
almost a like lie were my own child, and in
time, and speshul when he git hisself a wife,
shall count on his spreadin' hisself accor-
in to his talons, which, jest .betwix me and
you, to go no furder, he's got plenty more
than any one mans sheer, when he have
the expeuuce to go along with en-"
Henry Doster by the way was handsome
and after the manner of young preachers
was making a sensation among the mar
riageable females OF the CO gregation.
Being a / itinerant preacher, he had an idea
that be ought not to ask the cultivated
daughters Of those rich families to share q
poor minister's lot, and Uncle Allen Swim
ger undertook TO talk that notion out OF his
head in his peculiar fashion:
Bacheldrln, Henry Dewsterl Now they
may be some kind of men that bacheldrin
suit, but they monst'ous few, and preacher
spschul Methods, not among 'em. Make
no odds how much young preacher in the
first otfstart in his mad career, S ~ to speak,
may think more of hlsself than other peo-
pie think he's liable to, and he mayn't fee
like he wa t to b ,ther and hamper h isself
with one single female section of people, yit
ne Al ut4u III blIl6 budb bl6 blllo Will COLl6.
and that maybe suddent, when his holt
will begin to loosen, and it'll keep on
a-loosenin' tell he'll have TO let her drap And
it's >peshual the case when he have good
looks, but which I've never been Uneasy
about your settn' Tar river afire on them
score Yit SO it is and have yet to see the
bachelor preacher that won't knock unde
10 the course of time. Because for why
IL every community that I've ever ben arg
rFH fhau a Girls and univ
them, but widders and old maids of all age
and description, that in case like tbs
present they everlastin' workin' up slippers,
or money pusSes, or neck-hankcherS,, or
somethin' Of some kind that no nation If
men or of no kind ever had airy use for, but
which in the first place they'll go to con.
vince him, if he don't look out, that he's
good to 20 and preach to common poor
people at all convenient places. And, al
last, he'll see that sech foolishness have tc
stop, and 'stid of sech onuseleSs articles
which nobody, much less O Methods
preacher, have no yearthly necessity for
he'll find that what he wants is wife, not
Only for company, but for maxim, and
'lnendin', and keep him decent respectable
Now it amt that | would recommend any
young man to go into the very market OF
young women, as it were, like he was after
horse or piece of prop'ty. No, sir, ano
man Is any account he'll wait, no matter
how long time it take, till he fall dead il
love with jes one lone particular one by her
sell, and feel like, thoo every bone In his
natur', that she's the onliest pink of perfect
Ion they is, make no diffunce how much
The gittln Of married bound to take the
alge or sech as that. No, sir; and l tel
you now, Henry Dawster, 'twern't toI
seen as that, that aige would be took off a
heap sooner and heap more of it. Yes, sir
my boy, wait tell she strike you center
snot, and you feel like the ground amt
hardly good enough for her to walk on it.
What visions of the old timesrise before
the Old housewives and venerable mother!
IN Israel as they see the old camp meet
ing bodied fourth in this description.
10 an old-time Georgian it is very pleas
ng now to recall the camp meetings OF the
lohg ago, particularly those in the county
"uereln the scenes recorded in this story
are ald. Four miles south of Gateston and
nearly one mile distant from the public
tnoroughfare, ground Of about ten acres
parallelogram IL shape, had been selected
oy The Methodsts for this purpose shortly
~ er the first settlement of That region
mere the level land on three sides ended
hud at few rods distance in their from
uecllned several feet, becoming somewhat
preclpltous shortly after leaving the camp
az spot where was spring of abundant
0ooi water A large wooden shed callec
Joe stand" without floor or weather
boarding capable Of covering say, 4.0O(
persons, stood near the center. Rudely
constructed tents Of unplaned boards, alsC
lJuout floors, were on three sides, and or
Lus only rising GROUND of the l. st was on,