The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-04-03
The Good Old Days.


Richmond Christian Aduocate, lectured
at ST. Paul's Methodist Church last
night, His subject was, "What Is and
What Has Been," and for nearly two
hours the speaker held the close and in.
terested attention of large audience.
He said be was not one of those who
thought that all the good things were in
the past. "Who wants to go back to the
days of John Randolph and Nathaniel
Macon, who spent as many days in going
to Washington as it now takes hours ?
Who would want to 60 back to the days
when every one thought it necessary to
go through a course of medicine every
spring to relieve him of the lassitude
and spring fever; when he was dosed
with saucerful of sulphur and molasses,
washed down with salts and senna? Or
to the days when in New England q
preacher could net make more than two
visits, even on Sunday, for fear he would
be overcome by the New England run
he would be required to drink at each
house, or when postage was twenty-five
cents on letter, and when you paid
your money the letter would be carried
by man on spawned mare, and then
lie would be compelled to wait at the
ferry until the ferrymau got sobers
"The scenes witnessed In, Congress a
few days ago when the House vas with
out rules was as nothing compared to the
encounters of one hundred years ago.
Who would go back-especially of the
girls-to the good old times of Washing
ton, who, when he wanted to treat his
girl to candy, had to send to Liverpool
for it when the journey over and back
| occupied four or five months? How her
mouth must have wateted In the mean.
| time. They say people were good deal
better way back youder. Now, there is
nothing like statistics to explode such
ideas. They show that church member.
ship has increased eight times as fast as
the population. In the old days Church
bells, libraries and stoepes we're paid for
from the proceeds of lotteries. Now the
people are so moral that but one lottery
! exists in the whole country! and that Will
soon be without G place in which to do
business. Indeed, some States are so
moral that they will net allow newspa-
pers to publish the advertisements of such
concerns.
"And of the churches. When / was
boy the church members we're SO stingy
that they woald hot pay for stoves to
warm the miserable shantiea they called
churches, but would come there in their
carriages with powdered footmen, dressed
in their 6ne silks, satisfied with the con.
dilion of the church. went to- preach
once in May, and the people came as
usual in their carriages. They had no
blinds to the windows, and the sun pour
ed in aid warmed the room, it warmed
something else too. Beneath the church
all through the winter, hogs were accus-
toned toshelter, and five hundred feas
came up from below and turned their
attention to the congregation, who in
| turn turned their attention from the
preacher, and he shortly lost the th'
of his discourse owing to the attack
the same vermin.
I suppose no benediction was ever
more welcome. Those people we're rich,
but they preferred annoyances to church
| improvement. Now through all that
country are handsome churches, with
carpets and organs. had dedicated
church alter church. yet those people
haven't q dime now where they had a
half dollar then. The churches that you
see all through that country is an evi.
dence that the piety of the people has
steadily arisen in the last forty years.
"Just aftet the revolutionary war near
ly every scholar was an infdel, they got
their ideas from the French who we're our
friends. Now there is but one in6del
and that is Colonel IDgersoll, who char
ges dollar to tell the people there is no
hell, willis on the opposite side stands
10000 preachers and 100000 Sunday
school scholars and teachers. Religion
has put on seven league boots. The first
temperance organization vas In 1889, and
men who sigued the pledge wefe not
going to pay penalty Of twenty-five
cents for evety drink taken except on the
Fourth of July, muster days, Christmas
and other holidays, and the few people
who signed we're called fantics. Consider
how the church looked at the question
then. Il drew the line at treating
except on extraordinary occasions, and
the Methodist Church passed law that
no minister addicted to alcoholism could
retain his standing. Drinking was the
custom of that time, and the first act of
hospitality was to offer the guest some.
thing to drink. 1t was expected. Peo.
pie had but poor opinion Of the man
who neglected it. They had immense
orchards in those days, and were at a loss
for some USE for the apples. They could
not feed them AL to the hogs for fear
they would make the animals sick.
They had no railroads to carry them to
market and they could not make them
into cider and vinegar for want of q
market, 80 each man set up still and
turned the apples into brandy. One
man, who was sort of publisher, pro-
posed supply of hymn books. he
carried an armful to his still house to
sell to his neighbors. When trade Was
dali he would pour out a cup of brandy
and while inhaling its aroma would open
a hymn book and sing "Conle Thou Fount
of Every Blessing"
"Who would 60 back to the politics of
tto,o i LII ,oo,,