The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-11-05

emnlty. y comrade IN our iioly Lane
! journey rode up by my side that day
and told me that a young man who Is
now studying for the gospel ministry
would like to be baptized by me in the
river Jordan. l GO all the facts | could
concerning his earnestness and faith,
and through personal examination
made myself confident he was 4 worthy
! candidate There were among our
Arab attendants two robes not unlike
those used for American baptiStrles,
and .hese we obtained. AS we were to
have q large group OF different nation
alities present dictated 20 my daugh-
ter few verses and had copies enough
made to allow all to sing. Our drago-
man had q man familiar with.the river
wade through and across to show the
depth and the swiftness of the stream
and the most appropriate place for the
ceremony. Then l read from the Bible
the accounts of haptisms in that sacred
stream, and implored the presence of
the Christ on whose head the dove de-
ended at the Jordan. Then as the
andidate and myself stepped into the
water the ncople on the banks sang in
full and resounding voice:
On jordan stormy banks l stand
And EAST wishful eye
TO Canaan'S fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.
On, the transporting, rapturous scene
That rises to my sight;
Sweet fields arrayed in living green
And rivers of delight.
BY this time we had reached the mid
Il NF ri1 4 . ha Il
sank under the floods and rose again
under a baptism in the name OF the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Ghost, there rushed through our souls
a tide Of holy emotion such as we shall
not probably feel again until we step
into the Jordan that divides earth from
heaven. viii those waters be deep?
Will those tides be strong? No mat
ter if Jesus steps in with us. Friends
on this shore to help us off. Friends
on the other shore to see us land. See!
They are coming down the hills on the
other side to greet us. How well we
know their step! How easily we dis
tinguish their voices! From bank TO
bank we hail them with tears and they
hail us with palm branches. They say
to US, "1s that you, father" is that
you, mother?:" and we answer by ask
ing, rs that you, my darling" How
near they seem, and how narrow the
stream that divides US.
Could we but stand where Moses stood
And view the landscape Ger,
Not Jordan's stream nor Deaths Geld flood
Could fright us from the shore.
Desecrating the Marriage Ceremony.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. October "a
There was thrilling balloon ascension
at the State Fair to-day. Thomas J..
Minis and Miss Gertrude Pittman, OF
Brewton. Ala, were married in front Of
the grand stand in the presence of lO,-
600 people. The Rev S. NJ. Adams,
president Of the State Alliance, perform
ed the cerem ony. The young couple
then stepped into the car Of a monster
gas balloon. and with strong wind
sailed off OH there bridal tour. The bal
loon took southerly direction, and at
the height Of mile and half went
over Red Mountain. 1t was last seen
this afternoon at halt-past , O'Clock pas
sing over Oxmoor, seven miles south Of
Birmingham, and still heading for the
mountainous region of Shelby County.
The State Fair management gave the
young couple purse Of $3.50 and a
large number Of presents were given to
them. The groom is 20 and the bride is
Is. The balloon bridal party landed on
the top of mountain seventeen miles
from Birmingham, after trip ola hour
They were seven miles from a railroad
station, but the country people near by
carried them to Helena, where they took
the train for Birmingham, arriving at
9.l0 O'Clock tonight.