Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-15


CATION. II runs fifty years.
We'll, now - the reporter said, as
the conversation concluded, az am go
ing to stay TO hear the sermon and put it
in the paper. I want you to turn your
self loose and give us the best you
have.''
IAN right, sab. III do it,
And he did.
BY this time the congregation had be-
gun to flock in. The white dressed
women and tony looking bucks gathered
shape out of the gloom in every
direction from the tent, and
ere long the auditorium was packed and
jammed. The reporter found himself IN
the center of the crush, and before the
sermon was through he regretted that ne
had not renamed outside taking chances
with the busted sewer odor.
The Sin Killer took red plush Gov
cred rocking chair near his pulpit, ana
when the tent had become well filled ne
began to sing, and the words were in
stauter taken up by the congregation. In
a low tone they chorused one OF those
peculiar negro melodies whose qulVer-
ing cadenoes are go suggestive OF
the old-tIme plantation, the cotton heid
alive with shouting darkeys, the
quarters
tired blacks would vent their souls in
song. This part of the service was I'M
pressive, not to say inspiring. The Sin
killer, with strong lung and q coarse
larynx, lead the rythm through verse
after verse.
Then all bowed in prayer. In this in
vocation the preacher confined himself
to the orthodox and reasonable, though
he occasionally would mix his metaphors
inextricabIy.
The hymn, Beulah Land, was rendered
by the congregation as in the white
| man g church, any discrepancy In the
artistic features being counterbalanced
by the vim and energy which all threw
into their tones.
At the conclusion, the Rev. Sin Killer
| arose. He coughed a couple Of times to
clear his throat, and began TO speak.
He spoke deliberately and with fuency
| of language. He said that the object of
| the meeting was TO present Christ before
| the people, Christ rising triumphant
! from death. hell and the grave.
| He paused before he had pro-
| ceeded far and rebuked some young
men outside the tent. 'While we are
| here II Is wrong TO get on the outside and
make noise, and then go awLy and say
| whistle and smoke He proceeded
then to give wholesome lecture on
! faith and the necessity for Christ
| ians to let their light shine forth.
1--WE must have faith, he said.
''Faith is a glass that Will draw down
! the fire of God and burn out malice from
! the hearts of men. There are some peo-
| pie who think that God may have
! changed. That is not SO. God is an I'M
| changeable spirit, and we must watch
| him in the spirit and truth. Is
that not so, brethren?' And the
lecturer turned to row of elders who
were seated behind him. The elders as
sented Now you folkses may think l
am not preaching now. You don I know
| preaching when you see it. My business
ia TO carry the truth. The Holy Ghosts
! business is to convince and con-
Wet of sin. When l preach the
truth the Holy Ghost knows it.
Some people think God is mad at the
sinner and stands with sword behind
every big-headed sinner ready TO cut
his head off, and It keeps the sinner
running all the time. l don't preach
that way. God loves the world. Now,
you all are friends to me, isn't you?'
eyes" chorused the brethren and
sisters.
eyes, you are. But If 1 was arrested
tonight You would leave me. If the
sheriff came here after me you would
all skin out. But that not the way with
God. You let a man get drunk, be full
of the spirit. l am talking of another
spirit now, the spirit that you can buy
with money. He will talk right along,
won't he? He knows who to bother and
who to leave alone. That we know is
quickening spirit. -
The exhorter closed his lecture here,
| and asked those who felt desire to be
saved to come forward. Half a dozen
women and as many men went forward.
To each ne extended his hand and an
admonitiou such as, ''Run, sinner, run
for your life, - ''Light out for glory &,
brother, - Seek the Lord while He
may be found. -
The congregation sang n hymn "Why
Do You Wait, Dear Brother. - and Rev.
Griffin read chapter from Revelations.
Then he introduced a deacon from
Washington (whether from Washington,
d. c., or Washington county, Tex, he
did not state) who undertook to address
the congregation. The good deacon
started out timidly. His voice could not
be heard far away, but he gradually &C
quired courage, and before long he
was filling the tent and several acres OF
adjacent prairie. His discourse rambled
somewhat, and embraced pretty nearly
every Biblical incident from Genesis to
Stanley's travels in Africa. 1t would be
we'll if this report could include all his
remarks, but they were not interesting
until he was half way through, and on
the home stretch he spoke SO rapidly
the stenographic art was baffied. bis
gestures were unique, and probably all
of them are OF his own origination. He
would fly up and down the plank which
served as rostrum as though he never
intended to stop, and when he would
come to the end he would halt so sud-
denly that his backbone would be jeop-
ardized. Some times his right
hand would fly up toward
the heavens while the index
finger of his left hand would be damned
into the earth below. He would run &c
the open Bible on the table, read (ol
pretend toy a line, fly back over the
plank and snort, throw himself into the
air aud turn complete revolution, CON-
ing down in the same position from which
! he started, calculate dire pro.
, nunciamento, wipe his brow witt
his coatsleeVe, and do il
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