Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-07-02
Sam Jones in Norfolk.

After closing his recent engagement il
| Richmond, Rev. Sam Jones went to Nor
folk, where he is now holding his protract
ed meetings. In one Of his sermons he in
dulged in the following abuse of both min
listers and members of the church:
never did like these neutral fellows;on
of these goody goody fellows; SO good that
| fight saloon keeper any time than one OF
these fellows who is always trying to be on
| both sides of question. Some preachers
complain of the way talk. I want to say
to you preachers addressing the clergy)
| that if you can't swallow the whole OF this
carcass from head to tail, you had better
take your hats and go home. l don't want
any of you to say can't hardly agree with
Sam Jones. Don't be like some old women
who say I like Brother Jones, but I don't
like the way he breaches. But, Brothers,
have got patent right on the way / say
things and you can't shut me off laugh
ter. If we preachers can't agree, how in
the world can you expect other people to
agree3
One preacher said to reporter just after
he had offered prayer that he liked Bro
Their Jones, but he couldn't stay on the
platform while he was preaching. The Old
scoundIel, he came up here and prayed for
the work I was doing and then said he
didn't like me.
If anybody asks you preachers to endorse
me don't you do it. If had been IL Nor
folk as long as some Of you preachers and
had done no more work, l wouldn't ask
you to endorse me. daughter
Some of you church people go to church
and say, "Captain, you can depend on me-"
Depend on you to do what? Cut out and
run home and hide under the bed. One
saloon-keeper can get rusty old pistol,
cuss real loud once or twice and scare half
dozen of soma of you fellows. Talk about
heaven, we'll be like little tin soldiers, who
never fought enough to knock the paint off
of themselves. Laughter.1 Ninetsnths
of the wickedness in the church to day is
caused by the cowardice of Gods own peo-
pie. Some people say they are priest.rid-
den. You can mount most any preacher
without saddle or bride. But am not
one of those sort of preachers. When any
of you try to mount me you will see me at
the trough feeding che next morning with
one of your suspenders wound around my
knee. If you preachers will stand by me
we'll do some good work in Norfolk; but
some of you will be sending me notes soon
saying you are sick and can't come out.
Don't do that. have been there before.
Some of you old sisters are going to stay
along until the fight gets hot, and then you
are going to say, II am sick and can't
stand it any longer" Have you ever MOTTO
ed how these people of the Lord have the
rheumatism and such ailments. One of
these fellows, who belongs to the devils
army, can sit up all night killing whiskey
and is always in fighting trim. don't
know what's the matter with you old sisters
and brothers unless the devil drove the life
out of you before God got you. Laugh-
ter)
What do you want to be nothing for?
you old goose. How can you be an old
worm? a worm with breaches on. Amt
you dandy. A worm with whiskers. An
old worm with silk dress. Laughter.
Why don't you stop being an old goose and
get out and fight the devil. We've got
some old members of the church who will
class on earth have contempt for it is these
old squitters.'' An old "quitter". If you
don't feel like an old dog you don't feel
natural. The most consemptible tang in
the world to-day is cutting the rate to
glory. There is grand trunk line going
right to heaven. The first station it stops
at is Conversion; then come Brotherly
Love, Kindness and Generosity. When we
got tc that last station one Old fellow Jump.
ed out of the window and said: "I've work.
ed hard enough for what have got and
amt going to give it up. And he jumped
out of the window of the train and broke
his old neck in three places. Brethren, if
you stay on the Lords train until you get
to Generosity station you will have every
thing to yourself on the rest of the journey.
Some of you preachers have got generosity
and some of you are as mean as dogs. Amt
all say it faint me-" have lever met
but one generous man in Virginia, and that
man has given about SIS, 900 to the church.
He is John P. Pettyjohn, of Lynchburg.