The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-08-12
WHAT IS The BEST2

NAAN
Good in the worldf" her husbar
contemptuously repeated. "There'salt
gether too much talk these days about
men doing goos in the world. If a man
wants to do good, why don't he plant
something and raise stuff for the people
to eat?"
sit is quite as important to take care
o. poor peoples souls"
II don't know about that. The Lord
will fix the soul business all right"
The church was crowded. Montgom-
cry Peel stepped forward on a sort Of
platform, still majestic, but with a
sprinkling of gray in his beard. Ahymn
was sung, a prayer was offered, and then
the preacher thus began:
my friends, l will not explain why ]
have erected this church other than that
l have taken it upon myself to preach
the word of God. I do not come before
you claiming to have been directly called
to deliver the word unto you-that is, /
heard no voice telling me to preach, but
I did feel that 1 could do much good,
and that it was my duty to spend the
rest of my life in this service. I shall
attempt no revolution, and those of you
that have come expecting to hear a new
doctrine, OK even a new explanation of
an old doctrine, will be disappointed. !
believe that immortal fruit grows upon
the tree of sincere repentance. / believe
that each of US owes to God a life of
simple purity and honesty. Our allotted
time on earth is but a few days, and
what should we gain though we were
placed in high position among men, for
high positions soon crumble into the
dust of forgetfulness and men soon pass
away. 1t is not enough simply to declare
that we love the Lord, for love is often
selfish; it is not enough simply to praise
the Lord, for praise is sometimes the off
shoot Of fear. While protesting to love
the Lord, and while showing that we
praise him, we must look with tender
ness upon the faults of others, we must
speak no evil word of a neighbor, neither
shall we bear tales, for the man who
comes and tells us that some one has
spoken in our dispraise may profess that
he took our part and hushed the mouth
of SANDER, yet he destroys our happiness
for an entire day. Every Sunday here
after-that is, so long as l am able-I
shall preach in this house, urging re-
pentance and kindness of heart. Many
people have wondered at the great change
that has come over me. This was a nat
ural result of so unexpected an action.
Bear with me-come and commune with
me, and I do not think that any one will
ever regret that this humble house was
placed here among the trees"
Many years passed. l grew up and
wandered in foreign countries. My
father passed away, and still, a letter
from an old friend told me, Montgomery
Peel continued to preach. l returned
home, and on the following Sunday went
to the log church, now almost covered
with moss. The congregation was sing
ingahymn when my friend and I entered.
"Where is the preacher" 1 asked when
we had sat down.
"Hasn't come up yet. He lives in a
cellar Immediately under the floor, and
has grown so old and infirm that we
sometimes have to wait for him"
The hymn wa finished and still he did
not come. Another hymn was sung and
then a man arose and said that he would
go down and sect if anything had happen
ed to the preacher. The man soon re-
turned. Brethren" said he, "the old
man is dead. Those of you who desire
to do so may come down and see him"
Nearly every n shrank back, but l
went down into the cellar. The old
man, shriveled and white with age, lay
upon a bed of straw. The place was
dark, and when we held q candle near
his face we found a paper pinned to the
bosom of his shirt. Written on the out
side of the paper were these words,
"Read this to the congregation"
We went up stairs, and the man that
had found the dead preacher thus ad-
dressed the awestricken congregations:
Brethren and sisters, we have a commu-
nication from the old gentleman whose
voice you shall never again hear" He
then read as follows:
'sThe hand Of death is upon me, and l
feel that it is my duty to say a few
words to you, my dear people. You
have been so good, so patient and
so kind that l love you with all
my soul. | have loved you ever
since 1 needed your love. / will tell
you when I first needed your love and
sympathy: Many years ago I was walk
ing along a lonely road. Night hawks
may have cried, out I did not hear them;
I could not have heard the voice of an
angel had it shouted at me. l met a
man; I knew that he was coming that
way. Hold said l. He stopped and
asked what I wanted. Il want you,'
said I. What do you want with me?:
4 want you to give me something
what do you want me to give? Your
life why? Because you ruined my
home years ago. / sprang on him there
in the moonlight. l cut out his heart
and wiped his face with it. That man
was David 9. Cahoon."-Opie Read in
Arkansaw Traveller.