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

Rev. DR.. u. Lafferty, editor Of the
Richmond Christian Aduocate, leciured
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 he vas 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 go batk to the days
when every one thought it necessary to
go through course of medicine every
spring to relieve him of the lassitude
and spring fever; when he was dosed
with saucorful of sulphur and molasses,
washed down with salts and sennaP Or
to the days when in New England a
preacher could net make more than two
visits, even on Sunday, for fear he would
be overcome by the New England run
be would be required to drink at each
house, or when postage was twenty-five
cents on letter, and when you paid
your mouey the letter would be carried
by man on spawned mare, and then
lie would be compelled to wait at the
ferry until the ferryman 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, bad to send 10 Liverpool
for it when the journey over and back
occupied four or five months? How her
mouth must have watered in the mean.
time. They say people we're a good deal
better way back yondsr. Now, there is
nothing Ike 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 steeples were 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 e place in which to do
business. Indeed, some States are SO
moral that they will not allow rewspa-
pers to publish the advertisements ofsuch
concerns.
"And Of the churches. When 1 was a
boy the church members were SO stingy
that they would hot pay for stoves to
warm the miserable shauties they called
churches, but would come there in their
carriages with powdered footmcn, dressed
in their 6ne silks, satisfied with the con-
dition of the church. I 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 pbur-
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 aeas
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 thread
of his discourse owing to the attack OF
the same vermin.
I suppose no benediction Was ever
more welcome. Those people were 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 dime now where they had q
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 in6del, they got
their ideas from the French who were our
friends. Now there is but one infdel
and that is Colonel Ingersoll, who char
gea dollar to tell the people there is no
hell, while 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 was In 1889, and
men who signed the pledge we're not
going to pay penalty Of twenty-five
cents for EVERY drink taken except on the
Fourth of July, muster days, Christmas
and other holidays, and the few people
who signed were called fantics. Consider
how the church looked at the question
then. Il drew the lire 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 8 loss
for some use for the apples. They could
not feed them all 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 a sort of publisher, pro.
posed a supply of hymn books. he
carried an armful to his still house to
sell to his neighbors. When trade WAS
dull he would pour out a cup Of brandy
and while inhaling its aroma would open
a hymn book and sing "Conle Thou Fouut
of Every Blessing"
"Who would 60 back to the politics of