The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-12-24
SARGE PLUNkETT.
4 WONDERFUE RETALIATION ABOUT
STONE MOUNTAIN AND the
BaptIsts-An Accused Acre of Ground Upon
which Nothing Can Live, Near
Appling Georgia.

For The Constitution.
And now Sam Jones gives it out that ne
is going TO start a new church-somethng
between the Protestant Methodist anu the
Methodist Episcopal, l suppose.
Brown insists that he and should arse
and exclam, Il told you sol! This re-
fuse to do in the Boosting manner pre-
scribel by Brown, but as fact, in an
humble way, l am willing to state that we
did predict this very state of affairs sew
eral years ago. Time and again, through
these letters, we warned the Christian peo-
pie and the preachers that such men as
Mr.. Jones would some day refuse TO be
disciplined and would start religion of
their own il you made them mad. our very
words at that time were they will start
a church OF their own if you fool with
'em."
Many accused me then that | was spite
full a crank and was just afraid that our
Sam might curtail my mornings toddy.
and that | was mad with old Mrs. Lease
lust because she was from the grand state
of Kansas. OF course it was like unto t
hv lighting on an elephant for me To
tackle Mr.. Jones-he dident know thing
of it and will never know; but our sam
had many warm friends IN our settlement
who did know OF what | wrote ana VINO
defended their friend and gave me nan
Columbia.
The truth is that Il have always been an
admirer of Sam Jones's ability, ana hoth-
ing 1 said was felt against him personally
but against the style OF when ne was
the most brilliant representative. The same
applies as TO what said OF sam o'tidA'
Mrs FELTON, and some others. As for MIS-.
Lease she should have remained IN nan
san. the hotbed of more dcViltEy lhah any
country I have ever studied. As LOT ~
Hawthorne, with his theatrical dldoes Ill
the church, as he is not trying to start a
Z III. i.t
nothing at present, but when the proper
time comes | shall Join Brown in nus iouu
est acclaim TO the Baptist b:ethren-l tolu
you so, | told you SOL!
10 return to Mr.. Jones. Row Tar
man con go IL making departures without
/ being wrong is a queston-as 70 what IS
wrong or what is right is question. one
/ generation may hang fellow the next
/ generation may bald monument To tie
same fellows memory. surely l VIII agree
that SomcthiEg Is needed to save anu
purify the church, have said that for
/ hong while-but l do think we should avoid
tearing to pieces the dear old churches
/ around which many happy memories
cluster. if possibly can. suppose we
| try getting back TO the good oid-time ways.
! This would be no experiment. Move out
| the organs the horns, the choirs-no use
In talking, We all know what is needed to
! get back into ways under which the
! church was sacred and Mr.. sam Jones IS
| no more responsible Ter the conditions ci
which he himself is a victim than are thou
| sands, except according as he IS smarter
| than others.
But. as / have said. it is hard to tell what
| is right or what is wrong. This IDEA brings
J to my mind tn u-ais ana tribulations Of
the good Old man that preached the first
! BAPTIST sermon in the STATE OF Georgia
! As I look out the window from where
write and see tn. gray cap Of Stone noun
in iasr II, rH 4 Tff
from telling Il story OF this first old bap-
list preacher that trod Georgia soil, ami
of an incident in connection with him
that took place "a this mountain 50 many
+, years aRo. hut which has never h"4or~
been put in print
In order tell this story | must take
the reader away down in Appiug county,
! and 1 must be excused for uiycTting lit
tie, as | must ten something OF a great
old Evangelist who figured in the long
ago. Old Lorenza Dow WAS this old evan
geIst and 'our Sam might have got sus
gestous from his life o. accourt .or some
OF his cccentricites. Anyhow. old LorGIZa
Dow was pioneer preacher that blazed
the way out from Tire borders Of ciriliza-
ton through the forest aud up To stone
mountain. thence on To Lost mountain,
then 10 keEuesaN tn-n 70 lookout. thence
to the Blue Hidse and along its border
back 10 the CAROL Thc young genera
ton would not in tell them. taat
these mountains stool .,- guide posts the
footsora I.Jreuza rs hc blaz"d the trail for
those who We're 10 follow. Get upon the
1 top Of The Cons tituttoH building ami let
your eyes follow these mountains. Start
away south At some high peak Of Pine
/ mountain. lead up to stone mountain, then
( To Lost mountain, taea 10 EenneSaW and
4 Lookout. thence to the tluc Ridge away IN
/ Tennessee, and YOU via b, impressed that
( these mountains We're placed as they are
/ for some purpose-as guiding stars.
| perhaps, 10 the pioneers who
ch'istianized this great scope of
! thc finest country on Goa IS green earth.
Will relate here one OF the incidents Of old
Lcren2a's life as a suggestion of the man
| ner OF a man he was, as wen as to stimulate
the young to hunt ZIP his life:
Mr.. Dow, like Our Sam was great
| evangelist" Without price and without
food--not like "our Sam" III this-old I.o-
! rcnza Dow travelled and preached Ii nc
came upon Il rail-spiittcr in the wilderness
they stopped long enough to nave chapter
! read from l.orenza's little book and kneit in
prayer down by the log or stump. Mr.. Dow
would leave an appointment with the woods
man to be circulated, about as follows: 10
renza Dow viii preach from this stump
/ upon such and such a day: at such an
] hour" 1t might be months ahead-tns
! experimentation old Loreuza was sure to
4 be there. and he would preach, il only to
the birds and trees. The people learned
/ him: he srew famous and the time came
when he never had to praCh Just 20 the
/ trees and birds and flowers. For miles
| upon miles the people would gather and
after awhile little churches We're built along
! the trail; virtues grew; religion iiouriShed
! and the people were happy. There were 40
| chickering's. no going to law among neigh
! bors. Old Lorenza would settle all disputes
! when he came. One of the settlements,
where little church mad been started. was
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