The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-08-21
SERMONS IN STONES.
They Were Moro Than Figure of Speech
to 0 Pious Maine Farmer.

They Were Moro Than Figure of Speech
to Pious Maine Farmer.
Pioneer Benjamin Edmunds made
the stones preach and left in his
barnyard the most pious and mass
i've fencepost in the state of Maine,
d huge, round pillar as large as a
hogshead, covered with the Ten
Commandments neatly chiseled.
Grandpa Edmunds hewed the first
path into what is now the town of
Roxbury, on the Swift river. While
he cleared the path and reared
cabin his wife logged on her back
ell their earthly possessions.
EARLY in the spring of 1880 or
Whereabouts he had prospected in the
region and picked out the pretty in
terval that he afterward cleared
and settled upon. A friend accom-
panied him on that first trip. At
dusk one chilly April night they
reached the spot that promised best,
and in the gathering gloom Mr.. Ed
munds surveyed the level river bot
tom from the wooded hillside. "This
suits me. Here I SETTLE" he said to
his companion. Both men were
weary. The tramp had been long
and tedious, and Edmunds' friend
proposed to lie down and sleep. The
other pioneer protested, urging that
should they sleep they might never
awake in that atmosphere chilled
with April's snow.
The man was tired, however, and
was bound to sleep. He did 80, and
Grandpa Edmunds stoically stood up
and pounded @ tree with a club all
night in order that he might keep
awake. His friend did not freeze to
death, but caught cold that ended
in fatal pneumonia. The most inter-
esting work Of brave, old Pioneer Ed
munds' life was his quaint stonecut-
ting. It was his hobby and diver
sion.
There were no churches in the
whole region around, and so the set.
tier used to slip his mallet and ohis-
! ell into his pocket, sly out into the
woods and chisel passages of Scrip
ture on the rocks. Pretty soon, so
Industrious had he been that go
where he might on his farm some
holy precept, some meaty apothegm,
some stern commandment, some
helpful word of spiritual cheer con-
fronted him. The stones had tongues
for him and others who labored with
him in the Maine wilderness.
One huge bowlder he smoothed
and rounded up with great pains
and chiseled on it the Ten Command
mnets in letters three inches high.
It forms fence post in the old barn.
yard and is confronted by another
pillar bearing the Lords Prayer. 1t
is said the presence of those stern
monitors in the barnyard depressed
many hired mans heated argu-
ment with q refractory steer or
breachy COW. Whether they awaited
to soothe when Boss stepped in the
millpails chroniclers aver not.
Grandpa Edmunds also attempted
other feats in the stone cutting line.
He had little dog Of whom he was
very fond, and he carved a statuette
of the canine that interested visitors
may see on the premises.
Prominently displayed near the
corner of the farmhouse is a life size
representation of human head. A
retired sea captain living in the
neighborhood had a Malay whom he
had brought home, and Grandpa Ed.
munds was SO impressed by the
chaps countenanoe that he repro.
duced it in stone.
The entrance to the yard is set of
by stone arch, and over the key.
stone of this is another human head
very neatly executed.
The old gentleman had finished uI
at great expense Of time and patience
life size American eagle as an or.
nament for this stone portal. He
was Juggling it across the yard to its
position when he dropped the figure
and broke off wing. The stone post
with the Ten Commandments was
directly before his eyes.
Scattered about the premises are
many other figures, all laboriously
worked out of the stone with such
rude instruments as the settler pos.
sessed. All are quaint, and some are
quite creditable.
/ Though Pioneer Edmunds has
been laid away in his grave many
years, his stone treasures are still
carefully preserved, even that
American eagle who so ingloriously
and exasperatingly shed his pinion
; Lewiston journal.