The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-11-26

|
In tho old solemn times Of DR.. Wilso,
ahU Cr. Patterson and fathc., say, wi
ana humor were under tho ban.
thcy were not sin they were on IN,
verge Oh 1t. Sidney Smith was cOnsiI
ered almost hereto and his clcricu
wit as unCalvinistic, if not somothin,
worse. grow up undcr the solcmni
ties OF old school prcsby tcriuns unt
had good time on Sundays. listcniny
ana nodding assent to DR.. Wilson,,
sermons on prcdcstinati0n and oririnuI
SIN. II tho good old doctor was livinu
no" nc would attack DR.. Robins and
his bo0k with all the accumulated
Weapons Ol q century Of study and then
seek TO knock him down with Calyin's
institutes.
but our modern clergy arc moro
llko hlman beings; more like human
haIufc: moro like ourselves. They
are not SO austcrc and SOLEMN. They
are social and some Of the vU,nprr
ones will go a-fshing or play ball and
the older ones tell anecdotes and smilo
quite. .aHdibly. We wcrc talking about
Che circus yesterday and one OF them
Ioiu now ne attended u synod once at
Ihomasville, and it was circus day and
there WAS grand street pageant with
music and banners and all the animals,
were on dress parade. The synod was
IN session, and as tho inspiring strains
OF the martial music fell uDOn the
synod's cars lay brother couldcnt
subdue his feelings. He rose forward
timidly and said
'Mr. Moderator, it will be impossible
lor lis to transact any business until
Chat music passes by, for we can't hear
anything that is read or spoken !
move you, sir, that we take a recess
| 1or ten minutes"
Whcrcupon an Old Calvinistic
preacher bounced him and squelchcd
hlm with indignant sarcasm
| " Rcccsa indeed Recess for u cir.
Gus TO pass by; recess because the dcvil
| with his SATELLITES id in sinful process
sion at our doors No, sir. We will
Valk louder and draw nearer, but no
| rCccsE.'
Nearer and nearer came the band,
and when the lion gave an uncarthly
| howl preachers and laymcn began TO
| tlptoe out until there was nobody left
save the moderator and the old man
In due time the music died away in
thc distance and the delegates tiptocl
back to their places.
layman whom everybody loved
| then told how one Of these old time,
| solemn preachers squelchcd all the
| hllarlty out OF him. Said he:
| " was born with a lively sense Of
the ridiculous and sometimes have
uard work to restrain my risiblCs.
One day our good old preacher asked
me TO ride out with him to see man
who was partially naralyzod aud wa.
| likely to die impcnitent unless it was
the Lords will that he should be saved.
30, we visited him and after the usual
prcllmlnaricS the old preacher said
My friend, wouit it pio.so yn., 10,
me to read chapter from the HOLY
scriptures and have n prayer in youl
bchatf?'
" We'll, / dent mind, I'm wiling
to ohige you, if it will do you any
| good, he said.
The manner aud tone in which nc
said il excited me, but bit my lip and
suppressed any unscGmly emotions.
SO the chapter was read, and the old
preacher said in solemn accent: My
! lmpcnitcnt friend, did you ever hear
| that chapter read bcforc?' Not cy-
actiy,, said he, but it appears to mo
! that Tom Garner writ something sortCr
| like it in II letter from Texas oncr.'
| That nearly upset me, &u,. the a.
preacher noticed it. After the prayer
We We sa'd good: bye and got in tho buggy
| For hall mile the old man mover said
u word neither did |. Suddenly he
| savc " side look toward nc and SLOWLY
said Brother Williamson, arc YOU
| right sure that you have in your heart
| the evidences of being a Christian =
replied with great humility that
sometimes did, and sometimes ! had
| my doubts, and | tried to quiet his
alarm about me. 'Brothcr WillamsOn,' ;
he continued, your conduct today was
| unsccmly and unchristian, and the
other Gay, as passed you on the side
walk and you were talking to some
hilarious friends, | heard You use some
very unscriptural languagc.'
"This surprised and perploxcd me,
and | asked him what it was that
said. You said, "Confound it," he
replied, Hereafter you should not
call down curse or malcdiCtiOn
upon anything, but let your communi.
cation be yea yea and nay nay"
| Some Of the preachers then discuss
cd the doubtful proprioty Of such words
! and the use OF slang, when was re.
minded Of the way in which Bob Tay-
| lor rcprovcd man, and so | told them
how rough cOuntryman was intro
dnccd to Taylor, and after looking bim
over and up and down he said: swell,
! Bob, it seems to me have seen You
somewhere before, but | don't know
wherc in the hell it was" "What
part OF hell do you live in, my friend ?"
.id Taylor, without Il smile or change
| ii countcnancc.
"Hc" ;s politics with you 2" inqnir-
Cd =. Homan friend, "All calm and
s9rcne," said |. care VIC going to have
b2ttor timcs?" said he. Yes, of
course" said |. "Wc always do after
Il presidential election, but how long
it will last remains to be seen. We
will now have a fair test for several
years OF q gold standard and q high
protective tariff, and ALPS we'll that
| ends we'll"
"Thc day before the election" said
he, one OF the most valued members
OF my church said to me that the ma
tion was in great pcril--grcatcr peril
than it had been since tho war; that he
trcmbed to think OF the momentous
results that might cnsuc in case Bryan
was elected. Itcpudiation, ANARCHY
and ruin would follow in its wake. !
listened to him with profound atten-
ton, for he earnestly believed what
he said. A few minutes thereafter [
met another valued member Of my