Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-09-06
BApTIzING THE CONFEDERACY.
A Good Story Told by
Preacher.
Cumberland Presbyterian.)

Prcacher.
Cumberland Presbyterian
One Of my fellow passengers aboard the
'F. +. v" down across the Bluegrass
region the other morning was the vener-
able and genial superintendent OF the
American Bible Society for Kentucky and
Tennessee. the Rev. DR.. George s. Saw
age. | asked him for the correct version
of the famous story that is told about his
Baptism Of the Confederacy." He re-
lated 1t most delightfully."- as follows:
'In the year 1862, while / was principal
of the Collegiate Institute. at Millersburg,
Ky, 1 was asked to hold a meeting for
the Methodist church on Casey creek,
Nicholas county. The churches In all
Of this section had been more or less
disturbed by the war and the questions
that were then so warmly considered all
over Kentucky. The people In this COM
munity strongly sympathized with the
South, while l was a Union man. 80
when / went to preach for them u was
agreed that we should say nothing about
politics Soon after the meeting began
candidates for Church membership pre-
scented themselves. but the people OF
the community had been pretty generally
educated TO believe that immersion was
the mode Of baptism, these candidates
insisted on being baptized In that way. L
yielded TO their preferences at the hrst'
but finally concluded TO preach them
sermon on the mode Of baptism, IN which
7 emphasized the matter OF Infant pap
tism.
after the sermon, woman came TOT
ward and said that she wanted me 70
baptiZe her children. 1 told her II she
would present them Just before the ser
mon on the following day l would giahly
baptize them. When the services began
on the following day, at IL o'clock. the
woman was on hand with her children.
There were four OF them-three boys and
a girl. When looked at them i nag
some hesitation about baptizing the old
est boy as a subject OF infant baptism.
He seemed too old for that, but 1 decided
10 20 ahead with II and baptize all or
them. Stepping forward to the altar, al
ter the preliminary hymn and prayer, L
asked the woman to present the childreh,
which she proceeded 10 do in the order OF
their ages. Suiting the action to the
words. 1 reached forward to the Oldest
boy. and said to the woman: Name TINS
child Said she: John Caben Breckin-
ridge / baptized him. Then, referring
to the next one, said: Name this child
She said: Simon Bolivar Buckner.' The
same thing was repeated for the third
boy. when she responded even more en-
phatically than before. though she spoke
very distinctly each time: Pierre Gustave
Toutant Beauregard.' BY this time there
was a rustic in the audience. Biting my
lip and looking as solemn as possible,
knocked on the altar rail and spoke to the
people. reminding them that this was
very solemn service. and that all levity
was most inappropriate. Then. turning
TO the woman, and referring to the baby
girl that she held In her arms, l said, as
before, Name this child when she sang
out. II anything. louder than ever: Annie
e. Lee This was too much for the audi
ence; they stamped their feet, clapped
their hands. and broke forth into peals OF
laughter Finally, to cap the climax. one
brother, Myers, who suffered badly.
jumped up and called out: 'B-b-b-r-o-o-
t-t-h-h-er S-s-a-v-y-a-g-ge. you h-h-a-v-
We b-b-ap-ap-t-ti-tiz-ed th-th-the Coon
f-f-fed-er-r-a-c-c-cy, and w-w-we ar-are
a-all l-l-loyal.' 1t is needless to say that
closed the IL o'clock service, and the meet
ing, too, for that matter"