The news & observer., 1897-02-25
"Your Uncle Sam" Doesn't hink ms
Country will Stano Four More Such
Presidential Campaigns as
the Last One.

Metronolitan Opera House last night.
better lecture and a more entertaining ad-
dress the people of Raleigh never listened
to. IT was a lecture, a sermon, stump
sneaking and minstrel show all going at
the same time The people-and there
was a house full of them there-laughed
at the quaint humor and apt illustrations
of the speaker until their sides grew sore.
With the possible exception Of the lee
ture of DIR. Talmage in the same hall
last week. there has been nothing equal
10 Your Uncle Sans" discourse here
last night in many day. and more than
one person went home last night sing
ing his praises and feeling deep oblga-
ton to the Wait Saving Circle of Kings
Daughters for bringing him here.
The speaker was introduced by DIR. Il.
+. Dixon as the greatest lecturer in the
United States The Doctor explained,
however. that it was not his purpose to
introduce the speaker to the audience,
but the audience TO the speaker. These,
Ar. Jones" he said. ''are some of the
best men and women in Raleigh, and
nere are the women that are engaged In
the grandest work on earrn-trying to
make good men and women out of the
boys and girls of this country"
Now Sam Jones is nobody's pretty child.
He is a typical Georgia Cracker in ap-
pearance. Not so tall perhaps as is the
pure variety of that animal, but as lank
and lean and-wen he gets handsomcr the
further back you get from him. But he
locks the very impersonation OF dare devil
courage and dry humor. And what is bet
ter known at glance that he has heart
as big as meat box.
He stepped before his audience, at the
conclusion Of DR. Dixon's Introductory,
A. il he had something he wanted 10
say and he was going to say it without
wasting any time about it. tie said he
was seldom introduced in = kialiy man
ner to an audience, but that the words Of
an old negro woman in Georgia came to
hirn. He had preached and an old col
ored sister, weighing some 300, dressed,
had been an attentive listener. After the
service she came to him and said: Il sho
has enjoyed dis distracted meetin' and
specially dat sermon what you has jest
'livered yo'self of. | clare to gracious
chile you's a niger all 'cept you skin,
you talk so plain jest lack cullud folks.
You've got a white skin, but a black
heart"
think people mean exactly what they say
but our vanity would not permit us to
take this old woman literally
In announcing his subject the lecturer
said there were two classes of people who
ought to be especially interested in this
subject-the Presbyterians and the Meth
odists. 1.-THE Presbyterians are slow in
getting there, but they beat all the world
in staying there after they arrive on the
spot The Methodists beat all the world
in getting there, but they'll turn back be-
fore breakfast next morning and have to
go over the whole programme again.
The speaker said he would try to give
a practical turn to the discussion. He
had rather have one good solid fact than
a whole wagon load Of theories.
when / run against theory | can
argue ii out OF existence, but when | run
up against a fact / simply pitch my tent
and camp there. Reasoning does no
good. You can neither go over it, around
it or under it. A fact is truth. A theory
at best is but bastard, often a lie.
1--WE all have our theories. We can
look upon the Legislature of North Caro-
lima and see that theories are manifold.
The more ignorant a man is the fuller of
theories he lis, and the more bull-headed
he is in holding on to them. There is
hardly a little old member of your Gen
eral Assembly that hasn't got some fool
scheme that he promised the dear people
he would get through, and he doesn't
think there's anything else that amounts
to row Of pins.
I'm religion there are also theories-in
baptism, for instance. The Methodist
believes the way to baptise q fellow is
to sprinkle the water on the kid. The
Baptist says wait till the fellow grows
up and then souse him under. Now, I've
seen O. Methodist who was sprinkled
when only few weeks old. He was in
the penitetiary. A Baptist that / know
was not ducked under the water until
he was 80 and he's one of the best men
the sun ever shone upon l know another
Methodist that was baptised when an in
fant and his Cody life is as sweet in
cense rising TO heaven. And there was
a Baptist brother / once knew. They
baptised him atsthe age of 21, and they
had to hang him.
''I'm sort of a patriach, and I've known
all sorts of theories. You wouldn't think
it, but I've got grandchildren Why
celebrated my silver wedding sometime
ago. oh, 1T was grand occasion, i tell
you. That's when they got me into a
swallow-tail coat. It's the first time
ever had one on and / got that on mostly
behind But ! did not tread on the tail Of
it and therefore shook hands with myself
seven times that night.
II might stand here for an hour and
talk about how to get there, socially.
When fellow gets up in society, he
hasn't got far A dude is society gone
to seed-a pimp1e on the body Of society
God never any more made him than he
made liar or n drunkard The highest
type Of society is the quaint happy coun-
try home"
The speaker was never more eloquent
than in his tribute to this real home, the
genuine home in which character is form
ed and virtue is nourished He said it
was from the country home that all the
great men of the world have come. The
country boy, he said, has lead every pro-