The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-11-10
WAITS MS TRIBUTE TO JONES
ONE GREAT GEORGIAN AS SEEN
BY ANOTHER.

Last week Kew. Sam Jones celebrated
his tfftleth birthday.
In his palatiaI home at Gainesville
every dollar of whose value was coined
in the golden mint of his genius, warm
friends gathered about him to give evil
dence of their love, and to speak in be-
half of all Georgiaus the words of praise
this greatest of Georgians has so well
earned
For twenty years Sam Jones has been
the wonder Of congregations, the despair
of imitators, the puzzle of plodders, the
scandal of the "uncoguid and rigidly
righteous" the waywara son of the big
wig Bishops, the delight of the lecture
hall, and the Prince Bountiful of tue
people-giving away the thousands so
easily made and 50 charitably spent.
In the good year 1877, when both of us
were not so old, nor so gray, nor so
wunkled, Sam Jones lit down in tits
velitable town of Thomson, and began
to 90 for the devil and angels in a man
ner which was entirely new to said devil ;
also new to said angels.
We remember that we were then trying
TO begin 60 practice law. We walked
three miles every morning o the Off &c.
toted a TIN dinner-bucket, ike any school
by. took the midday meal along, undis-
urbed by the rush Of clients (whO were
painfully slow about rushing and looked
Out upon the great world in doubt as to
our future lot therein.
Some one happened to remark in our
hearing that there was a little preacher
up at the Methodist church who was
knocking the croekery around in lively
yle, and who was busting the jackets
OF the amen corner brethren IN the way,
which brought the double grunts out Of
the fuzzy fossils
Pacific uen love combination men,
hence we at once strOlled up to see what
was going Oh.
AS a rule. we are not ravenOusly fond
Of sermons. We make this confession
with shame and humiliation. When we
have heard the same COmmOnplaces
droued ont in the same lifeless manner
about 200, 600 times we require all of our
native polJeness to keep down yawns,
mods and other signs Ofifatigue and ex-
IRENE lassitude We did not yawn the
day we went to hear Sam Jones.
There he was, clad in a little black
jump-tail coat, and looking as much like
the regular preacher as WE look like the
Archbishop of Canterbury.
He was not in the pulpit. He was
right next to the crowd, standing within
the railing, and almost in touch of the
victims.
His head was down, as if he was hold.
ing on to his chain of thought by the
teeth. but his right hand was going ener-
geticaly up and down, with all the
grace of pump handle.
And Lord how he did hammer the
brethren. How he did peel the amen
corner. How he did smash their solemn
self-coucei5, their profound self-satsfac-
ton. their peaceful cOpaTtnership with
the Almighty; their placid conviction
hat they were the trustees of tie New
Jerusalem!
We sinners looked on, listened, gruned.
1t was all we could do to keep from say
ing, "Sick 'em, Sam"
We knew some of those men. We sim
ners knew THEIR failings. We wonder
ed where Jones had learned it all. We
rejoiced exceedingly, and the amen
corner brethren sweared in their great
agony.
After awhile, with solemn, irresistible
force, Jones called on these brethren t.
rise in public, confess their short-com-
ings. and kneel for Divine Grace.
And they knelt. With groans, sobs
and tears these old bell wethers of the
fl ok fell on their knees, and cried aloud
in their distress.
And the little man in the short tail
coat was master of the situation.
Then what?
He turned his gun upon US sinners,
and he infiladed us. He raked us fore
and aft. He gave us grape and canister
and all the rest He abused as and ridi-
culed us: he stormed at US and laughed
at US: he called rs hopp-eared hounds,
beer kegs and whiskey soaks. He plain
ly said that we were all hypocrites and
liars. and he intimated, somewhat
broadly, that most of US would steal
oh, we had a tine of t, assure you.
For six weeks the farms and stores were
neglected, and Jones, JONES, JONES,
was the whele thing.
And the pleasant feature Of the entire
display of human nature was the mark
ed manner in which the amen-corner
brethren enjoyed Sans iaying Of us sin
neTs.
Before the thing was over those holy
men had aim st recovered their bolster
Gus humility, which being interpreted
means self-righteousness turned wrong
side OuJwardS
And nobody knew this better than
Sam Jones.
Wei, the meeting wound up, the com.
munity settled back into it's old ways
but it has never been exactly the same