The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-09-20
Famous Old Sermon.
"He Played on the Harp of Z
Thousand Strings-Sperits Nv
Just Men Made Perfect. "
Clarion Ledger.

OF the DeIlcll VI Hu Jus
readers who have never seen it,
and for others who desire copies
for their scrap books, the Clar-
ion-Ledger has decided to repro
duce the famous hard shell SER
mon, supposed to have been
preached at Waterproof, La,
back in the ffties, by a strolllng
preacher and flatboatman from
the Wabash river, Indiana, nam
ed Bro. Zeke.
Bro. Zeke is pictured as arriv-
ing at Waterproof with a fatboat
loaded with produce for the
Southern markets. He tied up
there over Sunday and announced
that at II o'clock he would deliver
a sermon on the river bank. AS
a sermon had not been preached
there for several years, the plous
portion of the population, as
well as a good many idlers and
curiosity seekers assembled at
thesdesignated place at the time
specified, bringing with them
chairs, stools, candle boxes, etc.,
for seats. After a short delay
Bro. Zeke is pictured as emerg-
ing from his fatboat, in his Sun
dav best, and announced himself
ready for the task. lie was
dressed in Kentucky jeans pants,
several inches too short and fit
ting tight to the skin, corduroy
vest, red necktie and a long blue
coat, the style of which reaches
back to bygone period.
Before giving the sermon, it is
we'll enough to say, that 1t is
purely imaginary, and has been
attributed to many persons, to
the late Attorney General Josh
Morris, Mr.. Andrew Harper of
Brandon, and a Methodist minis
ter named Henry II. Lewis. The
Brandon Republican, which first
published it, said in reproducing
it afterwards, that the sermon
was written by Mr.. Lewis, who
was stationed at Brandon III 1854.
In this statement Andrew Harper
agreed, who was the editor of the
Republican when the sermon
first appeared. The sermon is
printed in full below:
"sPERITs wv JUST MEN MADE PER-
Feet"
l may say to you, my breeth-
ring, that l am not a edicated
man, an am not one of them
as believes that edication is nee
essary fur a Gospel minister, fur
I believe the Lord edicates his
preachers just as he wants 'em
to be edicated, an although | say
it tho ought not to say it, yet in
the State of Indiana, whar live
thars no man as gifts bigger con-
gregation nor what l gifts.
Thar may be some here today,
my breethring, as don't know
what persuasion l am Nv. We'll,
l may say unto you, my breeth-
ring that am a Hard Shell Bap-
tist. Thar's some folks as don t
like Hardshell Baptists, but I'd
ruther have a hard shell an no
shell at all. You see me here to-
day my breethring, dressed up
in these tlne clothes; you mouI
thing l was proud; but l am not
proud, my breethrlng, and al
though I've been a preacher OF
the Gospel tor twenty years, and
altho' I'm captain of the fatboat
that lies at your landing, l am
not proud, my breethring.
Iaint agwine to tell you adzackly
whar my text may be found, suf-
fee it to say, it's in the lids of the
Bible and you'll find it somewhar
between the first chapter of the
book of Generations and the last
chapter of the book of Revolu-
tions, and eff you'll go and sarch
the scriptures as l have sarched
the scriptures, you'll not only
Gnd NV +ayt thar. but a great