The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-10-04
HIs KNEW THE GOOD OLD MAN
ORIGINAL, UNIQUE, FEARLESS.
Bill Arp Tolls About Simon Peter
Richardson, n Famous Methodist
Preacher In Georgia.

| nho ouauoWS Oh itlnerHnt lil1e, " betng
the autobiography OF DR.. Simon Peter
Richardson. For fifty years be was on
the go from the Blue Ridge to Key
| West, from Dalton to Brunswick and
al the intermediate country. He knew
more people and was kp0wn by moro
than any man OF his day. He was
original, unique, fearless, honest in
his convictions and ready At all times to
maintain them. He never complained,
never shirkcd duty, Travelled thousands
OF miles on horseback and sometimes
on foot, crossed swamps and forded
| streams at his peril, was fed and shell.
| tered by the poor. What faith, what
zeal, what diligence, and all for what
"a sense OF duty and his love for tho
Master and tho Masters work. No
| earthly reward WAS gained or expected.
| Tor he and his family often suffered
| the pinchings Of poverty and even the
calamity OF having his house burned
and all its furniture, and his wife and
children had to sleep in the barn upon
the cotton seed.
But he never faltcrcd and WAS always
| aggressive. He fought good fight
and kept the faith. He would have
succeeded In any OF the learned pro-
| iessions and acquired both fame and
| fortune, for he had great mental force,
quick pei ceptions, personal magnc'
| tism and was a holy terror to evil
doors.
Mr.. Lucien Knight has reviewed the
| little book with charming and truthful
words. AS he says, there is not page
but shows tho genius, the faith and the
humility OF the man. He was not
bound through prejudice or carly
training to any creed, but made his
| own and even dared to impugn the in
constituencies Of John Wesley. His an
tipathy to Calvanism was intense. The
IDEA OF mankind being responsible for
| Adams sin shocked him and he would
have stricken the words "origtnal sin"
and " total depravity from every
creed and prayer boOk. The doctrine
"t lost infants provoked his bitterest
sarcasm.
But these things are not in the book
to any invidiOus extent and 1t contains
but one sermon and that is in the ap-
pendix. The charm Of the book Is the
recital OF his experience as an timer
ont-the lights and shadows Of q busy
lie and his mingling with the great
mon and ministers OF the olden time,
for he was side by side with such men
as Judge Longstreet, Bishops Pierce,
Paine, Andrew, Capers, Soule and
knvanaugh, with Drs. Boring, Means.
Parks, Evans, Anthony and Glenn,
and in natural mental power and pull
pit for CO he was their peer. The hook
will make you weep and laugh by turns.
Relating his first experience ia 1870
| when he left Dublin for his circuit, he
| says "That night | was sad as the
grave, for had just walked up to the
| realities OF my situation and felt con
! sciOus Of my inability to meet the eX
pectatioD Of the church. After supper
| went out in the dark to pray, kneel-
| ing in the corner OF the fence. The
dogs found me and was forced to get
on top OF the fence. F'om there they
| chased me to the shed that was built
over the potato banks. The barking
OF the dogs aroused the boys and they
came running with torch, shouting
We've got him. We've got him :"
| suppOsing that was the same negro
who had been stealing their potatoes.
They soon escorted me to the house,
amid commissions OF laughter. and the
young lady thought was intensely
green
lie refused to administer the sacra.
mcnt to any one who sold or drank whiS-
key. At q revival once church mem
Der, who was well of but very stingy,
began to shout with great vehemencc,
and Simon Petcr stopped his cXhOrta
ttOn and pre-emptorily ordered him TO
| stop or leave the church for no man had
any right to shout who had not paid
his quartz erage. During 'ecOnstruct-t n
| days Federal captain forbade him to
| preach, unless he would pray for the
| president, "And so prayed that the
Lord would take ont Of him and his
allies the hearts Of beasts and put in
| them the hearts OF men or remove
them from office. The captain never
| Il ,,n{, k>, f>,f lo
| dent. | have never been convinced
that we did any wrong in sececding or
lighting, and can see no good reason
now why VIC should not do it again"
Speaking OF orig inal sin, he says: "Mr.
Wesley declares that all the children
are born under the displeasure OF God
and are subject to spiritual, natural
and eternal death. This to mo Is q
horrible doctrine" Speaking of reviv-
ais, he says: "a revival Is a solemn
farce that does not produce radical
J low form Of Calvinism that has quietly
, stolen into Mcthodism and paralyZ ID
!, her power"
. When the earthquake Of 1886 came
the docter WAS preaching at camp
meeting and says "The people be-
came much alarmed and we had nc
trouble in getting mourncrs to hock to
the altar"
A Campbellite preacher got into a
doctrinal controversy with Simon Pc
ter, in Augusta, and Dr.. Landrum took
1t up. Simon Peter says: " Brother
Landrum is very lovable man and q
very popular preacher, but in his ser.
mon he is like a pig in d china shop
He used invectives and personalities
and took in Catholics, Episcopalians
Presbyterians and Jews and stirred ul
} the town. He sent me note and two
Of his sermons. | replied that | was
running fire down at st. James and ha(
= no time to look after his waterworks
y but when my revival closed [ would
y take him In out Of the wet and hang
him on the fence to dry, then set hin
ntire and take him into the Methods
church"
8 But this Is enough Of the book
: Those who except to road 1t would no
:, like for mo anticipate too much.
4 We had tho good doctor stationed