Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1900-09-26
A GREAT READER.
That Is What Arp Says of Late Simon
Richardson.
HAS BEEN READING HIS BOOK
Bill Knew the Good Old rlan and Ad-
mircd tiim-Some of His Good
Work.

IeduIHS III lOHS Illne lhdH thS
Lights and Shadows of Itinerant
Life. being the autobiography of DR..
Simon Peter Richardson. For fifty
years he was On the go from the Blue
Ridge to Key West, from Dalton TO
Brunswick and all the intermediate
country. He knsw more people and
was known by more than any man Of
hs uay. lie was original, unique.
fearless honest in his convictions and
r%ady at all times To maintain them.
He never complained, never shirlled
a duty travelled thousands of miles on
horseback and sometimes on foot,
crossed swamps and forded streams at
his peril. was fed and sheltered by the
poor. What faith. what zeal. what
diligence and all for what--a sense of
duty and his love for the Master and
the Masters work. No earthly re-
ward was gained or expected for he
and his family often suffered the pin
chings of poverty and even the calami-
ty Cf having his house burned and all
its furniture and his wife and chill
dren had to sleep in the barn upon the
cotton seed.
But he never falte:ed and was al
ways aggressive. He fought 4 good
fight and kept the faith. He would
have succeeded in any Of the learned
professions and acquired both fame
and fortune for he had great mental
force. quick perceptions. personal mag
netsm and was holy terror 10 evil
doers
Mr.. Lucion Knight has reviewed the
little book with charming and truth
full words AS he says. there is rot
page but shows the genius. the faith
and the humility of the man He was
not bound through prejudice or early
training 20 any creed, but made his
own and even dared TO impusn the in
consistencies OF John Wesley. His an,
tipathy TO CalVinism was intense. The
idea of mankind being responsible for
Adams sin shocked him and he would
have stricken the words original
sin" and total depravity" from every
creed and prayer book. The doctrine
OF lost infants provoked his btterest
sarcasm.
But these things are not in the book
to any iHvidious 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 itin-
erant-the lights and shadows of
busy lie and his mingling with the
great men and ministers OF the oldcn
time for ne was side by side with such
men as Judge I.ongstreet Bishops
Pierce Paine, Andrew. Capers, Soule
and Kavanaugh with Drs. Boring,
Means, Parks. Evans, Anthony and
Glenn. with Levick Pierce and Allan
Turner and in natural mental power
hnd pulpit force he was their peer
trhe book will make you weep and
laugh by turns Relating his first eA
perience N 1910, when he left Dublin
for his circuit. he says: That nigh.
was sad as the grave. for | had just
walked up 10 the realities of my sitna-
tion and felt conscious of my inability
to met the expectation of the church.
After supper went out in the DARK to
pray. kneeling in the corner of the
fence The dogs found me ana i was
forced 10 get on top OF the fence.
From there they chased me 10 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 convulsions of
laughter and the young lady thought
l was intensely green.
He refused to administer the sacra~
ment to any one who sold or drank
whiskey Al a revival once church
member who was well off but very
stingy. began to shout with great
vehemcncc. and Simon Peter stopped
his eXhortatiUn and peremptorily or
dered him to stop or leave the church
for no man had any right to shout
who had not paid his quarterage. Dur
ing reconstruction days federal cap
tain forbade him to preach unless he
would pray for the president And so
prayed that the Lord would take
out 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 asked me again TO pray
for the resident. ! have never been
convinced that we did any wrong in
seceeding or lighting. and | can see no
good rec son now why we should not
DO il again" Speaking OF original
sin. he says: M Wesley declares
that all the children are born under the
displeasure Of God and are subject to
spiritual. natural and eternal death.
This to me is horrible doctrine"
Speaking of revivals. he says a re-
vivsl is a solemn farce that does not
produce a radical reformation. Faith
without works is a low form OF Calvin
ism that has quietly stolen into Metho-
dism and paralyzed her power"
When the earthquake OF 1886 came
the doctor was preaching at camp
meeting and says: The people be-
came much alarmed and we had no
trouble in getting mourners to flock to