The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-07-17
BILL ARP QUOTES EEECHER
The Noted Minister Used Cuss Words
and the Hot Weather Caused It,

and the Hot Weather Caused It.
This horrid, torrid weather reminds me OF
what Henry Ward Beecher said in his church
one sweltering day in July. He took no
text. He wiped the perspiration from his
brow and looking solennly at,the large con-
gregation, said: "It is hot tod:y. It is
damned hot 1t is as hot as hell!
Everybody was amazed aud shocked until
be added, ''That is the language heard two
young men use at the door of the church as
l passed them. My you1 6 friends, it is not
as hot as hell" Then in a low, earnest tone
he pictured the torments Of hell and the Ger
tain fate of the wicked until the atmosphere
of the church seemed to be cool and pleasant
in comparison. The ladies ceased to move their
fans and every body was still and solemn as q
funeral 1t was something like Jonathan Ed
wards at Northampton when he got his hear
ers so wrought up aud alarmed thst they
groaned in fear and gra:ped the posts and
braces to keep from sinking into hell, and an
other preacher in the pulpit begged Mr.. Ed
wards to stop. "Stop, Mr.. Edwards; stop
now and tell them of the mercy aid love Of
God"
What wonderful power is in the words of
an eloquent, canes: man. Mr.. Beecher wss
all of tkat-a gifted, eloquent man. heard
him preach twice before the war and was
profoundly impressed looked upon him ss
the impersonation Of the man Of God. Later
on, when he began his vindisti7e war upon
the South and said that Sharpa rifles were
better than Bibles for J )hn Brown in K rnsss
and it was q crime to shoot at shareholder
and miss him, wondered at my infstua,ion
with the msn and exclaimed with Isaiah
Chow are the mighty fallen" And still
later when Tilton charged him with alternating
and seducing his wife and it took two months
to try the ca:e and the jury two days to make
up a verdict, which virtually sale, she is
not guilty, but he must not do so any more"
was mortified at my own weakness in be-
coming his idclator and resolved to worship
no man while he lived A great mans char
| acter cannot be made up until after he is
| dead.
But l was ruminsting how easy it is for q
young man to say damn and pamn it, I'll be
damned, and even to take the name of God
in vain. Damn is more convenient and ex
| pressive word than dogon or dingnation or
blamed, and it ,hows a defiance of the devil
and self conceit in the man who uses it
But it is g very handy e1pletive and when q
| young man gets in the habit of using il he
rarely reforms. He knows that it is not good
manners, for he does not use it in the pres
eDce of ladies or preachers or his parents.
Nevertheless there are some good people VII,
think damn it without saying it. 1 heard q
good story the other day on Col. Liyiu aston
our member of Congress from the Atlanta
district. Last summer he was sent ever to
West Virginia to speak and help the Demo.
crats in their--csnvass. He ventured into g
pretty hot Republican town and was har-
anguing and electrifying large audience,
and while scaritying the Republicans and
this fighting administration soft, half done
Irish potato took him kerzip right between
the eyes. It knocked off his spec.acles and
fattened into mush all over his classic coun-
teDance. 1t surprised and shocked him Of
course. Recovered his glasses he wiped the
sticky stuff from his. face and said with e1-
cited tone, "My friends, have been-1 have
been conaistent-s consistent member Of the
Presbyterian church-the Presby, e, ian
church, I ssy for more thsn-more than fifty
years-yes, ifty odd years, and have tried to
liye-tried to live il harmony With all men
with all men. but if the dirty, dogoned, dad
blamed puppy who threw that potato will
stand up or rsise his right hand be-dad-
blasted if don't stop speaking long enough
TO come down and hck the hair and hide off
of him in two minutes by the clock AS no
body rose or raised hand the colonel resum-
ed his broken remarks, but declares that he
! never csme so near cursing since he joined
the church.
This thing of cursing is Of very ancient
origin. Sometimes it was done by proxy.
Balak, the king of Moab, hired Balsam TO
curse Israel anu some Of US veterans remem-
Der when We, too, wanted to hire cussin
man 10 expend our " 'ath upon the Yankees
Peter cursed and sEore when accused Of be-
ing one;of the disciples. l. is probable that
he eaid "Ill be damned if am" or perhaps
worse. S,ldier5 and sailors have in all ages
been profane--the very class that are IN
greatest peril and should have the Creates
reverence for their Maker Uncle Toby says
! Our army sWore terribly in Flanders" And
Unc'e Toby himse sWore an oath when he
found the sick soldier lying and dying at his
gate. "He shsl, not die, by God" be said, and
the accusing apirit few up to heaven with
the oath and b!ushed. as he gave it in. Tho
recording angel as he wrote it down dropped
| tear upon the word and blotted it out 1or-
ever" That is beautiful, isent it? Verify,
charity hideth multitude of Sins.
But this is enough on this subject. It is
too hat IN he I'd nd on T r,at ~
the shade of the vines on my verandsh and
ruu1inate. Judge Griggs, our honored mem
Der of Congress, tells that story on Colonel
Livingston and he told another that will make
the old men forget that it is hot, fer they
never get too old to enjoy any story that has
a pretty woman in it. One Of the last cases
brought before the Judge was young unso
phisticated country boy who was charged
with an assault upon bonnie country girl in
that he had caugnt her at the spring and
hugged and kissked her against her will.
Her mother saw it from her piazza and heard
her scream and saw him run away to the
fell where he was ploWng. She was very
indignant, and prosecuted MIN. She was the
witness and 80 was the girl, but the girl
dideut seem very vind:ctive. she said he
uSI UuL tOUA ucI ny SUTpEl5t.
She had filed her bucket and was about to go
back when he caught her sno hugged her and
kissed light on her mouth. Inc solicitor
closed his case. The roung man was put up
to make his statement, and sll he SAID Was
that she looked 80 sweet and pretty he could
not help it, and he dident believe that Miss
Molly was very m ID about it nohow, for she
went uf singing Of hyme What hyms was
she singing? asked the judge. Il don t
know" he said. What hyme were you sing
ing, Miss Molly? asked the JUICE. She
smiled and said it was ..Ihe LORD Will Pro.
vide" The judge charged thejury very mild.
ly, and told taem that an assault implied
malice, etc, but as the jury couldn't see
waere the malice came in, they came back
with this verdict. "We, the jury, fad the
defendant not guilty, as there was no malice
or hate in it, and we recommend him to the
mercy Of the court"
This story reminds me ofJoan Riley's YER
dict in the Pass case. Good old John Riley,