Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1901-07-04
ARP QUOTESBEECKER
Philosopher Quotes the Words of tie
Famous Preacher
THE HOT WEATHER CAUSED 1T,
Sage of Barlow Has a Netting Collar
And is Not at All Pleased With 1t
Some Remarks.

The 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 look
ing solemnly at the large congregation,
said: 1T is hot today. 1t is damne ]
hot. 1t is as hot as hell" Everybody
was amazed and shocked until he ad-
ded, THAT is the language | heard two
young men use at the door of the
church as | passed them. My young
friends, it is not as not as hell" Then
in low, earnest tone he pictured thu
tOrments Of hell and the certain fate
OF the wicked until atmosphere Of the
church seemed to be cool and pleasant
in comparison. The ladies ceased to
move their fans and everybody wa
still and solemn as a funeral. 1t was
something like Jonathan Edwards ct
Northampton when he got his hearers
so wrought up and alarmed that they
grOaned in fear and grasped the posts
and braces to keep from sinking into
hell and another preacher in the pull
pit begged Mr.. Edwards to stop. SOP
Mr.. Edwards; stop now and tell them
of the mercy and love of Cod" What
NpHuCIIul DD"CI IL Ill Tie WOIuS Vi dill
eloquent, earnest man. Mr.. Beecher
was all of that-a gifted, eloquent man.
] heard him preach twice before the
war and was profoundly impressed.
looked upon him as the impersonatio1
Of the man Of God. Later on, when he
began his vlndictive war upon the
south and said that Sharp's rifles were
better than Bibles for John Brown in
Kansas and it was a crime to shoot at
a Shareholder and miss him, | wonder
at my infatuation with the man and
exclaimed with Isaiah, How are the
mighty fallen" And still later when
yilton charged him with alternating
and seduCing his wife and it took two
months to try the case and the jury
two days to make up a verdict, which
virtually said, "He is not guilty, but he
must not do 50 any more" | was NOR
titled at my own weakness in becoming
his idOlatcr and resolved to worship
no man again while he lived. A great
mans character cannot be made up
until after he is dead
But | was Illuminating how easy it is
for young man to say damn and
damn it, III be damned and even tC
take the name of God in vain. Damn is
Il more convenient and expressive word
than dOgOn or dingnation or blamed
and it shows defiance of the devil and
self-cOnceit in the man who uses it
But it is a very handy eXpletive and
when young man gets in the habit OF
using it he rarely reforms. Ee knows
that it is not good manners, for he
does not use it in the presence of ladies
or preachers or his parents. Neverthe-
less there are some good people who
think damn it without saying it.
heard a good story the other day or
Colonel Livingston, our member o.
congress from the Atlanta district
Last summer he was sent over to Wesi
Virginia to speak and help the demo
Gratis in their canvass. He ventured
into a pretty hot republican town anG
was haranging and eleCtrifying large
audience, and while scarifyng the re-
pUblicans and this fighting administra-
ton a soft, half done irish potato took
him kcrZip right between the eyes. Il
knocked off his spectacles and iattened
into mush all over his classic cOunte-
nance. 1t surprised and shocked him
of course. Recovering his glasses he
wiped the sticky stuff from his face anJ
said with excited tone" My friends,
have been-I have been a consistent
a consistent member of the Presbyte
rian church-the Presbyterian church
! say for more than-mOTe than fifty
years-yes, fifty odd years, and have
tried to live-tried to live in harmony
with all men-with all men, but if the
dirty, dogond dadblamed puppy who
threw that potato will stand up or raise
his right hand I'll be-I1l be dadb asst
ed if | don't stop speaking long enough
to come down and lick the hair an
hide off of him in two minutes by the
clock" As nobody rose or raised hand
the colonel resumed his broken re-
marks, but declares that he never came
as near cUrsing since he Joined the
church.
This thing of cursing is of very an
Cicnt origin. Sometimes it was done by
proxy. Balak. the kink Of Moab, hired
Balaam to curse Israel, and some of us
veterans remember when we, too |
wanted to hire z cussin man to expend |
our wrath upon the yankees. Peter |
cursed and sWOre when accused of be- |
ing one of the disciples. 1t is probable |
that he said I'll be damned if l am" |
or perhaps worse. Soldiers and sailors |
nave in all ages been profane-the very |
class that are in greatest peril and |
should have the greatest reverence for |
their maker. Uncle Toby says Our |
army sWore terribly in Flanders" And |
Uncle Toby himself swore an oa'h |
when he found the sick soldier lying |
and dying at his gate. He shall not |
die, by Cod he said, and the accusing |
spirit flew up to heaven with the oath |
and blushed as he gave it in. The rec |
Ording angel as he wrote it down droT- |
ped tear upon the word and blotted |
it out forever" That is beautiful, isent |
it? Verify, charity hideth a multitude |
of sins.
But this is enough on this subject 1t |
Is too hot to work in the garden and |
so | get in the shade of the vines on |
my Verandah and ruminate. Judge !
Griggs, our honOred member of con-
gress, tells that story on Colonel Liv-
ingston and he told another that will
make the old men forget that it is hot,
for they never get too old to enjoy any
story that has a pretty woman in it.
One Of the last cases Drought before |
the judge was a young unsophisticated |
country boy who was charged with an
assault upon a bonnie country girl in
that he had caught her at the spring |
and Rugged and kissed her against her |
will. Her mother saw it from her piaz-
"a and heard her scream and saw him
run away to the field where he was |
blowing. She was very indignant, and |
him. She was the witness
md SO was the girl, but the girl dident
seem very Indicative. She said |
he dident hurt her but took her by |
She had filled her bucket and
was about to go back when he caught |
her and Rugged her and kissed her
light on her mouth. The solicitor closed |
his case. The young man was put up to
make his statement, and all he said
Vas that she looked 50 sweet and pref
" he couldeut help it. and he dident
believe that Miss Molly was very mad