The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-06-17


have had an occasional reeuee, u r.
produce and save from Oblivion "a sermon
that went the round Of tho southern
press some fifty years ago AMI VAS
known as the Harp Of a Thousand
Strings" Not long ago I quoted a para
| graph from II and friend writes me
| from East Felciana. La. and saws that
/ the author OF that quaint old sermon
/ lived and died in that parish and hi
/ daughters and grandchildren live thsr'
now and are his near neighbors. strange
to say the author WAS a minister OF the
i gospel sober serious, solemn and de-
voted to his calling and for long time
! it was not known that the humorous
| writings over the signature OF "ZcdckIah
/ the Scribe" came from his gifted pen.
But some preachers can't help seeing and
enjoying the ludicious side OF human
nature Sidney Smith, the famous Eng
/ lish divine. was as solemn as the grave
on solemn occasions. hut he inhaled
great deal of merriment without a smile,
He provoked othtrs to the most convul-
sive laughter but gave no sign save in
the twinkle Of his eyes. Judge Loustrect.
! the eminent jurist, the learned preacher.
/ the dignifed president Of two colleges
and university and the author of "Gcor-
gia Scenes" was of similar type / met
him often during my youth, and do not
recall that he indulged in a humorous
anecdote The last time l met him was
during the war in the office of The
Columbus Enquirer. when he INDUCED in
bitter sarcasm against some Georgians
whom he called traitorous obstruction
lists. l could hardly imagine that he it
was who nodded the inimitable charac-
ters of Ned Brace and Ramsey Eniffc,
Johns Hooper was not a preacher, but
always a sedate and very dignfed gen
tleman. He was secretary of the embryo
Confederacy that assembled in Mont
gomery and there was no sign of Simon
Suggs" or Taking the Census" in his
solemn department. Ny observation has
been that the best story tellers and con
versa tiOnalists have the least inclination
to write publish their own scintilla-
tonS. 1t was common to say of my old
partner, oh, rare Judge Underwood. :
but | could never induce him to put pen
to paper in that line. He said that a
good story or a fash of wit and huInor
lost its relish by writing it, for the tone
Of voice, the accent, the piquancy. the
facial expressions could not be recorded.
When the Rev. j. 7. Lewis wrote this
sermon it was not uncommon for anna
teur preachers to perform up and down
tnc western rivers ana mus adNeTJlSp
their business, which was principally fat
boating and peddling their produce. Lo-
renzo Dow took continental journeys
from Maine to Texas but he was q prot-
ty good orthodox preacher These fat
boat preachers were a rough and tumble
set and tangled up the scriptures awful
~, but they could draw the crowds and
their whisky was a good card. It was
an orthodox product then and preachers
and the people were fond of 1t as
, old Father Noah who was preacher Of
righteousness. Rev. Mr. Lewis does not
give this preachers name, but his ser
mon has been sent me by my frcpi and
| give it to your readers as it was given
to me- When it first came forth We
thought it incXpressibly funny 1t is not
so funny to the old people, but the
younger generation are more easily
amused than the veterans and for their
sake | append il. A pretty school girl
recited It last week at the commence
ment exercises of our public school and
she did it well and brought down the
house.
This sermon was said TO have been
preached a Port Hudson. where the am
ateur divine had tied UP" for he double
purpose of observing the Sabbath and
selling whiskey. 1t is as follows:
| may say to you my brcthcring that
l am not edicated man. an | am not
one of them as believes that cdication is
necessary for a gospel minister, for I
believe the Lord cdcates His preachers
jest as He wants en- to be cdicated. an
although l say it that out ghtnt to say it,
yet n the state Of Indianny. where /
live. thar's no man as gets bigger con
gregations nor what | gifts.
Thar may be some here today, my
brethering, as don't know what persua-
sion | am Nv. Well, l must say to you.
my brethering, that I'm Hard Shell
Baptist Thar's some folks as don't like
the Hard Shell Baptists, but | had rather
have a hard shell as no shell at all.
You see me here today. my brethcring,
dressed up III good clothes; you mOut
think | proud, but | am not proud,
my brcthcring, and although have been
a preacher Of the gospel for twenty years,
an although I'm capt'in OF tho fiat boat
that lies at your landing. n not proud
my brcthering ah.
l am not gwinc TO tell cdzactly whar
my text may be found; suffice it to say
it is in the lcds of the Bible. and you'I
find it somewhere between the first chap
ter Of the book Of Generations. aud tho
last chapter of the book Of Revolutions
ana e1 you Will 90 ana SfdTCH the 81 ZIP
lures you'll not only find my tex thar
but great many other toXes as viii do
you good to read, and ny tex, when you
shall find it, lou shall find il to read
thus an
And he played harp OF thou
sand strings -spcrits of jest men made
Derfeck
Ny tex NY brcthering, leads me to
| speak of sperits. Now. thars a great
many kinds Of sDcrits in the word-in
the fuss place thar's the sperits some
folks call ghosts, and thar's the sporits
CT terpentine. and thar'5 the spcrits as
scme. folks call Iinuor, and I've got as
| good an artigcl of them kind Of sDerits