Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-01-14
How a Fire Bell
Broke Up a Revival
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in Iowa some twenty years
ago. lie is now living in retirement
on a Long Island farm.
He quit preaching twelve years ago
and occasionally he is seen in Fulton
Market selling truck from his farm.
The other day. after he had disposed
OF wagonload, he accepted an invita-
ton from the purchaser to join the
latter at luncheon.
The purchaser expressed some curl
osity at the leap Of the Rev. John Po-
teet from the church to a truck farm
on Long Island. The ex-dominie OK
planned 1t in this way:
II was always a great rcviyalist," hi
said. TT was my hobby. | lived in
community that had to be roasted ia
order to get results. No fine spun
theological theories would do the bust
ness.
And even when ] had landed
load of sinners It kept me busy keeping
EN- rounded up. We Baptists don't
believe In backsliding, but in Iowa |
had to be sort of a Methodist about
half the time.
After a good deal of hard work |
succeeded in getting our church paid
for Then the question of getting a
bell for the meeting house came up
and we raised enough money to buy
one.
81 was commissioned to get ii. |
went to Burlington 20 look one zip.
After inquiry l. was told to see the
Mayor. He said the city was about to
tear down an engine house which had
bell on II.
we went around to see It and while
the firemen mad the horses down at
the river to give EN- a drink, the May
or gave the bell few lively turns in
order that might hear the tone. He
said 1t could be heard all over town.
After a good deal of dickering with
his honor we agreed on terms. lie
threw off 81, which he called a contrl,
button to the church. left for home;
the bell was shipped and reached us
all right
We got 1t in the belfry ana the
members of the church used to take
pull-about in ringing it. Well, sir, by
and by. It got to be an old story, and
had to appoint somebody as ringer
every Sunday.
During one Of my rovivals | had al
U hapl Lot IN frnun thu
wrath. There was one young mar
who was the harumsCarum of the cOun'
~. He was the ringlcadcr in all the
scrapes.
"One day after an unusually strong
appeal on my part, the harumscarum
got up and came forward as a mourn
er. Everybody stood up expecting thai
he meant mischief. was a bit du
bious myself. But when he fell on his
knees | was simply overcome.
My congregation was variously az
fected. Some of them shouted, somC
began praying, and some began sing
ing. In the midest of the confusion
one OF the pillars of the church yelle;
out:
GLORY to God! ring the bell for tn,
lost is fouud'
with that somebody jerks the rop
and the old fire bell went ringing a
II II was the last day in the year. l.
the confusion somebody yelled out tina
Brother Saul simpsons nag had bus
her harness and was tearing up tn
old Harry.
The nag had smashed Brothe
simpsons wagOnette. as he called II
and the other horses hftChed to tn
fences and saplings had cut loose an,
were overcome by the cOntagiOn
Every horse. as | remember, was tear
ing up and down the road.
20 course the congregation FOLLOWED
The harumscarum leaped about fou
feet in the air knocked down 10
OF women and children and made rul
for the timber. never saw such
scurry in my life.
There was no more revival tina
year, and the congregation said 1t wa
my fault, that | had no business to al
low the harumscarum to come to tn
mourner's bench. To quote an old re
vival hymn which you may have hear
'Hosannas languished on the tongue
of that congregation forever after an
, quit.
1T was the fault of the fire bell
seems, although didn't hear this fU
some time after, when II was too lat,
Brother Simpson hearing OF my ba,
gain in Burlington slipped off quletl
to the town one day and had hors
swapping match with the Mayor
. The Mayor traded one of the fire Ell
CINE horses to Brother Simpson VIII
drove him to church for the first tim
the day \ hived the harumscarun
When the old fire bell was rung S
furiously over the return Of the los
) Brother simpsons Burlington ma
recognized the tone and thought the:
D was fire.
: He'd been trained to 1t. So a fl
= bell and fire horse broke up the r,
, vival. and thath how come to buy
. truck farm on Long Island, If it's Il
a same I'll take another half of lobst,
? instead of pie"
A
: The New York policy shops appe.