The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-06-20
gill ARPS LETTER
Barlow Man Rsproduoes Humor-
Gus Sermon Preached Years Ago.
HARANGUE OF A "FLATBOAT" PARSON
Expounded From Uncertain Text Of
HE Played on the Harp Of
Thousand strInes-sperlts Of
Jest Men Made Perfeek."

| have had an occasional request to
reproduce and save from oblivion a
sermon that went the round Of the
southern press some fifty years ago
and was known as the Harp OF
Thousand Strings" Not long ago /
quoted a paragraph from It. and
friend writes me from East Feleciana.
La, and says that the author Of that
quaint sermon lived and died In that
parish and his daughters and grand.
children live there now, and are his
near neighbors Strange to say. the
author was a minister OF the gospel,
sober, serious, solemn and devoted to
his calling, and for a long time It was
not known that the humorous writings
over the signature OF "Zedekiah the
Scribe came from his gifted pen.
But preachers can't help seeing and
enjoying the ludicrous side Of human
nature. Sidney Smith, the famous
English divine, was as solemn as the
grave on solemn occasions, but he in
hailed a great deal Of merriment with
out a smile He provoked others to
the most convulsiye laughter but gave
no sign, save in The twinkle Of his
eyes. Judge Longstreet, the eminent
jurist the learned preacher, the digni-
fed president of two colleges and a
\ university and the author of "Geor-
ala Scenes" was of similar type.
met him often during my youth, and do
not recall that he INDUCED in humor-
Gus anecdote. The last time met him
was during the war in the office of
the Columbus Enquirer when he in
Sulged in bitter sarcasm against some
2eOrgians, whom he allied traitorous
obstructionlsts I could hardly i'm
agine that It was he who nodded the
inimltab,e characters of Ned Brace
and Ramsey Smile. Johns Hooper
was not a preacher but always Sc
date and very dignifled gentleman.
He was secretary of the embryo con.
.federacy tat assembled in Montgom-
Aery, and there was no sign of Simon
gnsggs" Of Taking the Census" in his
solemn department. My observation
has been that the best story tellers
and converse ionalists have the least
inclination to publish their own
scintillation. It was common to
say of my old partner, ooh! rare Judge
underwood but / could never in
Fduce him to put pen to paper in that
line. He said that a good story or a
fash of wit and humor lost its relish
by writing it, for the tone of voice, the
accent the piquancy, the facial ex-
pressiOns could not be recorded.
When the Rev ]. T. Lewis wrote
this sermon it was not uncommon for
Amateur preachers to perform up and
down the western rivers and thus ad-
vertise their business, which was prin-
cipally fiat boating and peddling their
produce. Lorenzo Dow took continen-
tai journeys from Maine to Texas, hut
he was a pretty good orthodox preach
er. These fiat boat preachers were a
rough and tumble lot, and tangled up
Alhe scriptures awfully, but they could
draw the crowds and their whiskey
was a good card. 1t was an orthodox
produce then and preachers and the
people were as fond of it as old Father
Noah, who was a preacher of right
eousnesS Rev. Mr.. Lewis does not
give this preachers name, Tut his ser
mon has Teen sent me by my friend
.afAeI give it to your readers as 1t was
4 given to me- When it first came forth
u we thought it inexpressibly fur ny. It
is not so funny now to the old people,
but the younger generation are more
easily amused than the veterans and
for their sake l append it. A pretty
school girl recited it last week at the
commencement exercices OF our pub
lie school and she DID it we'll and
bh6ught down the house.
This sermon was sad to have been
preached at Port Hudson, where the
amateur divine had tiled up" for the
double purpose of observing the Sab
bath and selling whiskey.
[ may say to you, my brethering,
that l am not an edicated man, an
am not one of them as believes that
dication is necessary for a gospel
minister. for / believe the Lord edl-
Gates His preachers jest as He wants
EN- to be edicated; and although I say
it that oughtn't to say it, yet in the
state Of Indianny, where l live, thar's
no man as gifts bigger congregations