The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-10-20

Rev. P A. was ? great ard.
| believe. 2 good man.
Ii was al old Buckho-a ! fr~t saw aaa
heard Rev. Charles f. Deems. - W-
called the boy preacher because Of hs
size. a. compared With such nen
H~ezekiah G.. Leigh. DAVID p. Nicholson
Peter Doub and other S~.alwart- Of the
ministry who had been ana were prom
Inent in those days. SgcakIng 81 Dr
Deem, brings up the trying PERIOD throulh
which the North Carolina Conference
went. and which came very near disrupt
Ing II ou more than one occasion = Jet
ter Was written from Raleigh. away back
in TIE tortte~. Tor the Richmond Christian
Advocate, under the heading q. VIII.
Makes InfdeI>?' signed 'CEr.stcph7r
Duncan" The article. il MAS ,Jld HsS
aimed at a certain gentleman O. TINS
city. and. his attention being called to II
he became very highly offended. Mr..
Ruffn Tucker, father OF the late Major
R. s. Tucker. r. The gentleman. and the
article to which he took exceptions nc
thought referred TO him and his sons. D..
Deems did not admit that he was the
author or the letter. on the contrary.
plead innocence. a remember. and threw
the burden OF proof upon Mr.. Tucker to
establish the charge. Tho matter threw
a fre-brand into the church. and i tool,
all OF a generation 10 repair the dam g.
which grew oft Of it. All those who t-ok
part in the trial held ct the Conference in
Pitt-boro. il 1854, are gone TO their re
ward; and though they greatly differed
here, at times. it j. to be hoped they are
at peace now. and are resting from their
trials and their labOrs. Or. Deems was
a great man ana a fire preacher. but,
it cannot be denied that the matter to
which I refer did immense damage TO the
Methodist church in North Carolina. The
"ChriStopher Duncan letter. If busy
bodies lad not meddled with the matter.
and persuaded Mr.. Tucker TO believe
that it was aimed at HIM, vas calculated
TO do good for. when siftcd 10 the bot
tom. il was simply a plea Tor home rel-
gion while showing that a lack OF ID MAS
calculated to destroy the faith Of chill
dren in their parents: and. that being do
stroyed. infdelty. a. a natural conse-
Quence. would follow. The result OF the
matter was the family in time drIfteI
from the Methodist church. In the trial
OF Or. Deems. DR.. Gloss was HI, principal
attorney. and, so long a. the two men
lived they remained very close friends
Speaking OF DR.. Gloss, justice requires
me to say that he was one Of the strong
est preachers OF his day. ard perhaps the
best known in the State. \ great many
Jokes have been told concerning him.
which in Methodist circles. have been tod
until they are stale. but a. / am writing
for others thar Methcdists. / VIII venture
TO relate one of the DC or.es ! re
member. IN which the Doctor vas a party.
He was At the time referred to, presiding
elder Of the Wilmington district. and Dr..
r. S. Moran Was serving Front Street
church in Wilmington. 4 certain good
sister OF that church had been from
time Immemorial, accustomed 10 shout
during the preaching: and so when Dc.
Moran went to that church she kept Up
her old custom very much TO the an
noyance OF the Doctor, who did not be
lieye in shouting. He stood il for a few
times. but at length he told his stewards
that unless the sister ceased shouting be
would AVE her arrested for disturbing
public worship. The stewards were
shocked, for to them it seemed nothing
less than sacrlleee TO interfere with the
rel gIOus enjOyments of % good a sistc4.
and the first time Dr.. Gloss went 10 VIII
mlngton the stewards Went i'm a body t.
him about the matter, expecting, Of
course, that DR.. Noran's conduct wolId
be sharply censured. But. instead of cen
>ule, Or. Gloss, III his inimitable name
said: DIR. Moran i right. for any BODY
Who can shout under such preaching =
he does ought to Be arrested 1t las
never been told whether the sister shouteo
any more, or not. but the presumption
Is, when ehe heard Of the presiding elder9
opinion of Dr.. Moran's preaching. she
cooled of. DR.. Gloss was q great debater
and a hard hitter, and II some future
sketch I may give your readers some in
cilents that viii confirm this statement
He was a. gentle as a lamb If YOU 2p-
preached him on the gentle side, but.
when he was challenged for a fight, the
fight would surely take place unless the
challenger backed down. He enjoyed a
joke, If told on some one else, but was a
little sensitive, sometimes. vhen .ie
brethren would tell one on hin. He had
the good sense. however. aided By -
mother wit, never to let hi sensitiyena.s
be seen, but would save himself BY ,orae
witty remark, which. like a bucket of
water thrown on a bomb shell. would OK
tingulsh the other fellows joke, and the
ialgh would turn to his side. He one
said, when abiding to the many conflict
he had passed through. that. the Only
time IN his life when he wes 1t a less
Tor q word OF reply to a remark. va. in
his early ministry. He wa, riding along
the road and came to a school house. TIE
children were sitting around under the
trees studying their lessons. A little bov.
with a blue Jack spelling book. ,at near
the road side. and the Doctor "a he rode
along close to the young idea. thought
he would have a little past-timc with
HIM, 50 he looking at the boy said: pa
ba-k-er-ker, baker To which the liltle
boy replied: .D-a-m-dam-p-h-oo-l fool
dam TOOL" II had no reply to make.
said the doctor. but. as I rode along. I
came to the conclusion that the quarre!S
o this life could. largely. be avoided, If
people would attend TO their own bu-i
ness and III that the Doctor was more
than half right.
r. H. WHITAKER.
OF pn1rcn