The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-10-18
HOW THE STATE CAPITOL
AROSE IN ALL ITS GLORY
Story of Why DR.. Charles r. Deems Left North Caro-
lima and the Late Ruffin fuckers Family
Left the Methodist Church.

| / believe, a good man.
| 1t was at old Buckhorn l first saw and
heard Rev. Charles f. Deems. He was
called the boy preacher because of his
size, as compared with such men as
| Hezekiah c. Leigh, David b. Nicholson,
Peter Doub and other stalwarts of the
ministry who had been and We're prom
| inent in those days. Speaking of DR.
Deems brings up the trying period through
| which the North Carolina Conference
went, and which came very near disrupt
| ing it on more than one occasion. A let
ter was written from Raleigh, away back
| in the forties. for the Richmond Christian
| Advocate. under the heading OF What
Makes 1nfidels?" signed "Christopher
Duncan" The article, it was said, was
aimed at certain gentleman of this
city, and. his attention being called to it,
| he became very highly offended. Mr..
Ruffin Tucker, father of the late Major
r. S. Tucker. was the gentleman, and the
article to which he took exceptions nc
| thought referred to him and his sons. Dr..
Deems did not admit that he was the
author of the letter: the contrary,
| plead innocence, as l remember, and threw
| the burden of proof upon Mr.. Tucker to
! cSt dDliSll tue CIdlSc Inc lUdlICI luICW
e-brand into the church, and it took
all OF a generation to repair the damage
which grew out of it. ALI those who took
part in the trial held at the Conference in
Pittsboro, in 1854, are gone to their re
ward; and though they greatly differed
| here, at times, it is to be hoped they are
| at peace now, and are resting from their
/ trials and their labors. Dr. Deems was
great man and a fine preacher but,
| it cannot be denied that the matter to
which | refer did immense damage to the
| Methodist church in North Carolina. The
| Christopher Duncan letter, if busy
bodies had not meddled with the matter
| and persuaded Mr. Tucker TO believe
that it was aimed at him, was calculated
/ to do good; for, when sifted to the bot
tom, it was simply a plea for home reli-
| gion while showing that lack of it WAS
| calculated to destroy the faith of chill
Gren in their parents; and, that being dc
stroyed, infidelity, as a natural conse
quence. would follow. The result OF the
| matter was the family in time drifted
/ from the Methodist church. In the trial
OF DR.. Deems, DR.. Gloss was his principal
attorney, and, so long as the two men
lived they remained very close friends
Speaking of Dr. Closs, justice requires
est preachers of his day, and perhaps the
| best known in the State. A great many
jokes have been told concerning him,
which in Methodist circles, have been told
until they are stale but as l am writing
for others than Methodists, l Will venture
to relate one of the best stories / re-
member, in which the Doctor was 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. a certain good
sister of that church had been from
time lmmemorial, accustomed to shout
during the preaching; and so when Dr..
| Moran went to that church she kept up
her old custom very much to fthe an
noyance of the Doctor, who did not be-
heve in shouting. He stood it for a few
times, but at length he told his stewards
that unless the sister ceased shouting he
would have her arrested for disturbing
| public worship. The stewards were
| shocked for to them it seemed nothing
| less than sacrllege TO interfere With the
religious enjoyments of so good sistel.
| and the first time DR.. Gloss went to Will
mington the stewards went in body to
him about the matter, expecting, of
course, that DR.. Moran's conduct would
| De Sharply CellSuTcu. but, lHsledO VI Ceil-
sure, DR.. Gloss, in his inimitable manner
said: Or. Moran is right, for any body
who can shout under such preaching as
he does ought to be arrested 1t has
never been told whether the sister shouted
any more, or not, but the presumption
| is, when she heard of the presiding elders
| opinion of DR.. Morans preaching, she
cooled off DR.. Gloss was great debater
| and a hard hitter, and In some future
1 sketch l may give your readers some in
cidents that will confirm this statement
/ He was as gentle as a lamb il you ap-
| 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, when the
| brethren would tell one on him. He had
the good sense, however, aided by AIS
/, mother wit, never to let his sensitiyenass
be seen, but would save himself by sornn
witty remark, which, like bucket of
water thrown on bomb shell, would ex-
tinguish the other fellows joke, and the
laugh would turn to his side. He once
said, when alluding to the many conflicts
he had passed through, that, the only
| time in his life when he was at a less
for word of reply to a remark, was in
his early ministry. He was riding along
the road and came to school house. The
children were sitting around under the
trees studying their lessons. A little boy,
with blue back spelling book, sat near
| the road SIDE and the Doctor az he rode
| along close to the young idea, thought
he would have little past-time with
him, so he looking at the boy said: "B-a
lba-k-e-r-ker, baker," To which the little
boy replied 'D-a- m-dam-p-h DOL fool
dam fool Il had no reply to make"
said the doctor, but. as l rode along,
came to the conclusion that the quarres
of this life could, largely, be avoided, If
people would attend to their own bust
ness" And in that the Doctor was moro
than half right.
r. H. WHITAKER.
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