The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-19
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HOW A MASHED CANDLE
SHUT UP A YOUNG ORATOR
BY REV. II. ii. WHITAKER.

as the orator wished to return 10
Raleigh the next morning, the mule
man told him he'd better go to bed.
7 He did, but how could a man sleep
under such circumstances? He could
not. but rolled, tumbled, groaned and
grunted nearly the whole night. Just
before day, completely exhausted, he
did fall asleep; but before he had had
time for even cat-naD, the mule
man banged at his door, as if the
house had been on fire, saying: Mis-
ter, if you want to hit the train this
morning you'd better hustle. The
mules ready right now!'
AS day was breaking our orator
! stepped up on q stump. put a leg
over the mule. grabbed his escort
around the body and turned his back
upon the scenes and incidents of his
first temperance rally. BY late break
fast time he was in Raleigh, and, be-
ing as hungry as q wolf, he went to
/ the Marlborough House to get his
I breakfast. DR.. Blacknall, getting an
inkling of the matter, sent for Wood
soon. and that's the way the whole
thing got into print.
| That cold, snowy, haily, sleety,
I freezing spell we had the first of this
/ month reminded me very much of the
! old time cold spells before the war,
but, of course, l could not admit that
/ il quite came up to them, because, to
be consistent, we must not allow any
I thing to get ahead of the "old times"
l have heard of but one instance in
! which the "old time" record was
broken, and the hero of that achieve
ment was a Baptist preacher. / will
not call his name, but win say he's
still living and, from what i hear,
is still smashing the "old time" re-
cords. He's very able preacher, Il
very Cody man, and one of the most
successful revivaliSts lin the State. Not
many years ago he began a meeting
at Poplar Springs, and good inter-
est began with the meeting. In few
DAYS there had been twenty-five con-
versions and the altar was crowded
with penitents Each day, while
lunching around with the people, at
noon, the preacher would hear some
such remark as: This is right good
meeting, but it's nothing like We used
to have before the war The num-
Der of conversions ran up to forty. but
The o1d-time fellows would continue
to say: Its right good. but it's MOTH
ing like we had before the war"
When the number of conversions was
fifty sixty and even seventy-five, the
old timers still persisted in saying
IT'S nothing like we used to have be-
fore the war"
The preacher got thoroughly worn
out with the old-time braggarts, and
really tried, during the noon hour, to
steer clear of them; but they would
run up with him some how, and say:
1--WE are having right good meeting,
Brother B., but it's nothing like we
used to have before the war; The
preachers reply would be: "We1l
praise the Lord for what he has done,
and is doing for us. and keep on pray
ing and working for still greaer sue
cess. The Lord is just as able and
Wiling to bless his people as He was
before the war"
The number of conversions reached
hundred; still the meeting had not
reached the high-water mark of 'be-
fore the war: but the preacher OBJ
served the old-time braggarts were
not saying SO much. One hundred
and twenty-five conversions were re-
ported and the meeting was still
ablaze with interest. AT noon the
preacher saw the old-timers holding
sort of consultation. and walking
near them he heard. as he passed, the
oldest one says 1--WE just as Well
give it up, brethren. this meeting IS
mighty nigh as good as the meetings
we had before the war" At last
hundred and fifty conversions were
reported. The old-timers began to
rise and testify, and without All ex-
ception they all said: 1--WE have
never seen anything like it. 1t beats
all the meetings We ever had here be-
fore the war
When ] heard that story l was re-
minded of the Irishman who was al
ways Dragging about what they had
on the "OuId Country" His fellow
laborers got tired of it, and deter
mined to break him of the habit Of
saying. whenever anything was seen
or mentioned: Faith, it's nothing
loike we had in the Ould Counthry!"
turtle, little swapping turtle, SO
the story goes, was procured by his
fellow-laborers. and put into Pats
bed. In the night Pat was walked up
by severe pain i'm his leg. Reaching
down there he felt the legs and claws
of the turtle and realizing that the
thing had him by the leg, he cried out
Justify saying: Help, friends; help!
the divil's got me be the lg!"
Rushing into Pats room with
lamp, and looking where Pat said the
thing had him. they said in a careless
n bed bug. Didn't you never see
bed bug before?'
Faith. en- olive seen bushels of
one as that in the Ould Country"
We have TO be careful IN our old
age lest we allow distance to magni-
~ as well as to lend cnchantment to
the Old times. While we cherish the
old-time memories and love to recall
the scenes OF the long ago. we have
TO admit that greater things are be-
ing done than our grandfatherS ever
dreamed of. and, though wickedness
trAtt he iC is, no toy
condition than II was a hundred years
ago. and the forces at work for the eX-
tension of the Kedeemer's Kingdom,
Z; hundred fold greater
Fifty years ago horse racing and
cock-tighting were very much i'm
dulged in by a great many people.
while liquor drinking and card-play
ing. at the crosS-road country gro
ceries. We're INDUCED in by many Of
the 'squires. captains, colonies and big