The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-10-19
REV. SAN JONES DEAD.
Noted Evangelist Dies Suddenly On
Train.


The spirit of Sam Jones has gone I
its maker.
The startling news was flashed owe
the wires Monday. He was on hi
way home from great meeting whic
he had conducted in Oklahoma, whel
he was taken suddenly i'll and expire
in few minutes.
The body was taken to Cartersville
Ga, for burial
Rev. Samuel z. Jones, or "San
Jones" as he is generally called, was
famous American evangelist and &C
complished much good. In his youth
however, he was dissipated in his
habits and in the many years since hii
reformation has had many relapses
Only two years ago, when he appeared
before an audience at Portland, Me.
he was not in condition to speak and
had to leave the platform on a plea OF
/ illness.
Mr.. Jones was a native OF Alabama
where he was BON October Is, lS47,
but had lived nearly all his life in
Georgia. His father was lawyer sue
cessful in his profession, Of good social
position and esteemed by his friends
as consistent christian. The son
adopted his fathers profession, but,
unlike him, was disSipated in his
habits. The evangelist in his public
addresses spoke Of this part Of his life
with entire candor, and confessed his
worthlessness to his family and society.
lntemperance and addicted to gamb-
ling, he seemed to himself to be on the
point Of ruin, when he was brought to
serious thought by his fathers death.
The story runs that overcome by his
fathers appeals, the prodigal boy fell
down at the death bed, saying: 'I'n
quit, I'll quit. God be merciful to
me -"
This change in both the inward and
outward shaping Of his conduct occur
red in or about 1871. Sensible Of the
dangers which he had so narrowly es-
capped he began TO warn others. So
great was his reyulsiOn from his old
life that his pictures Of it were drawn
with terrible power. lie became noted
at once for the severity with which he
spoke Of the common vices OF society
and censured the inconsistencies of
christians. The fame Of Sam Jones
as an eXhOrter soon spread beyond the
confines Of Georgia and he bagan
tour of the south and afterward Of the
northern cities. Everywhere ne met
with success and he always drew large
crowds wherever he was announced
TO speak.
Some Of his sayings, though not es-
pecially novel, have the merit Of COM
pactness, and are worth quoting:
"What is culture worth if it is but the
whtewash Of a rascal?" 81 cannot
bride Gods grand jury, nor defy the
court that tries me at the last day"
"Ohe sin is enough to cut the soul
adrift from God" "You don't believe
what you don't see; did you ever see
your backbOne?" "SOme men believe |
they have backbone, when it is moth
ing but a cotton string run up their
back" at is principle in the econo-
my of God that just what you feed
'ther people on the devil makes you
eed on, and out Of the same spoon"
Sam Jones, as a revivalist and re-
omer, never had his equal, and will
n all probability never know his like
again. Always a target for the critic,
till he lived above him and his char
icter shone all the brighter for the
DOT that men sought to smear over it.
His death is a peculiar loss to the
world. His teachings will, Of course,
i've through years to come, but with
he silencing Of his tongue their pecu
lar and telling force can never be appre-
lated as it was when men and women ;
stened to the words as they fell from
he lips Of the noted evangelist, who
'ss in most striking sense, in a /:
lass by himself
There never was, there is not now, :
nd perhaps there never can be, a /:
IAN to take and fill Sam Jones' place,
II that place was distinct, original, !;
nd peculiar, and so was the man !:
no occupied 1t. !: