The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-05-11

non 1t is JUSl I6CoNtI lie IlIt1I 10
put upon an impoverished people the
| cost of educating millions of a non
tax-paying population and when mas
deprived two generations of people OF
fair opportunity to obtain an educa-
ton.
The people of the South under the
calamities which have been put upon
| heb has been heroic, and the other
| sections of the Union LAY never COM
pretended it all
Writing recently of S~winburne's
death I was reminded of his birth
place, the vast unriValled city of Lon
don several times greater than any OF
the famous and large cities of anti
guilty, and much larger than n city
of our time. Since other c1tles ana
towns We're merged into h is now
called Greater New York. it has
been greatly enlarged, but hardly now
really contains half the population OF
london. Swinburne is truly one OF
the greatest of the poets born in
London. Milton is by odds the very
greatest, and only second to Shakes
| peare. the highest genius of all the
world in all ages. S~Winburne ranks
perhaps second to Milton among the
| poets born in the chief city Of the
world now. ] had a list l mad out
some years ago of the chief genius in
that city on the Thames, but / can not
lay my land upon it now, and can not
undertake to search for the names 50
as to max out a complete record.
| give some hat may be
of interest or valu to some Of my
readers. Starting with Milton and
, Geoffery,- Chaucer and Swinborne, /
add as follows, first stopping to say of
Chaucer, who was a genius Of a high
grade, and has been pronounced "a
star of the first magnitude He was
really the first great writer of English
verse, and is described as the Father
of English Poetry He was sevent-
two years old at his death, which oc-
Cured in the year 400. Here is
| what I would lay before my readers
now: Sir Thomas More, Edward Spen-
ser, Lord Bacon, John Donne, John
Shirley, Robert Herrick, Daniel Defoe,
Richard Savage, John Keats, Charles
Lamb, David Ricardo, John Denny
Lewis, John Ruskin, Benz. Disraeli,
Gar of B~eaconsfield, tales) and Will
kie Collins. The list might be much
heightened by ~ who would search
the records. 1t will be seen hat such
such great poetic geniuSeS as Edward
Spenser and John Keates must be
added, and then among truly great
poets for London and Milton, Chaucer,
Spenser, Keats n ~SWinborne.
x
Every now and hen the question as
to the length Of rnO Will be start
ed. Some prefer a ten or twelve min
uteS' essay. Others hungering more
for the gospel will stand twenty min
utes. Then again others, if too warm
or cold in the church, can forgive the
preacher if he should lar to offend
against taste by actually holding forth
for a half hour. But that is the limit.
If you dare to prolong our discourse
three-quarters of an hour behold he
flaming fans and the nodding heads in
sleep. If one hour should be pre-
Sumed upon everybody is wondering
what will come of it all and is look
ing all around to see who is snorting
or snoring so Vehemently. But really
there can be no rule as to the length
of sermons. Ten minutes seems a long
time for some pulpitOrs l have heard.
TWO hours would seem short to others.
That great Baptist preacher, the elder
John Kerr, Gather of Judge John
Kerr, the orator. could hold an audi
encc completely for three hours. The
late Gen. Thomas l.. Clingman, eX-
member of the Federal House and the
United States Senate, told some thirty
two years 6 that he heard Mr.. Kerr
Tor three hours and he would have
willingly heard him longer, and the
General was an Episcopalian But really
there have not been many John Kerrs.
Bishop Marvin, a very great preacher,
held forth for two hours in Raleigh
with intense power and unf1agging in
terest. and Hon. Bat w. Moore, the
eminent lawyer, and Governor w. w.
Holden, both said it was beyond doubt
the very greatest sermon they had
ever heard. l heard Bishop Alpheus
w. Wilson preach a sermon in Will
mlngtOn some ten or twelve years ago,
that WaS> par excellence the greatest
sermon or effort of any kind I ever
heard-an hour and five minutes.
heard him preach again at Southport,
and it was charmingly fine and short,
although an hour and a uuarter long.
1t depends upon who is preaching as
to how long the serman shall be. NJ
one, probably ever considered the
length of DR.. Deems's sermon while he
was delivering it in his admirable ex-
tempore way. Most preachers per
haps do we'll in cutting it short "in
tabOut TWENTY-FIVE minutaS, ~. 1aCC