The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-05-25

the North Carolina conference, / nc
liyered An Grafton on the Llle ana
Character Of the late Rev. Ihofnas "
Ioke." at HAYWOOD church, in Hail
fax county," The Grafton was pub
lished at the solicitation of the Meth
odists of that grand old historic couh-
ty, and q large edition was disposed OF.
Now and then, though the more imam
twenty-five years that nave passed
since the duty was undertaken. l have
received an application for a copy
and it came from two or three other
States. | have, had no copies Tor
distribution through all the lnterEen-
ing years. What | shall attempt 70
do now is to write of my dear de-
parted friend with whom / lived III
the closest fellowship, as ], like him,
am a Methodist, and in my particular
case one Of the old fashioned type. a
genuine Methodist Of the John Wesley
kind. 1t is now fifty years and more
since l first united with the Methodlsts.
and nearly all of my ancestors We're
mostly of the Church of England
kind, and | am of the eighth genera
ton in the United States, my first an
cestor, Henry Kingsbury, having come
over to New England with Governor
Winthrop, in 1880, whose private
secretary I have reason to think he
was. An article of some three col
umns appeared in the New York
christian Age in 1874, then edited
by Rev. DR.. Charles +. Deems, the
very gifted, eloquent pastor OF the
Church of the Strangers, and from
1913 until his death, in 1892. one OF
my dearest and most devoted friends.
] have the Grafton in my desk, but /
prefer to write of my friend. Lowe, in
another strain, hoping it Will interest
all my readers, for it concerns one OF
the most gifted ministers l have ever
-c-- ~, 1notar Of b;0h on1 ~ 49,
bic gifts. and as I claim for him in
the Grafton the foremost natural orator
of North Carolina birth. Let me
add a word as to he Grafton itself. |
have reason for thinking it the mast
erpiece of my long life, for now / am
nearing rapidly my eighty-frst
year and I am sure re-
ceiVed higher laudation than /
received for any other of my numerous
productions that count actually by the
thousands.
Like many other orators of remark
ale powers, Mr.. Lowe has left no me-,
MORALS to attest his genuine great
ness. When the younger William Pitt
was asked what was the great desider-
alum in English literature. he replied:
"A speech from BOlingbroke.' A ser
mon lust as it was delivered by my
manly, gifted friend. would be a gen
uine contribution to the treasures Of
liz puI y LIS tNtil oAAAcliS
his countrymen in many parts OF
North Carolina, is now a matter of ira
tradition. for he has been in hise grave
more thar thirty-seven years. He never
resorted to the pen. but on occaslonse
his SuprerneSt efforts.
he would not only think out all he
should say, but would arrange in his
mind the precise language he used. He
would do this walking, or. as would
often be the case, while sitting in his
- rls~ To rvoy1l1 bo nh1 ta
repeat for several weeys, verbatim. an
entire sermon or address that
he had delivered every word
of which he had excositated
fishing boat. But his finest, most sat
isfying oratory-his noblest exhibition
of a high and commanding oratory-
was on occasions when the inspiration
was upon him. as he spoke without
previous preparation. Then indeed he
was superb. No Vites or RhetOr Of the
ancient world was ever more happy
in dictum, or beautiful, almost sub
lime, in thought. When all his pow
ers were fully employed and his voice
rang out with melody as sweet as
rarest minstre1sy, and he became en-
thralled by the subject he was dis
cussing, he would for thirty or forty
minutes engage in a stream Of oratory
that was as enravishing and pleasing
as ever charmed earthly ear.
His voice was very musical when in
it's finest key, and it was indeed then
an instrument capable of really rare
melody and charm. His tear-tOneS
We're ,abundantly subduing and more
pathetic than those of any speaker to
whom 1 recall to AVE ever listened.
When in his Hottest mood, when his
sermon was a burst 'Of imagination
all compaite, and his eye in phrensy
roofing, was lifted ~heavenWard, his
voice had the clear ring Of the bugle
as it sets 1.-The wild echoes flying"
His imagination was of, a high or
der when. he was fully aroused. He
had the taste and sensibilities Of a real
poet, and although he wrote but little
verse, he constantly exhibited in his
finest public efforts the imagination Of