The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-11-15

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their influence, their very presenc'
made them a tower OF strength an'
safety. :.
They were equally one in their self
sacrificing devotion to the ministry y
their church. Beyond all question
they are entitled to rank among III
truly great preachers Of America. IN
father excelled in the weight Of M!
reasoning and the resistless power o
his appeals. But in range or VISION
o%pulence of imagination, n 1HSnt!
of imperial genius, he was surpassed
by his SON.. 'WhiIe our Bishop wa:
eminent in many directions Of usefu
labor" says Bishop Haygood, 'he wa!
| by pre-eminence a preacher. Nature
made him for oratory. He had al
the elements necessary for powerful
Inc effective speech" In their meth
DDS OF sermonizing they were mucf
alike. IF either Of them ever wrote
a sermon, the fact seems entirely IN
known. With well-digested subject
matter, and carefully arranged out
lines. their preparation for the puipI'
was complete. The son was more elab.
orate in thought and detail, more or
nate in style and diction; but when his
mental preparation was made. eacf
| was equally master of his materla
and Of his situation.
After his election to the ~episcopacy
he ministry Of the younger Pierce was
Of course greatly extended, and his
reputation soon became national. This
was in May, 1854, when he was A
| years of age, which enabled him &c
devote his whole prime to the leader
ship of the church. With the single
exception of Matthew Simpson, nc
Methodist bishop possessed in larger
measure the elements of a great ora
tor. He was the Chrysostom Of the
~ ys~ ~-a ~,x- xv-0C n !
ways impressive, often inspiring, al
times overwhelming. At his best 1.-The
logical faculty, the memory, the mag
ination, the will worked together il
rhythmic harmony, while his quick
sensibilitfes and warm affections gave
animation to all the intellectual pro
cesSeS.' The intensity of his own on
victions, giving force n fervor to his
logic, enabled him to carry conviction
to the minds of others and leave
impressions equally deep and perna-
nent.
A remarkable characteristic of the
Bishop was that he often reached his
best nile preaching in the woods or
in a small country church The
thought that a vast multitude. drawn
by his reputation. had assembled TO
hear him rave him no inspiration for
his best work. It did not furnish the
cOnOiIlO11S pest SUlteO u dlOISc all
his mental and spiritual powers, but
often had a depressing Influence upon
him. eff there was a difference
Bishop Haygood affirms, she was most
PIERCE-TWO
apt to disappoint the congregation
that. upon some occasion Of state,
crowded with eager curiosity to hear
a display Of Oratory." When he felt
that this spirit had drawn together a
VocS I'D 90 crowd if TnUnlta2 his
moral feelings and strongly disposed
him to disappoint or rebuke it.
An Annual or District Conference,
when his brethren in the ministry sur
rounded him, was pre-eminentiy the
occasion that brought him to his best.
He was then in his true element, and
he preached with an Inspiration and
power nothing less than marvellous.
TIE spiritual atmosphere Of the con-
ference room was exactly what his
spirit craved. The presence Of those
whom he knew were in full sympathy
with him, who waited for soul food
and not for mere o~ratorical display,
brought all his latent powers and
gave him perfect freedom in their use.
His hearers saw in him, not the
studied tones and traces O. the fin
ished orator, but only a great soul
aflame with love to Cod and men, He
was free from everything that
smacked of the elocutionist or the
rhetorician. and no human element
contributed more to the power Of his
ministry than his transparent sincerity
and his unstudied grace.
The emotions Of Bishop Pierce dur
ing q brilliant display Of o%ratory in
the pulpit were often too intense to be
hidden. At an fnnual Conference
over which he presided g preacher Of
unique personality and extraordinary
brilliancy was appointed to breach,
The auditorium was crowded to its
utmost capacity. Arriving q little late,
the Bishop took q seat with several
Of his brethren in the gallery. TO an
hour he sat almost motionless during
The dazzling display Of pulpit pyro-
technics which followed. When it was
over he was seen walking slowly
homewara. his hands clasped behind
him, his eyes fixed upon the ground,
evidently absorbed in thought. Not g
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