Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1915-07-28
"UNCLE" Tvs. LETTER.
Discusses Religious and 'Agri.
culturallC Conditions. Preach
ers!Eand Better Farmers
Needed.
Editor Edgefeld Advertiser: E1xz''

Well, after reading Jabez Gar
nets letter, / just feel like l am
due him an apology if he did mar
ry my sweetheart Jane Cartledge.
Yes. when she and / we're school
mates, she would always bring me
the first ripe apple, May and June
apples that grew on her grand
mother Cartledge's place and they
were so sweet that l called her sweet
Jane. l often wonder if those apple
trees are still living. Now Jabez is
at his preacher sons home, Milton,
in Texas, and he was for a time
scholar in my Bible class at Parks
vile. You can't imagine the good
it does me to know Though l claim
none of the credit that he is a
preacher, and there are two more
that were scholars in my Bible
class that are preachers, A. w.
Bussey, son of Geo. W., and P. H.,
son of P; H. Bussey. AS l write I
can in my imagination see those
boys and my old heart gets full and
my eyes fill with tears, as 1 think of
theirnoble work, sometimes wish I
could have them all three right near,
me for preachers and good laymen
are surely needed in this section of
country where there is SO little in
terest taken in churches or Sunday
schools. We have some preachers
among us and l will give you some
of their beliefs and practices.
In the year 1882 there was. a
Methodist that came from one of the
lower counties of South Carolina,
asked me if the Baptist did not be-
lieve and teach that. baptism was
essential to salvation and l told him
no, and it was "a surprise to him.
But l know now why he thought
sorfor there are some who claim
that baptism is essential to saliva
ton and 60 SO far as to say that laf-
sse Of ane,s aias allss A.:
cepting Christ as their Saviour if
you are not baptized hell Is their
portion. On one occasion when
one of their preachers made the
claim | just couldn't and didD't
hold my tongue and told him that
faith in the Saviour saved and moth
ing else did and that without that
faith he might baptize me till he
washed the last hair out of my head
and hell would be my portion.
Maybe | ought not to have said
but | just could not stand
it for he said it at the school house
where | was the superintendent of
the Sunday school. That occurred
two. months ago and he has not
been back to preach since.
On another occasion a man came
to oar Sunday. school and said he
wanted TO give talk on the Bible
and l told him yes we were always
glad to have anyone TALK to us about
Gods word. So he gave us talk
and he claimed that faith, baptism
or anything short of sinless perfee-
tion would give us entrance into
heaven, but I was asked by several
after he left what I thought of his
talk and l told them if what he
preached was so, as for myself, I
had just as we'll make no more at
tempts to get to heaven at all, and
several said the same.
Then there are others that say
Sunday schools are the DEVILS work t
and will take no part in them and
they won't go to preaching at
church where there is an organ,
claiming that the Bible forbids it.
They are also opposed to Theologi-
cal Seminaries and lesson helps.
They claim that their church is the
only true church, and say all other
churches of any denomination are
doing work for the devil, but | tell
them If there were more devils
turned loose, thought the millenum
would dawn sooner. The last
named believers are the old line
Primitive Baptists, but they are be-
ginning to split. Whenever the
majority of the members of their
decide to have an organ or
school the minority draws
out and dubs the majority party as
organ church, and themselves as the
no-organ church.
In conversation with no-orgau
preacher few days ago, we got on
the subject of texts and he said that
he never used the same text twice.
1 asked him why, and he told me
the following incident land l infer
red that was his reason. He said
there was a preacher that went on