The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-06
MEN, WOMEN
AND THINGS

the village and country preachers. This
does not mean that / am not on good
terms with the city pastors.
Now it Is about as impossible for rae To
pass a book stand without lingering the
volumes as 1t was for the confirmed tip
ster In the old days to walk by the door
of barroom without going in to sample
the stock. And for tnis reason I have
always had a strong sympathy for tnos.
who yield to any obession.
hadn't glanced over the tables long
before my eyes lit upon Wesley and His
Century a study in spiritual forces by
w H. Fitchett, B.A., LID, president of
the Methodist church of Australia. It is
work which tells the story of perhaps
the most crowded, and picturesque life in
English history; the lie of a man who
has influenced his race probably more
profoundly than even Shakespeare.
| l never tire of reading about Paul
Knox. Luther. Calvin, Loyola, Erasmus
and Wesley. Now for one who Is a Bap.
tist preacher I daresay It may be con-
1 :
Voured wesleyan litera ture. but to my
mind 1t is impossible to get a proper his
| torical perspective of the religious growth
since the eighteenth century without at
least knowing the salient facts In the
wonderfully blessed career of Charles
Wesley.
NOW l can't do without my fin, SO
when I had glanced through the volume
1 knew wanted it, so went to the man
in Charge and said: IF you care to do
little missionary work with a Baptist
preacher. I will give you a chance for
am a Wesley fan and want this Latest
life OF him?'' He laugh ngly replied that
ne himself wasn't a biz narrow and al
ways carried in stock lot of Professor
Rooertson's works. Gle being one OF the
heavyweights of the Southern Baptist
Theological seminary,
I pulled out 81 to pay for yves ey and
HIS Century" and he said. eff you don't
mind telling me. would like t. know
why you want this latest life of our great
leader I replied. "Oh, I'll let you in on
a secret, If you won't give me away"
and he was all attention when told him
that I had a consuming curiosity to
know the latest thing about the famous
Wesley ghost, as I was figuring on writ
ing story about Old jeffrey" 1 saw
had him going, and with grin and
a mock gesture he held out his hand with
my 81 and said, Here, take your money
and let the Methodist ghost rest
| But you say, 81 don't believe in ghosts,
! for l live in the twent'eth century" it
may be perfectly true that you have been
weaned from such ida tales, but if you
happen to have in your employ an old
! time negro ''mammy' or antiquated
uncle you can easily find out that be-
lief in ''hantsi' is still alive We NAV
have turned our interests over in 'sperits''
to the darkeys, but time was when even
respectable folk were troubled by the un-
earthly visitants
| l have a work on Historical Ghosts
and Ghost Hunters" and in 1t find that
\ the Wesley ghost is one of the best
authenticated ghosts in all history and
that if you haven't been let in on "Old
jeffrey" as he was familiarly and az
fectionately called by the Wesley family,
you have missed the most polite and cen
siderate potergeists known to literature
He was also perfect Chesterfield. for
when Mrs Wesley. the clear-headed and
practical Susanna" in her literal fash
ion, appealed to the Invisible imp not to
disturb her from to 6, as that was her
quiet hour, and to suspend all noise while
she was at her devot.ons, like the gen
tleman that he was, ne suspended his
visits
The Rev Samuel Wesley is chiefly
known to posterity as the father of John
Wesley, the founder OF Methodism, and of
the hardly less famous Charles Wesley
and incidentally as the sire of II other
Wesleys but in spite of his being over
Swallowed by his two gifted sons a sym
pathetic study of his Lfe would prove
most interesting I may not befin posi-
ton to judge correctly. but somehow it
seems to me just in a superficial way
that ne ndSn nau d square zeal IN the
story of the Wesleys on account perhaps
of his stern and unflnching character
hope some day some Methodist historian
will at least give him chance to redeem
himself in the eyes OF the world
found one man who said, He was an
adept in what Whistler called the gentle
art of making enemies Now there is no
gainsaying that he WIS harsh and stern
parent, and set in his ways, but am
trying to make a hero out of him at
present for he raised his numerous pro-
geny on an income seldom exceeding
$1,000 year. 1t took some man to dc
this and some woman, too, for am sure
the thrifty Susanna lad a hand IN it.
but in spite of team work is it any sur
prise that he got imprisoned for a small
debt
But what is perhaps the most astorish-
ing fact in this rema: kable career re-
plete with humiliations and perse lions
is that his miseries were accentuated by
a disturbing family gfost. This vista
ton from the supermuudane came as
climax to series of worldly annoyances
that would have upset the equanirnity OF
a very Job, and the Reverend Samuel. in
temper at any rate, was the reverse of
Job-like if we can believe his history as