Smyrna times., 1931-01-07

UdCh lIOln lnC SlISSI, was GISeH ;
Pottery. The tempering of the
clay and moulding of articles of
utility was marvellous thing. to
by young mind. I often recalled
the scripture, "As clay in the
hands of the Potter" Between
this pottery and Irish Town there
were no houses, on the West side
of the street. South of the Pot
terry was a dwelling occupied by
James Hill, carpenter. He was
a quiet unobstrusive, worthy man.
Next was a large Brick house on
the corner of Main and Methodist
Streets. 1 have heard that long
ago, one of the Cummins' kept
tavern there. The bar counter and
slat partition stood in one corner
of the corner room, within my re-
collection. This Mr. Cummins be-
came much concerned on the sub
ject of religion, during a season of
revival at the Methodist meetings
and early one morning created
quite an excitement in the town by
causing all his liquors to be
brought up out of the cellar and
from the bar and poured into the
gutter on Methodist street. That
was long before the fhunchback, I"
Rev. Thomas P. Hunt delivered the
first Temperance address ever
made to an audience in Smyrna.
He former a society of T. and T.
T.'s. Those to whose names one
t. was appended, took temper
ance pledge to abstain from spirit
uous liquors only. Those who add
ed two Us were ''Tee Total from
all that would intoxicate. Mr..
Hunt taught the children to song:
Il do not think
I ever will drink,
Whiskey, wine or rum,
Or anything to make drunk come.
The Cunmins family was a
large one and with few exceptions
they have been remarkably exempt
from intemperance. May not that
sacrifice for conscience sake, made
by one of their ancestors have
been a benediction to them? DR..
Perkins at one time occupied this
house. He was a local preacher,
a physician of the souls as well of
the bodies of men. AS a medical
practitioned he stood high in his
| profession; as a preacher, he was
conversational in style and more
argumentative than exhortative or
declamatory. I once heard DR..
Perkins say: That he had seen SO
little fruit Of his labors in the min
istry, that at times he felt tempted
never again to enter the pulpit. "
The Rev. Solomon Sharp was pres
ent and he replied to DR.. Perkins
Let him know, that he who con-
verteth a sinner from the error of
his way, shall save a soul from
death and hide a multitude of sins.
Preach on brother and the God of
our Fathers be with you" I be-
lieve the DR.. continued to preach
on so long as he was mentally and
physically able. Opposite, on the
East side of the street was the
dwelling and carpenter shop of
Joseph Hill. He was a master
builder and contracted for work in
distant places as we'll as at home.
Many years after 1 met him in
Wilmington. He was then a street
broker and was said to be rich. l
think he married widow Barstow
and that her son became a ply
sician and surgeon of some note in
Philadelphia. Between Mr.. Hills
and Patterson's stables, lived a
shoemaker, name not remembered.
Both he and his wife were intemp-
crate. On one occasion when they
were drunk, he fell into the open
fire and his body was burned to q
blackened mass. The scent of his
burning clothes and flesh attracted
the attention of the neighbors. The
door was broken open and the wife
who was lying besotted on the
floor, was aroused and the husband
taken out of the fire. A piece of
his burned pocket lay on the
hearth, his wife espied it and
picking it up found it contained a
small coin. While the neighbors
were laying out the charred re-
mains of her husband, she hasten
ed to a grog shop and spent this
last piece Of money for rum. The
tiger may be gorged with blood;
even the vulture may turn in
loathing from the too putrid car
cas- on which it alights; but rum
knows no safety and finds no cor
ruption too offensive. It's nav is
as rapacious as the grave, and its
tender mercies are as cruel as hell,
and though untold victims have
been sacrificed to the avaricious-
mes of this Moloch, still it cries for
more, more, more, and laps up the
blood of the last victim with an
appetite as greedy as when it