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Bastiek-Glass: In New Orleans, l^a.. ,
Septenrber 10, 1912, by Rev. Dr. George ]
Sirmmey, Mr. Harry Sears Bastick. of ]
Boonton, New Jersey, and Miss Ruby (
Evelyn Glass, of Oakland, California.
iroyie-i,oyau: At the home o>f the j
bride's mother, Mrs. S. M. Loyall, at |
Millboro. Va.. on September 11th, 'Miss j
Grace Hansford Loyall was married to j
Mr. James Spurgeon Doyle, by Rev. J. (
A. Thomas, pastor of Milfboro church. ,
Hammond-Jeter: At the Presbyterian j
manse in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, August |
12, 1912, by Rev. J. G. Varner, Mr. P. O. Hammond,
of iPalestine, Texas, and Miss ,
Pearl Jeter, of Mt. Pleasant. I
Beat!)* 1
1' =JJ
Gilbert: Mrs.'Mary Ann Gilbert passed
away at the home of her granddaughter,
Mrs. Walter E. Irvine, of Ijr- ,
land, on August 12. She was the wife
of Rev. Joseph Gilbert, who died in
1883. She was born October 16, 1827.
She was laid to rest at Shaw, Miss.
0. M. A.
Cam a than: At the home of friends '
whom she was visiting in Eminence,
Kv., Miss Christine Carnathan, of Panther
Burn, Miss., passed to her reward
on August 20. She was bom 'December
25, 1890, and developed into a noble
young woman whom all will miss. She
was buried at Anguilla, Miss.
;. M. A.
"FALLEN ASLEEP"?WILLIAM SCOTT
SPENCER. JR.
On the afternoon of August 15th the
summons came for Willie Spencer, of
FincaBtle, Va., to come up higher.
The closing of that day marked the
closing of his life on earth. It was
almost the time of rest from a day of
toil in the wholesale grocery house
where he was employed at Roanoke,
Va., when in passing upwards on the
elevator through the third floor, in some
remarkable way life was almost suddenly
extinguished.
Instead of his going to rest at night
from the labors of that day in a place
nrovide* hv human hands, his hodv
was prepared for that last long sleep
where all await the resurrection. His
soul, we believe, entered into "that rest
that remaineth to the peoiple of God."
The sad news of the sudden departure
of this young <man of promise, some
twenty-two years of age, brought a
great sorrow to the hearts of relatives
and friends and spread gloom over the
whole town and community of his home.
"But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them
that are asleep, that ye sorrow not even
as otners wnich nave no hope, for if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will Cod 'bring with him."
The consistent Christian life from
early years of this young servant of the
Master will abide as a benediction with
those who knew him best. We believe
that he was "made meet to be a partaker
of the inheritance of the saints in
light."
"Be ye also ready for in such an hour
as ye think not bhe Son of Man
cometh." R. E. P.
Serve God by doing common actions (
in a heavenly spirit, and then flil the
cracks and crevices of time with holy i
service.?C. H. Spurgeon. ]
THEPRSSBYTKBIj
RODNEY (GYPSY) SMITH.
In the early spring of the year 1900
i canvass sign was placed at the door
)f the Metropolitan MethcMist Episcopal
jhurch, Washington, D. C., stating that
i series of services would be conducted
try the noted Evangelist Rodney
(Gypsy) Smith, and inviting all to come.
At that time he was scarcely known
n Washington, and for several ltigfcts
Lhe meetings were not well attended.
He said, "that in a few nights the main
lart of the building would be filled, then
he gallery doors would be opened to accommodate
the crowd. Sure enough, the
people soon began to pour in, until the
large building was crowded every night.
'What went ye out to see: a reed shaken
with the wind? What went ye out
for to see: a man clothed in soft raiment?"
"No: a plain Gypsy man, apparently
then about thirty-'five or forty
years of age, medium size, swarthy
complexion; not handsome, resembling
an Italian or Jew." Many persons have
read or heard of Gypsy Smith who have
never seen him. (He was one of the most
magnetic, eloquent, inspiring, charming,
sensible, humble, devout leaders oif a religious
meeting that this writer has
ever known?and he has attended services
conducted by noted evangelists.
Not to disparage anvone. Gvokv Smith
embodies all of the good forms of conducting
evangelistic services, and nothing
objectionable. (Now, the question is:
Who Is this man ? To let him speak for
himself, in a private lecture, he said:
"I was born in a Gypsy camp not far
from London, England, with the usual
conditions surrounding these camps?
brought up in ignorance. Not taught
that it was wrong to steal." 'Here he
gave an instance of poaching, going out
nnd stealing eggs, filling his pockets
with them, then falling in a ditch and
breaking the eggs when he thought he
was discovered. He said that this was
the usual life, together with horse trading,
and fortune telling. He then continued:
"These people of mine can't
tell fortunes and thev Irnnw It
whose fault is it? I must say it is
vour fault; you people encourage them
in H; poor things they don't know any
better." "He said: "My father was a bad
man?he was a very dissipated man. He
would come home drunk, and we would
have to fly out of his way; he was terTible."
"One night," the said, "my
'ather had been off from home, and when
he came back be said that he had go.
ten religion." We did not know what
that was, but we children thought that
if his religion made him any worse
than he was before that we had best
get out of his way. So we scampered
off to 'bed and lav there listening to
know what he would do next."
"As everything became quiet." he said,
"we went off to sleep, and next morning
we looked around to see why everything
was so quiet and different. My
father was like a changed man?and we
poon found the cause of it." Then the
elder Smith, their father, said: " T was
walking along the road last night, and
nassed a Methodist chuTch. I saw that
something was going on in there, so I
went to thp door and looked, then went
in. and heard the preacher tell of a
different life." He was then and there
convicted and converted, and went home
to tell his people that lie had protten
relieion. 'Grpsv Smith said that the
family thouprht that if this th'ne called
elision could work such a chancre 1"
his father, tkere must be somethlne
pTT?d in it?so thev went themselves to
"ee what this new thine: was. It was
^cre that he was converted. He felt
from the first that he was called to e
rilfferent life. He was about sixteen
veers old, and utterlv lemorant. Could
not read? hut he had a prreat desire tn
know and learn. He came Into posses
ft. a or tai s o o * a
sion of a Bible and copy of the Pilgrim's
Progress?and he would strut around
with these under his arm feeling very
important. Yet he did not know why,
as he could not read them. He said that
he would get persons to read the Bible
to him, and he quickly acquired portions
of Scripture, and by degrees learned to
read. He said that soon the people began
to put him forward to lead prayer
meeting services, and he would select
such portions of Scripture as .he had i
learned, and recite from memory, half
reading it. His life was and up-hill
one. But the Lord was with him.
He asked the question: "Who are
these GypBies, my people, does any one
know?" Then he answered: "To tell
you .frankly I do not know. I have never
been able to find who they are." These
services continued for nearly two weeks
and the interest never abated.
Col. Robert Ingersoll was living then
in Washngton. The writer of this
wrote a very kind letter to Col. Ingersoll
telling him of this remarkable man,
urging him to came to he&r 'Mr. Smith
preach, thinking that his simple, modest,
earnest presentation of the Gospel
Story might please Col. Ingersoll. He
may have come; no one knows. He did
not live long after this; at any rate he
was invited. When Mr. Smith asked the
question, "Who are the Gypsies?" this
writer thought then as he does now,
that more than likely they are the remains
of the ten lost Tribes of Israel.
The wandering Jew, cursed by Jehovah,
for their idolatry and rejection of him
under the old dispensation. The tribes
of Judah and Benjamin were restored
to their former allotment, but the remaining
ten tribes never as a body returned.
What became of them It: is
O aotMo/1 Iioatlon it. ?? -II J
u DXVVIVU IIUVOIIUII IUOL IUCDC |)B1CB Ul(]
not come from Egypt. The most authentic
-version appears to indicate that
these people came originally from
Southern Asia, probably the section of
country contiguous to ancient Babylon.
"What then is more reasonable than to
suppose that they are these wandering
Israelites. There are certainly no ordinary
people to produce such a specimen
of Christian manhood as Rodney
(Gypsy) Smith.
Much prejudice has been engendered:
Shakespeare, Dickens, the Bronte books,
and others, giving over-drawn and imperfect
representations of these people,
showing them in a light that is not fair
or iuBt.
Mr. Smith says that he employs several
evangelists to preach to his people.
and pays them out of his own earnings.
Who in America ever thought of evangelizing
these Gypsies? The gospel is
presented to the Indians, the Negroes
and others, but not to these people.
Everyone seems to be afraid of them,
desiring only to get rid of them. Where
they have stolen one child, other folks
ave stolen a hundTed. They are suspected
of everything evil, but nothing
proven. Carry them the gospel and
you will find more Rodney Smiths. As
he says: "Poor things, they do not
know any better." To go back to Bible
times, what was Peter doing in Babyflon?
It is more than probable that he went
there to organize "the Church that is in
Babylon," which we see 1 Peter 5:13,
for the benefit of "the lost sheep of the
house of Israel"?the ten lost trlbeB.
' This E3pistle Is addressed "to the strangers
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia."?
Ch. 1. v. 1. He is caling them all In?
"The Lord doth twlld us Jerusalem. 'He
gatheretb together the out casts of.
Israel."?iPis. 147:2. Possibly these
Gypsies are "the outcasts of Israel."
These are a people without a home, a
history, or a ruder, of any sort, except
a Gypsy Queen, as she is called, whose
I September 25, 1912
authority is more parental than sov- I
ereign. May It not be well for our I
Home Missionary Society to consider I
this question seriously, and endeavor to I
do something to reclaim this lost race? I
the people of Gypsy Smith.
""Lest we forget" W. C. t.
Hustle, Va. |
MISTAKEN SUPPOSITIONS. I
In the earthliness of our minds we
suppose so many shallow and foolish
things. We suppose it was an accident; I
we suppose it was just a business trans- I
action, a greeting, a disappointment; we I
suppose it was just the grift of a friend,
sympathy of a neighbor, the music of a I
song, the word of a book; we suppose it I
was just a thought the sunset brought I
us, a sickness from which we recovered I
?thanks to the doctor?the sweet prat
tie of a little child. Thus we 'move in
the dim light of the garden and see only
uie garaener. rnus we asa our questions,
follow our plana, do our work, and
bear our sorrow^ unconscious of that
Divine Saviour whose presence and
power and love fill all things.?'Ex.
ODD MONEY.
The skins of animals were the earliest
form of money.
Sheep and oxen among the old
Romans took the place of iponey.
Oxen form the circulating medium
among the Zulus and Kaffirs.
Tin today forms the standard of value
at the great fairs of Nijni Novgorod.
Iron spikes, knives, spearheads and
brass rods are employed in certain parts
of Central Africa.
Chocolate is still used in the interior
of South America for currency, as are
cocoanuts and eggs.
The archaic Greek money was in the
form of thick, round lumps of 'metal,
stamped with the given value.
Whales' teeth are used by the Fijans,
red feathers by some of the South Sea
Islanders, and salt in Abyssinia.
In the early colonial times of 1752
corn and beans and codfish were employed.
The small, hard shell known as tlr
cowrie is still used In India, the Indian
Islands and Africa, in the place of submiles.?Ex.
It is easy for a selfish man to convince
himself that he is a saint. His
trouble begins when he tries to convince
others.
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The advertising manager of the Preshvturtiin
r\t th? Smith />nr/1lillT Invite?
you to investigate the attractive offer
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piano buyers solves perfectly the
otherwise difficult problem of seourir*
a piano of highest artistic standard at
a price and on terms which put it within
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The new club booklet and catalogue,
beautifully illustrated and fully describing
the club plans and pianos are
now ready for distribution. We have
a copy for yon. Won't you write for
it today Address Ludden & Bate*.
Presbyterian of the South Piano Cln"
Dept., Atlanta, Qa.
Mary Baldwin
ociviiriary
For Young Ladies : ftaunton, Vs.
Tarn begins Sept. Itth. iftf. ^
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