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jD- SFTTON, Editor and Prop’r.
Sr. f lmage's sermon.
CONGREGATIONAL SINGING.
Text: “It. came even to pass, as the trum
peters aud singers were as one, to make one
sound to 1» heard in praising a id thanking
the Lord.’’-11, Chrott. v. IST
.The Temple was done. It wits the very
thotus of all magnificence and pbmp. Splen
nor crowded against sfilen lot. It was th >
diittttond necklahe of the earth. From tlio
huge pillars crowned with leaves of flowers
and hows Os pomegranate wrought out in
burnished metal, dowfi even to. the tongs and
shutters made out of pure gold, everything
whs as complete as the God-direct, d
architect eould taake it. . It seemed
hs if d vfsioii frbin heaved had
alighted on the mountains. Thb (laj?, for
dedication canie. Tradition says that tlitre
were in and round about.tlie temple on that
day 2<10,000 silver trumpets, t();ilO0 ljarps,
4(l;000 timbrels and :ioo,ooo.singers; so that all
cooderii demonstrations at thus M . or
Boston seem nothing compared with that-
A.s. this great ,po ind surge;! lip a nid
Ihe precious stone;,of tlie Temple, it must
have seeuie I li|c« the rivoj of life dashing
against tlip amethyst of tho wall of Hi awn.
Tge 3011 ml arose anil God, as jt to show that
Be was wpll p'easeu, with tlie miisic which
H|s children make in all ages, dropped into
tlio midst of the Temple a cloud of glory so
overpowering that, the official ingprie t; were
obliged to stop in the midst of the services.
Tuere has been much discussion as to where
music was born. I think that at the begin
ning, w hen the morning stars sang together
mi 1 nil the suns of God sli mted for joy, that
the emth heard the echo. the cloud on
which the nngel stood to celebrate the crca
non was ttie birthplace of song. The stars
that glitter at night are only so many keys
of celestial pearl on which God’s fingers piny
the music of tlio spheres. Inanimate nature
is full of God’s stringed mid wind instruments.
Silence itself—perfect silence—is only a musi
cal rest in God’s great anthem of worship.
IV ind among the leaves, insect humming in
tlgo summer air, the rush of billow upon
beach, the ocean far out sounding its ever
lasting psalm, the bobolink on the edgeof the
forest, the quail whistling up from the grass,
are music. While visiting Blackwell’s Island
I heard coming from tle window of the
lunatic asylum, a very sweet song'. It was
sung by one who had lost her ren on; and I
have come to believe that even the deranged
anil disordered elements of nature Would
mako music to ours ear, if we only had
acuteness enough to listen. I suppose that
even the sounds in nature that are discordant
and repulsive make harmony in God’s ear.
You know that you may come so near t > an
orchestra t hatthesounds are painful instead of
pleasurable; and I think that we stand so near
I'.eva-t.atiug storm and frightful whirlwind
we cannot hear that which makes to God's
ear an 1 the ear of tho spirits above us a
music as complete as it is tremendous.
The Day of Judgment, which will boa day
of uprcnr and tumult, 1 suppose will bring
no dissonance to the ears of those who can
calmly listen; although it will he as when
some great performer is executing a boister
ous piece of music, he sometimes breaks
down tho instrument on which he play*; so it
may be on that last day that the grand inarch j
of God, played by the fingers of thunder and I
eartliqunke and conflagration may break j
down the world upon which the music is !
executed. Not only is inanimate nature full
of music but God has wonderfully organized
the human voice, so that in the plainest
throat and lungs there are fourteen
direct miis des which can make over sixteen
tuousand ditferent sounds! Now, there are
thirty indirect muscles which can make, it j
has been estimated, more than one hundred ]
and seventy-three millions of sounds. Now,
I say, when God ha; so constructed the human !
voice and when he has filled the whole earth [
with harmony, and wherqhe recognized it in '
the ancient Temple, I have a right to come to I
the conclusion that God loves music.
I propose this morning to speak about sacred j
musiv, first showing you its importance and j
then stating some i f the obstacles to its ad
vancement.
1 draw the first argument for the Impor
tance of sacred music from the fact that God j
commanded it. Through Paul He tells us to
admonish one another in psalms and hymns |
and spiritual songs; through David He crie;
out: “Fing ye to God all ye kingdoms of the j
earth.” And there are hundreds of other pas
sages I might name, proving thut it is ns
mucli a man's duty to sing a; it is his duty to
pray. Indeed I think there are more com
mands in the Bible to sing than thero nre to
pray. God not only asks for the human voice
out for the instruments of music. He asks for
the cymbal and the harp and tho trumpet.
And 1 suppose that, in the fast days of tho
church, the harp, the lute, tho trumpet, and
nil the instruments of music that have given
their chief aid to the theatre and bact banal,
will be brought by their masters and laid
down at the feet of Christ, and then sounded
in the church’s triumph on her way from
suffering into glory. “Praise ye the Lord!”
Praise Him with your voices. Praise Him
with stringed instruments and with organs.
I draw another argument for the irnport
nu e of this exercise from the impressiveness
of the'exercise. You know something of
what secular music has achieved. You know
it has made its impression upon governments, :
up on laws, upon literature, upon whole gene
rations. One inspiriting national air is worth
thirty thousand men as a standing army, j
There come; a time in the battle when one
bugle is worth a thousand muskets. In the
earlier part of our civil war government pro
posed toeconomize in bands of musieanil many
of them were sent home: but tho generals
in the army sent word to Washington: “You
are making a very groat mistake. Wo ure
falling back and falling back. We have not
enough music.” Then tho government
changed its mind; more bands of music
were sent to the field and the duy of shame
ful defeat terminated. I have to tell you
that no nation or church can afford to
severely economize in music.
Why should we rob the programmes of
worldly gavety when we have so many ap
propriate songs and tunes composed in our
own day, as well as that magnificent inheri
tance of church risalmody which lias come
down fragrant with the devotions of other
generations—tune; no more worn out than
when our greatgrandfathers climbed
up on them from the church
pew to glory? Dear old souls, how
they used to sing! When they were cheerful
our grandfathers and grandmothers use Ito i
sing “Col ‘hester.” When they were very i
meditative, then the nveting house rang with
“South Street” and “St. Edmonds.” Were
they struck through with great tenderness i
they sang “Woodstock.” Were they wrapped
in visions of the glorv of the church, they
sang “Zion.” Were they overborne with the i
love and glory of Christ, they sang “Ariel.”
And in those days there were certain tunes
married to certain hymns, and they have j
lived in peace a great while, these two old i
people, and we have no right to divorce ]
them. “What God hath joined together let .
no man put asunder.” Born as we have been j
amid this great wealth of church music, aug
mented by the compositions of artists in our ;
dav, we ouzht not to lie tempted out of the t
sphere of Christian harmony and try to seek
unconsecrated sounds. It is absurd for a t
millionaire to steak <
Many of you are illustrations of what i
sacred song can do. Through it you were 1
brought into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. <
illonfiwnicrij Jfteirifor,
You stood out against the warning amltlm
arguiui nt of the pulpit,but when in the sweet
words of Charles Wes’ey or John Newton or
Topludy the lovo of Jesus was sung to your
soul, then you surr, ndeivd, a.s armed castle
that could not lie taken by a host, lifts its
window to listen to a harp's trill.
There «a.s a Scotch soldier dying in New
Orleans aud a Scotch minister cornu into
! give him the consolations of tho Gospel. The
. j man turned over on his pillow and sad:
, “Don’t talk to me about religion.” Thou tho
j Boot di minister Vegan to sing a familiar
’ hymß of SiOtland that wtls compose I by
David Dickenson, beginning With the wolds:
“Oh mother, dour JtM us'ilt 1 n,
: j Wivai shall 1 cOmti to thee?”
’ lib siing_it tri til' tuno of Dundee, anil
i every! o-iv m H *ntland knows that: and as ho
| began td sing the dying soldier turned over
1 pu his pillow tind said to the minister:
f ‘'Where did you iaarn that?” ‘‘Why,”re
plied the minister; “niy mother taught mo
that.” “Fo (did mine;” said the dying Scotch
| soldipr; and the very foundation of his
! heajt was Upturned, and then and there
he yielded himself to Christ. Oh, it
■ has an irre-itjble power!. Luther's sermons
have been forgotten hut fiis “Judgment
Hymn” sings on through th* ages and will
j keep on singing until tlio blast of the areh-
I angel’s trumpet shall bring about, that very
day which the h vatu igefebrates. I would to
God that those who hear me to-day would
take these songs of lulvation ns messages from
heaven; for, just as certainly as, the birds
brought food to Elijah by the brook Chprith,
so those winged harmonics. God-rent, are
flying to your soul with the broad of life.
Op u your mouth and take it, O huugry Eli
jah!
I liavo a’so noticed tho power of saerod
song to soothe perturbation. You may have
come in hero with a great many worriments
mid anxieties, yet perharis in tlio singing of
tho first hvmu you lost nil those worriments
aud anxieties. You have read in Ihoßili’o
of haul, aud how he was sad and angry, and
how tho hoy David came in and played tlio
evil spirit out of him. A Spanish king was
| melancholy. The windows were all dosed.
Ho sat in the dark less. Noth ng
could bring him forth until Fro
noli came and discoursed music foi
three ot‘ four (lays to him. On the fourth
(lay ho looked up and Wept and rejoiced, and
| tho windows were thrown open, and that
which all the splendors of the court could
1 nit do, the power of song n omplishe 1. If
you have anxieties and worriments try this
heavenly charm upon them. Do not sit down
on the bank of the hymn, but plunge in, that
the devil of care may be brought out of you.
It also arouses to action. Do you not know
that a singing church is always a triumphant
i church! If a congregation is silent during the
] exercise, or'partially silent, it is tho silence of
j death. If when the hymn is given out you
j hear the faint hum of hero and there a father
i and mother in Israel while the vast ma jority
are silent, that minister of Christ who is pre
siding needs to have a very strong constitution
i f ho does not get the chills. He needs not onl V
the grace of God but nerves like whalebone. It
is ania> lug how some people with voice
enough to discharge all their duties in the
world, when they come into tlm house of God
have no voice to discharge this duty. I
really believe that if the church of Christ
could rise up and sing as it ought to sing,
that where we have ft hundred souls brought
into the kingdom of Christ there would be a
thousand. How was it in olden time!
j Cajetan said: “Luther conquered us by hit
! songs.”
But I must now speak of some of tlio ob
; sta dos in the way of the advancement of this
sacred music; and tho first is, that it has
been impressed into the service of supersti
tion. lam far from believing that music
ought always to be positively religious. Re
fined art has opened places where music has
j been secularized and lawfully so. The draw
! ing-room, the musical club, the orchestra, the
j concert, by tho gratification of pure taste
! and the production of harmless amusement
i and the improvement cf talent, have become
I very forces in the advancement of our civili
j zation. Music has as much right to laugh in
j Surrey Gardens as it has to pray in St. Paul’s,
j In tho kingdom of nature we have the glad
j fifing of the winds as wall as the long met re
{ psalm of tho thunder. But while all this
is so, every observer has noticed that
this art, which God intended for tlio iin
j nrovement of the ear and the voice and tho
j head and the heart, has often been impressed
I into the service of error. Tartiui, the musi
cal composer, dreamed one night that Satan
snatched from his hand an instrument and
: played upon it something very sweet—a
i dream that has often boon fulfilled in our
! day, the voice and the instruments that
| ought to have been devoted to Christ, eap
| tured from the church and applied to pur
! poses of sin.
Another obstaclo has been an inordinate
j fear of criticism, Tho vast majority of peo
j plo singing in church never want anybody
j else to hear them sing. Everybody is wait- |
ing for somebody else to do his duty, I' we j
all sing then the inaccura ies thatareevident
when only a few sing would be drowned out. j
God asks you to do as well as you can, and j
then, if you get 1h; wrong pitch or keep
wrong time, he will forgive any deficiency j
of the ear and imperfections of tho voice, j
Angels will not laugh if you should j
lose your place in the musical scale, or come i
in at the close a bar behind. There are three
schools of singing, lam told—the German j
school, the Italian school and the French
school of singing. Now, I would like to add ;
a fourth school, and that is the school of
Christ. The voice of a contrite,broken heart, |
although it may not be able to stand human
criticism, makes better music to God’s ear j
than the most artistic performance when i
tho heart is wanting. I know it is
easier to preach on this than it is
to practice; but J sing for two reasons
first, because I like it and next because I
want to encourage those who do not know
how. I have but very little 1 acuity in that
direction and no culture at all, yet 1 am re
solved to sing though every note should go
off like a Chinese gong. God has commanded
it and I dare not be silent. He calls on the
beasts, on the cattle, on the dragons to
praise him, and we ought not to bo behind
the cattle and the dragons.
Another obstacle that has been in tho way
of the advancement of this holy art has been
so much angry discussion on the subject of
music. There are those who would have this
exercise conducted by musical instruments.
In the same church there are those who (hi
dol uke musical instruments, and so it is or
gan and no organ, and there is a fight. In
another church it is a question whether the
music shall lie conducted by a precentor
or by a drilled choir. Home want a
drilled choir and some want a pre
centor, and there is a fight. Then there
are those who would like in the church to
have the organ played in a dull, lifeless,
droning way, while there are others who
would have it wreathed into fantastics.
branching out into jets ami spangles of
sound, rolling and tos-ing in marvellous con
volutions, as when in pyrotechnic display
you think a piece i< exhau-ted it breaks out
in wheels, rockets, blue lights and serpentine
demonstrations. Some would have the organ
played in almost inaudible sacetne ;, and
others would have it full of staccato
passages that make tho audience jump,
with great eves and hair on end,as though by
a vision of the Witch of Endor; and he who
tries to please all will succeed in nothing.
Nevertheless you are to admit the fact that
this contest which is going on in hundreds
of the churches of the United States to-day.
is a mightv hindrance to the advancement of
this art. In this way scores and s ores of
churches are entirely crippled as to all influ-
MX. VERNON. MONTGOMERY GO., GA . THURSDAY. JUNE 10, 1880.
j once and tho music is a damage rather than
a nraise. ■ • i .
Another obstacle M the advancement, of
this art, has been the erroneous notion that
this part of the service eould lie conducted
by n delegation. Ghurehes have said: “Oh.
what an easy time we shall have. The minis
ter will do the preaching nnd the choir will
do the singing and we will have r. Thing to
do." Anil you know ns well ns I that there
j nre a great iiniltitr.de of churches All through
this land where the people are not expected
to sing. The whole work is done by delega
tions of four or six or ten persons and tlio
audience is silent. In such n church in
ByrdcuSe, an old elder persisted in
singing,and so the chair appointed a commit
tee toed and ask tho squire if he would not
Stop. You know that, in ft great multitude
6f churches the choir fire ex; acted and do all
I the singing and tho great masses of people
»rti expected to ho silent, and if you utter
your voice you are interfering. There they
stand, the four, with opera glasses dangling
at their side, singing, “Rock of Ages, cleft
for mo,-” with the same spirit that the night
Refold, on the stage, they took their pfirt itt
the “Grand Duchess” or “Doit GioYhhm'i.”
My Christian friends, have wo a right to?
delegate to others the discharge of this duty
which God demands of us? Suppose that
fi ur wood thrushes propose to do all the sing
ing some bright day when the woods are
ringing with bird voices. It is decided that
four wood thrushes shall do all the singing
of tho forest. Let all other voices keep
silent, flow beautifully t.ho four warbled!
It is really tine music Bat now long will
you keep the forest still! Why < ’heist would
come into ! hat forest and look v: o as he looked
through tho olives, aud ho would raise fit 3
hind and say: “Let everything that Rath
breath praise the Lord;” and keeping time
with the stroke of innumerable wings there
would be live thousand bird voices loaning
into the harmony. Suppose this delegation
of musical performers were tried in heaven;
suppose that four choice spirits should try to
do the singing of the upper temple.
Hush now, thrones anil dominions and
principalities. David, be still, though you
wore tlio “sweet singer of Israel.”
i'aal, keep quiet, though you have
cor;;,, to that crown of rejoicing. Richard
Baxter, karpstill, though this is tuo “Saints’
Everlasting Best.” Four spirits now do all
the siuging, But how long would heaven be
quiet? How long? “Hallelujah!” would cry
some glorified Methodist from under tlie altar.
“Pinisotha I,ord!” would sing tho martyrs
from among tho thrones. “Thanks lie unto
God who givotli us tho victory!" a
great multitude of redeemed spirits
would cry—myriads of voices com
ing into tho harmony and the ono
hundred and forty aud four thousand break
ing forth Into ono acclamation. Stop that
loud singing! Stop! Oh, no; they cannot
hear me. You might as well try t > drown
the thunder of the sky or beat back tho roar
of tho sea, for every soul in heaven has re
solved to do its own singing. Alas, that, wo
should have tried on oar! h that which they
cannot do in lccavcn, and instead of joining
all our voices in the praise of tlio Most. High
God, delegating perhaps to unconsecrated
men and women this most solemn and most
delightful service.
Now, in thischurch, we haveresolved upon
tho plan As conducting the music by a pre
centor. «av a do it tor two reasons: i mo is uni
by throwing the whole responsibility upon
the mass of the people, making tho great
multitude the choir, we might rouse inora
heartiness. The great congregation com
ing on tho Sabbath day fool that
they cannot do! gate this part, of the
great service t • any ono else, and
so t, v themselves assume it.' Wo
have gi -ions congregational singing hero.
People h. e como many miles to hoar it.
They are not sure about tho preaching, but
they can always depend on the singing. Wo
have heard tho sound coining up liko “tho
voice of many waters,” but it will be done nt
a better rate after a while, when wo Rhall
realize the height nnd tho depth, and tho im
mensity of this privilege.
Another roason why wo adopted this plan:
We do not want any choir quarrels. You
know very well that in scores of the churches
there has been perpetual contention in that
direction. The only church light; that ever
occurred under my ministry was over a
melodeon in iny first settlement. Have you
never been in church on tho Sabbath day
and heard tho choir sing and you said: “That
is splendid music?” Tho next Sabbath yon
were in the church and thero was no choir at
all? Why? The leader was mad or his assist
ants were, or they were nil mail together.
Some of the choirs are ma le up of our
j host Christian people! Some of the warmest
friends 1 have ever had liavo stood up in
them, Sabbath after Sabbath, conscientiously
nnd successfully lending tho praises of God.
But tho majority of the choirs throughout
tho land arc not made up of Christian peo
ple, and three-fourths of the ehurrfh fights
| originate in tho organ loft. I take that hack,
! and say nine-tenths. Many of our churches
| are dying of choirs.
Let us as a church give still more atten
tion to tho music. Ts a man with voice
enough to sing keeps silent during this exer
cise, ho commits a crime against God and
Insults the Almighty.
Music ought to rush from the audience like
the water from a rock —clear, bright, spark
ling. If nil the other part of the church ser
vile is dull do not have the music dull.
With so many thrilling things to sing about, 1
away with all drawling and stupidity! j
Thero is nothing that makes me so
nervous as to sit in a pulpit and
look off on an audience with their
eyes three-fourths closed and their lips
almost shut, mumbling the praises of
God. During my recent absence 1 preached
to u large audience and aii the music they
made together did not equal one skylark!
People do not sleep at a coronation Do not
let us sleep when wo como to a Saviour’s j
crowning. In order to a proper discharge of
this duty let us stand up, save as ago or !
weakness or fatigue excuse us. Heat slm an j
easy pew we cannot do this duty half so well j
as when, upright, we throw our whole body. |
into it. Let our song be like an acclamation j
of victory. You have a right to sing. Do
not surrender your prerogative.
Wo want to rOusc all our families upon
this subject. We want each family of our
congregation to lie a singing school. Child
ish petulance, obduracy and intractability
would be soothed if wo hail more singing in
the household, and then our little ones would
lie prepared for tlie great congregation on |
Sabbath dav, their voices uniting with our
voices in tlie praises of the Lord. After a
shower there are scores of strearm
that come down the mountain side with :
voices rippling and silvery, pouring into
ono river, and then rolling In united
strength to the sea Ho I would have all the
families in mv church send so-th the voice (
of prayer and praise.pouring it into the groat i
tide of public worship that rolls on and on to
empty into the great, wide heart of God.
Never can we have our church sing ns it
ought until our families sing ns they ought.
There will be a great revolution on thissub
iect in all our churches. G> d will come down
by his soirit and rouse up the old hvrnns and
tunes that have not ben more than half :
awake since the time of our grandfathers.
The silent pews in the chur h will break
to''tli into music, ami when the conductor
takes his place on the Sabbath day,
there will b* a great ho-? of voices
rushing into the harmony. My Christian
friends, if w' have no taste for this
service on earth, what will we do in Heaven
where they all sing and sing forever? Let
me prophesy in regard to any one here who
has no delight in the worship of Heaven—if j
“SUB t)EO PACK) POUT ITER."
; you 40. not sing »lio pi*ai,sas of Go 1 oil < art lv t
! do not' believe you " it? oyor siiA* thorn in'
i glorv.* I -woiiM our sinking ro-davj
| lpiigat bo liko the (Saturday ni?htf iVltrarsnl
| for the Sahbalb morning in tlio skios, atiu
now by tlio strength and by tin
holpofGo!?, to discharge «'i -1 iV
of us have I'i iiiy | ‘ r.V» tn.vl,
“Lot thoso rofuso to s»n'g r
Who novor know mir God,
But ohiltlren of tho Honvonlv king
Should speak their joys abroad.
“Tho hill of Zion yields
A thousand sa tv l sweets.
Before wo roach tho heavenly Holds.
Or walk tlie golden street..
••Then let our songs nboun 1,
And every t nr be dry ;
We’re nutVohing tin*, ugh E.imnud’s
ground
To fftinT Worlds on high.”
Como now, olonf your thrmts nnd got.
ready for this dnfv of vent will never hoar t he
And of this. I never shall for rot herring a
Frenchman s'*-. •* ’’ \ • >»t
the cfeunp Klysoo s Paris, just before til*
battle of ftodnn. Ino versa w such enthusi
asm boforo or rfiitce, as ho snug that national
air. Oh, how t*h“ hVbuchmoh shouted! Have
you ever in an I'hrilhh assemblage h urda baud
play “God Have the b>uo Mis H you liavo
you know something about the oiithusiasirt
of a national air. Now. I t,*ll you tlmt ih *no
ir ngs we sing Sabbath bv b'aobuth are tlm
national airs of .losus Christ nnd of tho lun
donl wf heaven. When Crom .veil’s army
weiifc intd battle, he stood nt th * h ,, nd of Hi *m
ono drfy nftfl gave out the long inel.ro doxol
og.y to the f-mwt of “OM Hundred,” aud
that great litysf, c'amprtuv bv rompn iy, lvgi- .
mont f>V regiment, battalion by battalion,
joined ivf th • doxoirigv:
“ Praise (ted front tfhotoi nil blessing How,
Praise him all oivaturo-i li re htfoxt;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host.
Prais * Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”
And while tliv sung they man‘hod, nnd
while they mnivhed they fought-, nil l while
tl*>v fought t hoy got the vietory. (>, men
and women of Jesus Christ, let us go into nil
our eontliet* singing the praises of God, aud
then, instoa 1 of falling h:rk :is we often do,
from defeat to defeat, we will bo marching
on from victory tovietorv.
An Innocent Mnn.
Tho trial of a man for murder had
just commenced in a Dakota court when
the attorney for tho defense arose and
said:
“If the court pleaso, wo liavo no fear
as to the outcome of this trial. Iu tho
testimony we shall prove that the murder
was committed four miles from town, at
two o’clock in the afternoon. We shall
also establish the fact that there was a
circus in town that day.”
“Hold on,” said tho judge excit
edly, “you say there was a circus in
town?”
“Yes, sir, the Anti-European Con
glomeration showed there that day.”
“Yes, I’ve seen it—-two rings, a
spotted grave digging hyena and seven
lady bareback riders. You say the man
was killed about two o’clock?”
“Yes, your honor.”
“Just tin? time of the ring parade?”
“ The same time.”
“While the elephant and double
humped cmi els were going around.
“Yes, sir.”
“The prisoner is discharged. Trying
to prove that a man was four miles away
from town on such an occasion is looko I
upon as malicious persecution by this
court. The unfortunate gentleman who
was found dead without doubt commit
ted suicide when lie realized that ho wai
in that kind of a position himself.--.
Entelinc (l)ak.) Dell.
Setting a lla'l Example.
A member of a Lawrence county (Da
kota) school board Was speaking of the
teacher employed.
“That feller ain’t givin’ no satisfaction
at all,” he said.
“Wliy, I thought lie came from tlie
East highly recommended.”
“Oh, I s’jKwe he was, but lie don't
seem to suit,, jist tlie same.”
“Hut lie has a good education.”
“Yes, I guess lie's got a straight! flush
on edecation all right 'naff, but the
trouble’s right here: Nalerly, you know,
the big boys have a little poker game at
noon, nnd uv course have the teacher set
iu.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m cussed cf they ain't jist
about cleaned him out uv his wages!
Now, what kind of n /ample do you
Cali that, lettin’ boys down him that
way? I don’t want, rny children goin’
! to no sicli s :hool. Seems Vis we can’t
hardly get a good teacher no more -■
blamed es f don’t b’lievc I’ll go ovei
a id take holt uv tiie school in self.”
KitteUinc (Dak. ) Dell .
A Reasonable Excuse.
Preacher (after prayer meeting)--“I
didn't notice you down on your knee;
during the prayers, Brother Billson. I
trust your faith is not weakening ”
Brother Billson—“No, indeed. But,
Mr. Pulpit, I have been on my knee?) ad
afternoon, and to tell the truth i was too
sore to kneel.”
Mr. Pulpit- “Ali! excuse r»e, Brother
Billson. Pardon my blunder. Os course
when a man spends his afternoon in
piayer that makes a difference.”
Brother Billson “I didn't say I was
at prayer this afternoon. We got a new
stove at our house yesterday and the
thing wouldn't draw.” —Pew York
(Jraphic.
Course Approved.
Student—“ Well, we treated the pa
tient in the most approved way.”
Doctor—“ How?”
Student—“ Well, wo put him on milk
diet; then he was put on wine; then wo
put him on the electrical treatment; tlier
we put him on quinine, arid now ”
Doctor—“ You will put him on ice.”—
Hotel Hail.
Couldn’t Say “Boo.”
Her Little Brother (holding up the
cat) —“Say ‘Boo,’ Mr. Smith.”
Mr. Smith—“ What for, Bobby?”
Her little Brother—“l want to know
if you can. Sister says you can’t efy
‘Boo to a cat.’”— Judge.
REV. SAM JONES.
A Pen Portrait of the Noted
fsoutherri Revivalist.
A Skotcli of 1 His Oaroot and a Fow
Samples of His Sayings?
The Ui <t Ham P. Jones, lias achieved
wide fame as tit' evangelist, lie was
born in Chambers County, Alabama, Oct.
10, 1847. Soon after, his parents re
moved to his future home, Gartcrsviltc,
Ga. Mr. Jones is of eminently religious
parentage, lie adopted his father's pro
fession of law after receiving an excellent
education. An excess of animal spirits
caused the future preacher to become dis
sipated. lie sunk lower and lower. When
he now preaches against intoxicants,
gambling, mid other dissipations he
knows w hat lie is talking about.
Mr. Jones’ father, on his dying bed,
made ft lost appeal to (lie better manhood
of Ins son. Tho finer nature of the man
was touched, and he reformed. Itoreal
j i/.ed the horrors of the pit from which he
had escaped, and therefore all the more
besought others to do right, lie was in
tolerant of the vices of society and the
Inconsistencies of ('hristains. His plain
speaking made hint many enemies, yet
his evident sincerity gained him high re
spect.
In October, 1872, Mr. Jones joined the
North Georgia Conference of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church Houth. He re
mained from two to throe years on sever
al circuits. Gradually it dawned on him
nnd his friends that he could do the most
effective work as tin evangelist. Iu 1880
Mr. Jones was appointed agent of tho
orphans’ home of his conference. Ho
soon placed it in a prosperous condition.
There is a reminder hereof over a centu
ry ago, when George Wliitefield went up
nnd down the land preaching nnd raising
funds for his orphan home in Georgia.
Mr. Jones then extended 1 1 is field.
After many successful meetings in vari
ous Southern States, lie attracted the at
tention of tho Rev. T. DoWitt Talmagc,
who hud him conduct a revival at the
Brooklyn Tabernacle. After more work
in tin? South, Mr. Jones spent a month in
St. Louis recently. He is engaged for
months ahead.
Mr. Jones is tall and rather good-look
! ing. Jle is deliberate in speech, and is
j something of an orator. Although ho
! sometimes indulges in slang to drive
home a truth, ho i,s a master of the speech
of the common people. He is witty, sar
castic, humorous, pathetic, elegant,
whenever he wishes to be. To crown all,
lie is forever in earnest, always persua
sive, and never loses the object of his
discourses to save souls.
Mr. Jones has met with great success.
Ilis meetings produce intense interest.
110 is everywhere indorsed by leading or
thodox ministers. In the South lie has
been provided with an immense tent,
holding thousands. At Nashville and
other cities it was jammed every day for
weeks.
About 1872 Mr. Jones was married to
Miss Laura MeElwuin, of Eminence, Ky.
Many of Mr. Jones’ sayings are of the
kind that stick in the memory, and not a
few are clear-cut gems of counsel. Ho
may be reckless of speech, but be in some
way manages to make a good many cen
ter shots. Here are some of Ham’s say
ings;
“There is just as much religion in
laughing as in crying.”
“I have never heard of a man getting
up in meeting anywhere and confessing
thut lie was selfish or avaricious.”
“An obedience that dares to go, that
dares to sillier, and dares to do. That is
what we want.”
“lied lirpior and Christianity won’t
stay in the same hide nt Hie same time.”
“I like some folks that have got. some
laugh in them. There is nothing to he
done with a dead crowd.”
“One preacher told me lie got down on
his knees one evening and prayed to
heaven, to God Almighty, te straighten
out Brother Jones and change him in a
few things, and that he would be a good
preacher if that could be done. He
prayed until about 'sundown, and got off
his knees, and the Lord seemed to say to
him: ‘Well, I heard you praying for j
Jones, and if I was to fake all those I
things away from him lie would be no |
more account than you are.’ He said it |
liked to scare him to death, and he never
prayed on that line since.”— fit. Louie
(Jlobe - Demnerat.
No, Ethel; when you hear of a young
girl having made a good “match” it
doesn’t signify that she lias got sointhing
that will get up every morning and light
the fire.
The young man who imprinted a re
spectful kiss on the fair forehead of his
best gir! told his friend next day that lie
hud been having a hangup time.
VOL. !. NO. H.
Reawakened Memory.
Two years ago n young Hian living in
a Vermont village, having fh?i»hed his
academical education, was ready U> «iv
ter college. Hut just before the day <*jr
pointed for his examination ho was taken'
ill. After several weeks of suffering he
slowly recovered Ids health, hut discov
ered that his mind lmrl lost the knowl
edge tfprjuived by six years of hard study.
Latin, Greek, and mathematics, nfl) were’
gone, and his mind was a blank hi re
peels to his preparatory studies. lfia*
doctor prescribed that he should rest his
mind and familiarize himself with a few
j simple detail-* of light work. Iff obeyed
the advice, and found in his old lui'hit of
doing things carefully the schoolmaMev
that brought hack his old knowledge.
Before his illness the young man, in or
der to earn a little money, had taken
care of the village church, sweeping rA
out, cleaning the lamps and doing all tile'
work, of a sexton. ITo now resumed this'
work and by the physician’s advice tried
to keep his mind from puzzling itself
about its loss of memory. Several weeks
went by without bringing any change, hi
his mental condition.
tfrte Humbiy evening a stranger entered’
the church, and, as the sermon was a
dull one, gazed carelessly around until
his attention was attracted by tho l»Hip«
on the wall, lie noticed that all Mies
wicks were so carefully trimmed that
there was not an irregular flume to he
seen, lie wondered as to who could bo
the careful sexton, and, happening to bo
in the place the following Sunday, fu”
again noticed the same uniform trimming
of the wieks.
I’iessing the church tho next day and
seeing the, door open, he walked quietly
in and saw the sexton sweeping out tins
central aisle. Looking closely at tho
young man, the stranger said: “Do you
do all the work about the church?”
“Yes, sir.” >
“Do you trim the lamps?” >
“Yes, sir.”
“Why do you trim them in such a pe
culiar way?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Why, the flames are alike.”
“(111, hut they ought to lie. You
would not’have them uneven, would
you?”
“No,” answered tho stranger, with a
smile, “hut it speaks well for your care
fulness, Wby, I should think one of
the flames would fit r.ll the others exact
ly if if were superimposed on them.”
“Kuperimposed 1 isn’t that word used
in geometry?”
“Certainly. If polygons, having equal
sides and angles ”
Before the stranger could finish hi*
sentence the student threw down hi*
broom, rushed frantically out of tho
church, ran across the street and into the
house, where lie astonished his mother
by exclaiming, in tones of triumph:
“Mother, 1 know that the square of the
hypothenuso of a right angle triangle i*
eqiinl to the sum of the squares of tho
other two sides 1”
In a moment Ids school knowledge had
come hack to him, flashed into his mind
by the mention of the superimposed fig
ures.- -l’liiliidi!l]ihia (Jail.
Forty-six Years in One Pulpit.
Dr. George Jeffrey, of Glasgow, where
lie has preached upward of forty-six
years, is reported to have explained the
secret of his being aide to maintain an
unbroken ministry in the same place so
long to one of the former members of his
church, who is now a merchant in New
York. “I read,” says Dr. Jeffrey,
“every new hook that, lias a hearing upon
iriy special work, and make extracts from
it and index them, so at any moment I
can find them when wanted. In this
way I keep myself from moving in a rut.
I work as hard as I used to float twenty,
and I keep so far ahead with my sermons
that there arc always ten or fifteen un
finished ones lying in my .drawer ready to
receive the results of my latest readings.
I call them ‘sleeping sermons,’but it is
they that sleep, and not the people who
hoar them.”— Chrwtian Leaden.
A Japanese Advertisement.
A bookseller in Tokio, Japan, desiring
to sell his wares, thus advertised them in
the newspapers: The advantages of oui
establishment—l, Prices cheap as a lot
tery. 2, Hooks elegant as a singing girl.
!l, Print clear as crystal. 4, Paper tough
as elephant’s hide. 5, Customers treated
as politely as by the rival steamship corn
panics. (1, Articles as plentiful as in n
library. 7, Goods despatched as expedi
tiously as a cannon ball. 8, Parcels done
up with as much care as tliat bestowed
on her husband by a loving wife. 9, All
defects, such ns dissipation and idleness,
will be cured in young people paying us
frequent visits, anj they will liccome
solid men. 10, The other advantage* wo
offer are too many for language to ex
press.