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Southern Field and Fireside.
VOL. 1.
[For the Southern Field and Fireside.]
4 TO AGNES.
9 On a Wedding-Ring of the IS<A Century.
Y A solid ring of purest gold—how many changeful years,
/ With all their wealth of happiness, and all their flow of
\ tcare -
W Are circled in its shining round, wherein we yet may
trace'
The record of a faithful love, which timo could not efface!
"The love this knot hath knit”—thus runs the
o ancient line,
/ "The God of peace continue itt”—nor did the threads
]f* untwine;
/ The prayer was heard, and, like the ring, this knot con
\ tlnued whole,
y Until the silver cord was loosed, and broke the golden
bowl.
L And could the blessed annulet, its story all reveal,
To eyes that glisten o'er the verse which speaks to hearts
9 that feel,
<. What deep unwritten eloquence would run around Its
Jr rim!
t Well might the eyes that looked thereon with tenderness
A grow dim.
The truth, the love, the puriSy, the trust of other days>
Would lend this quaint old wedding-ring the diamond's
A steady blaze;
* No rich Genevan jewelry for queenly Angers wrought,
J Could sparkle with the wondrous light this simple band
vs had caught
/ O lady, be this precious ring a very potent charm
"jV Upon your lily hand, to save from every threader'ng
<& harm—
S' The annulet an amulet, whatever fate betide,
Though yet a <laarer ring shall press your Anger as a
bride.
a And may that cherished, Indy pledge of faith and hope
J and joy,
I* And all your wedded happiness be both without alloy;
/ A ring of thrice-refined gold to symbolize the bond
JY Which still shall brighter grow on earth, and in the Blue
y Beyond 1
\j Jno. R. Thompson.
[Written for the Southern Field and Fireside.]
;
Entered according to the Act of Congress, <tc., <tc.
T by the Author.
} MASTER WILLIAM MITTEN;
V 'OB,
4 A YOUTH OF BRILLIANT TALENTS,
y WHO WAS RUINED BY BAD LUCK.
J BY THE AUTHOR OF THE GEORGIA SCENES, ETC.
{% CHAPTER XVII.
Yj Captain Thompson delivers himself at large upon
Church matters — William teaches Snap-dragon
some rare accomplishments—Turns him to good
o' account in learning human nature—The Captain
7 becomes uneasy at his progress — William gains
V two victories, which puzzle the Captain consider-
J ably—The Captain amuses William exceed
>ingly; and is greatly comforted in getting him
back to school.
\> As soon as Captain Thompson j'oined the
1 Methodists, his sister expressed a wish to attach
herself to the same Church to which ho and his
9 wife belonged.
' “No, Anna," said the Captain, “I advise
V you against it. I am suro you cannot be
/ a better Christian in the Methodist Church
>than you have proved yourself to be in the
Presbyterian Church. If I can bo as bright an
\) ornament to my Church, as you are to yours, I
shall deem myself greatly blessed ”
“Brother, you greatly over-rate my piety. I
o' have a great many faults and weaknesses which
J your eye never sees, but which I see and mourn
V over, and struggle against every day.”
/ “I shall hardly bo convinced of my error by
>that kind of proof, my dear sister. One brazen
sin would bring your piety in question with me
n- more than a hundred faults and weaknesses
hidden in the heart, and mourned over and
struggled against every day. But enough of
o' this—stay with your people with whom you
.7 liavo long held sweet communion, to whom you
Y are endeared by a thousand ties, and who are
J entitled to the benefit of your influence and ox
ample. lam not suro that the division of the
y Church into sects is not of God's appointment,
fs. Some good results from the division, obviously.
It secures the Scriptures from interpolation and
Yk. mutilation, stimulates the several Churches to
o' good wokks, liberality, gonerosity, and activity in
i7 the advancement of the Redeemer’s Kingdom;
Y brings truth to the test of open, fair, and able
,/ discussion, guards the Church from now heresies,
[A if it cannot eradicate old ones, and effectually
y prevents a union of Church and State in this
kj blessed country, at least. So much good does
it, and much moro would it do, if each sect
4ft would practice, as it should, the heavenly pre
-3 cepts of love and charity taught them by their
.7 common Head.- If others will not practice them,
V let us do it, my dear sister; and be assured, if
/ our example passes unobserved on earth, it will
A not be overlooked in Heaven."
y “ Those are sweet counsels, my dear brother,and
f JAMES GARDNER, [
I Proprietor. j
AUGUSTA. GA., SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1859.
they have already banished from my mind every
thought of quitting my Church. It is strange,
very strange, but I cannot dispossess my mind
of the thought that some heavy calamity is
going to befall us. lam too happy for earth.
I question whether there is this day a human
being this side of Heaven as happy as I am.
You once said to me sportively, ‘ turn Methodist
and shout,’ and now I could do it with right
good will. I can hardly keep from it ”
“Ana why should you wish to keep from it ?
It is one of the means which Providence has
appointed for relieving the overcharged heart,
and Ido not see why it should be repressed. I
know why it is repressed, very well. It is re
garded by most people as very undignified—
only, however, when most people are devoid of
the feeling that provokes it. Let the people,
dignitaries and all, witness a closely contested
.election of deep interest; at ono moment it
seems to be going ono way, at the next the
other, and thus the contestants alternately pass
each other, until they stand abreast with but
two votes in the box—they come out for the
same man. AVliat do you see, then, among the
victors ? One weeps outright with joy, another
laughs frantically, another vents the long sup
pressed breath, and smiles; but all applaud,
and nine-tenths raise a shout that may be
heard for miles. There is nothing at all
undignified in all this! It is perfectly nat
ural. Now, they are all moved by the same
spirit; but it manifests itself in different ways
according to tho diflbrent temperaments of the
crowd. I suppose if a battery of artillery were
bearing upon them, and they were forbidden to
shout, under pain of berng fired upon, they might
suppress it (doubtful if all would); but what
would be thought of the man who would
recommend such a measure, or any milder
one, to prevent this honest outburst of feel
ing? When General Washington passed
through the country on his Southern tour,
he was met by multitudes at every town and
village at which he stopped. As soon as the
throngs caught a glimpse of tho approaching
hero, they made the welkin ring with their
shouts. As he passed through the streets, wo
men waved their handkerchiefs, and wept; old
soldiers wept, but most waved their hats, and
shouted again, loud and long. He would have
been regarded as a Tory who gave no outward
demonstration ofjoy at such times. Tho very
next day these same people would go to a Meth
odist meeting, and sneer at a new convert for
shouting. And what has Washington done for
any one of us, compared with what Christ has
done for the new convert ?. What the liberty
winch Washington gained for lis, compared with
‘the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free T' —
What can we promise ourselves from this great
Republic, compared with the Saviour’s legacy to
the soldiers of the Cross? At His birth, the an
gels of heaven shouted. His second coming to
earth will be heralded by a shout. At His tri
umphant entry into Jerusalem, the whole multi
tude of His disciples shouted. The Pharisees
(strict religionists) begged Him to rebuke them.—
What was His reply ? 'I tell you, if these should
hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry
out.’ But He had not yet died for these disciples.
No ono is offended at a shout from the dying
Christian! In the times of David and the Pro
phets, it was not regarded as undignified in holy
men to shout. I used to laugh at the shouting
Christians, myself. I used to be provoked with
them, until I learned something of their feelings,
and tlien I was very ready to excuse them.—
From excusing, I went to thinking, and from
thinking to reading upon the subject; and the
result of my deliberations and research is what
I have delivered to you. Now, do not misun
derstand me. Ido not say that Christians ought
to shout, much less that shouting is an infallible
test of Christianity; and least of all, that there
are not just as good Christians who never shout,
as there are who do. Ido not believe that there
is a better shouting Christian in our Church than
you arc; but Ido say that it is tho most natural
thing in the world that Christians of some tem
peraments should shout, if I understand any
thing about religion; and that ridicule of it
comes with ill grace from a shouting world, or
a non-shouting Church.
“ But brother, how does it happen that there
is shouting in no other Church in the world
but the Methodist?”
“Just because the Methodist is, (in one sense)
the newest Church in the world. When we join a
Church we as naturally drop into the ways of
its people as we do into its creed. I know very
well where they all began; it was in such a
scene of excitement and clamor as amazed the
lookers-on, and led them to mock, and to say that
tho converts were full of new wine. But all
Churches will, in process of time, conform them
selves to the opinions and manners of the world,
just as far as they can, without compromising
their principles. Prudence or policy may dic
tate this course—to avoid persecution, ridicule
and contempt, or to gain popularity. Never did
the world show any mercy, not to say charity,
to religious excitements. The Methodists have
hardly yet passed the fiery ordeal through which
all zealous, self-denying, God-serving, world-de
fying Christians must pass. The marks of vio-
lence are still upon their humble meeting houses,
and derisipn meets them atall their services.—
As yet, they have no Chuifch etiquette (if you
will excuse the term), no tlought, and very little
knowledge, of the world’s dignities; for they arc
mostly poor and illiterate; no idea that joy should
bo disciplined, or transport suppressed. They,
therefore, give the run to their feelings, just as
nature prompts them. They are happy, very
happy, and they express tleir happiness in the
natural way, without fear of startling their breth
ren, offending their pastor*, or provoking sin
ners. But it is not to be supposed that our
Church will be exempt from the common lot of
Churches. With a penniless Ministry, fervid,
zealous, devout, persecuttd, traversing the coun
try from the mountains 'to the seaboard, and
preaching the Gospel to every creature, white,
black, bond, free, rich, poot at their own doors,
it must grow, and as it grows it will increase in
dignity, science, fine preaching, fine dressing,
fine eating, fine stations, fine circuits, fine mu
sic, fine churches, and strong voting. Os course,
it will then become, especially with the most res
pected office holders and office seekers, very
respectable. There will fcc religion in it, ster
ling religion in it still—rdfigion armed for giant
work, and well employed: but there will be no
shouting in it, no fraternal embraces in it, no
out-gushing of hymu3 from a thousand voices,
eloquent of the heart’s heavenly inspirations, no
‘brotliering’ between great preachers and poor
members. Or if these distinctive features of
primitive Methodism lx» **ot entirely effaced,
you will have to seek them, to find them, in some
poor brother’s circuit, in the gorges of the
mountains, the wilds of the West, or the negro
quarters of the rich.”
“ Verily, brother, you have said moro in de
fence of shouting tjjan I supposed could be said;
and most certainly, if I never shout myself, I
shall always, hereafter, look with tho greatest in
dulgence upon those Christians who do.”
“ That is the lesson that I would inculcate, my
sister. And when you leam what may be said
in defence of it, tell me, wliat think you of that
Pastor of a Church who requested a good sister
of his flock to leave the Church, because, under
his own glowing description of Heaven, or under
something elsq he said, that filled her heart with
joy, she relieved it with a shout ? Think of her,
if you please, perchance the holiest of his
charge, retiring from the house of worship—from
the sermon which refreshed her, under the eye
shot of the congregation, shamed, subdued, de
pressed, disgraced!”
“ Oh, my dear brother I Surely such a thing
never happened.”
“Surely such a thing did happen, if a credible
witness is to lie believed. It may be that that
woman paid more, for her means, to build the
Church from which she was ordered—paid more,
for her means, to support the Pastor who so
deeply wounded her, than any other member
of his congregation. She never shouted again,
in lus church, you may bo sure, nor did any other
one of his flock; and the consequence was, (I con
jecture, not without some reason), he had ever af
terwards a veryquiet, orderly, Laodicean Church.
Charity, my sister! let there be charity among the
Churches. Instead of looking for faults in each
other, let them be looking for what is good in
each other, and let them reciprocally interchange
the good, and reject the faulty. In this way, all
might be improved—all would be more en
deared to* each other than they are.”
“ You have so well defended shouting among
Christians, that perhaps you can give me some
new views upon another usage ot your Church,
which has always seemed to me much more ob
jectionable than shouting. I allude to your altar
scenes in times of revival. Some are sing
ing, some are talking to mourners, and two
or three are praying aloud at the same time, and
when to all this is added the shouts of the con
verts, the whole scene is one of utter confusion,
it seems to me. What can you say in defence
of all this ?”
“ Nothing. It is not only indefensible, but
it is positively unscriplural. Eaeli and all of
these exercises are proper in their place; but to
have them all going on at one and the same time
is little better than to set all the rules of order,
human and divine, at defiance. The honesty of
intention and benevolence of purpose with which
it is done, are all that make it tolerable, even to
the most charitable; but these are very poor ex
cuses for those who are presumed to have read
Paul’s Epistles, and yet encourage such things.
And here, a very pertinent illustration of
what I have just safd, presents itself: If at revi
vals in your Church, your people would borrow a
little more fervor from ours, and ours in like
circumstances would borrow a little more or
der and solemnity from yours, I think both
would be improved. Dignity, gravity, and or
der well becomo the Christian; but love, joy,
and zeal, much better become him; and if they
cannot all be harmonized, why, let the first; give
way, I say, and let all give way to love, if it he
possible to separate joy from it! And when
love and joy abound in him, let him be indulged
in his nature’s way of manifesting them, even to
the interruption of a sermon for a time; and if the
feeling become general among the flock, why,
let the sermon go; there is no better preaching,
at times, than the rejoicing together of many
happy Christians. These are my crude notions,
sister; take them for what they are worth.”
“ I thank you for them, my very dear, dear
brother, and I am sure that they will be of ser
vice to me, Oh, how much happiness I have lost
from your delay in embracing Christianity 1”
“ Not so much,perhaps, from want of my coun
sels and religious opinions, as from want of that
deference and respect which I should have
shown to your piety, and that tenderness of ad
dress that I should have shown to a sister.”
In the main,things went on smoothly and hap
pily in the two families, during the vacation ;
but before its close, both the Captain and his
sister had their quiet a little disturbed by Wil
liam’s over attention to Snap-dragon. It was a
natural curiosity that prompted him to enquire
carefully into Snap-dragon’s capabilities, ac
complishments, predilections, and tractability.—
By close observation and experiment, he discov
ered that a little needless whipping improved him
wonderfully—(such the difference between a
teacher and a disciple.) It made him move airi
ly, and infused life, grace and activity into both
his extremities; that he could trot eight miles
an hour—that he could beat Billy Figg’s Nick
tail, Billy Pine’s Catham, and Bob Maston’s
Flying-Nelly easily; that he stood the firing of
a gun on him very well; that he could clear a
six-rail fence at a leap; that by tickling him in a
particular way in the flank (which lie called
“the grabble-tickle”) he could make him kick
amusingly that by applying the “grabble-tickle”
to his back-bone, just behind the saddle, he
could carry him through a variety of most inter
esting evolutions—tail-switching, warping, bi
ting, (backwards, at nothing,) polka-dancing,
and furious kicking. One thing he taught him
which was perfectly original, and that was to
stop at the cluck or chirp, and go at th? word
“wo /” To teach him all these accomplishments
William had to devote nearly his whole time to
him. He had to ride him far and near; and
in so doing it was just as well to call and see all
the planters within seven miles of the village,
and rest awhile with them, and entertain them
with all the wonders of Doctor Waddel’s school,
as to ride that far and return without dismount
ing. Every gathering in the county he was cer
tain to attend; by means whereof he had a fine
opportunity of studying human nature, in some
of its most interesting aspects. He saw how
petty elections were conducted—how election
eering was carried on—how much rum it took
to elect a Captain and a Justice of the Peace.—
He saw justice administered by magistrates in
their shirt-sleeves, and heard stiff quarrels be
tween them and the suitors—he saw card play
ing in its most unpretending humility and sim
plicity, to wit, by a couple of the sovereignty, seat
ed cross legged on the ground, with a dirty cot
ton handkerchief between them for a table, and
a half deck of dirtier cards. (Here was the in
troduction of “ squatter sovereignty ” into the coun
try; but who could have supposed that it would
ever make such a fuss in the world as it has
made!) He saw cock-fights occasionally, dog
fights often, and men-fights regularly—now and
then he was entertained with a quarter race and
a foot-race —upon one occasion he took up a ban
ter of “the universal world” for a foot race, by a
youth both older and larger than himself, and
gained the victory handsomely. His competitor
said, “if he couldn’t beat him a running, he could
whip him.” Bill “pitched into him,” as the say
ing is, without a parley, and flogged him beau
tifully, and to the delight and admiration of
everybody, who thought it mean in him to pick
a quarrel with a boy who had fairly beaten him,
just from shame of his defeat. These feats gave
William great renown in the county. Perhaps
no youth in the land ever made greater pro
gress in “the study of human nature” than Wil
liam did in the short space of two months. But
without Snap-dragon, where would he have
been ? Confined to the darkness of his own
village! And whoever heard of any human na
ture in a village, save at Court times, general
elections, and general parades ? The Captain
often heard of his progress, and often counselled
him. “ William,” lie would say, “ I fear I com
mitted a great error iu giving you that horse; I
am sure I did. It was one of the most impru
dent acts of my life.”
“ Why, uncle?”
“ For many reasons. He takes up all your
time. I never see a book in your hand ; you
have hardly attended a religious meeting, except
on Sunday, since the vacation commenced. You
are too young to have control of a horse. He
is a spirited horse; and if not managed with
care ho may break your neck—”
“ Uncle, he can’t throw mo to save his life."
“ I’m glad to hear that; my main design, in
giving him to you, was to make you a good
horseman; but lie may run away with you, car
ry you under the limb of a tree, and knock your
brains out. If you will be careful with him,
there is no danger, for I know him to be a very
gentle horse, though spirited—but youths of
your age are so thoughtless. I hardly ever see
you in the day time ; where do you keep your
self?”
“Just riding about in the country, Uncle,”
“ But sometimes you’re gone the live long day,
j Two Dollars Per Annum, I
| Always In Advance. j
and surely you aro not riding all the time with
out your meals!”
“ Oh no, sir! sometimes I take dinner at Mr.
Love’s, sometimes at Mr. Todd’s, sometimes
at Squire Mattoxes, sometimes at Mr. White’s,
and Curtis King’s "
“ Why, William, my son, you ought not to visit
people’s houses in that way ”
“ Uncle, they always tell me they are glad to
see me, and always beg me to come and see
them again.”
“ To be sure they do ; but because they aro
kind, you should not tax their hospitality all the
time. At times, lam sure you must full upon
them very unseasonably, and give them no little
inconvenience. When they see yon in town
here, and ask you to come and see them, why,
then go; but dou't thrust yourself upon them at
all hours, uninvited.
“ I’ll obey you,'•uncle.”
Again the Captain would renew his complaints
and advice:
“ William, your mother is very uneasy about
you. She says you constantly come home charg
ed with news from all the gatherings in the
county. Surely, you don’t frequent such places ?
What interest can you take in them ? W r hat
do you promise yourself from such resorts ? I
charge you, under pain of my sore displeasure,
to abandon them.”
“I will do so, uncle.”
William’s victories happened to be reported to
the Captain by Mr. Moore, in the presence of
William, and in the way of congratulation to
him I
“ Why, William (’’exclaimed the Captain, “is it
possible that you have been running foot races
and lighting ”
“Oh, don't blame him,” said Mr. Moore; “I
supposed you knew all about it, since it is talked
about everywhere. But don’t blame William,
for he never did a better thing in all his life, and
never will do a better while he lives. He was at
the Court, at old man Haralson’s, nnd there
was an uncommonly large gathering for the oc
casion. There was a fellow there, a forward,
noisy chap, named Jake Black, who was cutting
up high shines. He said he could beat anything
of his weight and inches in the universal world
at a foot race. ‘I can beat you,’ said William.
‘You!’ says Black. ‘I can run round you three
times in fifty yards and then beat you.’ ‘Well,’
says William, ‘suppose you try it.’ The match
was made up, a hundred yards were stepped off,
and all on the Court ground went to seethe race.
At the word they started, and William beat him
a clear light of at least sev«n yards. There was
a general shout as they came in, and many had
something digging to say to Black. One told
him he oughtn't to run against anything but
grub-worms and terrapins. Another told him
his belly didn’t give his legs fair play. ‘I saw
your thighs,’ says he, ‘hit your belly every step
you made. If you can only manage to hook up
your belly just three quarters of an inch before
you run, so as to give your legs full sweep, you’d
beat Bill Mitten thirty yards in the hundred, I
know you would.’ ‘Oh,’ says a third, ‘his
stomach had nothing to do with it—at least it
wouldn’t have had, if be liad been in good keep;
but he was in no order to run. I saw him eat
two water millions and a peck of peaches, not
an hour before the race. Take that weight off
of him, and where would Bill Mitten have been ?’
‘Well,’ said the second, ‘that’s just what I say.
He only lacks three-quarters of an inch of beat
ing ‘the universal world,’ I thought his belly
was nat'ral.'
“This kind of chat,” continued Moore, made
Jake very mad, and as ’William stood laughing
with the rest, Jake stept up to him, and said,
‘lf you can beat me running, I can whip you
mighty easy.’ You kntiw that hard place in
the road between old man Haralson’s house
and the Court room? He was standing there;
and the word was no sooner out of his mouth
than William seized him, fetched the hip
lock upon him, and gave him the hardest fall
that I ever saw a boy get in all my life. Before
Jake could recover from his fall, William was
on him, giving him bringer. He very soon “told
the news’ (cried ‘enough !’) and William got off
of him without a scratch. I don’t suppose
there over was a people more rejoiced and sur
prised than they all were at William's doings.
Jake had no idea that a boy dressed as fine as
William was could fight at all, nor lid anybody
else believe it; but, Lord bless your soul, Captain,
he walked over Jake in the highest style of
fighting! I tell you what, sir, he's as active as
a cat and as bold as a lion. So you see he was
not to blame.”
“And now camo the tug of war,” (intestine
war) with the Captain. Before Moore had pro
ceeded four sentences in his narrative, Captain
Thompson’s countenance lost every trace of
amazement and indignation, and assumed a
rather unchristian placidity. The next transi
tion was to a benignant smile; then to an ex
pression of wonder and delight; then to a laugh
of triumph; and so it went on, stronger and
stronger, to the end ofthe chapter; so that when
Moore concluded, it was manifest that “brother”
Thompson had no more thought of religion in
him, than he had of the tattling of his counte
nance ; and no more thought of the tattling of
NO. 16.