Part 22 (1/2)
”The cahted up, the trumpet blown, I rose in the stand and required every soul to leave the tents and coeneral rush to the stand I requested the brethren, if ever they prayed in their lives, to pray now My voice was strong and clear, andelse My text was: 'The gates of hell shall not prevail' In about thirty ation in such a manner as is seldoht and left, front and rear
It was supposed that not less than three hundred fell like deadround Loud wailings went up to Heaven froeneral shout from Christians so that the noise was hear afar off”
That it was by no means an unusual occurrence for those who came to scoff to remain to pray will appear fro upit with all the force I could command, the power of God suddenly was displayed, and sinners fell by scores all through the assembly It was supposed that several hundred fell in five minutes; sinners turned pale; soet away, and fell in the attempt; some shouted aloud for joy”
The horror of Brother Cartwrights for ”ihout his entire book That his righteous soul was often sorely vexed because of them is beyond question That his cup had not been drained to the dregs will appear from a new element he encountered when sent across the Ohio to the Scioto conference
”It was a poor and hard circuit at that time, and the country round was settled in an early day by a colony of Yankees At the time of my appointment I had never seen a Yankee, and I had heard dismal stories about them It was said they lived almost entirely on pumpkins, molasses, fat meat, and Bohea tea; moreover that they could not bear loud and zealous serht on their learned preachers with the us poor backwoods preachers”
The ”isms” our circuit-rider now encountered would have appalled a less resolutefairly well except with one ”feiven over in about equal parts to ”universalism” and ”predestinarianism”
This troublesome female, that he candidly admitted he had _a hard race to keep up with,_ he has left impaled for all tiued Yankee”
Soonisood old pioneer days, athered froht of a former associate, one Brother D, ”who left the Methodists, joined the Free-will Baptists, left thehts, and then moved to Texas, where I expect the devil has hi before this tiht was acould be farther from the truth
He was abundantly possessed hat, in Western parlance, is known as ”horse sense” He was a student of men, and kept in close touch with the affairs of this world His shrewdness, no less than his courage, was a proverb in his day Upon one occasion, at the beginning of his sere audience, he was more than once interrupted by the persistent but ineffectual atteth, turning to her he said: ”Dear sister, never shout as a matter of duty; when you can't help it, then shout; _but never shout as aon the banks of the cumberland in the early years of the last century, an attempt was made by a band of desperadoes to create a disturbance To this end their leader, a burly ruffian, stalked to the front of the pulpit, and with an oath co divine service for a fewaside his coat, the preacher descended fro upon the intruder, felled hied for mercy The precious boon ithheld until the now penitent disturber, after proiven the humblest seat in the ”aar incident, re-entered the pulpit, and with the words, ”As I was saying, brethren, when interrupted,” continued his discourse
This little sketch would be unpardonably incoht had a relish for politics, as well as for salvation He was more than once a member of the General assembly of Illinois, and be it said to his eternal honor his speech and vote were ever on the side of whatever conduced to the best interests of the State In him the cause of education, and the asylums for the unfortunate, had ever an earnest advocate
Though many years his senior, he was the contemporary of Abraham Lincoln, and a resident of the sa candidate for Representative in Congress The district was of i many counties of Central Illinois Newspapers were scarce, and the old-ti candidates for high office were still in vogue Mr Lincoln's unsuccessful competitor was none other than the subject of this article The great Whig leader and his Deonist--”My friend the Parson,” as Mr Lincoln faed in joint debate It is to be regretted that there is no record of these debates There is probably nothey would be at this day, if happily they had been preserved
The earnest, inflexible parson,--even then ”standing upon the Western slope,”--backed by his party, then doovernment, upon the one side; the comparatively youthful lawyer, whose fame was yet to fill the world, upon the other No doubt, daily upon ”the stu upon the then all-absorbing subjects, the Walker Tariff, the War with Mexico, and the Wil now to the doreater consequence, upon which Lincoln and an antagonist ht crossed swords a dozen years later
At the Defield in the early spring of 1860, a resolution instructing the Illinois delegates to support Stephen A Douglas for no National Convention was adopted aate called attention to the fact that the venerable Peter Cartwright was present, and said he knew the Convention would be glad to hear a word froht,”
was heard from all parts of the chaates, near the central part of the hall, Mr Cartwright arose, and with deep ean:
”My friends and fellow-citizens, I am happy to be with you on the present occasion My sun is lon upon the horizon, and the days of e are al the entire period of its history as a State I have watched with tender interest its rowth from its feeble condition as a Territory, until it has reached its present splendor as a State I have travelled over its prairies, slept with only the canopy of heaven for a covering; I have followed the trail of the Indians, fought the desperadoes, swam the rivers, threaded the als of the blessed Gospel to the loneliest cabin upon the border Yes,difficulties and dangers, I have waged an incessant warfare against the world, the flesh, the devil, _and all the other enemies of the Democratic party!”_
XVIII CLEVELAND AS I KNEW HIM
CLEVELAND'S SPEECH ACCEPTING HIS NOMINATION--MR BLAINE'S FRUITLESS TOUR AS A CANDIDATE--CLEVELAND'S INSIGHT INTO HUMAN CHARACTER--HIS TARIFF-REDUCTION MESSAGE--WITHDRAWAL OF THE HAWAIIAN ANNEXATION TREATY--HIS VENEZUELAN MISSION--HIS ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE SCIENCE OF GOVERNMENT--HIS QUALIFICATIONS FOR SOCIAL LIFE AND FOR SERVING THE COUNTRY
Upon the adjournment of the Democratic National Convention of 1884, which had nominated Mr Cleveland for the Presidency, in coates I visited him at the Executive Mansion at Albany, New York The Hon William F Vilas was the chairman of our committee, and the purpose of the visit to notify Mr Cleveland, officially, of his noreat office I saw him then for the first ti been but recently elected by an unprecedented majority I recall him distinctly on this occasion as he responded to the eloquent speech of Colonel Vilas
Standing near him at the time were three men well known at a later date as , William C Whitney, and Daniel S Lamont
Cleveland's response to the speech of notification was in dignified, forceful phrase, and at once challenged public attention and gave the keynote to the memorable contest which immediately followed In sole the like of which we ain witness As the day of election drew near, the exciteave hopes of success were spared by the opposing party ers
The defection fron publications of the day was known as the ”wump” element, caused Mr Blaine to venture upon a hazardous tour of speech-athered around the brilliant Republican candidate during his Western tour This, however, as the sequel shoas tiy wasted; Illinois and Ohio were safely in the Republican coluround was New York state Hoe de his brief sojourn in New York to listen to the now historical words of Burchard, words which in all hu of the candidate to whom, with the best intentions, they were earnestly addressed
New York, as has been its wont before and since, proved the pivotal State For many days after the election the result was still in doubt Party feeling was intense, and the result hinged upon the narrow in in the vote of Blaine and Cleveland in one State
During the strenuous days that passed from the election until the authoritative announceh tide of party passion, remained calm To all appearances unmoved, Grover Cleveland sat in his office day after day, no detail of official duty failing to receive his careful attention The fact just stated is explanatory of much in his subsequent career