Southern Christian Advocate

CORRESPONDENCE.

ANOTHER FACT

HOW THE 'OLD MAN' WAS PUT DOWN.

Mr. Editor: In the paper of July 31st, I found, and read your 'Fact,' touching Deacon M. and his bump of acquisitiveness. I was amused and instructed by it, and I will go still further and say, that it led me to try a little experiment on myself, the details of which I propose now to give you.

Well, sir, be it known to your readers, that on two or three occasions my head has been submitted to the inspection of phrenological experimenters; and each time my self-esteem was mortified by the announcement, that the bumps indicating energy and activity of character, are very defective. Of course, I did not believe it, and pronounced the science a humbug and the manipulators, a sorry set of fellows. More recently, however, I have been constrained to admit to myself, that I am a tolerably lazy person, by natural endowment.

Again, be it known, that the discussions about large and small circuits—week-day, and Sabbath preachings, &c. &c., have interested me exceedingly. I have read with delight, all that Dr. Pierce, and Bro. A. M. Chrietzberg have written on my side, i.e. the small side of the question. Their logic is convincing, and their appeals fall with great weight, on the defective side of my head. That is just the doctrine for me.

Well, sir, I must state another fact, before I come to the main fact, which was intended to be the burden of this communication. It is this. At the time I opened the paper, and read about the good Baptist deacon, I was on my way to preach a short sermon, to a small congregation, in a little meeting-house in the piney woods—the congregation consisting mainly of free negroes. (about the most hopeless class of our population in the country;) and it was on a Monday morning—distance ten miles from home—weather scorching hot with the prospects of a very small congregation and the absolute certainty of no pay.

Now, sir, any of your readers can easily imagine what a cheerful picture would be presented, to a lump of mortality, weighing nearly two hundred pounds, under the above mentioned encouraging circumstances. Just under these circumstances your correspondent opened the S. C. Advocate and his eye lighted on your 'fact.' It was read—a strange feeling of pleasure came over me. It melted me—not literally, for the sun itself had been trying in vain to do that—but to tears.

It occurred to me that there was some similarity between our cases, at least in so far as opposites may suggest their antagonisms or negatives may remind us of positive qualities. The Deacon had to struggle against an active, and powerful impulse—avarice. I had to do battle with an inactive and sluggish temperament, which it takes fire sometimes to move. By means of a threat, he drove off his 'old man.' Could I—by similar means stir up the vis inertia of my ponderous body and defective head? I'll make the trial anyhow. Now' said I, 'Parson, look here if you do not cease your grumbling, and groaning, over small congregations long rides, week-day preachings, and unimportant places and especially your native dislike to this Monday's ride, and particular congregation, you shall go there TWICE, instead of ONCE a month.'

I tried to be very emphatic on the word twice. The effect was wonderful. It acted like a charm—the Parson's face smoothed down at once—old Dick felt an unusual degree of force on the reins, and an extra cut of the whip, which sent him spinning along to the Piney Woods' CHURCH.

ITINERANT.