,,the ,,deacon ,,of ,,dobbinsville ,a ,story ,based on ,actual ,happenings ,by ,john ,a4 ,morrison ,publisher's ,preface ,this narrative1 written and first printed some #de or #ej years ago1 depicts the contrast in that day between the nominal religious professors on the one hand1 and on the other the individuals who had been soundly converted1 made new creatures in ,christ1 filled with the ,holy ,spirit and rejoicing on the highway of holiness4 ,there is a distinct line of demarcation between him that serveth ,god and him that serveth him not4 ,the ,apostle ,paul warned3 ,for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine2 but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers1 having itching ears2 and ,,they ,,shall ,,turn ,,away ,,their ,,ears ,,from ,,the ,,truth1 and shall be turned unto fables4 #b ,tim4 #d3d1 #e4 ,the religious world has apostatized much more since ,paul's day1 even to the extent in this modern age that professors of ,christianity are proclaiming the blasphemous ,god is dead philosophy4 ,the author1 ,john ,arch ,morrison1 kindly granted this publisher his permission to reprint this book4 ,here are his words in his own handwriting dated ,october #bf1 #aife3 ,dear ,bro4 in ,christ1 ,i have no objection to you printing any number of ',the ,deacon of ,dobbinsville4' ,cordially1 ,john ,a4 ,morrison4 ,then hardly two months later1 on ,december #bc1 #aife1 and before this book was printed1 the author was taken suddenly from this life by a heart attack at ,anderson1 ,indiana in his #gcrd year4 ,time is rapidly bearing us all on to eternity4 ,how all-important it is that we remember constantly the words of the ,psalmist3 ,so teach us to number our days1 that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom4 ,the ,wise ,man writes3 ,let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter3 ,fear ,god1 and keep his commandments3 for this is the whole duty of man4 ,eccl4 #ab3ac4 ,march1 #aiff--,lawrence ,d4 ,pruitt1 ,publisher ,the ,deacon of ,dobbinsville ,by ,john ,a4 ,morrison ,,chapter ,i ,mount ,olivet church at the time of which ,i am about to write had received the zenith of her glory4 ,she was possessed of a full measure of the denominational pride and prejudice common to the day and the community in which she existed4 ,since ,mount ,olivet church is to occupy so conspicuous a place in my narrative1 it is fitting that ,i should take time and space right here to describe her4 ,i must also give my readers an idea of the community of which ,mount ,olivet church formed the hub and center4 ,well1 to begin with1 ,mount ,olivet church was old4 ,and like1 all other things old she had a history1 partly respectable and partly otherwise4 ,the date of her organization reached back into the fifties1 before the days of the ,civil ,war4 ,some great notables had lived and died in this church4 ,tradition had it that one of the charter members of this church was a candidate for president of the ,united ,states against ,james ,buchanan4 ,of course he was not elected1 as you know1 and ,i suppose you have noticed nothing in our national history about this particular man running for president1 but you recall that the history of a nation and the history of a local country district have a way of reading differently4 ,but this aspirant to the presidential office was not the only great man who had been a member of ,mount ,olivet church4 ,the older citizens told of a certain ,preacher ,crookshank who was pastor of this church during and prior to the ,civil ,war and was also a member of the ,state ,legislature2 and1 according to these biographers1 he was the sole cause of the ,state remaining in the ,union4 ,it seems from all reports that ,preacher ,crookshank was not only a statesman of renown1 but also a masterful theologian of ,mount ,olivet's particular faith4 ,it is reported how he defended his theology with his splendid oratory1 and how when this failed he resorted to his fists4 ,his oratory was said to be simply overwhelming4 ,they recounted how1 in his oratorical frenzies1 he used to fling his homespun coat in the air and crack the heels of his red-topped boots together with an emphasis that would stop the mouth of the most impudent gainsayer4 ,they told how by this masterful eloquence opposers were silenced1 heretics were brought to orthodoxy1 and infidels were converted4 ,preacher ,crookshank flourished contemporaneously with ,john ,barleycorn4 ,to be frank1 he and ,john were bosom friends4 ,in fact1 it was reported that ,crookshank was never at his best in preaching except when he had an infilling of the spirit of the ,barleycorn type4 ,he had a certain long-tailed coat1 said to have been given to him by a fellow member of the ,legislature4 ,this coat had large pockets in the tail wherein was carried a bottle of whiskey4 ,this was a source of much inspiration to ,crookshank throughout his long and eventful career4 ,but ,i must leave off any further description of this notable4 ,those who are further interested ,i refer to the blue-grass cemetery just back of ,mount ,olivet church1 where a tombstone is to be found bearing this inscription3 ,rev4 ,john ,crookshank--,statesman1 ,preacher1 ,orator4 ,died ,june #f1 #ahfg4 ,as before stated1 ,mount ,olivet church flourished4 ,she was nestled among the picturesque ,ozark ,hills1 about midway between ,ridgetown and ,dobbinsville4 ,everybody in the community1 almost1 who had any religious inclination1 and some who had none1 belonged to ,mount ,olivet4 ,she boasted in being the largest church in all ,randolph ,county--the churches at ,ridgetown and ,dobbinsville not excepted4 ,when ,i say that ,mount ,olivet church flourished1 ,i do not mean that she flourished in spiritual things4 ,indeed1 her candle of vital religion had well-nigh flickered out4 ,scarcely a member could be found who would testify to a real experience of salvation from sin4 ,there were three things for which the members of this particular church were remarkable1 namely1 they were great sticklers for the faith of their church1 they were all holiness-fighters1 they all used tobacco in some form4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,deacon ,gramps sat on his plow-handles4 ,the sultry ,august day was drawing to a close4 ,the sun was just ready to roll its bright red disk behind the western horizon4 ,the ,deacon seemed to be in a deep meditation4 ,he cast a glance at his beautiful farm as it stretched itself out for a mile toward the river on the one side and nestled snugly against the foot of the limestone hill on the other side4 ,the large white farmhouse with green trimming cozily planted on a blue-grass knoll across the brook seemed to bid him be at rest4 ,the large red barn just back of the house stood out in sharp contrast against the green-foliaged mountain4 ,the gold-colored balls on the lightning rods glistened in the farewell rays of the receding sun4 ,mount ,olivet ,church reared her white walls modestly from the brow of the blue-grass knoll a quarter of a mile eastward4 ,deacon ,gramps was1 at the close of this peaceful summer day1 indulging in a mental congratulation of himself on being so favorably situated in life4 ,everybody recognized ,farmer ,gramps as being the wealthiest man in all ,spruce ,township4 ,he owned the finest and fattest horses that were driven to ,mount ,olivet ,church4 ,his cattle roamed the forests for miles around1 and his hogs cracked acorns on every hillside4 ,apart from his worldly wealth he was the most distinguished member of ,mount ,olivet church4 ,for years he had been deacon in said church1 and was president of the official board4 ,in fact1 he was as truly a part of the ,church as was the pulpit on the platform or the bell in the steeple4 ,no meeting was complete without him4 ,he was an indispensable part of the service4 ,he always sat in the same pew1 and none coming into the ,church previously to ,deacon ,gramps ever dared sit in his pew any more than they dared to monopolize the preacher's chair in the pulpit4 ,he always enjoyed the double pleasure of chewing his tobacco and hearing the sermon simultaneously1 and this necessitated his occupying a pew near the window1 as you may well suppose4 ,this window was known to roguish boys as ,deacon ,window and not even the bravest of these boys dared peep through this window during services as was their custom in the case of the other windows4 ,perhaps it is needless to say that the uninterrupted presence of ,gramps had a profound influence upon the service4 ,no preacher dared to fail to recognize his dignity4 ,as well as being an officer in the church he was the heaviest contributor to its collections4 ,he had a very curious habit of twitching his right ear when the preacher said something that did not just set well with him1 and it naturally followed that every pastor who ever served ,mount ,olivet fell into the habit of watching ,gramp's ear1 and of course the sermon was governed accordingly4 ,thus ,according to the deacon's ear1 came to be a by-word through the community4 ,well1 as ,i have already said1 ,deacon ,gramps sat on his plow-handles4 ,just as he turned to unfasten the trace-chains from the plow to drive his horses to the barn1 he saw two men climbing over the whitewashed fence that led from the barn toward the ,church on the hill4 ,seeing these men were coming towards him1 he resumed his position on the plow-handles and waited for them4 ,as the two men drew near1 he recognized in them the familiar features of ,deacon ,brown and ,deacon ,jones4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,jake ,benton was a member of ,mount ,olivet ,church and had been for twenty-seven years4 ,jake was a man of ordinary natural intelligence1 but like most of his neighbors was utterly ignorant as far as literary training is concerned4 ,he naturally had deep religious sentiments4 ,under proper teaching he doubtless would have pressed his way into a genuine experience of salvation and would have lived a consistent ,christian life1 but under the unwholesome teachings of ,mount ,olivet he had given himself over to a mighty religious drift and had drifted far away from ,god and was completely destitute of redeeming grace4 ,oh1 to be sure1 he testified regularly at the church services and gave of his limited means toward the church's support1 but he was a man of uncontrollable temper and was well versed in the art of old-fashioned fist-fighting4 ,but his profession had become a burden to him1 and he had often wondered if there were no possibility of extracting some joy out of the juiceless lemon of his profession4 ,now1 it so happened one summer that ,deacon ,cramps had a large drove of cattle ranging on the hills about thirty miles to the southeast of ,mount ,olivet community4 ,this drove of cattle consisted of a thousand head1 and it became necessary that the ,deacon employ some trustworthy person to herd the cattle and prevent them from scattering1 or being stolen by cattle-thieves who sometimes visited that section4 ,since ,jake ,benton was known as an upright man and was a brother in the church1 ,deacon ,cramps offered him the position4 ,out of pure financial necessity ,jake accepted4 ,this was some years before the rubber-tired automobile had invaded the flint hills of this section and thirty miles meant hours of toilsome travel4 ,thus it was necessary that ,jake take along a camping outfit and remain all summer4 ,this he decided to do4 ,many and long were the hours that ,jake spent in this lonely mountain retreat4 ,for miles around there was little sign of human activity4 ,no sound of woodman's ax was heard4 ,the stillness of the long summer afternoons was broken only by the tinkling of the bells on the hillsides4 ,a lone log cabin lifted its mud-chinked walls from the brow of a hill from under which flowed a babbling stream of clear water4 ,in the attic of this lone cabin ,jake ,benton was regularly lulled to sleep by the evening lullabies of the katydids as they sang in the tops of the postoak trees with which the cabin was surrounded4 ,one ,august afternoon when ,jake returned from his regular roundup of the cattle1 he found1 seated on a log near the spring1 two men4 ,at the sight of the men ,jake's heart leaped into his mouth4 ,for two months he had not laid his eyes on a human form4 ,he had heard no human voice save his own4 ,needless to say1 he was as much pleased as surprised to find companions in his lonely abode4 ,jake neared the log where the men sat4 ,one of them arose and advanced toward him4 ,i trust1 he remarked1 that you will not think we are trespassing on your premises4 ,we have been traveling all day2 our horses were tired and we were thirsty1 and the spring invited us to be refreshed4 ,for a moment ,jake stood speechless1 and then in almost forgotten terms he made his unexpected visitors feel welcome4 ,the three men conversed for some time1 and in the course of the conversation ,jake explained to them the reason for his lonely life and the circumstances that caused him to be thus engaged4 ,the strangers explained that they were driving across the ,state1 and that1 in order to make their journey fifty miles shorter1 they had been instructed to take this untraveled road through this expanse of wooded hills4 ,i should think1 remarked one of the men1 that this would be a splendid place to meditate on the goodness of ,god4 ,loneliness often begets meditation1 and ,god loves to be the companion of the companionless4 ,then1 too1 there is all this nature with which you are surrounded4 ,these flowers and trees and birds all speak of the goodness of ,god4 ,i was remarking to my fellow traveler of how these beautiful scenes remind us of ,god's goodness4 ,pardon a frank question1 but may ,i ask1 ,are you saved8 ,this was all new language to ,jake and he scarcely knew how to answer this rather blunt question4 ,wu-wu-well1 ye-yes1 he answered4 ,i try to be a ,christian4 ,i belong to the church and have belonged for twenty-seven years and accordin' to the preachin' we have ,i think ,i'll get to heaven4 ,i s'pose you fellers must be preachers4 ,yes1 we are preachers1 remarked the other4 ,we have consecrated our lives to the blessed service of ,christ and our greatest delight is in preaching his gospel and telling others of the wonders of his grace4 ,there can be no higher calling than that of telling of the saving grace of ,god4 ,for fifteen years ,i was a cold professor of religion1 but ,i lacked vital salvation4 ,i belonged to the church and paid the preacher1 and somehow ,i thought ,i would get through all right4 ,i sinned more or less every day and did not know that ,i could be saved from sin4 ,in fact1 ,i never had been converted4 ,i tried to live a ,christian life1 but ,i was powerless4 ,after fifteen years of this miserable existence ,i got a new vision of things4 ,god removed the scales from my eyes and ,i saw my lost condition4 ,i saw myself in an entirely new light4 ,i wept before ,god because of my sins4 ,i was made very conscious that unless ,i was saved from my sins they would damn me in hell forever4 ,my churchianity and my self-righteousness and my morality looked ridiculous when ,i saw myself a sinner in the sight of ,god4 ,i came to ,god and poured out my soul in bitter repentance1 and said1 ',save me1 or ,i perish4' ,i promised him that ,i would forsake my sins1 make my wrongs right1 and walk in the light4 ,i read in #a ,john #a3i1 ',if we confess our sins1 he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness4' ,well1 ,i confessed my sins and forsook them1 and ,god for ,christ's sake pardoned all my sins4 ,praise ,his name4 ,the joy and peace that filled my soul were unspeakable4 ,i was a new man4 ,i loved everybody1 even my bitter enemies4 ,christ1 in all his blessed reality1 came into my heart as an abiding companion4 ,some time after my conversion1 through a holiness paper1 which fell into my hands1 and through reading the ,bible1 which had become a new book to me1 ,i learned that it was possible for me to be wholly sanctified and to have the ,holy ,spirit as an abiding comforter4 ,oh1 the joy of this blessed life4 ,its glories are untold4 ,poor ,jake stood amazed4 ,he had never heard anything like this before4 ,he burst out1 ,if that's religion1 ,i confess ,i hain't got none2 and to be plain1 ,i ain't much inclined to believe such stuff as that4 ,i have been a member of ,mount ,olivet ,church for twenty-seven years and ,i never heard such preaching as that4 ,that must be some new religion that's goin' around4 ,talk about bein' saved from sin1 why there's our dear old ,brother ,simms1 who was our last pastor at ,mount ,olivet4 ,he died last ,march and since then we ain't had no pastor--why ,i heard him say more'n once from the pulpit that folks can't be saved from sin till they get to heaven4 ,all this ,jake said and a great deal more4 ,he talked himself hoarse and used up all his choicest terms in extolling the name of ,mount ,olivet ,church and all the pastors she had had since he had been a member4 ,all his arguments were quietly and lovingly answered by the ministers1 who read to him many passages of ,scripture4 ,by this time the large elm cast a lengthy shadow eastward4 ,the sun was well-nigh set1 and it was evident to the ministers that they should have to prevail on their new acquaintance to lodge them overnight4 ,well1 my dear brother1 remarked one of the ministers1 we are far apart in faith1 but ,i trust we are all honest in our views and ,i pray that ,god may lead us all in the way we should go4 ,the day is gone1 and to get out of these hills tonight is unthinkable4 ,i wonder if you could arrange to keep us overnight1 ,mr4 ,benton--,i believe that's the name8 ,if you will1 we shall be a hundred times obliged and shall be glad to pay you whatever you suggest4 ,jake was big hearted1 if he was a sinner4 ,sure1 ,i'll keep ye1 think ,i'd turn anybody out in these woods at night8 ,not me4 ,i've kept preachers all my life1 but ,i confess ,i never kept sanctified ones before4 ,the three men went up the hill to ,jake's cabin1 and the two ministers busied themselves writing letters while ,jake prepared the evening meal from his scant pantry4 ,when they had gathered around the large goods-box that served as a dining-table1 one of the preachers thanked ,god for the food and asked his blessings upon it4 ,when the evening meal was finished1 the three men sat in front of ,jake's cabin until a late hour4 ,the preachers expounded the ,scriptures to poor1 ignorant ,jake and told him of the wonders of ,god's grace4 ,finally1 when the big silvery moon stood in mid-heaven and the sound of cow-bells on the hill had died away1 ,jake suggested that they retire for the night4 ,by the light of the moon one of the ministers read his ,bible4 ,it so happened that he opened it at the #abth chapter of ,hebrews4 ,these words as they fell from this man's pious lips affected ,jake deeply4 ,he surely had read that same chapter himself many times1 and doubtless during the twenty-seven years he had been a member of ,mount ,olivet ,church he had heard his pastor read it4 ,but there was one verse that sank right to the center of ,jake's heart4 ,it was the #adth3 ,follow peace with all men1 and holiness1 without which no man shall see the ,lord4 ,jake had always had a hope in his breast that he should some day see the ,lord4 ,he had had more than his allotted share of troubles in life1 and deep in his heart he had a longing to go where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary be at rest4 ,soon all was silence in the cabin attic1 where the three men lay4 ,the restless surgings of man's inner soul are invisible to all eyes1 save ,god's1 and silence is not always a proof that everyone is asleep4 ,jake lay on a bag of dried leaves1 having given his own bunk to his guests4 ,but his eyes refused to sleep4 ,the music of the katydids had lost its power to soothe his troubled breast and bring him sweet repose4 ,his mind took a voyage over the past4 ,memory1 according to her wonted ways carried him again to his mother's knee4 ,he recalled the sound of her voice as she sang1 ,when ,i shall see ,him face to face and tell the story saved by grace4 ,but that scripture1 ,without holiness no man shall see the ,lord1 took the sweetness out of that long-remembered song4 ,jake knew he was not holy4 ,his heart was defiled by sin4 ,his lips were unclean with blaspheming ,god's name4 ,he remembered all the good resolutions he had made and broken the past quarter of a century4 ,and during these midnight musings he seemed to see two lily-white hands beckoning him to come somewhere2 he knew not where4 ,these hands he readily recognized as the hands of his own baby ,rose1 who had gone from him one day near the close of her fifth summer4 ,mentally he found himself again at the bedside of his darling ,rose4 ,he saw again her ruddy cheeks glow with fever and heard the tremble of her voice as she said1 ,daddy's ,rose is going to heaven4 ,daddy come some day4 ,again he saw the death-glare in the sky-blue eyes when the little soul flitted away4 ,he saw himself again as he sat and looked into the sweet and lifeless face of his darling girl1 and he remembered how he resolved on that day to live in such a way as to be reunited with his child4 ,but his resolves had all been unfilled1 and he saw the path of his past strewn with broken vows4 ,in reality1 ,god was speaking to the man's soul4 ,jake saw himself in his true condition1 a lost sinner4 ,his sins seemed like horrid black mountains rearing themselves eternally between him and his child4 ,his profession of religion and his church-membership seemed to mock him rather than to comfort him4 ,but ,jake was silent4 ,he said not a word with his lips2 but how his bleeding heart did talk to ,god4 ,hot tears flowed from his sleepless eyes and dampened the dry leaves that formed his pillow4 ,he supposed the two ministers asleep4 ,their opinion of him was the same4 ,finally ,jake was astonished to see1 in the glimmering light of the moon that stole through the cracks in the clapboard roof1 the two preachers slip from their bed1 and kneel on the floor4 ,his ear caught their whispering prayers that were heard in heaven4 ,as nearly as he could hear1 the prayers ran something like this3 ,o ,lord1 thou didst have a purpose in sending us through these wooded hills4 ,may we be instrumental in bringing light and salvation to this lonely cabin4 ,lord1 talk to the heart of this ,mr4 ,benton1 who sleeps on his bag of leaves4 ,bring something before his mind that will break up his heart2 disturb him even in his sleep1 ,lord4 ,jake's emotions overwhelmed him and he could keep silent no longer4 ,he bounded from his bed1 crying1 ,o my ,god1 save me1 save me1 save me6 ,oh1 do pray for me now6 ,i am lost6 lost6 lost6 ,needless to say1 the preachers were somewhat shocked1 as people often are when their prayers are answered sooner than they expect4 ,the convicted herdsman prostrated himself on the floor before the preachers and poured out bitter tears of repentance4 ,he wept and groaned1 and begged ,god to save him4 ,but he seemed slow to grasp ,god's promises4 ,he prayed till the morning dawned4 ,the preachers prayed with him4 ,finally1 just as the first grey streaks of the new day began to creep between the logs1 ,jake's faith was anchored in ,god's promises1 and the glory of heaven flooded his soul4 ,in the twinkling of an eye he was made a new man4 ,his joy knew no bounds4 ,he leaped and shouted1 sang and whistled1 and laughed and cried1 all for the joy of his new-found treasure4 ,when breakfast was over and the two ministers had bidden their new convert a happy farewell1 ,jake sat down to read his ,bible1 which the preachers had given him4 ,his eyes fell upon these words1 ,weeping may endure for a night1 but joy cometh in the morning4 7,psa4 #cj3e74 ,,chapter ,,iv ,the anteroom of the post office in a little ,ohio town was crowded4 ,the train had arrived from the west1 but it went as soon as it came1 for it did not stop4 ,a scream of the whistle1 the rumble of the wheels1 and the mighty monster dashed through the peaceful town at fifty miles an hour4 ,but the inhabitants were not so interested in the train1 for they had seen it pass in just this fashion year after year4 ,but from the baggage coach there came each evening a bag of mail1 and this was the cause of the gathering at the post office4 ,while the postmaster and his assistant were opening and distributing the mail behind the closed window in the post office1 the restless townspeople occupied themselves in social chat discussing the local happenings of the day1 or in reading the notices on the bulletin board4 ,everybody was at the post office at this hour4 ,school children1 happy at the close of an irksome day of school1 shouted boisterously at each other in the street4 ,laboring men1 with empty dinner pails in hand1 sat restfully on the curbstone just outside the post office door1 and talked of the happenings of the day4 ,the village blacksmith wiped the honest sweat from his brow1 closed the shop door1 and came down to the post office1 where he was met by his flaxen-haired girl of three summers4 ,she clasped her pink arms about the smith's grimy neck and told him ,mama was looking for a letter from ,grandma1 who had gone to ,california for her health1 and that she had come down to see how many kisses ,grandma had sent her4 ,the town doctor1 with a dignified air1 leaned against the side of the post office door and read the ,chicago paper that a previous mail had brought to him4 ,the schoolmaster had finished grading some test papers and had come down to the post office just in time to be the third party to an interesting fist fight in which two sixth grade boys were engaged with great zest1 in the street4 ,two out-of-town strangers1 who were guests at the hotel just across the way1 came over and1 seating themselves on a bench in front of the post office engaged in conversation4 ,finally the task behind the window was done4 ,the mail was sorted and placed alphabetically in the proper boxes4 ,the postmaster flipped up the window1 and there was a mighty rush and a scramble--for who is not eager to get a letter8 ,some received several letters and papers2 some only one letter2 some only a paper2 some only a catalogue4 ,some were disappointed altogether1 judging from facial expressions2 some received glad messages1 some sad messages1 some indifferent4 ,when the crowd was dispersed1 the two strangers who had been seated on the bench appeared at the window and called for their mail4 ,the postmaster handed to one of them a letter addressed1 ,evangelist ,blank4 ,the address was written in almost an unreadable hand4 ,the evangelist opened the letter4 ,it ran thus3 ,dobbinsville1 ----1 ,aug4 #bi---- ,my dear ,evangelist brother3 i am saved and sanctified praise ,god ,o how i rejoice in this wonderful salvashun i was a member of ,mt4 ,olivet church fer #bg yrs4 but i never knowed what it was to be saved from sin this summer i was herdin cattle down in the hills about #cj mi4 from here and a most wonderful thing happened4 ,to preachers came along and told me that ,christ could save and sanctify me i fought them at first but ,god would not let me rest until i gave him my heart1 then he sanctified me holy o how i rejoice my wife and oldest son is also saved now but say bruther how the people of my own church persecute me they say ,i am crazy and that a man cant be saved from sin in this life o if i had only found this salvashun when i was a young man but now i am middle aged but by god's grace i aim to do all i can to save my neighbors1 i see in the holiness paper that you are a evangelist and that you go about preachin this wonderful salvashun so i want to now if you will come down here and preach to the people we can't get ,mt4 ,olivet church but we can build a brush arber4 i am sending you #bj4 this part of the money i urned herdin cattle for deacon gramps i promised the ,lord when he saved me that i would give him part of this money so here it is so i hope you can cum your brother saved sanctified and happy ,jake ,benton ,,chapter ,v ,as ,i have said before1 ,deacon ,gramps sat on his plow handles at the close of an ,august day4 ,he fairly rejoiced when he saw ,deacon ,brown and ,deacon ,jones coming toward him4 ,good evening1 ,brother ,gramps1 shouted ,jones and ,brown simultaneously4 ,good evening1 my good brethering1 responded ,gramps1 ,i am so glad to see you4 ,i have a great burden on my mind and ,i was just planning to go to your house1 ,brother ,brown1 as soon as ,i had unharnessed my team and eaten supper4 ,brown and ,jones looked at ,gramps with an expectant gaze1 and continued silent4 ,gramps went on1 ,it's high time we was doin' somethin' to protect our church4 ,i have been a deacon in this church fer many a year1 but to my mind this is the most dangerous time ,mount ,olivet has ever seen4 ,brown and ,jones nodded a candid assent to what was being said4 ,gramps continued1 ,for many years our church has been the strongest church in this county and everybody has counted it an honor to belong to this church1 but you know1 brethering1 ever since our pastor died last spring1 and we have been without a pastor we have been gettin' weaker and weaker4 ,and since old ,jake ,benton has gone crazy over this new religion of hisen he is trien to get everybody else to go crazy4 ,you brethering knows how ,i sent him down in the hills this summer to mind cattle4 ,well he seemed to kinder git overbalanced in his mind down there and he's found a new religion4 ,you know how he testified in meetin' tother night4 ,he said he was saved from sin and he said he was sanctified1 and whole lot of other stuff like that4 ,and ,i believe he said1 didn't he1 that he was just as good as ,jesus ,christ and gettin' better ever' day1 or something like that4 ,yes1 something like that1 added ,brown4 ,yes1 said ,jones1 ,i was there myself and heard him4 ,i have always thought ,jake ,benton was a pretty good man2 but when a feller gets so good as all that1 then he's too good for this world4 ,you know the ,bible says there's nobody good but ,god4 ,yes1 ,i've heard the best preachers that was ever pastor of ,mount ,olivet ,church and they all say we sin a thousand times every day1 remarked ,gramps4 ,jones spoke next3 ,i knew a bunch of them holiness people back in ,south ,caroliner where ,i come from4 ,they was the most outrageous bunch of people ,i ever saw4 ,why1 they claimed that they couldn't sin1 and that they was just as good as ,jesus ,christ and that nobody would get to heaven but them4 ,i'll tell you brethering we must not let them get the start here4 ,if they do1 ,mount ,olivet ,church is ruined4 ,they tear down churches just as fast as they come to 'em4 ,old ,jake ,benton ought to be run out of the country or else sent to the asylum4 ,he ain't fit to run at large4 ,why1 he told ,aunt ,sally ,perkins that he was wholly sanctified and that his heart was just as pure as that of his little baby that died years ago when ,jake lived over on ,persimmon ,ridge4 ,he talks a whole lot now about goin' to meet his baby and his mother and he seems to get so happy every time he talks about it4 ,jones's voice trembled slightly as he went on to say1 ,but brethering1 it makes me feel most wonderfully queer when ,i hear ,jake talk about meetin' his little girl4 ,he seems to have no doubt at all about meetin' her1 and say1 you remember my little boy died the same fall as ,jake's little girl1 and to tell the truth ,i'm just a little fearful at times about bein' ready to meet little ,george4 ,deacon ,gramps listened to all of this from ,jones rather restlessly4 ,he spoke next with great gravity4 ,brethering1 since ,i am president of this ,board of ,deacons ,i feel it my duty to take steps to see that this new religion is stopped and that ,mount ,olivet ,church is not torn to pieces4 ,as ,i said1 ,i have been deacon here for many years and ,i have never seen the church so in danger4 ,something must be done4 ,i'll tell you what we need1 we need a preacher--one of our very best ones to come here and fight this devilish holiness stuff4 ,that's what we need1 we must wipe holiness out1 responded ,brown1 as he let go a sluice of tobacco juice4 ,gramps continued1 ,just today ,i had a letter from a cousin of mine back in ,kentucky4 ,he says they have a wonderful preacher back there by the name of ,preacher ,bonds4 ,he says this ,preacher ,bonds feels a special call to fight holiness4 ,i tell you1 brethering1 if we could get him here we would make it hot for old ,benton and his bunch4 ,we would that1 ,jones chimed in4 ,brother ,gramps1 why don't you write and ask ,preacher ,bonds to come8 suggested ,brown4 ,although the other two members of the ,board are not here1 ,i think we just as well go ahead4 ,better bring it before the church1 said ,gramps1 because we've got to raise some money to get him4 ,brown and ,jones both agreed that ,gramps was right in this respect4 ,with the understanding that ,deacon ,gramps was to call a meeting of the church at the earliest possible date1 the three men separated4 ,gramps spent the entire following day riding about the community giving every member of ,mount ,olivet a personal notification that a special meeting of the church would be held on the following ,wednesday evening for the purpose of considering grave problems concerning the church4 ,wednesday evening came2 practically the whole church responded4 ,when the appointed hour arrived1 ,gramps was on the spot4 ,on every face was written expectancy4 ,deacon ,gramps presided of course4 ,he arose from his seat1 flung his quid of tobacco out of the window1 squared himself against the pulpit1 adjusted his eyeglasses near the point of his nose1 and looking over them he addressed the assembly thus3 ,my brethering and sistern1 we have met as members of the grand old ,mount ,olivet ,church4 ,here in this church our fathers met4 ,here in this church our mothers met4 ,here in this church our grandfathers met4 ,here in this church our grandmothers met4 ,here in this church1 my brethering1 we have met4 ,and let me say to you1 my dear people1 that we have met here tonight in this church for a purpose4 ,there are certain people in this community whose aim is to tear up this church2 certain people1 ,i say1 whose aim is to tear down this church4 ,there is a certain doctring--the doctring of holiness--getting into this community4 ,this holiness doctring1 my friends1 is a devilish doctring1 my brethering1 and must be wiped out4 7,amens all over the house47 ,all this the ,deacon said1 and much more4 ,he began his speech with considerable warmth of utterance1 but as he progressed in praises of ,mount ,olivet and her faith he waxed hotter and hotter until his spellbound hearers were fairly deluged in a mighty avalanche of his rustic oratory1 and he wound up with the sweeping statement that the doctrine of holiness must be abolished from the face of the earth4 ,when the ,deacon had finished1 and regained breath enough to put the matter to a vote1 it was unanimously voted that ,preacher ,bonds should be secured at the earliest date possible4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,a year had rolled around since ,jake ,benton had been converted down in the hills4 ,by this time it was plain to all unbiased minds that ,benton was indeed earnest4 ,even his most bitter enemies were obliged to admit that a mighty change had come over him4 ,his life had undergone a real transformation4 ,his life was an entirely new life4 ,he had unshaken faith in the ,god of his salvation4 ,in his home he established a family altar1 where he worshipped ,god as regularly as the sun rose and set4 ,in his business relations he literally followed the ,golden ,rule4 ,at church he unflinchingly declared what his new-found religion had done for him4 ,he declared that ,god had saved him from his sins and had subsequently sanctified him wholly4 ,he even waxed bold enough to tell in meeting how ,god had healed him of physical ailments in answer to prayer4 ,all this greatly incensed his fellow church-members4 ,they insisted that he had gone crazy and was no longer fit to belong to the church4 ,accordingly he was put out4 ,jake took it all in good part and rejoiced that he was counted worthy to suffer for ,jesus' sake4 ,but ,jake was not long obliged to stand alone in defense of his profession4 ,his simple life of trust soon began to have its effect in the community2 during the year his faithfulness had been rewarded by the salvation of a number of persons in the neighborhood4 ,old ,grandma ,gray had come out boldly on ,benton's side4 ,she said that for fifty years she had been living as best she could1 but that she had all this time had a longing for the fulness of the blessing1 such as ,jake ,benton testified to1 and she arose right in the public meeting and declared herself a seeker for just such a blessing4 ,this set ,mount ,olivet church all in a storm4 ,deacon ,gramps was furious4 ,he said ,jake ,benton had a legion of devils and that ,grandma ,gray was bewitched4 ,but when ,grandma ,gray took her stand for full salvation1 the cause for which ,mount ,olivet stood suffered a mighty blow4 ,nolan ,gray1 a son with whom ,grandma ,gray had made her home for years1 had been a stanch member of the church since he was a child4 ,in fact1 he had always said he had grown up in the church4 ,nolan ,gray was a very upright man of undoubted integrity1 and he stood for high moral ideals1 but under the type of preaching to which he was accustomed he had never experienced a change of heart4 ,when he saw what a change had come over his mother1 he refused to be comforted with his religious profession4 ,jake ,benton was a tenant on ,gray's farm1 and from daily contact with ,benton1 ,mr4 ,gray was convinced beyond a doubt that ,benton's religion was real4 ,one night at a prayer meeting held at ,jake ,benton's humble home1 ,mr4 ,gray became so convicted that resistance was impossible4 ,he fully surrendered himself to ,jesus and obtained an experience that was marvelous even in the eyes of ,grandma ,gray4 ,the news of ,gray's conversion spread like fire on a dry prairie4 ,he was a heavy contributor to the finances of ,mount ,olivet4 ,on this account it became a matter of conjecture as to whether or not he would be excommunicated4 ,however1 ,mr4 ,gray relieved all minds of any anxiety when on the following week he quietly withdrew his membership from the church4 ,the day following the night of ,nolan ,gray's conversion there occurred an incident that meant much to ,jake ,benton1 as well as to ,deacon ,gramps4 ,benton was walking along the road that led around the fence from his own home to the large1 white house occupied by ,nolan ,gray and his family4 ,he was on his way to milk ,mr4 ,gray's cow4 ,he commonly went through the field on such occasions1 as it was much the shorter route1 but on this particular morning he had a mysterious disposition to take the long route around the road4 ,when he had reached a point about a quarter of a mile from his home1 to his astonishment he met ,deacon ,gramps1 accompanied by ,gramps' hired hand4 ,he saw at once that the ,deacon was in a most surly mood4 ,so in a pleasant tone of voice ,benton said1 ,good morning1 gentlemen1 nice mornin'1 aiming with salutation to pass on4 ,gramps was not in any sense a brave man1 as you may have guessed by this time1 but he always manifested great boldness where he was sure there was no physical danger4 ,they say ,gray got your kind of religion at the prayer meetin' last night1 he said4 ,well1 ,i guess it ain't my kind1 answered ,benton1 but he sure did get ,bible salvation4 ,then the ,deacon let loose in all his fury4 ,jake ,benton1 said he1 this religion of yours has got to be stopped1 it's got to be wiped out1 it's doin' more harm in this community than all the saloons in the ,state4 ,it's tearing up our church4 ,nolan ,gray and old ,grandma ,gray was good church-members and have been for years and years and now they are taken in with this crazy holiness stuff1 and you are the hul cause of it4 ,i tell you it's just got to be stopped and ,i'm going' to stop it and ,i'll just begin right here4 ,with this he advanced toward ,benton and struck him a terrific blow on the side of the cheek with his open hand4 ,at this ,benton only replied1 ,god bless you1 ,mr4 ,gramps4 ,this served only to incense the enraged ,deacon all the more1 and he literally flew at ,benton and easily pinned him to the ground and sat upon his chest and beat him in the face most unmercifully4 ,poor ,benton struggled and groaned1 but did not endeavor to hurt his antagonist4 ,the ,deacon's hired hand was all his time a looker-on1 but he finally mustered up courage1 and with great difficulty succeeded in pulling the enraged ,deacon off the poor man4 ,when the hired man had finally persuaded ,gramps away from the scene1 ,benton1 bruised and bleeding in body1 but victorious in soul1 struggled to his feet and went home1 glad that he was counted worthy to suffer for ,jesus' sake4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,the community was stirred1 no doubt about that4 ,these were stirring days4 ,not since the days when ,union and ,southern marauding parties scattered terror in these woods had public excitement run so high as now4 ,the gossip of ,benton's beating was on everybody's lips before the sun went down that day4 ,everybody talked about it4 ,jake's friends were warmer friends and his enemies were hotter enemies4 ,those who had been neutral were neutral no more4 ,there were just two parties now1 those against and those for holiness as taught and lived by ,jake ,benton4 ,as for old ,jake1 he kept sweet in his soul and talked little and prayed much4 ,his victory was complete4 ,in the midst of this excitement ,jake received a short but significant letter from ,evangelist ,blank4 ,it ran thus3 ,dear ,brother ,benton3 ,in accordance with my promise to you nearly a year ago1 ,i am now in a position to hold your revival4 ,i will arrive in ,dobbinsville ,august #b4 ,please meet me at the train4 ,your ,brother in ,christ1--,evangelist ,blank4 ,jake read this scanty letter through tears of joy4 ,he was unspeakably happy4 ,he had prayed for a year1 and now his prayers were on the verge of being answered4 ,a holiness preacher1 mysterious being1 was actually to set foot on ,mount ,olivet soil4 ,the doctrine of full salvation was to invade the precincts of sin-you-must religion4 ,but where was ,evangelist ,blank to preach8 ,not in ,mount ,olivet1 to be sure4 ,about a quarter of a mile from ,mount ,olivet ,church was a section of land known in that country as ,public ,land4 ,here in the center of an old1 unused1 unfenced field was a thick clump of post oak sapplings1 with heavy foliage4 ,this spot was to be the scene of many an interesting happening1 a few of which shall be mentioned before this story closes and many of which shall not4 ,as soon as ,jake was sufficiently recovered from the beating administered by the ,deacon1 he1 in company with ,nolan ,gray and several others who were either friends or embracers of the doctrine of full salvation1 went to this spot and worked for a number of days building a brush arbor1 which was to serve the purpose of a meeting-house4 ,long poles were tied from tree to tree to make a framework4 ,then other poles were laid across from the frame-poles to furnish a support for the brush1 which was thrown on top4 ,a sort of tabernacle was thus effected which served the purpose well4 ,oil torches were hung on the upright poles to furnish light4 ,long boards were brought from a sawmill near by and fastened on stakes driven into the ground2 these served for benches4 ,the arbor would seat about five hundred people4 ,everything was in readiness for the long-expected meetings4 ,all there was to do was to wait for the #bnd of ,august to come1 and that was hard to do4 ,finally it came4 ,that afternoon when the two-coached train rolled up to the little red station at ,dobbinsville1 ,jake ,benton stood on the depot platform4 ,his heart beat a rat-a-tat-tat against his chest4 ,as the train slowed up and ,jake saw through its window the face of a man corresponding to the picture he had seen in his holiness paper1 his emotions refused to yield to control4 ,he jumped high in the air1 and shouted at the top of his voice1 ,hallelujah6 ,the train being a few hours late1 the afternoon was far spent4 ,on the road from the station1 ,jake told ,evangelist ,blank as best he could of the happenings of the year just preceding--how he had been converted in the woods and subsequently sanctified1 of his persecution and excommunication by the church1 and of his recent beating at the hands of ,deacon ,gramps4 ,evangelist ,blank had had many long years of experience in the field of evangelistic endeavor1 yet when ,jake ,benton poured all these startling things into his ears1 there came a feeling over him that he was entering into an entirely new experience4 ,this feeling was verified before he left the neighborhood a few weeks later4 ,when the old-fashioned wagon rattled up to the front gate of the humble home1 ,evangelist ,blank expressed to ,jake the belief that in coming to this place he was in the center of the will of ,god4 ,this made poor ,jake's heart leap for joy4 ,he sprang from the wagon to the ground and1 bidding his good wife see to the comfort of the ,evangelist and the corps of singers who accompanied him1 set himself diligently to doing the evening chores in order that everything might be in readiness for the evening meeting4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,when the afternoon shadows began to lengthen there began to gather around the new-made brush arbor on ,post ,oak ,ridge a number of men and boys4 ,these were mostly idlers of the community1 who had nothing in particular to do1 so had come early to the arbor4 ,but when the last faint streaks of the dying day were fading1 the more substantial citizens of the community began to gather at this spot of interest4 ,they came from every direction4 ,every path seemed to lead to the arbor ridge4 ,some came in wagons1 some in buggies1 some on horseback1 others walked4 ,everybody1 almost1 was there4 ,grandma ,gray was there4 ,she sat serenely in her big willow rocker1 which ,nolan had placed just in front and to the left of the speaker's stand4 ,her age-wrinkled face was all aglow with the joy of full salvation4 ,aunt ,sally ,perkins was there4 ,poor old ,aunt ,sally4 ,she was notorious as a shouter and a hypocrite4 ,nobody had any confidence in her as a ,christian1 but she was much given to sitting in the amen corner1 and on this particular night she came into the big arbor and deposited her scanty self right on a front bench4 ,and there she sat1 wrapped in her old grey shawl1 peeping out from beneath her old black bonnet4 ,old ,brother ,bunk was there4 ,for a quarter of a century he had been a true and tried member of ,mount ,olivet ,church1 but of late he had been much wrought upon by the holiness agitation4 ,spooky ,crane was there4 ,crane was a harmless half-wit who lived alone in a shanty at the back of ,deacon ,gramps' field4 ,he always made it a point to attend every religious service far and near1 of whatever faith1 and he had the capacity for adjusting himself to his surroundings to such an extent that he joined every religious movement with which he came in contact4 ,roguish boys found great amusement in giving him pennies to sing for them4 ,jim ,peabody was there4 ,but that was to be taken only as a matter of course1 for ,jim always went to church4 ,he went1 not because he was religious1 but because he was otherwise4 ,he made loud boast of his infidelity4 ,he had given himself extensively to the reading of ,bob ,ingersoll and other authors notorious for things other than goodness1 so in his own vain imaginations he was a masterful scholar4 ,he said there was no ,god1 and that any man who prayed was a fool4 ,but the cause of infidelity had suffered a terrific blow when one time ,nolan ,gray1 as he was going to ,dobbinsville1 saw a huge wagon-box turned bottom side up1 with the wagon on top1 in a ditch by the side of the road4 ,as he drew near he heard coming from under the box the low muttering tones of a man's voice4 ,as he stood near the box and listened he heard a most eloquent prayer4 ,he took a long pole from a fence near by and pried one edge of the box up1 and who should emerge from beneath but ,jim ,peabody4 ,when the hour of service arrived1 ,jake ,benton and the evangelistic party did not arrive with it4 ,owing to the lateness of the train1 ,jake had been unable to get around at the appointed hour4 ,finally the familiar rattle of ,jake's wagon was heard1 and now all was breathless expectancy4 ,when the party arrived at the arbor1 all eyes were fastened upon the ,evangelist4 ,if he had been a ghost moving about in the twilight of that summer evening1 he would have been regarded with no more superstition by that rustic people4 ,there was nothing whatsoever extraordinary in the physical appearance of ,evangelist ,blank4 ,he was a man of average height and scant weight4 ,his rather pallid face was covered with a scanty well-trimmed beard4 ,his deep-set blue eyes sparkled with a pleasant earnestness4 ,any lack of physical attractiveness was amply atoned for by the splendid qualities of the man's soul4 ,he was a mighty man of ,god4 ,he had an unusual grip on the upper world4 ,he had large capacities for moving ,god on his throne4 ,a heavenly atmosphere pervaded the realm of his personality4 ,when this man stepped onto the platform of the large brush arbor that summer evening1 and took his seat and faced that audience1 there was a stillness that was painful4 ,the awful stillness was broken when the ,evangelist arose and said1 ,praise ,god for his matchless salvation4 ,he made a few preliminary remarks and the corp of singers began to sing4 ,and such music seldom issues from human lips4 ,it was not overwhelming in point of its artistic qualities4 ,the compositions were of the simplest sort4 ,but the singers sang from out of the abundance of redeemed souls1 and there was a heavenly inspiration accompanying the songs that simply overwhelmed the hearts of sinners and overjoyed the hearts of saints4 ,one song that especially gripped the audience ran thus3 ,do you triumph1 ,o my brother1 over all this world of sin8 ,in each storm of tribulation1 does your ,jesus reign within8 ,,chorus3 ,i am reigning1 sweetly reigning1 far above this world of strife2 ,in my blessed1 loving ,savior1 ,i am reigning in this life4 ,when this and several other hymns equally inspiring had been sung1 ,evangelist ,blank arose and said1 ,let us pray4 ,at this the audience began to make arrangements to stand1 for it was the custom in ,mount ,olivet ,church in those days to stand while the preacher made his prayer1 as ,deacon ,gramps expressed it4 ,but the ,evangelist had the notion that when the heart is humbled before ,god the body should be in a like position1 so he reverently and unpretentiously knelt beside the rough board pulpit4 ,the four singers on the platform knelt simultaneously with the ,evangelist4 ,this placed the members of ,mount ,olivet in a rather embarrassing position4 ,they disliked the idea of being so unreligious as to sit erect during prayer1 and they could not bear the humiliation of kneeling at a holiness meeting4 ,a few of them under the press of the circumstance did kneel4 ,a few stood up4 ,most of them sat with bowed heads4 ,spooky ,crane easily adjusted himself to the situation and promptly knelt in the straw1 and with his face in his hands peeped between his fingers at the ,evangelist4 ,jim ,peabody1 the infidel1 sat arrogantly erect with an impish snarl on his lip4 ,to him the whole business of praying was a huge piece of foolishness--except1 of course1 when under the wagon-box4 ,aunt ,sally ,perkins knelt beside the front bench and clapped her hands hysterically during the prayer4 ,and ,deacon ,gramps had slipped under the outer edge of the arbor1 where he sat on a low bench with his elbows on his knees and chewed his tobacco most vigorously4 ,evangelist ,blank1 himself1 led in prayer4 ,his prayer1 like himself1 was simple1 but mighty4 ,it ran something like this3 ,o ,lord of heaven and earth1 we thank thee for this hour4 ,we have come here in thy name2 we plead no worthiness and no efficiency of our own4 ,thy blood and thy grace is all our plea4 ,we would not thrust ourselves into thy holy presence on any human merits4 ,but in thy name and through the blood of ,christ our ,saviour we come boldly before thee4 ,we praise thee1 ,lord1 for thy great salvation1 by which thou dost save us and sanctify us4 ,o ,lord1 make thyself mighty in the salvation of this people among whom we have come to labor4 ,let thy matchless power be manifested and thy righteous name be exalted4 ,be thou lifted up before the people4 ,lord1 we rededicate ourselves at this hour to be used of thee in the salvation of men4 ,come into these temples of clay afresh at this hour1 ,o ,lord1 and let the fire of thy holy presence consume all the dross that may be in us4 ,anoint our feeble lips to speak the unsearchable riches of ,christ 444 ,hear us1 ,lord1 we ask in ,jesus' name4 ,amen4 ,this prayer made a profound impression on the audience4 ,when it was finished1 a few other songs were sung1 and then ,evangelist ,blank arose to address the audience4 ,there was something about the preaching and personality of this man that made him a unique figure in the field of preacherdom4 ,in the first place1 he was masterful in his knowledge and use of the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,he knew ,god's ,book4 ,by patient study and long practice he had brought himself to the place where he could readily bring to his defence an impregnable line of ,scriptural proof to sustain the propositions that he held4 ,he was not only proficient in the ,scriptures1 but he had a thorough training covering the whole range of ministerial and theological thought4 ,he had the happy and unusual combination of those qualities of mind that make for forceful oratory and clearness in theological thought4 ,and last1 and far from least1 he walked with ,god4 ,he had a yearning for the lost of earth's millions4 ,on that evening when he faced for the first time his brush-arbor audience1 it was plainly to be seen that he did not lack for something to say4 ,he did not let his sermon get in the way of his message4 ,he went right to the heart of his subject1 which he announced as ,salvation4 ,he took for his text ,titus #b3aa1 #ab3 ,for the grace of ,god that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men1 teaching us that1 denying ungodliness and worldly lusts1 we should live soberly1 righteously1 and godly in this present world4 ,his sermon ran partly thus3 ,my friends and brethren1 we are here this evening to conduct this service in the fear of ,god4 ,almost a year ago ,i received a letter from ,brother ,benton urging me to come to his place to hold a revival4 ,owing to my many calls1 ,i was unable to come until the present time1 and now at last we are here in the name of ,god4 ,we expect him to give us a gracious out-pouring of his ,holy ,spirit4 ,the text that ,i have read in your hearing introduces my subject1 the subject of ,salvation4 ,i feel the burden of this message pressing upon my heart4 ,since ,jesus saved me from a life of sin ,i have had a consuming desire to get others to press their way into this grand experience4 ,i shall not promise to keep within the bounds of homiletical order tonight1 but ,i do promise to keep within the bounds of ,god's ,holy ,word and the leadings of his ,spirit4 ,these introductory remarks were stated with a simple earnestness born of a desire to see men saved4 ,the ,evangelist first proceeded to show what salvation is4 ,he said it is a divine work of grace in the heart1 wrought by the blood of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he explained that it means deliverance from sin4 ,he said that if the ,bible teaches anything at all1 it teaches that the individual must have a vital connection with ,jesus ,christ4 ,next the ,evangelist set forth the conditions of salvation4 ,first1 he said1 a man must be sorry for his sins2 secondly1 he must repent of his sins2 and1 thirdly1 he must forsake his sins4 ,he dwelt at great length on the effects of salvation in the heart4 ,he said that if a man's religion did not have any effect on him1 it was worthless4 ,a man's religion must make him a new creature1 he argued4 ,he declared that salvation makes a man love even his enemies4 ,he said salvation cleanses a man from inward and outward filth4 ,by the time ,evangelist ,blank had illustrated and amplified all his points he had consumed the major portion of an hour and a half of time4 ,during this time the entire audience was held spellbound by his simple and earnest eloquence4 ,all this was strange theology to the members of ,mount ,olivet ,church4 ,it was a stinging rebuke to their crooked and hypocritical lives4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,it was about the fifth night of the big holiness meeting at the arbor on ,post ,oak ,ridge4 ,the country was stirred for miles around4 ,people from ,dobbinsville and ,ridgetown and neighboring villages were in regular attendance4 ,scores of people had been converted4 ,many had been sanctified4 ,numbers had been healed4 ,the forces of sin were enraged4 ,wicked men1 grim with age1 had melted like frost at noonday under the mighty preaching of the ,spirit-filled ,evangelist4 ,old women with lying hearts and gossiping lips had been stricken down in mighty and pungent conviction for their sins4 ,young men1 roguish and rough and stout-hearted1 had come to the old split-log altar and on penitent knees had sobbed out before ,god the awful sins of their hearts and had gone away happy with the new-found treasure of full salvation4 ,young ladies1 vain and haughty1 had melted under the gospel messages and had come to the feet of ,jesus4 ,sweet children not yet in their teens had wept their childish transgressions away and in their simple faith had accepted ,jesus as their ,savior4 ,oh1 grand and glorious gospel6 ,how matchless is its power4 ,well1 as ,i said1 it was about the fifth night of the meeting4 ,preacher ,bonds was there1 and had been the two nights preceding4 ,he had regarded all the manifestations of ,god's power in the meetings with affected indifference4 ,he said he hated holiness and would hate it as long as he lived4 ,on being asked what he thought of the miraculous conversions that had taken place in the meeting1 he remarked that he would not believe in holiness even if ,beelzebub himself were converted in the meetings4 ,evangelist ,blank said he thought this would be a splendid time to have a testimony-meeting4 ,so they had one1 and he conducted it himself4 ,grandma ,gray was the first to testify4 ,she stood trembling1 and balanced herself against the back of the old willow rocker4 ,around her saintly face there seemed to circle a halo of glory4 ,at first she only stood and wept4 ,when she had gained control of her emotions sufficiently to speak1 she said1 ,oh1 the love of ,god is unspeakable4 ,how can ,i praise him for what he has done for me8 ,he saves me and sanctifies me and heals me4 ,i praise him for sending ,evangelist ,blank here4 ,i would not say a word against the people of ,mount ,olivet church1 but for thirty-some years ,i lived in that church an up-and-down life4 ,god knows ,i wanted to live for him all that time but my experience was not sufficient to keep me4 ,but since ,i have learned of the more perfect way1 how my heart rejoices in this full salvation4 ,since this meeting began1 the good ,lord has been showing me great light on the church question4 ,i see the one body of ,christ1 which is the church4 ,i have just learned that ,i was born into the real1 true church thirty-some years ago4 ,o brethren1 the day is dawning1 the light is shining4 ,how glad ,i am that ,i have lived to see this day4 ,when ,grandma ,gray had well-nigh exhausted her feeble strength in exhorting the people to come to ,jesus and accept his truth1 she sank into her big willow chair and silently prayed4 ,for a brief period there was a deathlike stillness over the audience4 ,for years ,grandma ,gray had lived a life that could not be gainsaid4 ,true1 she spoke in her testimony about her up-and-down life1 but when compared with the average professed ,christian's life in that community1 hers was above reproach4 ,in her extreme age she spoke as one from the border-lands of eternity1 and her words naturally had a profound effect4 ,jake ,benton was next to testify4 ,he was simply overwhelmed with joy1 and spoke at some length of his hope of someday being reunited with his darling girl in the skies4 ,jake's testimony scattered enthusiasm all through the congregation of the saints and there was rejoicing and praising ,god that was doubtless participated in by the angels around the throne4 ,little flaxen-haired ,eva ,gray1 eleven-year-old daughter of ,nolan ,gray1 arose and said that ,jesus had saved her and that she aimed to spend her life for him1 as had ,grandma ,gray4 ,thus we see a godly life is fruitful of influence even on the lives of little children4 ,probably the most remarkable testimony given was that of ,squire ,branson4 ,branson spoke thus3 ,friends and brothers3 ,i stand before you a redeemed man4 ,i am washed and made white in the blood of ,jesus4 ,i am as a brand snatched from the burning4 ,i am now in my eighty-third year4 ,you know the manner of my life up until this meeting4 ,i have had absolutely nothing to do with religion4 ,as you know ,i have lived a life of great wickedness4 ,i have been a drunkard1 a gambler--a mighty sinner4 ,for fifty-three years ,i had not gone near a church service until this meeting began4 ,i have been thoroughly put out with the type of ,christianity exhibited in this community these past years4 ,but when through sheer curiosity ,i came into this arbor1 ,i was made as conscious of the presence of the ,holy ,ghost as if ,i could have seen him with my natural eyes4 ,there at that altar night before last ,i unburdened my heart of the sins of nearly eighty years1 and ,i stand tonight a witness of the redeeming grace and love of ,christ my ,saviour4 ,oh1 how can ,i praise him enough8 ,here ,i stand right at the threshold of death with a long and wasted life behind me and an eternity of bliss before me4 ,what but the mercy of an infinite ,god could bring about this wonderful change8 ,spooky ,crane said in his testimony that of all the churches he had ever belonged to this one was the best4 ,aunt ,sally ,perkins shouted4 ,evangelist ,blank was just ready to close the meeting when he was interrupted by ,preacher ,bonds4 ,bonds' face was red with rage and his eyes gleaming with anger when he burst forth in this unceremonious manner2 ,i thank ,god for a sensible and reasonable religion4 ,i have been a ,christian for thirty years and a minister for twenty years and ,i have never experienced any of this wonderful joy that these people speak of4 ,this sanctified holiness doctrine is the most damnable doctrine that ever struck this country1 or any other country4 ,i knew a group of these holiness people back in ,kentucky where ,i came from4 ,they said they could not sin and that they were just as good as ,jesus ,christ himself4 ,they were given to all sorts of fanatical projects4 ,they claimed to have great faith and went so far as to say they were healed1 as some of these people have said tonight4 ,one of them even said that by faith he had caused an iron wedge to float on the water4 ,talk about living free from sin4 ,there never could be a more crooked doctrine preached4 ,the ,bible plainly says1 ',there is none good1 no not one4' ,it also says that ',if a man liveth and saith he sinneth not1 he is a liar and the truth is not in him4' ,i believe the ,bible4 ,when ,i was in college old ,professor ,thorndike used to give us an occasional lecture on the ,hellish ,heresy of ,holiness4 ,he knew all about the doctrine and the harm it is doing these days4 ,i am bold to say right here that ,god has called me and raised me up to fight holiness1 and ,i have dedicated my life to this cause4 ,i aim to use every means1 fair and foul1 to stamp this doctrine out of this community 7,deacon ,gramps1 ,amen474 ,i want to warn ,preacher ,blank and every one of his dupes right here that if he continues to preach in this community he does so at his own peril4 ,you people have no right1 legal or moral1 to come here and disturb the peace and tranquility of ,mount ,olivet church1 a church that has stood standpat for nearly half a century in defence of the truth4 ,i here and now call upon every loyal member to come to the defence of the faith of your fathers4 ,those who will pledge their united support to the cause of stamping out holiness rise to your feet4 ,at this a score and a half of rustic mountaineers boldly stood up4 ,let those who have made this solemn pledge meet me at the back door of the arbor1 said ,bonds as he sat down4 ,,chapter #aj ,during the time that ,bonds was on the floor1 ,evangelist ,blank leaned against the pulpit with his face in his hands as if in prayer4 ,when ,bonds sat down the ,evangelist calmly faced the audience4 ,just at this time he seemed to possess the meekness of a lamb and the boldness of a lion4 ,he seemed perfectly composed1 as he remarked1 ,well1 brethren and friends1 ,i am indeed sorry to see this splendid testimony meeting end in this way4 ,i am sorry the ministerial brother feels as he does toward the truth we have preached1 and ,i hope after prayer and reflection he will see his way clear not to hinder the progress of the meeting4 ,however1 if ,god sees fit to allow the hand of persecution to fall upon us1 we bow submissively to his will4 ,but we will not1 we dare not compromise ,god's truth4 ,we will preach the ,bible regardless of consequences4 ,with these remarks ,evangelist ,blank closed the service4 ,after the service was closed everything seemed to be as usual except for a few whisperings around in regard to what ,preacher ,bonds had said4 ,as was usually the case at the close of such meetings1 the saints gathered in little groups about the front end of the arbor and talked freely of their common faith and love4 ,mothers began to arouse sleepy-eyed children from their dreams and break to them the sad news that they were not at home in bed4 ,bushy-headed1 bearded farmers and woodsmen began ramming their grimy hands into the hip pockets of their blue drillin' overhauls1 in which sequestered quarters were prone to hide their long twist and homemade cob pipes4 ,after injecting an ample amount of long twist into the cob pipe's empty stomach and lighting a match thereto and sending a few initiatory puffs into the air1 these mountaineers made off in the darkness toward their homes in different directions4 ,some went in groups1 some by twos1 some singly4 ,seen from a distance in the blackness of the night these companies resembled a regiment of glow-worms in a potato patch4 ,from over the flint hills in the distance came the familiar rattle and rumble of old-fashioned lumber wagons whose occupants had come far to hear the much-discussed preacher from over east4 ,now and then the night air was pierced by hideous yells and whistles from roguish boys dashing along on horseback1 whose popularity depended on the amount of noise they made4 ,is the offense of the cross ceased8 ,nay1 verily2 they that live godly in ,christ ,jesus shall suffer persecution4 ,so say the ,scriptures1 and so thought ,evangelist ,blank as he lay down to rest that night after he had closed the testimony-meeting4 ,evangelist ,blank slept in a tent1 which had been pitched near the brush arbor4 ,several such tents had been pitched by ,jake ,benton and other neighbors1 who1 finding it ill convenient to go to and from the meeting each night1 had decided to run it somewhat on the camp-meeting plan4 ,on the particular night of which we have been speaking1 ,evangelist ,blank from some cause unknown to him was awakened shortly after midnight4 ,not being able to resume sleep1 he thought to improve even the midnight time by musing on the goodness of ,god4 ,as he lay thus gazing through the thin canvas of his tent at the moon1 which was now a two hour's journey in the sky1 he was startled by the sight of a man's shadow on the side of the tent4 ,he lay still and listened4 ,soon he heard low muttering voices a few rods from his tent4 ,still he listened4 ,they drew nearer and nearer4 ,finally the mutterings became whisperings4 ,still he listened1 and prayed4 ,they came nearer4 ,soon several shadows were cast on the canvas4 ,he saw the winding shadow of a rope as it dangled from the arms of one of the men4 ,still he listened4 ,still they whispered4 ,no difference about ,benton1 we want the preacher1 he heard one say4 ,are you sure this is his tent8 whispered another4 ,yes1 ,i saw him sitting in this tent's door reading this afternoon1 whispered a third4 ,we must get the rope on him and make away with him before the camp is aroused1 someone said4 ,what shall ,i do8 thought the pious man4 ,does it mean that ,i must suffer death at the hands of this mob1 simply because ,i have preached the truth8 ,will they hang me8 ,will they choke me8 ,will they stone me8 ,will they drag me over these awful rocks until life is dashed out8 ,what meant the gleam in ,bonds' eyes last night in the service8 ,what will become of my dear wife and boy in ,ohio8 ,will ,i recant8 ,will ,i deny my ,lord8 ,will ,i shun to declare the whole counsel of ,god8 ,all these questions and many others flashed across the ,evangelist's mind like angry streaks of lightning across a black cloud4 ,through the thin canvas he saw in the moonlight half a dozen husky men seize hold of one end of a rope1 the other end of which was arranged in a slip-loop4 ,now when ,i get the rope on him1 make for the hills1 said one man as he began to untie the strings that held the door of the tent4 ,just at this instant ,evangelist ,blank slipped under the edge of the tent on the opposite side from where the men were planning their diabolical feat1 and under the edge of ,jake ,benton's tent1 which stood just about two feet from his own4 ,with a quickness of mind that was almost miraculous1 he donned a dress and shawl and bonnet belonging to ,sister ,benton1 and stole out of the tent and across the ground toward the arbor in full view of the enraged men as they came out of the tent that he had just vacated4 ,the men were as much astonished as enraged at not finding their prey4 ,they ransacked ,jake ,benton's tent and demanded that he reveal the whereabouts of the preacher4 ,jake flatly refused4 ,except for his trembling1 he stood like a stone wall and faced that score of masked men1 thirsty for righteous blood4 ,really they appeared as so many thoroughbred devils right from the pit4 ,they were masked in a way1 not only to conceal their identity1 but in a way to make them appear as hideous as possible4 ,the leader of the mob shouted1 ,jake ,benton1 you sanctified hypocrite1 if you don't tell us where that preacher is we'll hang your carcass up for the crows to pick4 ,maybe you will1 but ,i'll hang there1 before ,i'll tell1 shouted poor ,jake in a trembling voice4 ,who was that ole lady left your tent and went across the ground a while ago with a bonnet on8 shouted one of the mob4 ,i never saw an ole lady going across the ground1 replied ,jake4 7,in this he was telling the truth1 you know47 ,hang him up to a tree boys1 hang him up1 if he won't tell1 shouted one of the gang4 ,bring the rope1 shouted another as he took hold of ,benton's arms4 ,just at this juncture the leader of the mob suggested to ,jake that if he and his comrades would break up camp and leave the ground immediately1 they would not hang him1 but would continue their search for the ,evangelist4 ,to this ,jake and the whole party of campers readily agreed4 ,in the light of the moon1 the whole ground of campers1 consisting of more than a dozen families1 hitched their teams to their wagons and made their way over the hills homeward4 ,before any wagon was allowed to leave the ground1 it was carefully searched by the mob to ascertain whether or not ,evangelist ,blank were there4 ,he could not be found4 ,when old ,brother ,bunk and his family arrived at their home1 which was two miles from the campground4 ,sister ,bunk and the ,bunk children were afraid to go into the house until ,brother ,bunk should unharness the team and go with them4 ,when the ,bunk family came to the yard1 they were astonished to see in the moonlight somebody sitting under the old silver poplar-tree4 ,they were scared to say the least4 ,sister ,bunk and the ,bunk children hovered closer and closer to ,brother ,bunk1 while fear increased as the distance to the poplar-tree decreased4 ,imagine their surprise and relief when the person under the tree shouted1 ,praise ,god1 ,brother ,bunk1 many are the afflictions of the righteous1 but the ,lord delivereth them out of them all4 ,it was ,evangelist ,blank4 ,he explained to them that he had walked the whole two miles from the camp through the woods1 guided by the sound of the wagon1 thus avoiding the possibility of being apprehended by the mob in case they should attack the wagon4 ,he had arrived at the ,bunk farm about the same time as the wagon had1 but not having the inconvenience of a team to attend to1 had sat down under the tree to rest4 ,the mob naturally supposed that ,evangelist ,blank would somehow make his way from the campground to ,jake ,benton's4 ,benton and his family arrived home from the camp about three o'clock in the morning4 ,they had been there only half an hour when they were aroused by the shout of the mob1 who demanded that the preacher should be yielded up to them4 ,not until they had thoroughly searched ,benton's home would they believe ,jake's contention that ,evangelist ,blank was not on the premises4 ,finally1 when they were convinced that ,benton could not or would not tell them where the preacher was they withdrew to a clump of woods a short distance from ,benton's home and1 the morning air being chilly1 built a fire4 ,it was here that their identity became known4 ,as they chatted around the fire they removed the masks from their faces4 ,of course1 ,jake ,benton was curious to know who they were1 and when he saw their fire in the woods he resolved to find out1 even at the expense of much trembling4 ,he thought he had recognized some of them by their voices when they talked to him at the camp1 but now he determined to make sure4 ,he crawled on his hands and knees for nearly a quarter of a mile along an old rail fence until he came within a distance of twenty rods from where the men were gathered1 ,indian fashion1 around the fire4 ,he was not at all surprised when he saw in the group the familiar face of ,deacon ,cramps and ,reverend ,bonds4 ,and he observed from certain parts of their masks which they still had on that these two men were the fellows who took the leading part in the affair at the camp4 ,jake recognized that the group was made up mostly of men who were prominent members of ,mount ,olivet church4 ,a few non-church-members and young men of the baser sort were also in the group4 ,benton watched them until nearly daybreak1 when they disbanded and started for home4 ,jake lay quietly in his clump of buck-brush until he was sure that they were at a safe distance1 then he crawled out and went home1 informed much and scared more4 ,shortly after sunrise1 old ,brother ,bunk came over to tell ,benton that ,evangelist ,blank was at his house safe1 and happy in the ,lord4 ,this news greatly relieved ,benton and his good wife1 for they had not seen the ,evangelist since he left their tent during the night1 and they did not know just how he was faring4 ,evangelist ,blank had suggested that it be announced that as this was ,sunday there would be services held that day at ,old ,brother ,bunk's4 ,this idea pleased ,benton1 and he joined ,brother ,bunk in scattering the news among the saints4 ,accordingly at eleven o'clock the saints gathered at the ,bunk home1 where a blessed meeting was held4 ,great power and victory prevailed4 ,the awful persecution had driven the saints to their knees in prayer4 ,the very atmosphere round about seemed to be charged with the ,holy ,spirit's power4 ,evangelist ,blank started to preach1 but found it impossible4 ,the saints shouted him down4 ,a number of sinners who were present melted under the influence of the ,holy ,spirit and yielded their hearts to ,god4 ,great grace was upon them all4 ,that night the meeting at the arbor was resumed1 and it continued for two weeks with greater victory and power than before the molestation4 ,the mob never bothered again1 and the reason was this3 ,a dozen or more men in the community who were sinners1 and professed to be sinners1 but who believed that men should be allowed to serve ,god according to the dictates of their own consciences1 simply made it plain that the first fellows masked or unmasked who should disturb the meeting would be dealt with in a most uncomplimentary manner4 ,the mob saw the situation in its true light and decided that for their own safety they would stay away4 ,when the meeting finally ran its natural course and came to a close1 ,evangelist ,blank bade the band of saints a loving and tearful farewell and betook himself to other fields to suffer and rejoice in the great work with which ,god had entrusted him4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,five years had flitted by since ,jake ,benton was converted down in the hills4 ,the battle between holiness and sin-you-must religion had waxed hotter and hotter4 ,masked mobs had scoured the country at different times1 threatening the very lives of enemies4 ,the sin-you-must group had decreased in number1 but had increased in wickedness4 ,it could truthfully be said that every member of ,mount ,olivet church was at this time a positive force for evil4 ,the membership had dwindled to one-fourth its former size4 ,somebody is responsible for the statement that the blackest deeds known to the world have been done in the name of religion1 love1 and liberty4 ,mount ,olivet ,church did her blackest deeds in the name of religion4 ,she was determined to crush her adversaries1 and she was not particular as to the means she used4 ,every member who had even the tiniest spark of ,god's love in his heart had either cast his lot with the holiness movement or given up his religious profession altogether4 ,preacher ,bonds had grown more and more zealous in his fight against holiness4 ,deacon ,gramps had preached his doctrine everywhere1 in his home as well as in the church1 and he had already seen its fruits manifested right in his home4 ,one of his sons who had now become of age had built a sort of philosophy of life on his father's teaching4 ,he had reasoned something like this3 ,since ,father sins1 and ,mother sins1 and the preacher sins1 and everybody else sins1 and nobody can keep from sinning1 then it follows that one is not responsible for the sins he commits whether they be large or small1 few or many4 ,then why not have a good time in this life8 ,why not go the full length into sinful pleasure8 ,and go the full length he did4 ,he had become involved in one criminal scrape after another1 and he would have landed in the penitentiary before this time had it not been for ,deacon ,cramps' financial backing4 ,and by this time it had come to be common knowledge in the community that the son's profligacy was almost certain to involve the ,deacon in financial ruin4 ,it was a fact much discussed in inner business circles at ,dobbinsville that ,mr4 ,gramps' farm was heavily mortgaged1 and that unless some crook or turn unforeseen favored him he would soon face bankruptcy4 ,he had been unable to pay the interest on the notes he had been obliged to obtain in order to keep his son from going where he really belonged4 ,as for ,jake ,benton1 during these five years since his conversion1 his poverty had stuck closer to him than a brother2 but thanks be to his persecutions1 he had grown immensely rich in spiritual resources4 ,he had become a mighty man in prayer4 ,the sick were healed in answer to his prayer of simple faith4 ,and it seemed only a natural thing for him to pray for his enemies4 ,and as for love1 ,jake loved everybody and everybody had found it out4 ,if anybody in the community wanted a favor done them1 all that was necessary was to mistreat ,benton and he would do them a favor4 ,he had also developed into quite a preacher4 ,ever since the meeting closed in the brush arbor he regularly gathered the saints together on ,sunday in the school house1 and encouraged them in the things of the ,lord4 ,his life was simply exemplary1 and even his bitterest enemies were compelled to acknowledge that ,god was with him4 ,one ,sunday morning when ,preacher ,bonds stood before his meager audience1 the familiar face of ,deacon ,gramps was absent4 ,his unusual absence from the ,church was very noticeable1 and ,preacher ,bonds suggested in the introductory remarks of his sermon that unquestionably ,brother ,gramps was sick1 and that it would be an act of brotherly kindness if when the service was over a number of the members would call at the ,gramps' home and see the sick brother4 ,when ,preacher ,bonds had finished his sermon1 a song had been sung1 and the benediction had been invoked1 a dozen or more of the members with ,bonds in the lead started for the ,gramps' home1 which1 as will be remembered1 was plainly visible from the church4 ,i believe1 said ,bonds1 that ,brother ,gramps' barn is on fire4 ,at this the whole group began to rush toward the beautiful red barn that stood a quarter of a mile away4 ,by the time they reached the spot1 black clouds of smoke and angry flames were shooting from doors and cracks in the barn4 ,mrs4 ,gramps and the three children who were still at home were in the barnyard wringing their hands and crying in a heart-rending manner4 ,it was plainly to be seen that the visitors could do nothing to save the barn1 and all that remained to do was to stand and watch the flames devour the building4 ,where is ,brother ,gramps8 said ,preacher ,bonds to ,mrs4 ,gramps4 ,wasn't he at church8 ,no8 ,well1 ,i don't know where he can be4 ,he left the house just at church-time and ,i hadn't noticed but what he was in the crowd that came from the church1 she replied4 ,preacher ,bonds looked serious as he said1 ,he could not have been in the barn1 ,i suppose4 ,oh1 certainly not4 ,i suppose he must be at some of the neighbors'1 perhaps ,deacon ,brown's--was ,deacon ,brown at church8 ,no1 ,deacon ,brown was not at church1 replied ,bonds4 ,possibly he remained at home and ,brother ,gramps went to see him on some business pertaining to the church4 ,but ,i don't understand why they did not meet at the church to transact their business4 ,brother ,jones1 will you run over to ,deacon ,brown's and tell ,brother ,gramps about his awful accident8 ,certainly1 responded ,jones1 who stood near the barnyard gate talking with ,gramps' hired hand1 from whom he was endeavoring to learn the details as to how the fire started4 ,try to tell him1 remarked ,bonds1 in a way that will not be too much of a shock to him4 ,jones mounted a horse and hurried off to ,deacon ,brown's and was soon back with the news that ,gramps had not been seen at ,brown's1 and that ,brown was sick in bed1 which fact accounted for his being absent from the service that morning4 ,when it was learned that ,gramps was not at ,deacon ,brown's1 considerable anxiety began to be manifested on the part of neighbors4 ,some suggested that it was possible that ,gramps could have been in the barn when it burned4 ,of course1 care was exercised that such remarks should not reach the ears of ,mrs4 ,gramps4 ,messages were sent to all the neighbors in search of ,gramps4 ,someone had the idea that possibly he had gone to ,dobbinsville or ,ridgetown1 but searchers sent to these places reported that he had not been seen at either place for several days4 ,preacher ,bonds consoled ,mrs4 ,gramps with the suggestion that doubtless he would show up before night4 ,however1 when night came with no signs of ,deacon ,gramps the whole community took an attitude of real alarm as to the likelihood that he had been burned to death4 ,it was announced that there would be no meeting services at ,mount ,olivet ,church1 and ,jake ,benton dismissed his services and joined heartily in the search for the ,deacon1 who had dealt him so many grievous blows while ,mrs4 ,benton did everything in her power to console ,mrs4 ,gramps4 ,the search continued all through the night with no results4 ,by early ,monday morning there was general excitement for miles around4 ,scores of people came that morning from ,dobbinsville and ,ridgetown1 and gazed on the mysterious scene of the former beautiful barn1 now an ash heap4 ,officers came down from the county-seat and joined in the search for the lost ,deacon4 ,about the middle of the afternoon on ,monday it was decided that the ash-heap should be searched for any evidence that the man had burned with the barn ,this search had not gone far when the county sheriff found in the ashes the steel back-springs and blades of a pocket-knife4 ,near by were found some pieces of enamel resembling a man's teeth4 ,next was found a small melted mass of something which seemed to have been a suspender buckle4 ,preacher ,bonds picked up three pieces of silver which proved to have been so many silver dollars4 ,several pieces of bones were found1 but these were so nearly charred to dust that it was impossible to determine whether they were bones of a man or bones of some of the many animals that perished with the building4 ,however1 all these articles mentioned were found within a very close proximity to each other1 and in the minds of most people present there was now no doubt as to the fate of ,deacon ,gramps4 ,on ,monday night the coroner rendered a verdict that the ,deacon met his death by being accidentally burned to death4 ,mrs4 ,gramps swooned away and had to have the attention of old ,doctor ,greenwich from ,dobbinsville4 ,in the event of the illness of ,mrs4 ,gramps1 it devolved upon ,preacher ,bonds to make full arrangements for the funeral1 in which affair ,jake ,benton and his good wife showed every disposition to help where help was possible4 ,preacher ,bonds went to ,dobbinsville and sent a telegram to each of the ,deacon's five sons1 two of whom lived in ,st4 ,louis1 and three in ,chicago4 ,he also sent a telegram to a minister in ,st4 ,louis to come to preach the funeral1 as1 he said1 he did not feel that he could officiate at the funeral of such a worthy brother as the departed4 ,this ,st4 ,louis preacher had been a college chum of ,preacher ,bonds1 and was full of the ,mount ,olivet persuasion4 ,those were in the days before undertakers and other such modern conveniences had been introduced into that country4 ,jake ,benton1 good soul1 went to ,dobbinsville after the coffin and hauled it back in the same old lumber wagon he had hauled ,evangelist ,blank in five years before4 ,the funeral was arranged for ,wednesday afternoon at two o'clock4 ,a handful of ashes1 together with the pocket-knife and other articles found in the ash-heap1 was taken and wrapped in a napkin and placed in the big new coffin4 ,on ,wednesday afternoon1 when two o'clock arrived1 the two front rooms of the ,gramps farmhouse were crammed full of people4 ,the yard was full1 too4 ,the ,st4 ,louis preacher began and spoke thus3 ,my friends and brethren1 we have met on this sad occasion to pay our last respects to the honored dead4 ,within the narrow confines of this casket lie the earthly remains of a man whose spirit yet lives4 ,it was not my happy privilege to know this excellent man1 but ,i am informed by his pastor1 ,preacher ,bonds here1 of his manifold excellencies4 ,when a great man dies1 the people mourn4 ,i am informed that our departed brother was a great man4 ,first1 he was a great man in business4 ,when ,i behold this beautiful well-kept farm1 ,i see its wide1 extending fields1 its running brooks1 its whitewashed fences1 its excellent buildings1 in the burning of one of which our brother met his death--when ,i behold these things1 ,i say1 ,i am made to exclaim that ,god hath blessed him in basket and store4 ,yes1 a great man in business4 ,secondly1 he was a great man in his home1 and by the way1 there is where the true greatness of a man is tested4 ,in the death of our esteemed brother the home is the loser4 ,it loses a loving husband4 ,it loses a considerate father and an efficient bread-winner4 ,thirdly1 our brother was a great man in the community4 ,i am told that he was a public-spirited man4 ,he believed in schools1 in good roads1 and in all other things that make for the welfare of a community4 ,in his death the community is a heavy loser4 ,fourthly1 he was a great man in the church4 7,preacher ,bonds1 ,amen47 ,i am told that for upwards of thirty years our brother has been a consistent member of ,mount ,olivet ,church and a regular attendant at its service and a heavy contributor to its funds4 ,i understand that he was a mighty defender of the church's faith4 ,he fought bravely on4 ,he stood like a rock4 ,he weathered the storm4 ,he finished the course4 ,he conquered4 ,but1 my friends1 our finite minds cannot fathom the profound mysteries of the infinite4 ,we cannot understand4 ,why would a just ,god permit such a noble man to meet such a tragic death8 ,it is not ours to reason why4 ,we simply bow our hearts to the will of the divine4 ,and now1 to the bereaved ,i would say1 ,weep not as those who have no hope4 7,mrs4 ,gramps weeps aloud47 ,brother ,gramps is just gone on before4 ,he has crossed over ,jordan1 where he waits on the sunny banks of sweet deliverance4 ,just a few more days and we shall join him4 ,he has gone where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary be at rest4 ,let us pray4 ,brother ,bonds1 lead us4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,twelve moons had rolled by since the ,gramps funeral4 ,the blue-grass sod had already grown quite snugly over the year-old mound in the cemetery back of the white church on the hill4 ,the rose-bush at the head of the mound had bloomed once and the ,june breeze had sprinkled its pink petals over the green carpet4 ,a more or less expensive tombstone stood modestly at the head of the mound and silently announced to the passer-by what any tombstone is supposed to announce1 namely that somebody sleeps beneath this mound4 ,during the year many persons had stood with bared heads and read through tears this inscription3 ,j4,d4 ,gramps1 ,born ,april #ba1 #ahef--;,died ,june #ac1 #ah--4 ,they rest from their labors2 and their works do follow them4 ,the ,gramps premises began to show signs of decay4 ,the fences were in need of repair and the hillside portions of the farm had been washed in gullies by the spring freshets4 ,a large ash-heap surrounded by jimsonweed and burdock marked the sight of the once beautiful red barn4 ,the front-yard gate had been torn from its hinges1 and it lay upon the ground4 ,it was well known that ,widow ,gramps had received ten thousand dollars from an insurance company in ,new ,york ,city1 but what she had done with the amount was only a matter of opinion4 ,along about this time it became known in the community that the ,widow had leased the farm and was planning to go to a ,western ,state as she said1 for the sake of her health1 which had been declining since the day of the ,deacon's funeral4 ,one day when ,mrs4 ,gramps was in ,dobbinsville making preparations for the trip ,west1 she called at the ,people's ,state ,bank and presented a check drawn on a ,western bank and signed by ,james ,duncan4 ,when the cashier had cashed her check and she had left the bank1 he turned to his assistant and said1 ,jim1 do you know what ,deacon ,gramps' name was8 ,j4,d4 ,gramps1 responded the assistant4 ,i know ,j4,d4 were his initials1 said the cashier1 but what does ,j4,d4 stand for8 ,oh1 ,i don't remember1 answered the assistant4 ,i suppose we could find out by looking up some of his old papers that we still have in the vault4 ,look up that old mortgage that ,gramps had on the ,widow ,smith's little farm1 ordered the cashier4 ,a ponderous file was pulled from a shelf in the vault and the two men began to search the musty and dusty old documents of bygone days4 ,at last they found the mortgage4 ,there they found the ,deacon's name written out in full--,james ,duncan ,gramps4 ,the cashier of the ,people's ,state ,bank had a curious twinkle in his eye as he looked at his assistant4 ,jim1 do you know1 ,i have a suspicious feeling about this here ,gramps proposition1 he remarked4 ,the assistant looked astonished4 ,he had supposed all this time that the cashier was interested in the ,deacon's full name from some official standpoint4 ,the cashier went on3 ,widow ,gramps was just in here a few minutes ago and cashed a check drawn by a man by the name of ,james ,duncan4 ,i have a suspicion that ,deacon ,gramps is still living and that this ,james ,duncan is no other than ,james ,duncan ,gramps1 and he is checking out of a ,western bank money which ,mrs4 ,gramps received from the insurance company in ,new ,york4 ,surely that could not be1 responded the assistant4 ,suppose we compare the handwriting on the check that you just cashed with the handwriting on these old papers4 ,after a close comparison of the two specimens of handwriting1 the men decided that their resemblance was not sufficient to prove anything4 ,at any rate it will do no harm to investigate1 remarked the cashier as he closed the heavy door of the vault4 ,i shall turn the evidence over to the insurance company in ,new ,york4 ,that evening at sundown when train ,number #bi pulled out from the station at ,dobbinsville and sped eastward1 it carried in its mailcoach a letter of much significance addressed to the president of a large insurance company in ,new ,york ,city4 ,the following week one day when the west-bound noon train stopped at ,dobbinsville1 a well-dressed stranger stepped from the platform of the coach and made inquiry as to the location of a hotel4 ,a lanky-looking lad who leaned against a pole directed the stranger to the ,dobbinsville ,inn1 across the street4 ,a person of this man's evident rank and importance was not a familiar sight in the streets of ,dobbinsville4 ,his mysterious presence set a peaceful town all agog4 ,he became the subject of much exaggerated conjecture4 ,every fellow was overly eager to tell precisely what he did not know2 namely1 where this stranger came from and what his business was4 ,uncle ,hezekiah ,evans1 the sixty-year-old newsboy who peddled the ,post around over the village1 said this stranger was evidently a rich man from the ,east who had come to buy the whole town out4 ,fatty ,jones1 whose chief employment was that of sitting on a baggage truck at the depot1 had the opinion that this stranger was the son of a ,st4 ,louis millionaire who1 having much time and money1 had come out to an up-to-date country to spend both4 ,it was the candid opinion of old ,doc ,greenwich that this stranger had committed a crime somewhere and was lounging around in this secluded nook to evade the officers of the law4 ,dad ,brunt1 the honored proprietor of the ,dobbinsville ,inn1 had an advantage over his fellows1 as the stranger was staying with him4 ,he was sure that this man was interested in timberlands in the ,mount ,olivet neighborhood1 as he had known the man to make two trips out here during his stay at the ,inn4 ,the stranger spent a week in ,dobbinsville1 during which time he made frequent calls at the ,people's ,state ,bank4 ,when he had gone1 the cashier1 to the great relief and surprise of his fellow townsmen1 explained to them that he was an officer of the law whose business was to investigate the circumstances connected with the burning of ,deacon ,gramps' barn4 ,just about one month from this time ,uncle ,hezekiah ,evans did a flourishing business selling papers4 ,the ,post came out with this startling headline3 ,,deacon ,,hears ,,own ,,funeral ,,preached4 ,great excitement prevailed4 ,everybody in ,dobbinsville who could read and some who could not bought a paper from ,uncle ,hezekiah4 ,he sold all he had1 and wished for more to sell4 ,not only were the people of ,dobbinsville interested in this remarkable newspaper headline1 but in every town and city that fell within the limits of the ,post's rather metropolitan circulation1 people were startled at the unusual thought of a man hearing his own funeral4 ,the article in the ,post read like this3 ,the little town of ,dobbinsville1 snugly tucked away in the peaceful folds of the far-famed ,ozark hills1 is coming into its share of publicity4 ,there has lived for many years in the vicinity of this village a substantial farmer by the name of ,gramps4 ,until a couple of days ago ,gramps was supposed to have been dead and buried4 ,in fact1 a tombstone in the churchyard near the ,gramps homestead plainly states that ,gramps is dead4 ,though tombstones sometimes say1 ,they have gone to rest1 the truth is otherwise and ,gramps has turned up very much alive4 ,according to an officer interviewed by a ,post correspondent yesterday1 ,gramp's story is somewhat on this wise3 ,a little over a year ago it became known in the neighborhood of ,dobbinsville that ,gramps1 who for years had been a well-to-do farmer and a diligent deacon in a local church1 was becoming involved in financial embarrassment4 ,in order to save himself from bankruptcy1 the ,deacon1 according to his own confession1 resorted to very unusual means4 ,gramps carried heavy life insurance4 ,about thirteen months ago he burned his barn and feigned to have burned with it4 ,while his neighbors were at the church one ,sunday he went into his big barn and after depositing in a pasteboard box his false teeth1 his watch1 his pocket-knife1 and some pieces of silver coin1 he placed the box in the manger and lighted the hay in the mow with a match4 ,after making sure that the fire was in good way1 he jumped from a window in the barn and ran1 without detection1 to his house and hid himself in the attic4 ,neighbors1 missing ,gramps1 made a diligent search for him which resulted only in finding the molten remains of the pocket knife and other articles in the ash-heap where the barn was burned4 ,amid much mourning loving hands gathered ashes from the tragical spot and tenderly laid them in an expensive casket4 ,the next day at the funeral in the parlor of the ,gramps home1 a minister from ,st4 ,louis delivered an empassioned eulogy1 extolling the manifold excellencies of the honored dead 7874 ,through an open stairway door ,gramps heard the eloquent words of the clergyman and the heart-rending sobs of his own wife and children4 ,after seeing his funeral done up in proper style1 ,gramps went to ,colorado1 where for a year1 going under an assumed name1 he conducted a ,sunday ,school and took active part in other religious enterprises4 ,through the cooperation of his wife1 who remained on the homestead at ,dobbinsville1 he came into possession of #aj1jjj from an insurance company in ,new ,york ,city4 ,at the end of a year he planned for his wife to join him in ,colorado1 where1 according to his statement1 they were to begin life anew4 ,but their plans were upset when the ,deacon sent his wife a check signed with his assumed name1 which name consisted of the first two words of his real name4 ,gramps and his wife are both in jail1 where they await the action of the court and where they have a splendid opportunity to meditate upon the interesting happenings of the past year4 ,whether or not ,mrs4 ,gramps was an accomplice has not yet developed4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,twenty years ago ,i came to this country4 ,during these twenty years ,i have done my utmost to preserve and defend the faith of ,mount ,olivet church4 ,the person who spoke was ,preacher ,bonds4 ,the place where he spoke was in his own pulpit4 ,the persons to whom he spoke were his twenty members1 who were the fragments of the once thriving and powerful rural church4 ,bonds was at his best on this particular ,sunday morning in ,april1 and he had planned to give his hearers a sort of history of the events during his twenty-years pastorate at ,mount ,olivet4 ,the morning was a most beautiful one4 ,all nature wore a smile4 ,only those who have experienced the rare joy of taking a stroll through the wooded dell in the famous ,ozarks on a spring morning can fully appreciate the scene4 ,spring had made her long-delayed journey from the southland and by the strength of her warm and winning ways had forced grim old winter to a hasty retreat northward1 and now exulted in her unchallenged sway4 ,all the birds on this morning seemed to have come out to help her in her celebration4 ,a red-bird1 perched on the tip-top twig of the venerable oak which stood near the church1 bathing his crimson feathers in the morning sun1 warbled his sweetest notes to his mate in a hawthorn thicket across the field4 ,rollicking robins were vying with each other in their quest of worms in the meadow east of the church4 ,a gray squirrel chattered in a hickory-tree near by and scattered particles of bark all around4 ,a red-headed woodpecker sat in the round door of his cozy house in an old snag and seemed perfectly content in his utter inability to sing4 ,frolicsome spring lambs amused themselves by butting each other off a low stump down in the old ,gramps cow pasture4 ,the ,church itself showed signs of dilapidation4 ,the belfry on the roof had been torn away and the old rusty bell1 silent for many years1 stood exposed to the ravages of summer and winter4 ,its only purpose now seemed to be to afford a shelter for the wasps which from year to year built their nests in its dome4 ,the brick chimney1 which projected from the roof near the rear of the building1 had lost its crowning bricks and presented a very jagged aspect4 ,for the accommodation of the squirrels who were accustomed to take up winter quarters in the attic of the church1 the wood-peckers had pecked numerous holes in the paintless walls4 ,the eaves were daubed with mud carried by the pewees in the building of their yearly nests4 ,bats1 at their own good pleasure1 came in and out through the paneless windowsashes and found daytime repose on top of the sagging beam which1 just above the windows1 spanned the room4 ,the physical condition of this ,church house formed a fitting counterpart to the spiritual condition of the people who worshipped 787 there4 ,physical1 spiritual1 and moral spelled the trinity of its decay4 ,preacher ,bonds' sermon that morning ran something like this3 ,twenty years ago ,i came to this country4 ,well do ,i remember the first few months after landing here4 ,some of the older members will recall the mighty religious fight that was just beginning in those days between the holiness heresy and the doctrines of the ,bible as believed in by this church4 ,those few who are here this morning who have known me and have been my co-workers throughout these years1 ,i am sure1 testify to the steadfastness with which ,i have stood by the work4 ,i said when ,i came here that ,god had sent me here to fight the doctrine of holiness4 ,i still hold to my mission4 ,i have stood four-square against that doctrine and all its advocates1 and ,i still stand4 ,i have used every means to put it down4 ,but strange as it seems1 this heresy appears to have grown fat upon our opposition1 and the more we have fought the more it has flourished4 ,even at this very hour not a mile from here1 in the schoolhouse1 there is a group of people five times as large as this audience worshipping the ,lord in what they call the beauty of holiness4 ,they have for a preacher1 as you know1 old man ,benton1 who twenty years ago was cast out of this church for teaching crooked doctrine4 ,he has had no preparation whatever for ministerial work1 but in some way he has been able to keep his bunch together for nearly twenty years2 and now since he is an old man1 it seems that they still persist in following him4 ,in the early days of my pastorate here my strongest supporter and co-laborer was ,deacon ,gramps4 ,this name will sound familiar to some of the older members4 ,gramps owned the beautiful farm just to the west of this ,church4 ,a good many years ago through some play1 fair or foul1 ,gramps was charged with a criminal act and was convicted and sent to the penitentiary1 where three years ago he died4 ,his wife went to ,st4 ,louis to live with her son1 and departed this life shortly after moving there4 ,you are all more or less familiar with the ,gramps story1 so ,i shall leave it1 as it is not at all a pleasant topic to discuss4 ,it may be of interest to some of you to know just how the doctrine of holiness ever got started in this community4 ,well1 this old man ,benton whom you all know as the leader of the holiness movement used to be a member of this church4 ,for many years he lived a consistent ,christian life in this church1 so they tell me4 ,about twenty years ago he spent a whole summer herding cattle down in the hills about thirty miles from here4 ,while he was down there in the woods all alone with nothing to occupy his mind1 he fell to musing on the death of his little girl who died a good many years previously to that time and it seems that he became mentally unbalanced1 at least on religious matters4 ,according to the information given me1 he came in contact at this time with a religious paper teaching strange doctrines1 and he embraced these doctrines and began advocating them with great zeal4 ,as ,i said before1 he was excommunicated from this church for teaching such doctrines1 but in leaving the church he took a number of our most trusted and tried members1 for instance1 the ,gray family4 ,those were the days of great excitement in this community4 ,it was about this time that ,i was called to the pastorate of this church4 ,a few months after my coming ,benton and his bunch got an evangelist from over east1 somewhere1 to come here1 and he made a mighty stir along heretical lines and many of the best citizens of our community were drawn into the delusive net4 ,some of us1 in those days1 stood firm in the faith and employed every thinkable means to stamp out the nefarious cult2 and allow me to humbly say that had it not been for ,deacon ,gramps and me and a few other faithful ones1 our cause at that time would have been completely lost4 ,but ,i stand today1 my brethren1 as ,i have always stood--unalterably opposed to the program of the holiness movement4 ,first1 ,i oppose holiness itself--the doctrine that a man can live free from sin in this life4 ,how foolish1 how utterly ridiculous1 the idea4 ,we all sin4 ,our fathers sinned1 we sin1 and our posterity will sin4 ,do you see that streak of sunshine that comes in at the window and falls upon the floor8 ,see in the sunlighted atmosphere a million dust particles4 ,let the air represent our lives and let the dust particles represent our sins1 and you will have an idea as to how many sins we commit4 ,away with the holiness doctrine4 ,secondly1 ,i stand opposed to the doctrine of divine healing as taught by ,benton's outfit4 ,the days of miracles are past4 ,they ceased with the apostles4 ,jesus ,christ has no more power to heal me of sickness today than has the horse which ,i rode to church this morning4 ,in these days of great learning1 when men are able to cure diseases by medicine and surgery1 there is no need of divine healing1 and every man who claims to be healed by divine power makes himself an ignoramus and a liar4 ,away with this doctrine4 ,thirdly1 ,i stand opposed to the doctrine of oneness1 or unity1 as taught by ,benton and his disciples4 ,they lay great stress on this doctrine4 ,they say there is but one church and that when a man is converted he becomes a member of this one church4 ,brethren1 ,i do not believe this new doctrine4 ,i still hold to the faith of our fathers4 ,i believe that according to the ,scriptures we become members of the church by water baptism and by no other method4 ,brethren1 let us stand by the faith of those who have gone before4 ,we may be few in number1 but let us be unmoveable4 ,let us refresh our faith with thoughts of those whose lives have left sacred spots on the field of memory4 ,let us think on such men as ,preacher ,crookshank and ,deacon ,gramps1 who were noted for their courage in defending the faith4 ,as the noon hour is drawing near1 ,i must bring my sermon to a close4 ,tonight at seven-thirty ,i shall preach on a favorite subject of mine--the ,hellish ,heresy of ,holiness4 ,but1 in conclusion1 let me say that ,i still feel heavily the burden of fighting old man ,benton and his group4 ,i am growing somewhat gray1 but ,i'm still in the fight4 ,i aim to push the battle4 ,i believe that in defending his faith a man is justifiable in using almost any means imaginable4 ,let us pray3 ,lord1 we thank thee for this hour in which we have defended thy cause4 ,lord1 bless this church and curse those who seek its harm4 ,smite any person or persons in this community who seek to propagate false religion4 ,and now may the grace of ,jesus ,christ1 and the love of ,god1 and the communion of the ,holy ,ghost rest and abide with us now and forever1 amen4 ,so closed a service a picture of which today still hangs on the walls of the memory of those present4 ,how hidden is the path of one's future4 ,when ,preacher ,bonds mounted his sorrel horse at the church that noon-day1 just as he had done for many1 many years1 little did he think that the same sun which afforded him a chance to illustrate in his morning sermon the multiplicity of his own sins would1 before setting that day1 shine upon his lifeless form4 ,it so happened that day that ,preacher ,bonds invited one of his brethren home with him to dinner4 ,as he and this member1 who was a pillar in the church1 rode along the country road to ,bonds' home1 ,bonds gave the member a full outline of his intended sermon on the ,hellish ,heresy of ,holiness4 ,when the two men had reached the barn of the ,bonds' premises and had fed their horses they started for the house4 ,they were just passing in at the yard gate when ,preacher ,bonds staggered and fell to the ground4 ,he was carried into his house and placed on a cot1 and a doctor was called2 but within a half-hour from the time he fell at the gate his breath ceased and he began his eternity4 ,the doctor pronounced his death due to heart trouble4 ,there was no sermon at the church that night on the ,hellish ,heresy of ,holiness4 ,the following day ,bonds' remains were started on the journey to ,kentucky1 where burial took place at the old boyhood home4 ,with the passing of ,bonds the last candlestick was removed from ,mount ,olivet church4 ,bonds' sermon was the last one of the sin-you-must type preached there4 ,the church was entirely disbanded and the dilapidated building finally fell into the hands of those who came after ,jake ,benton4 ,in recent years the old church has been torn away and replaced by a beautiful white building surpassing even the former beauty of the old one4 ,over its door were written these words3 ,the ,church of ,god--the ,pillar and ,ground of the ,truth4 ,over the pulpit this motto hangs3 ,behold how good and how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity4 ,to the left on the wall are these words3 ,who forgiveth all our iniquities and healeth all our diseases4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,harry ,benton was a successful business man1 there was no question about that4 ,he was not known in the commercial world as a big man1 and he could not write out a check for a million dollars and give it to some charitable institution as some of the multi-millionaires can do1 but he was regarded by all who knew him as a successful business man4 ,he had a business in ,chicago that was thriving if not colossal4 ,from the income from this business he was able to own and maintain a beautiful and comfortable home in one of the residential districts of the great city4 ,it was his pleasure and privilege to give each year a few thousand dollars to the cause of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,harry was the second son of ,jake ,benton1 the backwoods holiness preacher of the ,ozarks4 ,at the age of twenty-one he had become the husband of ,eva ,gray1 who was two years younger than he4 ,this union had been a blessed happy one4 ,if all of ,chicago's homes were like that of ,harry ,benton1 it might well be nicknamed the ,paradise of ,america4 ,thrice the angel of blessings had visited this home1 decorating it each time with one of heaven's jewels in the form of a baby4 ,nolan ,benton1 the twelve-year-old boy1 had the name of his ,grandfather ,gray1 and he also had all the religious indications of his ,grandfather ,benton4 ,blanche was two years younger than ,nolan4 ,she fell heir to the blue eyes1 the ruddy cheeks1 the flaxen hair of her mother4 ,little ,jake1 the baby1 was five years old4 ,he inherited his ,grandfather ,benton's name and his ,grandfather ,gray's red hair4 ,one ,sunday morning when this happy family gathered around the breakfast table1 ,harry ,benton's appetite was absent4 ,he could not eat4 ,he steadfastly gazed through the east window of the beautiful dining room into the park which spread itself over several acres of ground just across the street from his home4 ,harry1 dear1 why do you not eat8 remarked his wife4 ,harry ,benton smiled1 but as he did so a tear glistened on his cheek4 ,for some reason1 he answered1 ,i awoke an hour before day this morning and memory insisted on taking me on a journey over the past and carrying me on a ramble through the scenes of my childhood1 and as ,i sit here the sight of those trees in the park remind me of old ,ozark's grand forests4 ,i like to think of those old scenes1 and by the way1 wife1 come to think about it1 it is three years this month since we were down home on a visit4 ,it doesn't seem possible that it is so long4 ,we get so absorbed with our business here in this big wicked city that the years flit by like dreams and we do not realize how long we have been away4 ,i should like to take a stroll this morning along the old creek where we boys used to swim4 ,i'd like to visit the old schoolhouse in the walnut grove where we used to spend so many idle hours4 ,three years ago when we were down there ,i visited that old schoolhouse4 ,it looked just about like it did twenty-five or thirty years ago1 when you and ,i were there4 ,i sat on the old limestone rock beneath the old locust-tree where we used to play dare base4 ,the old play ground is just the same4 ,there was the ballground where we used to play 'town ball4' ,the same old stone was there that we used for second base4 ,as ,harry ,benton thus spoke his wife and children listened intently1 and when the meal was finished and the ,bible was brought for the morning worship1 the whole family was in a serious frame of mind4 ,benton went on to say1 ,and when we talk of home scenes1 ,i always think of father and his godly influence upon my life4 ,as ,i look across the years1 ,i see myself an ignorant awkward country boy2 but there is one thing for which ,i shall always thank my ,god1 and that is that ,i was blessed with a ,christian father4 ,throughout the years his saintly life has been a benediction to me4 ,the most sacred picture that hangs on the wall of my memory is that of my father with the big family ,bible on his lap and all the children gathered around him and ,mother for the worship of his ,god4 ,well do ,i remember when he used to pray for us1 naming us out one by one and asking ,god to make us useful men and women4 ,and oh1 how he used to be persecuted by the ,mount ,olivet people4 ,well do ,i remember how one morning when ,father was on his way to milk your father's cows he was met by ,deacon ,gramps1 who beat him so shamefully4 ,that night in family worship ,father prayed so fervently and asked ,god to forgive ,gramps and save him from his wicked ways4 ,the impressions ,i received during those stirring days never will leave me4 ,i tell you1 ,eva1 it meant something for ,father to stand true as he did1 and ,i think heaven will be especially sweet to those who have suffered as he has suffered4 ,when he had left off speaking and the family knelt in prayer1 ,harry ,benton's voice trembled with emotion as he prayed for all those back home whom he remembered1 and especially for his father4 ,when the morning chores were done and ,harry ,benton started to the ,full ,salvation ,mission1 which mission he had superintended and supported for a number of years1 he was met on his front porch by a ,western ,union messenger boy1 who took from beneath his blue cap a slip of yellow paper and handed it to him4 ,this is how it read3 ,come1 ,father very low4 ,benton telephoned one of his brethren to take charge of the ,mission1 and after earnestly beseeching the ,lord to spare his father until his bedside could be reached1 he and his wife made hasty arrangements to start1 and were soon speeding across the fertile fields of ,illinois4 ,they crossed the mighty ,mississippi1 changed trains in ,st4 ,louis' big ,union ,depot1 and after a few hours' ride their train was gliding past old familiar scenes of bygone days4 ,dobbinsville1 ,dobbinsville1 shouted the porter as he thrust his face in at the door of the coach4 ,three short jerks at the signal cord--swish1 swish1 swish--back from the engine--t-oot-oot-oot--a sudden let-up in speed1 a screech of the airbrakes1 a bang of the door1 and the ,texas ,canon-,ball made one of its seldom stops at ,dobbinsville and ,harry ,benton and his family stepped to the platform4 ,a thirty-minute ride through the country in a neighbor's automobile and once more in life ,harry ,benton stepped foot upon the premises of his childhood4 ,his prayer had been answered4 ,his father seemed to be dying during the night1 but with the coming of morning he revived and regained consciousness4 ,when ,harry and ,eva entered the room where his father lay1 the old saint seemed as happy as a child and much rejoiced at seeing ,harry and ,eva and their babies1 who were the last of a great flock of sons and sons-in-law and daughters and daughters-in-law and grandchildren and great-grandchildren to arrive4 ,precious in the sight of the ,lord is the death of his saints4 ,since ,jake ,benton's conversion1 more than a quarter of a century previously to this time1 his life had been one continuous sermon--a sermon more eloquent than any ever preached from a pulpit4 ,but if the sermon of his life was eloquent1 that of his death was more so4 ,according to his simple philosophy1 life was just a sort of lodging-place beside the long road to eternity1 and death1 to him1 was not a leaving home1 but rather a starting for home4 ,when he gathered his loved ones about his bedside on the day following the arrival of ,harry and his family1 to say goodbye1 it was not the goodbye of one who was entering upon a dark and perilous journey to parts unknown1 but that of one sustained by an unfailing faith that he was entering upon an abode in the eternal mansion1 where he should wait but a brief period for the coming of those he loved4 ,just as the purple shadows of the ,october evening were lengthening1 the end was drawing near4 ,the hoary patriarch called his children all by name--,harry and ,eva1 ,joe and his wife1 ,albert and his wife1 ,nancy and her husband1 ,hannah and her husband1 and ,hattie1 the unmarried daughter yet at home--and they all gathered in the room where death was to be a guest4 ,the grandchildren1 happy and care-free1 unconscious of what life is and of what death means1 were called in from their places of play1 and told that ,grandpa was leaving them4 ,the little tots1 bless them1 came in and stood around the old-fashioned bedstead all unmindful of the significance of a meeting of time and eternity4 ,they gathered around and gazed into the old saint's face1 where death and life alternately wrote their names4 ,as they passed around one by one by the head of the bed1 the old man laid his withered hands upon each little head and pronounced his blessing4 ,then he began to talk4 ,if this is death1 he said1 it is a blessed thing to die4 ,the way has been long and the road rough1 at times1 but now it is all over4 ,i have suffered a few things for ,jesus' sake1 but how unworthy ,i have been of all the love ,he has shown me4 ,i have only one dying request to make of my loved ones1 and it is the same as my living request has been1 that you all live for ,god and meet me over there4 ,oh1 ,i am so happy4 ,how ,i love ,jesus1 and on ,his bosom ,i shall rest forever4 ,his voice grew fainter4 ,just one more step and ,i am there4 ,the loved ones hovered nearer4 ,a soft white hand was laid upon his brow4 ,it was the hand of ,hattie4 ,subdued sobs were heard about the room4 ,don't weep1 dear children1 he faintly murmured3 ,i am just passing into--,i see the darling's hands--no pale cheeks--how sweet--about my neck--this ,rose--,rose's ,savior ,papa's ,savior too4 ,let's go--4 ,he was dead--and blessed are the dead which die in the ,lord4 ,,the ,,end4