PICTURESQUE PREACHING.

Northland Age, Volume IV, Issue 49, 27 July 1908, Page 8

PICTURESQUE PREACHING.

JONAH AND DE WHALE. By a Negro Parson, in “Chat.” The Rev. Ebenezer Thistledown is a popular preacher in America, and wo make no apology for reproducing a sermon recently delivered by him, so picturesque and original is it. “It am of great importance," he said, “dat do human race now creepin’ rqund about diß little ball, called de earth, should, at all times, be ready for enny emerge-ancy, which in de course of human events am more dan likely to swoop down on us at enny time or enny hour of de glorious day or de sol-um night time. ! ‘I 'specially wants ter impress on de members of dis congregation de great fact, dat to be successful and happy in dis vale of tears, dis hard and cruel world, you must everlastingly be prepared to—rise to de occasion. “I is gwine to deliber four lectures on the subject just mentioned and to illustrify some shinin’ examples of perfect risin' to de occasion. I will cull from de lives of de four most notorious and sublime characters dat de pages of ■ ancient or modern history contaminates. .“De great names I'm alludin' at am : Jonah and de whale, a fish story, or three days in a houseboat without rudder qr sails ; Sampson de great—physical culture as a fine art, or de man with de iron arm ; David and Gerlier, a study in geolqgy, or despise not small things ; Noah and his ark, or dfe world's greatest sailor and first weather prophet. “To-night my discourse is on Jonah and de whale. Next Sunday night and followin' in consecutious order de udder lectures will be examplified.

“A»d now my brudders and sistahs, I will not consult your intellygenge by axin’ if you am familiar in de modest sense of de word, with de thrillin' story of Jonah and de whale. What Jonah's udder name was and whedder de whale was a sperm or a ordinary sulphur bottqm, or just a sizeable catfish, sacred and perfane history am strangely silent. “De fact, howsoever, stands out* clear cut and oblivious, like a rat in de meal barrel, dat when dey cast Jonah overboard, the—whale —was — dar ! No question 'bout dat, and as large as life and twice as natural. And when he saw Jonah a cornin’ frew de air he riz to de occasion with his peripathetic roomin'-house and took Jonah in and no questions asked.

“After three days the whale began to feel uneasy like. It was all about de gentleman occupyin' room No 1. Do big levierthan now questioned de wisdom of takin’ in a stranger without needer referentials or baggage. So he decided to axe his lone lodger to pay up or git out. “It seems that just about this time Jonah was inakin’ a great war aboqt his aocommaydations, and de outlook from his rqom, for he had been given an inside room .with dreadful poor light and no lock on de doah. So he made up his mind dat he wouldn’t stand dis no longer, but would move to a hotel of mpre pretentions. So he thought the best thing to do was to kick ! So he started in on de furnicure and kicked and banged it around de room and in a loud and angry voice began spoutin' about de one hqss hotel and de poor table service. De whale heard Jonah spoutin’ below decks, so he just naturally floated up to de top qf de watah and went to spoutin’ hisself, as only a whale can do dis little stunt. “De climax was about to occur, to take place, or in de langwidge of de poet, come to a head. It came,, it saw, it conquered. De whale riz to de occasion. Jonah riz to de same occasion-, a kind of mutdal syrnultaneous affair, only dat Jonah riz a little faster and a little higher don de whale did and shot out through de front doah of dat old houseboat and landed kerslam on his back under a green bay tree and directly ..went into the land of Nod.

“I will leave de applycation of de text to de story just excommunicated to your own mental discriptitude and profound non compus menticus."