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About The Albany register. (Albany, Or.) 1868-18?? | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1873)
VOLUME V. ALBANY, ORKSOX, tfARCH 7, 1878. NO. 27. AN OBKWKS 8KKT4H. i .JThe world relishes, as a change from the morbid sentimentality and tame experience of the every-day life, vivid picturing of the border, sketches ot society on the frontier, and characterization of men and the ways of men who are taught by Nature while engaged m taming her wilds. T hey learn such of her secrets as arc hidden from sight where Nature's ways have already been tamed and trained. Oregon has lately appointed as commissioner ot emigration to the Eastern States and Europe a man whose life has been full of romances of the most exciting character; whose education was effected un trammeled by schools, and whose family, taken m the aggregate, pos sess an uncommon combination of originality, eccentricity, ami genius General E. L Apple-gate was born in Missouri, and went to school there two days when eight years old, leaving school suddenly, with a lock of his teacher's hair, taken as a memento of a brush-broom that was used by the pedagogue to enforce his rulings. His education was conducted by his mother, but at fourteen, the family having long before removed to Oregon, Lish was again sent to school, but with no better success. He declined to learn over the les sons taught by his mother, and was the hero of another rencounter. That was a quarter of a century since, but he used in those early days to take long rides through sparsely settled Oregon to get books, and greedily devoured all that came in his way. Thus he was educated and became a devotee of learning, pursuing his studies in the wilder ness, and mingling the wonders of nature he could see with the wonders 4 art and science of which he read. It is not strange that he developed into an original thinker and a mix ture of crudely cultivated thought and as crudely uncultivated ways and words. When the Lincoln campaign ot 1860 came Applegate was young and enthusiastic, and plunged into the fray with gleaming cimetar as a champion of f reedom. The wit and the argument were so eccentric that he drew crowds and wou extrava gant applause His bmi mots were quoted as freely by tliose at whose expense they were uttered as by his friends. In Southern Oregon, right abreast of the California line, which is rep resented by the frowning crest of Jihe Siskiyou mountains, is the Itogue River valley, a region that comes in fitly between the clouds of tlie northern valleys and the sunny .skies of the Golden State where the rich phtcers and quartz veins are abundant in the mountains and along the Ktretins, reminding one of California, while the most fertile plains known in 'the line of coast valleys are to be found bordering the strcamsand occupied by delight ful and cultivated homes, where orcliards and fields arecoiicomijtants of our most distant civilization. Bear creek sends its waters through a delightful little tributary vale ten miles long and from one to two miles wide into Rogue River valley, and its settlers are among the most prosperous of all that region, as is testified by their nice farm houses and improvements. To this delightful region liad come a brother of the Hard Shell Baptist rsuasion, whose powers of per suasion and assertion had founded a thrifty chuteh, to which be minis tered with great force and faith. Me was a fair specimen of the class who penetrate the nooks of creation, carrving the Gospel with them and making it a living principle among new scenes of civilization. He jueached doctrine; and, like every other Baptist, his voice was heard crying in the wilderness, and his text continually was water! water! He was successful as a controver sialist So much so that he became a terror to the advocates of sprink ling, and placed many of tbem horn de cotnbat in gallant tourna ments. It came at last that the most energetic Methodist avoided him, aud the circuit was abandoned to the Hard (Shell champion. For a while the resident Metho dists were seen in attendance on his preaching, for they believed in re ligion even if had to be taken in a great deal of water, but they be came dissatisfied ai.d finally sent for a champion whose power to sus tain the efficiency of sprinkling was proverbial, and then they in formed Brother Hill that his stand ing challenge would be accepted, and that lie might get his lance in rest for another bout. The news that there was to be a debate at the Bear Creek school house was received with great in terest far and near. It flew to Jacksonville, Ashlaud, and Phoenix, aud every farmer and miner for twenty miles around heard of it a week beforehand. About this time Applegate ar rived on his electioneering mission and had a hearing at the school house. He had been raised in south ern Oregon, and everybody knew "Lish," and his quaint wit and knock-down jokes made even his abolition logic palatable, for Jack son county was, and is yet, any. thing but a Republican stronghold. The great debate was to come off soon, and being tired with his labors and willing to endure a rest, Applegate concluded to stay over and attend it The beautiful au- turun day came that was to see the discussion, and the interest that had preceded it bore abundant fruit. The old farmer came rolling up in his farm wagon, or hack, and some of the lucky ones who had become enriched by orchards when apples were wonn ten dollars a bushel came in fine carriages. Fine horses were the rule, for Jackson county ever was and is, and will be, proud of its horses. The gallant miner who had "struck it rich" was there in style. He had ridden to some adjoining town, engaged some belle of the place and hired a livery team, utterly regard less ot expense. and in store clothes and plug hat was doing his best devoir. The less prosperous knight of the pick and shovel was there, on his cay use, escorting a good-looking country girl, who giggled as the city belle and her stylish beau came in. Then, there were cattle-herders from the hills around : young men who knew "all the pints of a critter," and watched the market to buy beet steers to drive to California. These came tike a whirlwind, gallanting some jrirl who was able to ride with any cavalier, and especially faneied one whose broad-brimmed Panama hat had such a wide rib bon for a streamer; wIk wore leather leggings, aud whose spurs were rigged with tells that broke the silent echoes and drowned his confidential whispers in her praise. 1 hey were all there from far and near, not excepting the old miner, whose trowsersof stout duck rattled a he walked, m The school-house was delightful, ly situated on a wooded knoll be side Hear creek, and the black oaks made a majestic shade around it. J hey served as support for the children's swings, ana upheld from their top branches mighty grajie vines that had furnished fruit tor the red men before the "Bostons" had come to claim the red man's lands Large granite boulders cropped out liere and there among f he oaks like old Druid altars, as if this spot had bean consecrated to worship from the earliest time. The great California and Oregon stage road went past the school house to climb the mountains, for the Siskiyou range was right ahead, and its lesser spurs came down on each side, and made the beautiful valley of which I write, and on the very summit of the Siskiyou waste be seen Pilot Koak, rising a thous and feet prone and precipitous above the Very mountain summit There was never a more romantic region discovered, nor ever a more enter prising people therein. It was won. derful how rich was the soil of its valleys, and very wonderful was the treasure of gold that caused the miners to delve and dig in search of fortune. Tlie sehool-house loon filled, the doors and windows were displaced to give a chance to the crowd with out, who sat under1 the black oak boughs or clustered at the openings, determined to hear a fair share of the important debate on a subject that has unsettled fhe minds and tempers of theoldgpna since bap tism was preached tip fallen man. In one corner of fte school-house sat the combative Baptist, longing for the tray. Around M were piled his books and authorities, the weapons of his Christian chivalry, with which he had won many a victory. He was a brawny veteran, with a red head, a red, freckled face, and a neck that laid in wrink les, and he was burly between the shoulders and the ears. The meeting organized with County Judge Tkllmau as chair man, and the audience chose a jury to decide the issuemen of judg ment, some of them looking dila pidated, miners whi were "down on their luck "ighftng cm the underside," but known to be men ot sense, if not children ot fortune. All was ready, and the audience sat in suspense that wrought silence. This became tearful, and ended in whispers. The circuit rider had not come. Sprinkling had no ad vocate, and the case must go by default The men looked forlorn ; the women, who are always the true church pillera, tat determined and unyielding. jSbme of them cast glances toward where, Apple gate sat. He had come with a Methodist girl. Wouldn't he lock horna with brother Hill in defense of sprinkling? The question was propounded to him, and he con sented. Among his books he had studied the Bible critically, and gathering several copies of the sacred word, lie gave one into the hands of each of the sisters who taught Sunday school and spoke in class-meeting, and bade them search for passages in the Old Testament of which he had recollection, In ten minutes his preparation was made, and he was on the floor. Claiming rights as the challenged party he insisted ou dictating the rules. 7'he only book of reference was to be the Bible. Brother Hill was to open and to affirm his prop osition, and the debate was to con tinue until the challenger wasiatis. tied, each to occupy the same length of time. This was agreed to, and the judge decided that Hill must affirm and prove that plunging or immersion was the true and only baptism. Then followed a long aud powerful speech in favor of baptism by immersion, which great ly elated the fVluds of that faith, and wade them quite jubilant. His opponent, in a ten-minutes speech, claimed that the New Testa meut did not define baptism, be- j cause it had been already defined j in the previous Scriptures, and he professed to be able to sIhw by the old Scriptures that baptism should be performed by sprinkling s j This brought from Brother IJill a pewerfel onslaught, in which he dared him to show such Scripture, and after a continuation of the de bate he became so bold as to de clare that no such Scripture as Ap plegate referred to could be found, and thundered anathemas against sucn as asserted it His powerful thundering seemed to sweep away an opposition He closed with an assurance that if any such indorse ment of "sprinkling" could be found in the Old &ripture he would own himself wrong and never preach apin. The effect of his adjuration was fearful. Baptists were rejoicing, Methodists were de jected, and a great sensation per vaded the whole audience. Even the stripling's friends feared be was annihilated, but he rose with declaration that he could sup port his words, and, naming chap ter and verse, he asked the chair man to read. 7' he Judge opened the Bible at the place indicated, and lead the passage which Apple- gate claimed was the forerunner of baptism, where the people before the altar were symbolically purified and regenerated in spirit by sprink ling with hyssop. He followed this up powerfully in his turn, showing how sprinkling was the symbol of purification in the ancient customs, and that baptism in the same form was the natural sequence under the teachings of Christ. , , I tear he mystified his audience some when he described baptism as "either abstract or concrete," and, by cunning illustration, claimed the Israelites, who crossed the Red sea dry shod, moistened only by the showers of Heaven, as the illustra tion of the concrete article, while he held up as the abstract example the case of the Egyptians who fol lowed them and were plunged un der with a vengeance and sent to perdition.' T'he tide of feeling began to turn as the yodng orator went on with his quaint theology and origi nal theory, and it was at full flood when he recited the promise of Brother Hill never to preach again if his word was disproved. Bother Hill perceptibly shuddered as he warned him that his word was dis proved, and he must expect to brave the wrath of God if lie ever preached agaiu. The warning sounded almost like an imprecation, aud he sat down in a silence that was finally broken by the unani mous verdict of the jury that the doctrine of baptism by sprinkling bad been sustained. The tournament was over, Broth er Hill was disarmed and unhorsed by such a stripling as slew Goliah. He came around to preach after ward, but his audience consisted of only five, and thou none came after ward to hear him, and his glory was departed, his prestige gone. Our OregoniaiiR don't appreciate defeat any more than do the rest of the world, and they wrote "loha- bod"' over their soul-portrait ot Brother Hill. Turning from theological argu ment to practical illustration, the preacher built a saw-mill on one of the streams near by, and the time came when the work was done and sawing was to commence. It had rallied heavily in the mountains, and the stream was high, bnt when they went to start work it was al most dry, standing in pools. 7'hey wondered and waited for three days, and the third night they heard a Itooming, crashing sound tliat was fearfully suggestive of disaster. The dawn of day showed that the floods had swept down from the nioun- tail, torn the mill. from its founda tioiyt, aud, ground it to pieces among the nicks lielow. A land-slide from mac ridge above had choked the stream until the accumulation ot flood had swept away the barrier and all ejre jtlmt was in its way. Then BrotJieHilJ BWgty Apple- gate in his home and told him the story, and, with a humility that was truly Christian, owned that he saw in it the hand of God that punished him for breaking his word, and attempting to preach after his defeat, and, with admirable faith and devotion, he said he loved God better for having endured his chas-. tisement and learned that He was. ever present to assert His troth. 8.A.C, It Bellttom Aspect, The following is the closing part of Mr. Claggetts' speech, delivered in Congress not long since, on the Mormon problem. The religious phase of the question he disposes ot in a manner both eloqueut and summary : Mr. Speaker, I could go on for an hour speaking on this question, but I will simply say one thins in conclusion. I have studiously avoided, both on yesterday and to. day, saying anything upon what is called the religious phase of this Mormon question, but whenever you touch it all discussion will in some manner or other iuseniibly glide into this so called question of religion ; therefore, 1 am pot siir. prised that my friend from Utah should make his pathetic appeal to the House upon this ground. Ah I am, as it were. m into m consideration, I will merely say that the plea ot religion is no tea, son why this matter should not be investigated, nor why the ordinary laws which regulate and protect the rights ot person, property, liberty and reputation in all oivihaed conn. tnes upon the face of the earth, should not lie put into exercise in Utah, An institution which pro- finely claims to rule by divine right; which by affirmative law--, concocted with deliberate canning, denies to us all those privileges which we have been taught to be lieve are our most precious birth, right as American citizens ; which forcibly expels us from the public domain; which pries into the se crets of the fireside ; which enforces its decrees by assassination ; which tears the crown jewel from the dia dem of woman's purity, and takes from her tho holy bond which hon ors her in all the nations of the earth ; which has elevated lechery to the dignity of a religious dogma, and bums incense upon the altars of an unhallowed lust ; and above all, and as a crime against the future, which ages of forgiveness cannot condone nor the waters of ocean wash out, which yearly writes in letters that blister as they tall, the word "bastard across the branded brows of an army ot little children such an institution is not enti tled by any right, either human or divine, to hide the hideous deformi ty of its nakedness with the mantle of religion nor seek shelter under the protecting tegis of the civil law. Applause 7he white of an egg is said to be a specific tor fish-bones sticking in the throat It is to be swallow ed raw, and will carry down a bom! easily and certainly. There is an other fact touching eggs, which it will be well to remember. When, as sometimes by accident, corrosive sublimate is swat owed, the white of one or two eggs taken will neu tralize the poison and change the effect to that of a dose of calomel. A South Leavenworth, Kansas, dog rides his tiled with as much vim aud enjoyment as any boy in town. He drags his sled up hill, gets on aud slides down, to the envy of less accomplished canines, There are 56 farmers in the Iowa legislature.' 1 " . f-j" it..