seized with a convulsive jerking all over and the more they resisted the more they jerked. If they would not strive against, and prayed in good earnest, the jerking would usually abate. Cartright says that he has seen more than 500 persons jerking at one time in his large congregations. Ususally, persons taken with the jerks, to get relief as they said, would rise up and dance, some would try to run away but could not, some would resist, and on such the jerks were very severe. To see those proud young gentlemen and young ladies dressed in their silks and jewelry and gew-gaws from top to toe take the jerks would often excite Cartright's risibilities. The first jerk or so you would see those fine bonnets, caps and combs fly and so sudden would be the jerking of the head that their long loose hair would crack almost as loud as a waggoner's whip.

At one of Cartright's appointments in 1804 a very large congregation had turned out to hear the Kentucky Boy, as he was formally called, among the rest were two finely dressed and fashionable ladies attended by their two brothers with loaded horsewhips. Althought the house was large it was crowded. The two ladies coming in late took their seats near Cartright and their brothers near the door. Cartright was not feeling well and had a vile of peppermint in his pocket. Before he commenced preaching he took out the vial and swallowed a little of the peppermint, while he was preaching the congregation melted to tears, the two young men moved off to the yard fence and both of the young ladies took the jerks and were greatly mortified.

As Cartright dismissed the meeting a man stepped up to him and warned him to be on his guard for he had heard the two brothers say that they would horsewhip him for giving their sisters the jerks. "Well," said Cartright, "I'll see about that." He went out and said to the young men, "I understand you intend to horsewhip me for giving your sis ters the jerks?" One replied they did. Peter undertook

to expostulate with them on the absurdity of the charge against him, but they swore he need not deny it, for they had seen him take out of his pocket a vial in which he carried some truck that gave their sisters the jerks. Quick as a thought it came to his mind how he could get clear of the whipping, and jerking out the peppermint vial said: "Yes, if I gave your sisters the jerks I will give then to you.” In a moment he saw they were scared. Cartright moved toward them and they backed, as Cartright advanced they wheeled and ran warning Cartright not to come near them or they would kill him. It raised the laugh on them and Cartright escaped the whipping.

JUDGE OF HUMAN NATURE

Cartright was a fine judge of human nature, he could read a man's character by the time he got acquainted with him hence he had a different way of dealing with the various characters he met with. There was one way he had with dealing with preachers who read their sermons, he believed that if God called a man to preach he would furnish him with something to say. "Open thy mouth and I will fill it," or "it shall be given you that how and what you shall say."

Fancy John Wesley reading one of his sermons. Fancy Christ reading his sermon on the mount. Fancy Peter preaching his pentacostal argument by manuscript. Fancy Felix making his eloquent argument by note. Fancy all of the witnesses in all ages. Fancy presiding elder spending about six hours' at an appointment preaching a short essay that perhaps was borrowed and holding two quarterly meetings in a week leaving home Saturday morning and getting back Monday evening and then wanting about thirty dollars for the work that was worth two dollars and a half, and then compare their work with Cartright's that would make the rounds of his district in six weeks. Preaching from seven

to ten times a week and not getting on an average a dollar a day. It is no wonder that the "power has left the church and that the pastor can preach the whole winter and his words fall like water on a duck's back without leaving any impression. Another common amusement of the present day is church fairs, church entertainments, where the church and the world meet on a common level, where the church lays aside her ecclesiastical toga and says lay there till I drink in this feast the world has prepared for me. In Cartright's time it was always in the guise of a dance. How he managed one of these gatherings is illustrated by the following anecdote.

CARTRIGHT AT A DANCE

He was once traveling through Kentucky and stopped at a country tavern and asked to stay all night. The landlord told him he could but he was afraid he could not enjoy himself as there was to be a dance there that night. Peter asked how far it was to the next house and was told it was seven miles. Cartright told him if he would feed his horse well and treat him civilly he would stay. Being assured of that he dismounted and went in. The people came in large companies. There was not much drinking going on.

Peter took his seat in one corner of the house and the dance commenced. He sat quietly musing, greatly desiring to preach the next day. After concluding to spend the Sabbath there he asked the privilege to preach there on the morrow. A tall and beautiful young lady now approached him with pleasant winning smiles, asked him to dance with her. He, in a moment resolved on a desperate experiment. He rose as gracefully as he could with many emotions. The young lady moved to his right side. He grasped her right hand with his right, while she leaned her left arm on Cartright's; in this position they walked on the floor, the

whole company seemed pleased at this act of politeness shown the stranger. A colored man, who was the fiddler, began to put his fiddle in good order.

Cartright then spoke to the fiddler to hold on a moment and said that for several years he had not undertaken any matter of any importance without asking the blessing of God upon it and now he desired to ask the blessing of God upon the beautiful young lady and the whole company who had shown such acts of politeness upon a perfect stranger. He here grasped the young lady's hand tightly and said, "let's all kneel down and pray," and then dropping on his knees commenced to pray with all the power of soul and body he could command. The young lady tried to get away, but he held her tight; presently she fell on her knees. Some of the company knelt, some looked curious, some sat still, the colored fiddler ran out in the kitchen saying, "Lord, O Massy, what's de matter! What dat mean?"

While Cartright prayed some wept aloud and some cried for mercy. He rose from his knees, and commenced to exhort, after which he sang a hymn. The young lady, who had invited him on the floor, lay prostrate and was crying for mercy. He exhorted, sang and prayed nearly all night. About fifteen professed that night. The meeting lasted the next day and night and as many more were converted. Now, this condition of affairs would not be tolerated in some places. A man with such a bold manner of combating, the popular sin of dance, would be laughed at to scorn or be mobbed by the crowd whose designs he had flustrated. It was in politics that he had great power with men. Born a Jackson Democrat, when the Whigs and Democrats, both bowed their knee to slavery, he was an active worker in the Democratic party, both were proslavery alike. Cartright was elected to the Legislature twice over Abraham Lincoln.

NO

Of this he speaks with some pride, though when Lincoln el beat him for Congress he does not say much about it. We

can explain this, that Cartright generally came out ahead in everything he undertook. It was his victories that he talked of, not his defeats. After his defeat for Congress, he sank out of the political horizon and did not appear again till treason's dark and damning cloud appeared to darken the horizon, did he make himself appear as a flaming torch. He canvassed the state as a war Democrat, preaching with the people to stand by the Government and Abraham Lincoln.

A FATAL ACCIDENT

While Cartright was moving to Illinois an accident occurred to his third daughter and she was instantly killed. His wagon was overturned and came near killing his oldest daughter. After righting up the wagon they concluded to camp for the night on the spot, as they were very tired. After getting things righted up and the evening being very warm, they concluded not to stretch their tent for the night, so a fire was kindled at the root of a small tree, the tree appeared to be sound. They all lay down and slept soundly.

Just at daybreak the tree, at the root of which they had kindled the fire, fell, and it fell directly on his third daughter, and it is supposed she never breathed afterward. Cartright heard the tree when it started to fall and sprang up very much alarmed and seized the tree before it struck the child but it availed nothing. Although it was an awful calamity, yet, if they had stretched their tent that night the way the tree fell, it would have killed the whole family. The tree was sound on the outside to a thickness of a carving knife, but the inside had dry rot. Cartright sent his teamster to those living near by for aid, but not a soul would come nigh. The teamster and Cartright went to cutting the tree off the child, and carefully drew the child out. Cartright laid her in the feed trough and moved on twenty miles.