In South Carolina. 421 



Irishes an entire list of the furniture. In the yard was 

 a small shanty of one room for a kitchen, and another 

 still smaller for a store-room, or meat-house, or I know 

 not what. We used it, small as it was, for an omnium 

 gather um. And I repeat, so far was I from complain- 

 ing, that I even exulted in this poverty. For a man 

 to be inferior to his circumstances, I thought, might 

 be a humiliation indeed, but I could see no reason to 

 be mortified at what others had imposed on a pure 

 conscience. And I have a vivid recollection of receiv- 

 ing company and seating them on that long bench 

 with as perfect ease of manner as I might have done 

 if they had called on me at a tent at a camp-meeting, 

 where nothing better was to be expected. In particu- 

 lar, I remember to have felt something more than 

 bare self-possession when, being waited on by a joint 

 committee of the two houses of the Legislature, with 

 a request to preach to that honorable body, and per- 

 ceiving that my bench might hold their honors, I in- 

 vited them to be seated on it, while I took a chair be- 

 fore that presence, feeling to look as if I did not lack 

 good-breeding. And I had a feeling, too, as if not a 

 man of them need be mortified by a seat so humble as 

 was that pine bench. What was the bench to them ? 

 and what was the bench to me? They could occupy 

 it with dignity, and so might I, either that or my half- 

 backed chair. 



" The general position of the Methodists as a denomi- 

 nation was exceedingly humble. They were the poorei 

 of the people. The preachers had been raised up from 

 among that people, and, in worldly respects, were still 

 as they were. Every thing about the denomination 

 partook somewhat, perhaps much, of the cast of pov- 

 erty. The preachers generally wore very common 



