Old Uncle Jimmie was spending
some time at our house in 1847 when
they received a special invitation to
Cherry Hill and my father agreed to
take me with him. When we arrived
we found Mr. McDuffie lying on a
couch and very nervous (he had then
been an invalid from a wound re
ceived in a duel which occurred about
fifteen years before). After some
moments spent in compliments, Mc-
Duffie said? “Well, boys, I’ve sent
for you to know how this great racket
about the division of the Methodist
Episcopal Church will end. Is it not
the entering wedge to divide the
North and South politically on the
same lines'!” My father hoped not,
said he believed the conservative in
fluence of the church would cause the
two sections to compromise their dif
ferences or separate in peace by mu
tual consent. Uncle Jimmie said that
,5f all fanatics were dead that might
happen. McDuffie in the meantime,
had taken two or three drinks from a
long .bottle, excusing himself with a
merry smile by quoting from the dis
cipline of the Methodist church the
clause, “Except in cases of necessi
ty.” Then Uncle Jimmie, in his fine
falsetto voice, inquired, “What do
you think of it, George?” McDuf
fie raised himself to a sitting posture
and said, “I’m afraid we have waited
too long. We would have settled this
fifteen years ago had it not been for
Henry Clay’s poultices and Daniel
Webster’s amazing magnetic influence
over Southern members.” Then ris
ing to his feet and standing out in
the middle of the floor, McDuffie
seemed to become a young man. Hi*
eyes, which were coal black, glowed
like two furnaces, electric flashes
played over his face like lightning
over an evening cloud. He said as
near as I can remember:
“Gentlemen, the churqh has al
ways raised more hell than the world
could digest. This division is the
first gun of the greatest war of mod
ern times. We will fight for life
while the infernal yankees will fight
for power. If they succeed, they
will centralize the government upon
the Hamiltonian plan, they will free
the nigger and enfranchise him. We
will be dependents upon their mercy.
