An Ancient Walk.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 180, 30 October 1880, Page 2

An Ancient Walk.

Pedestrianism Extraordinary. The Greatest Walk on Record.

Bearing upon the walking mania, the following comes apropos:— Brother Bell, of the Colored Bethel Congregation, a few nights since at n prayer-meeting, took occasion, in the course of an exhortation upon the duties of life, to fire a passing shot at the walking mania, now so prevalent, and developed some facts in relation to pedestrian feats, that seem hitherto to have escaped notice. He says;— “My beloved bredren and sisters, — Bar is one ting I’m bound to say to you befo’ I close de exercises dis nite, dat is, don’t you take no stock in dis here walkin’ business. Let dem wite men and wimmin alone. Don’t you spen your money or your precious time runnin’ round after them; and for the Lord’s sake an’ your own, don’t you try to make fools of yourself by tryin’ to do likewise. You men will find plenty of exercise in attendin’ to your work, an’ you wimmin anuff to do over wash-tubs and nussin’ your babes, instead of trampin’ roun’ an’ roun’ de sawdust, day on an’ day off, jiss to please a passel of fools, an’ ruin your own holf. Besides, me b’lovod frens, all de braggiu’ that dey does about their ‘ long walks,’ ‘ long times,’ and what de call 1 fizzikle ondooinse,’ ain’t woth shucks when you come to compar’ dem wid one pufformance dat took place thousands ob years ago; and de reason dey don’t mention it is bekase no of these ‘ sportin’ folks ’ eber read the Bible. Well, I’ll tell you what it wuz —an’ it’s de greatest ‘ sportin’ match,’ as dey oils it, dat ever come off on de face of dis yearf. None ob your hippodrum bisniss heah ! No sah ! No sah!' Fair heel-an’-toe walkin’—judges appointed, track measured, time kep’ (accordin’ to the Skripturs) and a rec-kord made—ye, an’ a rec-kord dat can’t be denied, ’cause it is—yes, here it is, in dis preshus Book! Now, jest turn ober your Bibles, my frens, and look at lift chapter of Genesis,, twenty-second vuss, an’ what do you fine ? Why you fine that Enoch walked—wid God! (after he begatted Mecfoosaly) 300 years ! Three—hundred—years ! Dar wuz a walk for you ! Jess shut yo’ eyes, and ’fleet on it! Three hundred years ! Besides de reckord says dat when de old man made dat match, an’ had dat chile (who kept on livin’ until he was 969 years ole—monsus good stuff in family !) —I say when de old man made dat match an’ had dis chile, he was sixty-five year ob age an’ den walked three—hundred—years ! Talk ’bout your ‘ fizzikle ondoorinse’ arter dat ! Why, de ole man has done laid all ob dese now-a-days-blowers as flat as a dead shad.”