Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 20
August 1, 1968
NUMBER 13, PAGE 8c-9a

"Brother Jones Says"

Earl Kimbrough

After T. R. Burnett sold his Christian Messenger to the Gospel Advocate Company in 1894, he became a member of the Gospel Advocate's editorial staff and wrote a weekly column called "Burnett's Budget. Burnett's page was filled with pungent paragraphs on a wide range of subjects. Frequently he quoted an otherwise unidentified "Brother Jones." `Brother Jones," like Burnett, also spoke out on many subjects, sometimes occupying the role of "devil's advocate."

Here are a few of his comments with supplied headings:

Wagging Tongues. Brother Jones says that if there should be an epidemic of paralysis of the tongues of church members, it would be the greatest "work of grace" ever heard of in some sections.

A Woman to Pity. Brother Jones says his sympathy is not with the old maid, but it is with the poor woman who has a husband that is too trifling to live with, and not mean enough to get a divorce from.

Mistaken Identity. Brother Jones says some people have their patience and their indolence mixed till they do not know one from the other.

Fizzling Guns. Brother Jones says that our big guns sometimes go off half cocked.

Fence-Straddlers? Brother Jones says James made a mistake when he said the tongue is hard to bridle. He knows some politicians in Texas whose tongues are so well bridled they will not speak on any public question, and he knows some preachers whose tongues will not say organ or anti-organ, board or anti-board, society or anti-society. Is it not very remarkable?

The True Source of Gossip. Brother Jones says the man who repeats what "they say" generally says it himself.

Sparing the Rod. Brother Jones says many a boy has gone off the track because of a misplaced switch.

Tobacco in the Worship. Brother Jones says, in justification of the use of tobacco in church worship, that he cannot keep awake unless he chews and spits during service. Like some of the brethren that cannot keep the pitch of the tune unless the organ is going, Brother Jones cannot keep the pitch of the sermon unless his mouth is going.

(Gospel advocate, various issues, 1894-1898.) 707 S. Appletree St., Dothan, Ala. 36301