The daily gazette., 1883-03-17
rnor-wAsaING.
A Peculiar Religious Custom Confined TO
tho soulh aud Weet.

rst. Louis Repuhlican.A
'sYou never saw f8ot-washlpg s'' said
the Rev Joseph Bowen, Baptist minister
IRON Tennessee, 10 . reporter Then you
could not have Travelled much In the baek1
woods sections of the South and West.
remember seeing one at Randolph, Tenn,
in June, 1877. Randolph is in Hppon
county, ON the Mississippi bluffs. | had to
stay there over Sunday. and learning that
there was a NEE ting at Salem church, SIX
miles away, borrowed horse and rode 70
the place. The church, built of logs, with
the cracks daubed, sat back about lOU
wards from the road In the middle OF
grove. Inside the seats were already well
illled, and every head in the church turned
IS / entered. shrank into afcorner and
took a seat as quickly as possible. In iront
there were few benches made OF unyar-
nished poplar, but the supply falling
short the demand had been met by
planks laid or boxes. On one OF
these / sat down next TO a portly lady,
dressed IN a cotton gown with broad yellow
checks. The minister had well-earned his
reputation Of being powerful exhorter,
as found when he commenced his sermon.
AS he warmed to bis work be walked
rapidly from side to side Of the pulpit, stop
ping occasionally, as in laundering voice
be warned his unconverted hearers that they
were hanging over hell-flre by a single
hair to deal resounding blows to the Bible
with his fist by way of emphasis. When he
concluded he took long crash towel and
oirded It around his waist. At the side oi
| the pulpit was a bucket of water and &
'poggin.' II you don't happen TO knew
what noggin is may explain that 1t Is
small tub size larger than piggin. Thii
one had been constructed by saving
whiskey keg in half When the preache
commenced pouring water into 1t an OLE
gentleman In the amen corner commence'
pulling of his brogans and rolling up tn
bottoms of his trousers.
"'Will some brother raise hymnp aske'
the minister, and the brother, who now ha'
his shoes off and was engaged with hi
home knit cotton socks, raised one
Am Soldier of the Gross, and as the con
Gregation Joined he put both feet in tn
noggin, which had been set before him
The preacher squatted down In front o
him, rubbed his hands around over the fee
and up and down his shiDs half way to til
knee When the brother thought they wer
washed enough he held them up out OF til
water, and the parson wiped them on tn
crash towel. Then the parson sat down
and, having pulled off his shoes, had hi
J feet washed by the brother to whom he ha
Just ministered. All who wished to join /
the ceremony had taken possession OF tn
front seats-the mourners' benches. Anon
those who had gone up had been the port
: sister by whom | sat- The noggin came
her next and she washed the feet of I'll
sister next TO her. having her own washe
in turn. When all the feet on the froI
seat had been bathed the water in I'll
noggin was emptled out the back door an
fresh supply brought in from the we
7 near the church. The noggin passed aroun
/ from brother to brother and from sister
sister for an hour, and in that time | sa
more varieties of feet than | have ever see
before or since"