River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-08-16
Feet Washing in Kentucky-A
RemlniScence,
Con Francisco RulIetin

| San Francisco Bulletin.
In the southern part OF Kentucky, be-
fore the war, the "hard- shell' Baptists
were accustomed to hold their camp
meetings in The big groves of walnut,
| hickory and oak trees which abound
| throughout that region.
At these gatherings, the ceremony Of
fleet washing" (Which they claimed our
| Lord himself had instituted and com
manded His followers to perpetuate)
was usually a part of the ceremonies.
| When it was known among the soft
shell outsiders that this rite was ION the
programme for the day, crowds of the
curious came to the camp grounds ito
see the fun" as the boys called it.
1t was somewhat of satire, however,
upon the lesson of humility which our
| Lord sought to inculcate when He Him.
| self had washed the feet OF His disciples,
| 10 observe upon these occasions, that the
| feet washers were invariably chosen
| from among the good old coloIed breth-
rem and sisters of 'hard-shell" persua-
sion, and never by any mistake from
| the "white folks" who formed the large
majority of the membership. Whether,
under these circumstances, the latter
we're as much benefited as it was in
| tended they should be by the ceremony
| remains to this day question in our
minds. Their feet were washed, to be
sure, but some old aunty with a towel
siung over her shoulder and her basin
of water did the humility" part of the
business. The ceremony on their part
| onsisted simply in dipping the bare
| feet into the basin presented to them,
when it was dried with towel by the
kneeling "foot washer" who passed
down between the benches, taking each
of the members in turn as she came to
| them, nor making any delay, as all were
supposed to be ready to perform their
part of the ceremony as she reached
| them.
"Aunt Melindy," "a quaint old col
ored woman. black as the ace of spades,
but with a faith founded upon the fac :,
| that "John went down into the water,
and belief that nothing else could suf-
! fee for the rest of us) was a member of
| this church. AS usual, upon these occa-
| sions, she was conspicuous among the
| footwashers, as she came down the aisle
| with her brilliant bandana handkerchief
arranged In towering peak about her
head, her basin in her hand and clean
white towel thrown over her shoulder.
| We sat with party OF young iolks upon
| the first bench behind the members
over whose pedal publication Aunt Me-
Indy had charge. When just in front
of us she came to an old "brother" who
had trampe in his low shoes five miles
through the dust to attend the meeting.
! Az the foot-washer reached him he
slipped these off and extended to her
foot, dust-covered and grimy to the
4 hpOTpp
fell upon the NANCY object held
out to her Aunt Melindy gave an indig-
nant snort and looking to right and left
as if for advice in this emergency, she
at last got up from her kneeling posi-
ton and, pointing TO the brothers foot,
exclaimed in a voice loud enough to be
heard by all in that part of the camp
| ground.
$50 de LawdI Dis heah foot 'quires
soap and scrubbin'l Oats mo- dan
greed to do, and amt a-gwine to Spite
my towel for no such hoof as datf
And with scornful toss of her tur-
baned head the old woman passed the
brother by and went on to the next
member, leaving the discounted candi-
date for foot-washing to resume his
shoes in his unwashed state, whilst she
went on her way amid the audible tit
ter of those of the congregation who
had witnessed the by-play, and the ir-
repressible laughter of the young men
in the back benches.