Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-03-15
Eootvashing in Georgia Church.


The Hardshels, or Primitive Baptists as
they prefer to be called, still retain foot
! hold in MAcou, Ca. Notwithstanding their
undivided practice Of communicating
any man who fails to pay his debts. How
many OF our fashionable churches, | won
der, would escape extinction or these con-
diicps!
Ghree times a year a. thei1 communion
service the Hardshels practise the curious
rite Of 'footwashing," which they get from
John xiii, II, and was delighted to learn
| tho other day that there was TO be foot
washing the next Sunday at one of the ne
gro churches over in TSbee. Tybee is a
quarter known to the average MaGonite on.
! iy through the police court reports, but,
Notwithstanding iis.unsayory reputation and
| the grim dlsapp.oval ofrespectable acquain-
| tances, | was determined to see that foot
washing. Accordingly, having entced an
adventurous friend into joining me. we set
out Sunday morning to explore the Terra
| incoqnita of Tybee, with nothing to guide us
/ except my colored housemaids rathervague
| instructions that it lay "over that away"
pointing TO the southeast. After the most
persevering efforts we came at last to that
extreme point Of the habitable earth where
| the Ocmulgee flats put stop TO ths city's
! further growth on the southeast, and there,
perched upon little hesdand jutting in-
| to the amphibious region of the swamp, q
| rickety little building with rough plank
! walls aud board shutters was pointed out to
us IS the hardshell church.
On entering we found the whole congrega-
ton, consisting Of about dozen sisters, with
the deacons and ministers, gathered round
a refractory stove, in which they were try
! ing TO light fire. After much trouble they
succeeded iu raising at least proGigous
emoke, which escaped in every direction
except through the pipe, and ascended
| in thick clouds 20 the Yafters, where, for
tunately, it found ready outlet through
| the holes with which the roof was abun-
dainty supplied.
AT half past eleven the service opened
with hymn-a sort of go as-you-pleaserac
in which everybody kept bis OWE time and
struck out in whatever way he pleased,
without regard TO any body else The hymn
was followed By prayer, the congregation
accompanying the minister throughout with
| 8 low, mouotonOus iutonation, not unlike
| Gregorian chat. Then came the sermon,
and I wish I had power to do justice to that
discourse. The preacher was young man
who had rubbed his head agin de college,
es Mandy proudly informed me, and had
gotten prodigious quantity of words rub.
| bed into it during the operation without any
corresponding notion of what thew were in
tended TO convey.
II will take my pnts from dc folerin'
words in dis 'pistle For | come in de
volume of dc book, 0 Lord, to do dy will, as
it is written of me-
Then he shot OF all st once to the ten
/ H,,c M
that "yicpints is them what has no continent
tai doliueratione." This we took to be
wild dash at .'connubial relations" and
concluded that our orator must be
n married man with mother:In-
law. as he went on to argue tnat
In he without continental delineratlons"
is a very desirable thing. Leaving the vlr'
Gins without ever getting at anything more
dsGnite about them than his definition, he
next proceeded to enlighteD US upon certain
savings of "o!e man jeremiah and "oe
nan Isaiah" and then, flying of at tan
rent reached his crownng burst OF elo-
9uencs in description Of the tour-and'
twenty angels around the great white
| throne
"Dar is all de chief angels, Jupiter, an
! Mich'l. an Gabril, rotatin' round dc great
white throne, a-waitin' fur de boss TO speaK,
an, when de distilation or de time snail
cnne he will guther up his delect On de as.
trononioal iisturbrutions er de warP an
rayelnte bisself in der hearts to de 'tarnal
;ocineration er his will when Christ shall
come to fulfill ali de predlcaments er de
| law t,,o
He kent up at this rate for nearly tWo
bours accompanied all the time by run
ninc r'n fire of tAmen," "Yes, brother" "Dat's
a. nand the like. at last our young preach
e. having literally worn himself out, there
was some more singing and praying, ana
then fresh speaker, who had been held IN
reserve for the emergency, got up TO con-
tinue the performance. It was now past
one. BY and by, preacher and people, nav
;no howled themselves hoarse, subsided lntc
q Temporary calm to recruit theis energies
for the final charge The bread and wine
were then passed during the singing OF
verv doleful hymu, and then began the pre-
narstions for the crowning event OF the day
that we had waited FIVE hours to see.
Now. let not any profane snd frivolous
narson imagine that foot washing offers OPP
,,ortnnities to crafty an impertinens curloa-
tv oncerning-stockiugs. No SO much as
the tin of q toe is revealed to profape eyes.
The hrothers and sister5 were discreetiy ar
ranged on opposite sides OF the churcn, ana
during the singing OF hymn-notnlng Is
dome without singing-a numpef OF oencnes
we're placed facing each other by eWos, anu
those who felt themselves worthy invited 70
nlscs themselves thereon. Inis mea4s, u
course. ali church members. LOT tne hstu r.,
shells are predestinsrisns TO the seaSo ~ thn,
;n ms his closing exhortaton that they need mol
IL nraW no for salvation because they were already
saved p.Ss before the world was made, but thsy ~
sore eIe to pray that the will Of God nga. Dc Dc
sens. The lssee Of aush p prayer isaVs u