The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-10-31
WATERMELON REVEALS.
An Interesting Religious Event in
the South.
Singular Effects of tho Fruit Season
on Colored Help White
Folks Left to Their Own
Resources.

This town is in the midst of one of
the most successful watermelon revivals
ever known in the south, says Green
Cove Springs lila correspondent of the
New York Sun in recent letter. The
unusual fervor of excitement is said to
be the result of the exceptionally fine
melon crop, which in quality aud guam
tity surpasses anything seen here in
recent years. The revival began three
weeks ago, as soon as the quality of
the luscious yield had been proved by
eating, and it is now Mt its height. AS
Il consequence household operations are
at complete standstill and business of
every kind is seriously interfered with.
The watermelon revival is citro-
religious event of annual recurrence in
the melon-growing regions of the far
south. 1t lays hold of the colored peo-
pie only and gets its strongest grip on
the sisters, but in n temporal way it af-
fects the white residents hardly less
powerfully. Throughout the melon sea-
son the colored sisters and n majority
of the brethren entirely give themselves
up to the exquisite pleasure of the
melon and the not less religious pain of
religious conviction that preccdes the
ecstacy of conversion, which in turn
leads quickly to eXaltation and com
atose condition. This latter condition
is, next to Heaven, the end sought for;
but because of the duration of these
frances or subjugation to "thc power"
as it is called here, many of the sisters
are in the present instance failing to
assimilatc all of their share of this sea-
CONS ,nn1nD
patriclls cook lay in Il trance for sew
eral days, and neither cooked nor ate,
and this was when the melons were at
their very best. Mrs. Duddingtons col
ored maid was brought home in dray
at two o'clock in the morning and de-
posted on the kitchen floor, where she
lay rigid and with "eyes sot," as this
manifestation is termed, until at the
end of three days Mrs. Buddington had
her carried back to the church in which
she ''got the power" Mr.. Buffers cook
got religion and rigidity early in the
revival, and the task of finding n sub
stitutc being manifestly hopeless the
family at once made arrangements to
take their meals with family in the
same street who are not dependent on
colored servants.
The industry that is doing nearly all
the fourishing in the present crisis is
that of the few worldly minded negroes
who own mule and cart. Business is
brisk for these just now from the hour
when the full moon shows above the
further cypress-bordered shore of the
st. Johns until the yellow disk fuses in
the yellow sky of midsummer morn
ing. All of the colorcd churches are
open twenty-four hours n day-in the
daytime for such as attain safety of
melons early and are prepared for the
religious influences long before night
fall; throughout the night for nll who
come. Many who come to scott remain
to be carted away, and those who have
religion get it again and likewise have
need of the mule cart So this teaminr
of precious and rigid human freight be-
gins carly in the evening. and goes on
until the bull-bats cease their pursuit of
nocturnal bugs.
The white residents are so seriously
affected by the melon revival, in conse-
quence of the impossibility of getting
any service done by the colored sisters,
that some of them do not hesitate to
speak impatiently of the whole bust
ness and declare that those who get the
most religion also collar the most mel
ons from the white mans patch; and
now and then sister who has seen
many melon revivals, and is thus pre-
pared to take conservative view of the
situation, replies: "Well, 'spccts that's
So" All of the white residents arc
looking forward somewhat impatiently
to the closing of the melon season and
the synchronous competition of the re-
ligious work; not because they mind
the loss of few melons, but because
they greatly need the services of those
who at all times, barring this period of
annual occurrence, are faithful and
valued servants.