Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-04-28
PREACHERS PICNIC.
,,e1lsT MINISTERS ENJOY THEM
eelves AT WOODLAND HEIGHTS.
49,, Talk Politics, Eat n Good Dinner,
aud Play ouoits and Bsli-speclai
Sunday Services.

.ttV they shouiu haNo otesNh WV , NSeNi""y
',na, loveliest spot of ali our suburbs
v,,5,apd Heights--and slipped silently
the midst Of the Baptist ministers, who
-, having an exclusive picnic there.
rho scenery was beautiful and inspiring.
"The day 20 mild
Was Heavens own child.'
,.5overv influence of the sylvan retreat
calculated 10 sharpen tho appreciation
IN All living creatures ought 20 feel for
htc ..:..o-s o,o ror,;cularlv ,,.oa
Iap,, even TO worldly mortals, but
co.. dozen or more OF them assemble
-.tbcr pdreS inter pdreS beneath the
o. nj Heaven and amidst the beauties
CO.. .a,nre. as they did at that picnic yes
the society must necessarily be
t.1thsn pleasant. How bright and re-
81 IL tbc conversation on such an occa-
~ How pure the wit. and above all how
'.,sl and delightful Is the sociabilltY!
sroIX IN on THEM.
ia. time that when a representative Of
.D,sr,rcu emerged from the brush and
t suddenly upon the clergymen at
e. y.s,erday DIR. Hatcher lay parallel to
i- Forth stretched upon q carriage
nv Cooper, ever dignified, was sans
a,l what was still more animating
60 Lsarfcd DR.. Whitfield was dividing
",,.oDtious between an ant which had
.,sc,e4 UP his sleeve and spider which
dominating over his collar, but the
zoe wIthal was refreshing. In few
.,ss others of the pastors who had
~, yoDdcriug about beneath the pleasant
1900 he trees joined this triumvirate
.-i.so,cd themselves for a pleasant chat.
4,xnEUM's POLITICAL SPEECH.
l.. - sln ,.ar,.
...f Iolhty. moved that politics be dis
L.5 and called upon that eyer-ready
..s'- Dr. Iandrum, 10 deliver politi-
" Tsr,qruc. DIR. lGndrum at once dis
'..--1sriug the part of the typical politi-
~ arccutlng the opportunity TO talk,
'' shook the dried leaves and parasitic
..F,ri insects from his coat, and COM
-.sj He said IN the beginning that he
.gII erdcayor 10 deliver stump speech
...h ss he used to hear, in Georgia.
b which pleased the multitudes,
rr- had not q single tangible
4 IN II. His utterances, which
..-.'r-.r,el al that epoch in American
....,v shortly after the Revolution, con-
..-.l through all the stages of the
800. progress, and elected from his
....--sr considerable and vigorous APP
.t,rsa which was vented in several in
80, hy one Of the more agile auditors
,-,p.n, upon his neighbOr. As somebody
s.5ut somebody else, words flowed
-, than honey " from his mouth, and
~, "a. Ea had predicted, the address was
3.,.l of single connected idea.
AND TuHS THEY DINED.
r.--h,er and Jokes followed the politi-
81 sl...h. and after "A short interim n
--..,'- was made and both vigorously and
-..,.-.alsly adopted that dinner be
-f Several cOlOred sections, from
..-.af the churches represented at the
...rs-.r5. prepared the afternoon meal,
'-f iii \ was such delightful one! The
-...-5rflnfrG Of that most seductive bird,
Hss.-r.rg chicken, nestled luXuuantly by
.-.sIE, II generous slices of golden Gus
.-'.r.- while ham, cakes. eggs, little
,a.a.-fGprd pickles, and, in fact, crfTy-
..r Good las halpcd IN bhss-inspiring
.s.sruon the festal-board.
In g11ppr fery-ntly asked the blessing,
.,F tie SIGHT presented by these good,
,r.a men as they stood bar6-headed be-
rgh the far spring sky was apretty one
(which should have made even a pessi-
r.t have tender emotions.
Tr.r.pBst was indeed a case of Linked
sua,,ress long drawn out, ;" for each and
.r.-v one tarrled fOudly over the delight
! mi y,ards. IL was a case where the part
rcvas painful, and vet sanitary motives
finally warned oil 10 halt, and then fra
r,rt cigars were partakcn Of.
The meal beng finished. several colored
/ s..'h,es of the county, attracted by those
Agreements which pic-nics invariably
fer. came MP and completed what was al
,4ly well done.
AND THEY FLAYED GAMES.
i lpirteresting game of quoits followed
dinner and the iron rings, hurled by the
Minister'S showed that there WAS no little
~g.ale among he clergy. II may perhaps
Fa.rrust to tell secrets but some of the
preachers certainly did even play duck
or Dayv. a game which requires consider
gtacihty Of the neither limbs, and in
ursl.y uecessitates the laying aside of
coats.
Tta game of ball INDUCED IN exhibited
considerable skill on the part of the
gsytr m getting out of the way of the
i i' Only two stiff hats were knocked
IT,"
The shadows Of twilight, a fitting end
fra lovely day. had stolen in among the
...ss q the forest trees, and wrapped
90 .ortly-slOping hillsides in a haZy veil,
t!1re the Baptist preachers decided that
sy-l ua-nIcs. like all earthly JOYS, must
tu. 90 end. Then " each to his home
withdrew" and hereafter all Of them will
lgs 10 K upon Woodland Heights as a
E'as1 spot IN their memories, and still
gsalaY spot upon the face of yernal nature.
those who attended the picnic were,
Lsr. DIS. W. ". Landrum, 5. A. Good
W. Z. II. Pitt, William Il. Hatcher,
rVa Cooper, and Theodore Whitfield,
81 Lev. Messrs. s. G. Clopton, w. p.
1-s pastor Of the West View church
EH Wmiree and J. b. Williams, of CheS-
',-,.i George f. Williams, city mission
ry ]. b. Hutson, and A. +. Hardy, pastor
DE New Bridge, Four-Mile-Creek, and
4-.Jch churches.
The Golden Rule.
In. was the subject on which DR.. Kerr
pea bod o. q large congregation Sunday
Yang at the First Presbyterian church.
&tWe.u1e 20 his discourse he read pas
a.a nom letters he had recently received
.'- the clerks IN the dry goods and other
Yes asking the interest of the ministers
Y i.e city 10 movement for early closing
q saturday afternoons and for the drug
e''u morc time on Sundays. He SAID it
we!Lknown fact that some kinds OF
.'e' must be kept open, but that many
.5.-s Of business might well be closed at
7. VI. on Saturdays at the least. He
= --il the clerks were proceeding wisely
-Iit,eoting their cause in the form of
faa' respectfully wOrded He advised
I'm % press the matter, getting the en-
-.i'tlert OF as many of the citizens as pos
save t-AA II lutlI petition buOultl uOt Oc
....sl Dc advised that they quietly sub
-,Ii make the best Of il. But he be-
.,'-l that If wisely managed, and if CO.
.['lA9u IN the matter could be secured
: -9 par; q the proprietors, the clerks
''-'- gel what they desired.
SHOULD ACT IN CONCERT.
Ll'r could not reasonably expect that q
TIE stores should close unless all
'''l .uyo the arrangement, though oneor
different departments Of the retail
az DO 80 now, and perhaps lose money
ihe speaker believed that the pro-
s[.H were kind and philanthrophic
--.-Leu and would do the best they
go 10, their employees il concert Of ac-
~ .- lhe part Of all concerned could be
,'lel. He further said il was right,
\. "a conformity with the Golden
-. and the pTacticability was proven
!, '-s Tact thas nearly all over Europe
humber Of American cities the
j.. i I-l long been in operation. In Lon
H. LLAhDuTRh, and 10 large extent IN
loik and Philadelphia early closing
gay afternoons was the rule. DIR.
Ald that the remedy for oil of
-sluderstandings and hardness or
~ "a y jae carrying out of the teachings
80 Golden Rule" Attbe close of his
-