The Portland daily press., 1894-09-18
A West Virginia Bush Meeting.

There are church buildings in the vii
lagos, but the villages, are few and far
apart, and in this particular place the
custom was for some preacher to spring
as it were out of nowhere and to an
nounce bush meeting by means of
a written placard nailed to at tree by
the spring. 1t was to be held at 2
O'Clock in certain patch Of woods, SO
commonly and frequently the scene of
such meetings that the rude benches
made of planks nailed to tree stumps
were always there, and kept in good order
apparently by a devout mountaineer who
lived in the nearest cabin. The meeting
lasted less than an hour, but the people
made il the affair of day. They came
from as far as the news of the meeting
had been carried by the equestrians and
wagoners who had refined up at sight
of the placard and halted 8" to see what's
a-goin' on" Some, therefore, had been
obliged to set out soon after breakfast
and that would not make long journey
where six miles of road may loop over
the top of a tremendous mountain, up
which the horses crawl, aud the more
humane men lead instead of riding
them. Before noon the wagons began to
come in. Bars were let down at various
points near the camp ground, and the
teams were tethered to the trees in half
a dozen scattered parts of the woods.
The wagons where such as one sees all
over the land, made in Racine, Wis, or
South Bend, Ind, Or Cortland. N Y,
Out of them came men and women, girls
and poys, and even babies. By noon
nearly all the worshipers were on hand
-strolling from hitching place to hitch
ing place to see who had come, and to
gossip with friends and acquaintance.
1t is wonderful how far and wide men
are known to one another in these
mountains.
The interchange of visits was followed
by return of each party to it's wagon
for picnic diuner upon whatever had
been brought along-cold corn pone prin-
-cipally. When all the worshippers gath
cred at the bush meeting it was seen not
to be very different from a Northern
camp meeting, such as one sees in New
Jersey particularly. The men wore soft
felt hats and long boards, and seemed
never to have combed their hair. The
women had on broad brimmed black
straw hats, such as / was told noun
tain woman is able to keep and use for
"Sunday best" for aquarter of century.
The boys looked boldly at the girls. and
the girls looked slyly at the boys out Of
the tails of their eyes, The sudden rat
thing of a wagon among the trees, fol-,
lowed by loud "Who there!n OCCASION
ally sounded above the prayer and song,
Some of the men who came without
women stood away from the worshipers.
smoking and talking as countrymen con-
verse. in broken sentences wide apart.
ho 20 fu filla6
tobacco-chewing. The preacher was
woman--a Mrs. Lawson of Kentucky.
the celebrated evangelist" She brought
young man with her to "open with
prayer" and to pass around his hat and
after his prayer she delivered an address,
which, if it were right to pass jud gment
upon it, ! should declare to be the most
noisy and the least thoughtful sermon or
talk that ever heard. There was sing
ing before and after her address, and it
was noticeable that though the young
man had to sing nearly the whole first
verse entirely alone, the people alter
wards sang the remaining verses, though
there was not book or printed copy Of
the hymn in the forest
In the eastern part of the State. nearer
to Virginia I found that the circuit rider
still ministers to the religious welfare of
the mountain folks There are neat lit-
tie white and green church buildings in
the valleys, but they are opened only
once month. About as often as that,
and in some cases regularly, the cir cult
rider sends word of his coming to the
elders or deaoons, or puts the notice in
the country paper, one is published
near the westinghouse and on the given
day he appears on horseback, with a few
extra belongings and his Bible and song
book rolled up behind him on his saddle.
Wherever he breaches he has a large
meeting, and he boards round7 with
the religious families in the old time
honored way.-Julian Ralph in Harper's
agazinet