The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-11-12
Special Correspondence.
Columbus, o., Nov. 4, 1890

strange religious sects. An account oil
the rites performed by peculiar de-
nomination is described by a recent
visitor to jackson county The locality
is i'm the northwestern part of the
county. away from the beaten paths OF
commerce, and is seldom visited by
strangers. The people themselves are
simple minded, and wofully ignorant
of the outside world
The name Toad Heaven by which 1t
is known, applies to the community,
the hamlet and TO the uusightly log
church where this singular religious
sect worships. The dwellers of this
strange community are ignorant and
supersttious. They came originally
from Virginia, where they were promi.
ncut among the uneducated natives
known as poor white trash. The relig.
ious ceremonies in vogue in the com
munity are grotesque and highly sensa-
tional. Their "Amens" and Praise
the Lords" are loud enough to shake
the hills, and every month foot-wash.
ing ceremony, called sacrament, Is
performed as one of the church rites,
corresponding to the communion in
other churches.
| y
Of the community present in the un.
slightly log church sat with bare feet,
awaiting a signal from a leader to com.
mence a ceremony much needed by
many feet, which were being rubbed
| together under the seats. The men and
women were armed with a towel worn
| like a sash, and a tin basin which did
secular duty at home.
If mans memory happened to be
| good one, he would be able to remem.
| Der rather disjointed sermon, deliv-
cred by an old man, who said in part:
81 hain't prepared no discourse. The
| Lord SAYS to His sarvants, git up an
deliver yo'self, an at the same hour I'll
| fill yo' mouth with utterance.' | hain't
no larnin' an never went to school, but
! | know | am a chosen sarvant to pint
the way to sinners. Some men who
have larnin' amt no Christians, an IL
| they don't reform everlastin' hell will
be their sheer of the Lords gifts. This
| foot-washin' of our amt for the pur-
pose of cleanin' dirt from our feet, but
it is a sacrymint handed down to his
faithful followers, who washed his dis.
cipules' feet an dried them with a
towel at the Last supper"
The orator, encouraged by the chorus
of "amens," further declared that he
was not "one of yer polished, high
toned, stucl-up preachers, with fine
clothes an standin collars an sinful
souls;" he was able to preach truths ''as
the Lord puts em in my mouth" Then
he preached on the text, "Where art
thou?" He never found out, nor did his
listeners know where he was, but his
agony was superb. In his rambling
talk he became frenzed.
The ceremonies of the feet washing
followed the sermon. In one corner of
the church was barrel Of rain water,
filed from the roof by tin pipe let in
through a window. To it each woman
went and filled her basin, then each
man commenced singing a hymn, and
each woman, choosing not her husband,
but any brother she wished, laved his
feet, one at time, in the basin. Then
she unwound the towel from her waist
and wiped each foot dry. Then came
the opportunity Of the women to have
their feet bathed by their brethren.
The men went at it brusquely, Each
woman sat and sang. After it all, the
members of the Toad Heaven sect sang
him and sought their miserable log
cabin homes in the hills round about,
Hon. Ii. j. Booth, of Columbus, the
well-known criminal lawyer, who this
fall refused Congressional nomina'
ton, has been turning his attention
from politics to the subject of horse.
raising. His opinions in the matter,
given after close observation, are
worthy of notice. Interest is added to
them when it is known that contrary
to the views of most people, he takes
4 l.. ,f hA ftttrN Nf l,t
branch Of agricultural industry. Mr.
Booth is himself a great lover of the
horse. He owns a fue thorough bred,
and horseback riding is, with him, a
daily recreation.
According to Mr.. Booth, the United
States produce about efourth of all
the horses of the world. Over produc.
ton, brought about largely by the
springing up of great horse ranches in
the West, has had much to do.with the
decrease in price. In 1888 the number
of horses in the United States was
5000, 900, with an average valuation
of S7l 50. In 1896 the number had in
creased to Is, 100, 900, the average valu-
alton having been decreased to 30. The
per cent. of increase for the period
named was larger than that of our pop.
ulatiOn.
The substitution of electricity for
animal power on street railways, while
reducing the yearly demand for horses
by something over 81 900, has not been,
Mr.. Booth states. the most potent fac.
tor in lowering prices. This is in CON
tradiction to the properly accepted
theory.
Next TO over production, which is
placed at the head of the list of causes
that have demorali2ed the horse market
comes the bicycle. Estimating that
there are over 1000, 900 wheels | use
In the country, and that every eight of
them supplants a horse, he claims that
during the past year the bicycle has
decreased the demand for horses by
200, 900 annually This is two and a
half times as many as electricity has
superseded during the same period,
The statement that the situation
should not be dscouraging Is backed
by Mr.. booth with several very plausi-
BILE sounding reasons In the first place
the great horse ranches of the West are
thing of the past At least they will
never again be operated on as gigantic
a scale as heretofora They were large.
y the investments of Englishmen
Some OF these esta blshments had herds
nun bering thousand of head. Only
small per cent. was realized on the cap
tai invested and with the decline OF
'he horse market most of the big ranch
IS became broken up. The conclusion
that horse-raising in the future will
De conducted along normal and con.
iervative lines.
second cause of encouragement
given by Mr. Booth is his expressed be.
lief that the bicycle is to a certain ex'
tent fad. He argues that people