The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-10-17
A SILENT SERMON.

Down in the old south pastur' where it
borders on the line,
Where Deacon Crosby's corner lot comes
up admin mine,
| had stony corner, bout four acres
bare and rough,
Not half crop grown there; it did look
mighty tough.
The old sod needed breakin' an had for
many a year,
But | thought about that plowin' with
mingled dread and fear,
For jes across that corner lot-twas
bout five year ago,
The deacon plowed a piece on which his
crop o corn to grow;
The toughest piece, an even now by
loobin' back a spell
can see the stuns a flynn, an can hear
the deacon yell.
We've neighbored clus,-through thick
an thin I'd known the deacon long;
| knew his soul was steadfastn' his
faith secure and strong,
But when | heard his language when
he plOwed that stony place.
AT times | got fearin' that he'd fall
away from grace.
Jes' fourteen days the deacon worked a
breakin' up that sod,
An when twas done he found he'd
plowed two acres to a rod.
My corner needed plowin', l knew with
out a doubt,
But / thought about the deacon's lot and
kept backin out
An so it ran along until some time along
in spring;
I'd often thought about it an had often
tried to bring
My courage up to takln' hold O that old
pastur' field,
But thoughts about the deacOns lot had
always made me yield.
But one particular mornin' I always
shall recall,
We was readin' long in Corinthians, the
words of 'Postle Paul.
Where he enjines upon us all the ills of
life to stem,
To he steafast, strong, courageous and
lots o words like them,
All pintin' out that if we're strong the
ills of life will yield:
1t struck me that applied to me an my
south paStur field.
l always did like C'rinthians fer all the
postle tells
Is helped n encouragin' an in my
memry dwells.
| went right out that mOrn;n'-'twas
bout the first o May;
| thought I'd put in practice the truth
without delay.
And so to Tom, my Oldest boy. | said
that very morn,
Il think We'll start today, my son, to fit
piece fer corn"
"All right" said Tom. Il s'pose of
course you've settled on a piece:
Shall we take the Old Greek meadow?
1t will pillow as slick as grease"
Il think" said |, assumin' my most
meditatin' air,
This year Wen take that corner in the
old south pastur', where
why, pa, you never'll pillow that piece" |
said Tom in much alarm,
It's just a bed of rocks and stones. The !
worst lot on the farm"
THE ground is rough said I. "'tis !
true. and hard to pillow, no doubt.
We've often threatened it before; this
time we won't back out"
IF we're to clear that corner up we may
as well begin;
I'll help to clear the stones away and
help to fence it in;
But when it comes to plowin', pa, why
then-I wish you joy"
And then he kinder chucked like, did
Tom, my oldest boy.
We cleared the top stuns off an then |
kinder got the blues,
For thinkin' bout the plowin' kept me
quakin' in my shoes,
But the words we read that mornin' kept
a runnin' through my head,
An / got lot O. courage thinkin' what
the postle said.
An then to give myself a chance to do
the best | knew.
I jes' went down to Perkins store an
bought a plow-brand new;
An then mex mOrnin' started out-.'e-
membrin' first of all,
To read some more in Corinthians. | les
love 'Postle Paul
A notion fer to try the worst some