The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-08-13
For the Democratic Advocate
Mountain Lake Park.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1898

Mountain Lake Park is not a seaside resort.
We did not come III boats. In spite of the
Lakeland it is stoutly averred that there is a
lake observation-disclosures are very scarce. In
the absence of boats the buses and other
wheeled vehicles have insisted upon running,
but the incessant downpour of rain has made
us turn envious eyes on Venice and long for
the gorgeous gondolas that would so much
n ore conveniently transport one from point to
point. Nevertheless, everybody is cheerful
and the hope is freely expressed that the
boating season may soon end. Since the 10th
of June there has been, | am told, only one
whole week of uninterrupted fair weather.
Why does not that magician, Science, manage
to win enough of nature favor to influence
the distribution of rain? For weeks crops
persisted of thirst in Carroll county, while
here in Garrett county, scarce two hundred
miles away, people long for a little fair
weather. All, science, science, thou art in
deed fair god, and yet thou can'st not even
tell of the wind where it comes nor whittier it
goes. The food browns in one spot and the
drought burns in another, while Hicks makes
sport of the weather man and science looks on
in despair.
Next to the rain the most noticeable thing
about Mountain Lake Park is the pretty girls
who are most conspicuous for their absence.
There are good girls here, Of course, but to
search for pretty woman would be as idle as
the famed search for needle in hay stack.
Sam Jones said Monday-''To be really
beautiful woman is very dangerous thing.
Then he looked over the audience for some
time and added, 'But | don't think any of
you are in particular danger
Men are not so scarce here as they are at
the fashionable seaside resorts, and yet there
al.
The species having the most numerous repre-
sentation are the teacher and the preacher.
The teacher who does mt want to hear of books
O school till she is once more in her winter
pl son, the teacher who has met with ques-
tionable success and would like to improve
her work. and the teacher who is full OF en-
thusiasm in the profession, wishing to catch
more of the new spirit of education, the edu-
cation that seeks first Of all to make well
roIrded men and women prepared to deal
with the difficulties of a practical question:
asking world, as we'll as the teacher who, be-
ing herself parrot, is sure that nothing but a
parrot student can ever succeed i'll llfe-all
are here.
The minister is here in considerable num-
bers. The COOL brother who feels it his duty
to violate every law Of health and common
sense till nature has become offended and lett
him helpless victim of his own folly which
he is perfectly resigned to bear because Prov
idence sent it, upon him, is here He ought to
have some friend genuine enough to tell him
that those who suffer on account of his fool
ishness are not so resigned. Then, the
b .other whose congregation have made him a
purse and sent him off for a vacation is here.
The supernumerary and wealthy retired min
lister are here. Last. but not least, Sam Jones
is here-not to spend three weeks but TO de-
liver a lecture in two sections, one III the at
terhOon and the other in the evening. He
went through his usual strain of blackguard
and profanity, sandwlching i'll some very good
sense. He always reminds one Of the two
IriShmen and the railroad engine. Mike stood
OH the track as the engine approached and
vehemenrly declared he could knock the ma
chine into the middle OF next week. Faith,
Mike, said Pat, Il glory in your spunk but
.onfound your Judgment Sam 5 courage
will not be challenged, but, if he follows the
Master in everything else, he fails shameiuIIy
in the matter of chaste and beautiful language.
His defense is that he gets paid for the ray
he saws it. ''Why Bud" said he, Davidson
pays me $500 day for the way say it. You
could say the same thing in your way and you
would not get Il dollar Il day" True; so IS II
true that the vulgar variety actor gets paid for
the way he talks and acts in an obscene the
alter while the chaste aud pure preacher OF
Gods word finds difficulty in getting an audi
ence for nothing. When the Masters self
seeking hearers became weary Of his purity
and simple truth and went away he did not
stoop to obsceniry and varity acting. He
just said to the few true ones, evil We also
go away" And they didn't 90, and to them
he gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Paid for ii, indeed! Could Jesus have been
paid to say TO a cultured audience Of 20O0
men. women, boys and girls, Il would be glad
to see a woman become anything but the
father family of children = and yet Sam
claims to despise fifty lucre.
Of course the people came to hear Sam
Jones in spite of the pouring rain, and the re-
ceipts for the day were over 5000, only little
below the largest receipts Of any day in the
history of the Mountain Chautauqua, and that
was Sam Jones day, three years ago, when
the receipts amounted to Sal. "1ou can
ool all the people part of the time, but you
can't fool all the people all the time" And
the rain still pours. GEO. WASHINGTON.