Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-07-13

1T was awfully dry in Georgia once
remarked a travelling man, last night t,
the loungers about an Augusta hotel
"Oh no, not in the line of moonshin,
| "hlskey, but l have reference to water
| There had been no rain for weeks an5
| the corn and cotton We're burning up ii
| the fields. The creeks hal begun 70 dr.,
up and even springs that had never beer
known to fail gave signs that their sun
| ply of the aqueous fluid was running low
| 1t began to look as though relief could
never come from the heavens. Day aft
er day blazing sun shone down from a
cloudlesS sky, blistering and whitening
all vegetation and expressing the hard
working sons and daughters of the land
with fear that distress would soon be
their portion-distress that might take on
starvation's ghastly form.
about this time the religious people of
the county began to hold prayer meet
ings to invoke assistance Of the Deity.
In every community the good old farmers
and their families assembled to pray for
rain. This was at an epoch when the
scientific ideas about producing rain from
explosives had not gained a foothold. and
no fakirs went about. as they lately did
in Kansas and other parts of the West
Offering to bring showers at 50 much per
shower.
NO indeed; these were times Of simple
faith and belief in the efficacy of suppli-
cation to the Omnipotent In one neigh
borhood in the county Of Cowcta. where
lo ic,l ri,
prayer meeting had been called for a Ger
tain lay, and at the time appointed a
congregation of several hundred sufferers
met to beg that the drought be broken.
1t CHANGED that a new preacher. who had
but lately come to that section, and who
was, as | remember an exponent of the
'hard-shell' Baptist creed. was called up
on to make the principal petition.
Gle prayed fervently ana with all the
fervor of an agoniZed spirit. 90. Lord.
said he, Thou knowest our distress. We
bcsecch Thee. come to our rescue Lord.
we don't want any Of your little drizZle
droZZlcs. but send us instead a gully
washer. Il trash-mover, and 4 pine knot
foater. Amen
II hope I may never gain pardon for
my faults in the next world if there
1id,,t oo,on yithf, tho naxt ,h;rtv-sfx
hours "I''i 'n' 'le"'.'H u '"'' pray
CIV "'f7'7' i"''' '''''s ''''' ''N>
y" N'"N'' ''''''F ~ ''''
''"i"H mo- 7> a.
1t rained about three days without stop
ping: washed two-thirds of the fences
through big region into the Chattahoo-
chic river; swept away every bridge ana
played havoc generally. And the worst
of it was that those m'Seranle country
men who had melted the preacher 10 pray
his hest wanted to drum nun out oil the
"a ris o,+ro,t,. Far vain"
I'm going to send you nome ana ASK
your father t" WHIP YOU satd tcaeher
to an Augusta youth lew weeks ago
II "on't think he can ma am replied
ne naughty P"i''''- '"7' 81
amauSa, preparing 10 "hip the span
iards.
An Aucusta man saws he is not one of
,,,,.o ,,ha oomn,,in becausc the STYLES
=, ,,,or,o,., c,otbiro ana hats change So
r,.t ..yyhor look over some of the
later ones. I wish they would change
faster, he says.
a.. c,-4 ,ro;n
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