The Atlanta constitution., 1900-12-03
Bill Hrp'S L,etter

Il .,Ito1 me owe. here and came Ny
wife said | had better 90. Tor the winieT
VS. at hand and the family needed clolheS
and She WIS Obliged to play old Santa
60 ,s usuaI and provide some Christ
re oifts for the children ana grand
children That is a gooS part OF her hie
a,d happiness-pleasing the children S4e
never asks for anything for herself enc
d, MT have 10 The girls tell me "hat
she. needs and ] surprise her Win u "a
have the money. and IL ha'
strain my credit and get it anyhow Fro-
fessor Lowrey called me here To tdiA u
his college girls. for he Is noted euu-A'Df
and has 200 girls ol,t here il the WOODS
and is building M an institution th"t Is
,ho pride Of north Mississippi lie got
four other towns to join him in the ca.
and 80 I loctured III Tupelo idSt II .ii'ia'
night to a large audience IN Il "a .
ana found :, warm welcome IL Us ""i-
,-@rr,,l how These. old towns are looming Up
and taking on new life IweiEe years
900 I was in Tupelo and th"usht y ""s
r,retty dead had only about lW pe'pi-
out 10 hear me then. and thiS tiile '".'V
were near 400. Prosperity mas -
Tcn-cent cotton and a COTTON "'ii ''
dcne it: Mckinley had nothing 1" a. va
il LAST night | was billed Tor hlp-'
a nica ola courthouse town not lar away
The evening be.okened storm an" ~
,ipIt tb,. lightning was haShlhS i''.'7
.,ntlx all around the horizon ana 1919
thunder pealed heavily Country n''V
became alarmed ard hurried nom ''
e,,er<tbin., seemed oTainous OF c'in.hE
- .rb.re seemed 10 be something
i'm the clements that was brooni"7
nc and sur. enough there Was l'
c,r,rtroorn was about half fuil OL pepii5
who had dared to venture out 10 near ni.-
Suddenly ihe storm came Win
fury There was an Iwiul roaili5 SUM
from the southeast that "sta l-i
sound of many waters II nuSheu '--
a,dianca into a solemn silence. / did no-
take the platform. but waited ~ = ~"
minutes some wild. excited mes
coroe rushing up the stairs and called l9s
tbe doctors and other help. for the cNci'l-
had come and torn up every thhiE -h '"
suburbs and killed men ana WON III '''-'
children. The night was intensely a'- .'
t.ut the men rushed to the rescue IN ha -'-
and the lecture programme was p''H
M in a twinklsng. Everybody huliir'
their homes or l. the scene Of the us
aster. ,...
what an awful thing is a cycion.-
What a merciless thing it is. 10" q"lc"-
IN il comes and as quickly COS, led' ~
swift destruction in its track hdpi4s
il gives No warning. for the terror am
apprehension would be worse thai "Sa'--
,Thfs morning We rejoiced - learn ti4-.
badly wounded. Some houses were WIce'
ed and blown away and many Were u-
rooted and some were set on hte- VI"
man was lifted up and carried away an
thrown to the ground in the woods. WIZ
only a few bruises How strange that a'
few people are killed by = cyclone
seems providential. and this morning IN"
question discussed at the bTeaFiaS'
bl, was whether God or the devil was ii'
author of these terrible vlsitatlons- On
said that the spirit of evil was sli.-
on the earth and was ever c'H''l''----7
AGAINST the spirit Of good, and this si-i-
II brought famine, pestilence, fires storm
and all disasters. Another said thdi --
these things came from natural 'A"
and that neither Cod nor the deNn "--
any agency sn them Another quoted ii'.-
Toh where the Lord delivered him over
10 Satan. who was going 10 and iro ui Dc
the earth and walking up and GOWN h DE-.
He afflicted Job awfully. bur was A"t
allowed to take his life. Another quot
from the Savior's words when fie S'l'-
Think you that those upon WhoH ="
tower of SLOAN fell We're wicked a"oN"
au people? I tell you may. but unless
rer..nt ve shall perish-" Professor J"h-
f'iske. a very great and learned man. mas
written a little book called "Ih- Ms So
terv Of Evil" I have read IL twice ans
found hut little corlfort or pfil'~'lh'
N it. His argument is that eVI Is OF ~
vine creation and designed 10 lAuSiit-'
md exaIt the good. That but for sickn"s'
we would not appreciate or enjoy so'.
health But for an occasional famine Ns
would not enjoy the blessing III aburd'iii.
food. and but for sin we would not ehl'
heaven. His book leaves you just Wnri
II found vou ami the mystery is still un-
exp!aincd We know that God loves Ills
creatures. and that is enough Not H.
sparrow falls 10 the ground without ia +
notice and He did not wish 20 deSit"
Ninnevah. where there We're j""oo pe.-
ple and much cattle. And much cattle
That was always very Significant e@-
p.essiCu to me.
We'll. had to come here from Ripley
private convevance We had "a good team.
hut the road was fearful. Tor IL had ra-.-
ed nearly all night. AIr. Pitaer. ana OLD
Georgian. hal the lines and oid rot aH-
ticipate trouble, but wner We got t1 tI-
river We found the lowiands Hooded .-
both sides for quarter o. "a mile, at.-
after We crossed The bridge the hor-
plunged suddenly into . washout amt s.i.-
merged US into deep water. IL uoN ..
into the buggy and over il and up to g.
cushions and for time Wc were boa
alarmed for fear OF collapse But
got out of il safely, and here 1 am WITH
NaIise full of wet clothes and no thaH-
for tonight Here I am at the college a.-
vsl have 90 stand mp before two or t1..
hundred pretty girls tcaisht Fortuuat
MIR I.owrey is about my size AND
he will lend me some garments Rt
mine are being renewed at the ,auul-
Hard. hard. indeed. is the contest for fr..-
dom and the struggle for ChriStm9- I'D ...-
ey. Cyclones and Hoods are pursui De-
( and disturbing my tranquility EEt
thing more may come whicn Z ctu."
ncht and that i 4 Methodist revival.
like a cyclone they are rribiy I'm .s,r.-
est and always break me up. old S-ua.
Peter Richardson SAYS iG has book .t-
the Methodists are all fire and the f3r-
lists ali water. and some 9th rs are t.
wind. l hcpe they won't an come uIaa
ne 1T once.
But l am still hopeful and trying 90
keep calm and serene. Tonight 7 ~lf-
be inspired with the presence ot these
college girls and for an hour or SO w.il 81
the cynosure Of their beaut,iui eye. --.
the Cynosure That word comes fr'n
two Greek words wa mean the de-
tail. and 1 viii be the dogs tail ~ th-
fair assembly. Professor Bowrey's father
was the brave cd soldier Known a-- Gen
craI Lowrey who succeeded to Genera
Claiborne as commander OF chat .arps
in The Army OF Tennessee lie is hurl-a
hear here. and ! shall visit his grave.
80 from here tO Pontotoc. the Oldest tuUi,
in Z