Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-08-21
Sunday School Affair in a Small
Town.
is A DAY OF JOY TO CHILDREN
Helen Montague Writes to the Courier
of the Typical Sunday School Pic
mic, Its Joys and Sorrows as Exem.
pified in Her Town.

Moulton, Aug. 17.-(Special Corr
The average youngster of our little
town has but five dates on his calen
der. When school commences, dark
of the moon; when school closes, full
moon; Fourth of July-accompanied
by great atmospheric disturbances;
the annual Sunday School picnic, local
thunderstorms; and the annual sum-
mer circus, accompanied by total
eclipse of the sun, moon and stars.
This is saying nothing about Christ
mas, which occurs in full moon or dark
of moon, according as old st. Nick
does or does not substantially remem-
Der the youngster interested in max
ing out his calendar.
The last of these events to come to
pass" has been the Sunday School
picnic and it is safe to say the
good mothers of our town are thank
full it comes to pass but once a year
and that the next one is a year off.
A Sunday School picnic is a great
invention. 1t is the only means by
which you can ascertain to certainty
how many pupils belong to your Sun
day School, otherwise you might
never know. Then like the circus, you
must go along to look after the child
rem and incidently have good time
all to please the children.
We were scheduled to leave on hay
racks from the rear church door at
nine a. M, but the drivers evidently
lost their time cards, for they did not
put in an appearance till nearly ten.
Meanwhile the crowd waited. The
sun crept higher and higher in the
heavens and beat down hotter and
hotter. Little johnny Downs climbed
up on the fence to see if the hayracks
were coming, tumbled off and hit his
head on brick. He set up the howl,
his IL year old sister boxed his ears
and trotted him off home. Deacon
Smedley got hungry and while his wife
was busily engaged in telling Dr.
Busby's wife how she made apple
juice "jell" SO beautifully, he slipped
a slice of bread from their we'll
filled basket and sat down in
the shade around the corner of
the house and greedily devour-
ed it. Miss Matte Smith, school
ma'am and of uncertain age remarked
she chopped there would be a few pri-
vate conveyances; for her part she
didn't like jogging along on ahayrack."
at the same time looking coquetishly
toward Abner Smedley, Deacon Smed-
ley's brother. (Abner is considered
the most eligible widower in town this
| summer.0 But just at that point Alb
ner was heard to remark a hayrack
carried him back to his childhood
days before the trials and sorrows of
life overlook him. after which Miss
Smith concluded her remarks, that
after all hayracl1 wasn't SO bad if
one was in congenial company"
The hayracks, in accordance with
the rule that ''all things come to him
who waits" presently put in their APP
pearance. If you ever noticed S. S.
picnic crowd enroute you noticed all
the younger element on one hayrack
| with two or three overworked and I'm
interesting mothers or Sunday school
| teachers to look after the
crowd while those who were
younger and better able to look after
the children were on racks to them
selves having good time generally.
Isn't that correct? l was with the
later crowd.
After drive of few miles, during
which nothing of any Importance hap
pened, we came near losing wagon
tire and small boy, but both articles
were speedily recovered-we arrived
on the pleasure grounds. By this time
it was nearing dinner time and the
small boy was in evidence around the
dinner baskets. Deacon Smedley,
| with admirable tact, marshaled these
boys about, pulling sticks and dead
limbs from beneath the trees. In re-
markedly short time the cloths were
spread on the grass and the dinner ap-
! peared theron. So did every specie Of
| insect of which this section. of Iowa
boasts. In common with humanity
they attend Sabbath School picnic
but once year. and as in the case of
humanity turn out in full force Din
ner over, swings We're put up, and
hammocks appeared-some disappear
ed over the brow of the hill, each in
company with some love sick couple.
Things moved off in the same good
old way they always do. Picnics are
the same, they always have been, al
ways will be. There were cool, shady
hooks for the mothers; games for the
young folks and frolics for the chill
dren. Abner Smedley and Miss
Smith took turn about" swinging
each other for the better part of the
afternoon. For a wonder nobody
seemed to care; no man nor maiden,
urged by jealous motives, sought to
interrupt their bliss, If that couple
doesn't make a match the good people
OF the town will always think they
ought to.
That inevitable little black cloud
no larger than ones hand" presently
appeared in the west, just above the
horizon. A few saw it thru the trees,
but paid no attention to it. Higher
and higher and faster it arose. Then
it was that the mothers began hur-
ried, frightened search for their young
hopefuls. Said hopefuls were soon To-
Gated with one exception, the seven
year-old son of Jonas Short Jonas is
man who doesn't believe in over.ex-