West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-06-14

slowly but surely approach
VI ing the town of Jericho, and
he let it he known that he would
show up at the postofice in the
evenin' and have sunthin' to say to
interest the hull United States.
Nobody could guess whether Moses
had found new way of gittin' a
hired man up at O'Clock in the
NORM or was goin' to experiment
on CROWN broomsticks, and the
crowd was holdin' its breath when
he showed up. Moses didn't lose
no valuable time tryin' to find out
whether Porto Rico belonged to the
United States or to tobacco trust,
but put on his spectacles and said {:
"Citizens of Jericho-The tocsin
has sounded, and we are here to-
night to counsel together in the
cause of morality. Last year, as
most of you know, Jonas Teachout,
whose barn faces the highway
a mile outside of this town, allowed
the circus wagon to paste up pic
lures on three sides of the buildin'.
How many tickets for the circus he
got in exchange / do not know, and
it has nuthin' to do with the ques-
ton. What Pm sayin' is that them
pictures, in my solemn belief,
shocked the morals of this COM
munity fur worse than as if ten
saloons had been opened in the
town. The circus wagons is ag'in
approachin'. 1t is creepin' along
in its sly, insiduous way, leavin' the
blight of destruction in. its path,
and if sunthin' amt done Jonas
Teachout's barn will ag'In be en-
raped in the allurin' colors of vice
and degradation. move that it is
the sense of this meetin', and of the
community in gineral, that Jonas be
struggled with"
ait appears to me-" said Deacon
Spooner as Moses sat down, "that
a pint mas bin made. When
Moses talks of allurin' colors of
degradation, / seem to see before
me them pictures of wimen jumpin
through paper hoops. However,
I'd like to hear from Silas Lapham.
/ reckon he's interested in the
moral welfare of this community"
al amt blamin' Jonas tall" said
Silas. fHe got IL deadheads
tickets fur the use of his barn,
and | don't believe anybody was
the wickeder fur it. If a man
can't gaze at circus pictures with
out goin' away and stealin' bar'l
of soft soap, then he amt no
man. Did any wife run away from
her husband because of them Die
lures ? Did any husband elope
with the hired gal because of them ?"
"Thats pint, and / says it's
pint ." exclaims the deacon as
he hustles about. "Them circus
pictures was on that barn fur two
mounths, but what family was
busted up though their influence (?
It's fur Moses to specify wbar'
vice got its toehold."
81 amt sayin' that any families
busted up" continues Moses, "but
Pm talkin' bout the gineral in.
huence on gineral morality. A
circus picture is nuthin' but a pic
ture, but il suggests lemonade and
peanuts and whisky and poker and
bein' out late nights. They are like
pizen ivy. You come across it in
the woods and it is fair to look
upon, and it seems to be rooted in
innocence and thrivin' in morality.
You handle it, and find yourself
pizened. Like hydra headed
sarpint, it lays in wait to work de.
struction % the unwary. / hope
this meetin and this community air
with me and that il will be decided
to wrassle with Jonas Teachout
"Moses didn't seem to make a
pint on the peanuts and lemonade. -
says the deacon as he scratches his
ear, "but be was powerful strong
on that pizen ivy bein' rooted in
innocence kin almost see whar'
circus pictures might influence me
to go home and pound my old COW
with a sled stake il she didn't keen
her tail still while 7 was milkin'. but
I'm wiIIin' TO hear more arguments
Enos Williams, you driv' by that
barn twice day all summer. How
did t'em pictures effect you ?"
"Not much different from a
huskin' bee, says Enos. 'I didn't
feel no feelins Of wickedness stealth
DER me, but did sort Of make a
fool Of myself found a soft spo,
IN the bsrnysrd and tried 20 turn a
handspring. and fur about two hours