The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1902-04-10
ARP PRAISES WOMEN
Barlow Philosopher Addresses the
Home Mission Society,
Ills WORDS ELICIT GREAT INTEREST
Recounts the Good Nork and Loving
Self-Sacrifice of Ewes Oaugh-
ters-A Synopsis of His
Speech.

Recently in Gainesville, Ga, the
Woman's Home Missionary Society OF
the north Georgia conference met
Among those who made addresses
we're Bill Arp. His talk was interest
ing throughout, and is, by request from
many, reproduced in full in The AT
lanta Constitution in lieu of his regu-
TAR letter. Among other things, the
Barlow philosopher said:
eff our youth is happily spent, our
old age will be crowned with pleasant
memories. How blessed are those chill
dren whose homes are happy. whose
parents are kind and loving, who are
not cursed with wealth nor pinched
with poverty. | believe that it is posi-
Die for parents to make the home so at
tractive that even the boys would rath-
er stay there in their leisure hours
than to seek the careless company Of
those about town whose homes are not
happy. | don't know about David's
aome, nor what he did in his youth, but
his prayer was one of great anguish
when he said, Visit not upon me the
Iniquitiees Of my youth
But l was Illuminating about the
state and condition of MethodiSm and
missions in the long ago, when | was
young and the most Of you were an
unknown quantity. When l was in my
teens and was Just noticing the girls
and wondering what they were made
for, the Methodist church was the only
church in our town-and 1t had the
only graveyard, for had to pass right
by it every night that | visited my
sweetheart's home. l had a rival in
her affections, and one dark night he
saw a ghost and ran home and | got
rid of him, though | was accused OF
being the ghost. Near there was the
church and there were the people, but
where was the bell and where was the
steeple, for it had neither. 1t was an
old-fashioned, implanted building and
had small glass windows of by 10
glass, and two doors in front, which
used to be a popularity of Methodist
churches. 1t was said that one door
other to turn them out. The Baptist
churches of that day had but one door
for when once they got in they never
got out This old church contained on
the Sabbath nearly all the religion that
was in the town, and at night was the
trysting place of the old people who
loved God and the young men and
maidens who loved one another. No
tice was given that meeting would be
gin at early candle-light. Candles! that
gave what Milton calls a dim religious
light. Don't smile, my young friends,
for Shakespeare wrote by candle-light
and says, How far that little candle
throws its beams, so shines a good
deed in a naughty world Everybody
was familiar with the amen corner
pied it, Ny wife and l still remember
the low, gutteral amens of Brother
Murphy, the snap-short amens of
Brother Ivy, and the deep groanings
of old Father Ivy in echo to the plead
ing prayers of the preachers. Father
Norton was very close and stingy
man, and on one occasion got to shout
ing and clapped his hands and eX-
claimed, Thank God for giving us a
religion that has never cost me %
cents And the preacher responded,
And may the Lord have mercy on
your stingy SOUL We remember, too
the good Sister Jenkins, who always
had three or four little children tag
ging after her, besides one at the
breast, and spread them out on the
of biscuit and fried chicken to keep
them quiet, and all the space between
the front bench and the pulpit was
their crawling ground, and when they
wanted water she reached up to the
pulpit and got it from the preachers
pitcher.
by and by a new preacher came
who was determined to purge the
church of its loose apd languid men,
bers. At his second service he had
before him the book of membership
and read out the roll and remarked
that somebody had been adding to
some of the names in pencil with such
capital letters as D. D.. which he sup
posed stood for doctor of divinity, but
learned later that it stood for dram
drinker, and there were other letters,
such as B. K, which stood for bar
keeper, and N. T. for niger trader
and H. R. for horse racer, and there
was G for gambler and an F. for I'D
dler, He raised a big rumpus over all
such as these and declared they should
all be turned out and they were. He
reminded me Of old Simon Peter Rich
ardson, who. while stationed here,
went over to visit his old home on the
Peedee, in South Carolina When he
returned l asked him if he had a good
time, and he said yes he had glo.
rious old time in his old church-the
church he first joined and used to
x,,.aocb in Nh said he we had a o1O-