Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1902-04-02
Bill Arp Addresses the Woman's
Home Mission Society.
HE GIVES HIS UNSTINTED PRAISE
Tells of the Splendid Work and Self.
Sacrifice of Women-His Address
Published In Full.
Atlanta Constitution.

Woman's Home Mission Society of the
north Georgia conference met. Among
those who made addresses were Bill
Arp. His talk was interesting through
out, and is by request from many re-
produced in the Constitution in lieu Of
his regular letter. 1t follows in full:
"If 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 pos
sible for parents to make the home so
attractive that even the boys would
rather stay there In their leisure hours
than to seek the careless company of
those about town whose homes are not
happy. l don't know about David's
home, nor what he did in his youth, but
his prayer was ons OF great anguish
when he said Visit not upon me the
iniquities Of my youth
But | was ruminating about the
state and condition of Methodism and
missions in the long ago. when l was
young and the most Of you were an un
known quantity When / was in my
lSChS dnu Was just upllCllB IHe SlI l5
and wondering what they were made
for, the Meth odist church was the only
church in our town--and 1t had the
only graveyard. l was very familiar
with that graveyard, for l 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 ghost and ran home and | got
rid of him, though / vas accused of
being the ghost. Near there was the
church and there were he people. but
where was the bell and where was the
steeple. for it had neither. 1t was an
old-fashioned unpainted 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 was
to take in the converts and the 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
tlce was given that meeting would be-
gin at early candle-light Candlesi that
gave what Milton calls a dim religious
llght. Don't smile. my young friends.
lor Shakespeare wrote by candle-ligat
and says. How for that little candle
throws it's beams, so shines good
deed In naughty world Everybody
was familiar with the amen corner and
had reverence for those who occupied
IT, My wife and l still remember the
loW' cultural amens of Brother Muir
phy, the snap-short amens Of Brother
Ivy, and the deep groanings OF old
rather Norton in echo to the pleading
prayers of the preachers. Father Nor
ton was very close and stingy man
and on one location got to shouting
and clapped his bands and exclaimed
lhank God for giving us a religion
that has never cost me 25 cents And
the preacher responded. And may the
Lord nave mercy on your stingy soul.
we remember. too. the good Sister
Jenkins. who always had three or four
little children tagging after her bo-
sides one at the breast. and how she
always took them to church and spread
them out on the long front bench and
TOOK basket 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 il from the
preachers pitcher.
by and by new preacher came who
was determined to purge the church of
lts loose and languid members. At his
second service he had before him the
pook OF membership and read out the
roll and remarked that somebody had
Deen adding to some OF the names in
pencil with such capital letters as d.
~, which he supposed stood for doctor
OF divinity. but learned later that II
STOOD Tor dram drinker, and there were
other letters. such as B. X, which stood
ior Darkeeper. and N. It. for niger
trauer' and H. X. for horse racer. and
tneIe was u Tor gambler and an f. :or
huuler' lie raised big rumpus over all
eucn as these and declared they should
all De turned out and they were He re-
minded me of old Simon Peter Richard
son. who. while stationed here. went
over TO visit his old home on the Pee
dee IN South Carolina. When he re-
turned | asked him if he had good
time, and he said yes he had glorious
tlme in his old church-the church he
hrst Joined and used to preach in Oh.
salu ne we had a glorious revival. the
pest ever experienced. Did you take
III many? said |. Take in. take in: no
my friend, we never took in nary one:
Dul we turned seventeen out. thank the
Lord. On, 1t was a glorious revival
CHURCH WORK THEN AND NOW
But was ruminating about the diff
ference between now and then in
church work and missions and salaries
and church environments and the cnl
ture OF the preachers. There was old
father Donally. with his wooden leg