The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-04-03
Bill Arp Addresses tic ECIan's
lone Mission Society.
HE GIVES HIS UNSTINTED FR!ISE
Tells CT The Splendid Work and S'eii'
Sacrifice OF Nomen-ti!S ADDRESS
PGD.!sh@a III ti.n.
Atlanta Constitution.

WozZ@ns Home Mission Soe!e'5 u ''e
north Cs2rgia conference met among
those who made addresses were bil
ArD. a:s talk was interesting through
out. a.a IS By request from many re-
produced in the Constitution in lieu oil
his regular letter. 1t follows IN fH!i:
~ o. youth is happily spent, olr
old aga will he crowned with pleasant
memories. How blessed are those ali
dren whose homes are happy, WhCss
parepts are kind and loving, who are
moi cursed with wealth nor pincheu
with poverty. | believe that II IS pos
sibie toc parents to make the honie ~
attractive that even the Boys "outu
rather stay there in their leisure houis
than 10 seek the careless company VI
those about toTn whose homes are mo-
hsppv I don't know about Dana
home. nor what he did in his youth, put
his prayer was one Of great anguish
when he said Visit not upon me tAe
iniquities Of my youth.
But was ruminat.ng about the
state and condition OF Method!sm anu
missions in the long ago. when "ds
Young and the most Of You were an un-
known quantity. When l was in my
teens and was just noticing the girls
and wondering what they were maze
for. the Methodist church was the only
church in our town-and 1t had TIE
only graveyard. | was very famlllar
with that graveyard. for | had to pasS
right by it every night that l visited
my sweetheart's home. had rival III
her affections. and one dark nlgAt ne
saw a ghost and ran home and l got
rid of him. though l was accused or
being the ghost. Near there was the
church and there were the people, but
where was the bell and where was the
steepIe. for it had neither. 1t was an
.o,d-fashicned unpainted building and
had small glass windows OF by 10
glass, AID two doors in front, which
used to be a popularity Of Methodist
churches. It 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
trystins place of the old people who
lioved 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 dim religious
light. Don't smile, my young friends.
for Shakespeare wrote by candle-ligat
and says. How for that little candle
throws its beams, so shines good
deed in a naughty world Everybody
was familiar with the amen corner and
had reverence for those who occupied
it. Ny wife and ] still remember the
low. cultural amens Of Brother Mu--
sphy. the snap-Short amens Of Brother
Ivy. and the deep groanings Of old
Father Norton in echo to the pleading
prayers of the preachers. Father Nor
ton was a very close and stingy man
and On one location got to shouting
and cIaD3cd his bands and exclaimed.
''T Thank God for giving us a religion
that has never cost me 25 cents And
the preacher responded. And may the
Lord have mercy OF your stingy soul
We remember, too, the good Sister
jenkins, who always had three or four
little children tagging after her, be-
sides one at the breast. and how she
always took them to church and spread
them out on the long front bench and
took a 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 it from the
preachers pitcher.
"By and by new preacher came who
was determined to purge the church Of
its loose and languid members. At his
second service he had before him the
pooS 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 y.
D.. which he supposed stood for doctor
of divinity. but learned later that it
stood for dram drinker, and there were
other letters. such as B. X, which stood
for tarkeeper. and n. T. for niger
trader. and H. R. fer horse racer. and
there was G for gambler and an F. for
fiddler lie raised big rumpus over ell
such as these and declared they should
all be 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
dec. in South Carolina. When he re-
turned | asked him if he had a sood
time. AMI he said yes he had a glorious
time in MS old church-the church he
first joined and used to preach in. Oh,
said he we had a glorious revival, the
best | ever experienced. Did you take
in many? said l. Take in. take in; 10
my friend we never took in nary one;