Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-02

| -, NJ ESsSSS :. Z, HlE..t:-..s<J
another as they stood before tempting
| array of tackle In a store window.
| why do you think that?'
| 'Oh. the water has been muddy ever
since the season opened. and 1t looks as II
1t will never clear up. Then, the upper
| river Is full of shavings from the pulp
mills and the bass seem to have gone out.
| No one knows what has become OF them.
| but they surely are not striking any more.
Why. 1 can remember only few years
| ago when you could put mlnnow over
| board anywhere from Sycamore Island to
Cumberland and get strike from some
| kind of bass-a one-pounder up to a five.
| Nowadays you can fish all day long and be
| lucky II you get an eel
While this old angler spoke in a strain
| OF exaggerated pessimism 1t is a fact noted
| by fishermen that the gamey small-mouth
| black bass, for so many years the delight
| OF fishermen are disappearing from the Po-
tomac, or at least growing materially
scarcer Perhaps the fish commission can
| explain.
| REV. Oliver Johnson Of South Carolina
is becoming known all over the south for
I his short and scholarly sermons" said
| prominent divine in this city few days
ago. This fact may be out OF all keeping
| with the history and traditions of the Sc
| ceders who formerly were known for their
| long sermons, sometimes lasting an entire
| day, but Mr.. johnson, a seceder, Is making
the record Of the country just the same.
| This eminent divine, who breaches some
| Of the most scholarly discourses that have
ever been heard in a pulpit, seldom speaks
! for over twenty minutes, and his sermons
never last more than half an hour OF course
| II will always be question Of propriety as
| to how much time preacher should consume
when he talks to his congregation. Some
! men may talk an hour or two to present
| their Ideas. and others may do the same
! thing in fifth of the time. But in the case
| of Mr.. Johnson those who have heard him
| declare that he says much in fifteen min
| utes most men could say In two hours.
| The secret Of his composition is kept care
| fully by him. but he certainly gets all IN
| the short time that is coming to the con-
| Sregation.
| The interesting thing about these short
, sermons is that they have become the talk
| of the country l understand that the fame
| of the preacher has become SO widespread
| that he Is receiving letters from hundreds
| of ministers who ask for some OF his SER
| mons IN order that they may study his style
of condensation of thought. Not only Is
that the case but he has hundreds Of imi-
| tators, who aim to become popular as he
has by the brevity OF his discourses and the
| masterful manner In which he puts much
| thought into short space"
|
| II have heard a good many stories OF the
city man in the country" said local
! clergyman who Is nearly fond Of a good
| story of preaching long sermon. but
| the tale that my wife tells when she
wants to get even Is the very best yet. in
my opinion. And the worst Of it is that it's
| true.
You see. ! know about as much of farm
| ing as do about Sanskrit, and at the time
! this happened l knew even less. We had
| moved into the country in the early spring,
! and ! decided to get a little exercise and
| also save a little money by planting a gar
| den of my own.
/ II heard that beans were about the easiest
| things to grow in the whole lot 80 pur-
| chased a good bagful and sowed them thick
| ly Just beneath the surface of the soil. Ana
| sure enough, in the next few days we had
some good rains and in q short while no.
! tiCed something peeping out of the ground
| in my bean patch. Then the next day,
| strange to say. l saw my beans appearing
| above the ground Not as tender shoots Of
| green as l had expected, but the white
| beans themselves. True. they were split in
| the middle and We're separating more and
more, but that seemed queer to me.
Then was caught. Along came farmer
| lad who listened to my account Of my bean
patch. which 1 told with no little pride.
He asked to see It and took him around to
Why. he said. those beans were plant
ed upside down. Don't you see the beans
are coming up and the shoots striking
! downward
with that he went away laughing heart
| lily to himself, while stood bewildered.
| in about hour and a half my wife
| emerged from the back door and. seeing me
| on my knees in the garden. inquired what in
the world l was doing. I blushed red q
beet, but managed to tell that I had made
up. and was now pulling them up and turn
| ing them over.
/ II thought she would never get over the
At of mirth that struck her And when she
mo hnr ole hot
| beans always grew that way l ready
| 10 hide my face from the world forever.
had to go back over nearly half of that
bean patch and put those bean shoots on
their feet again.
X **h
! They were talking about instinct in ami
| mails II saw exhibition Of greediness
and cunning by horse" said one Of them
| There were two old dirt wagon horses that
! had stopped for the noon meal. The driver
| had emptied a portion of oats into a wheel
barrow set at the head of the two horses.
who st!ll remained in the traces. The
horses were to eat out OF the common mess
! odd Mr.. Bay Horse who evidently was a
! veteran in the dirt wagon line and possessor
OF good appetite, would grab a mouthful
OF oats and splutter them out on the ground
! on his side OF the wheelbarrow. After he
! had collected quite pile on the ground he
! commenced on the common stock, and when
he and his companion had cleaned out the
! wheelbarrow. old Mr. Bay Horse turned to
his private store on the ground while his
| companion, from the other side OF the
wagon pole. looked hungrlly on. but could
| do nothing"
Il was travelling in the mosquito country
last month" said the other, land the mos
| quitoes were terrible. They attacked cattle
and live stock and would drive them fran
tic. At one place a farmer burning
brush In the field. and l noticed a dozen
cows and horses clustered in the lee of the
smoke mace by the burning brush. They
| would move around the wind shifted al
ways keeping in the smoke drift where Of
course no mosquito could live. And the an
finals stood with closed eyes. too.