The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-08-06

Btowah. n. c., August 5.--(Speeial Cor
respondence)-A native woman was laid
to rest today on a little hillside in this
land of the yellow sunset. 1t was very
sad. Simplicity does not cover up any
thing and grief seems more genuine when
no other emotion is allowed TO distract
the attention In the hill country smplic-
ity goes hand In hand with piety. The
hill country folk are not emotional, but
simple human griefs touch them deeply.
They look upon death as a sublime tran
sition and treated in this light 1t fur
nishes the most frequent and inspiring
text for the Sunday morning discourse.
The Importance of preparation, the GER
tainty attending the coming of the Grim
Reaper, the consequences OF being taken
unawares, particularly in the case of the
wicked forms the principal theme of the
sermons preached on the first Sunday in
each month. There may not have been
q death in the neghborhood in weeks.
but this in no way Affects the trend Of
the Sunday morning admonitions.
The shepherd who is guiding the small
flock of sheep in the Etowah settlement
is very fat and forrid looking and | am
afraid he will die of apoplexy while dis
sertatng on the certainty of death. He
Is SO deeply concerned about others that
l think 1t is the duty of some of his
hearers to give him few warnings While
they have the opportunity. He is not at
ell clerical in appearance, but these
mountain people regard him rs an oracle
and are grateful for every word that he
utters. He tells them about their sins,
and begs them to turn from their evil
lives and prepare for death.
How do these hard working people ever
sin I wonder and what temptations do
they have from which to turn. The wo-
men have all their time occupied in rear
ing their children and the men work all
day in the fields. They cannot be as
wicked as the preacher insists they are
when he has a good opportunity and
without the least provocation. After he
has upbraided them numerically and led
them to believe that eternal damnation
awaits them he never hesitates to accept
their invitations to dinner and goes off
arm in arm with possibly the blacklist
sheep among them.
This native woman was buried on Sun
day and her body, in a plain coffin, with
a few wreathes of bachelor buttons
mixed in with cedar ana colored flowers,
was borne to the little church on the Sat-
urday preceding. The Sunday morning
combined with such ease that it was diff
fcult to decide where one began and
the other left off They were indeed in
tended to suit either occasion. The songs
were most suggestive of the uncertainty
of life and the text was chosen for. its
impressive illusions to the reality of
death. Together they breathed of hap
py meeting "over there" and at the same'
time of the possibilities that might pre-
vent such reunion. In the very presence
of death the minister looked about him,
at the group of hill people. He pointed
to the coffin, his significant gesture MAX
ing his hearers shudder He took the
por dead woman for his text, extolling
her virtues until the mourners sobbed
aloud He said that she had been willing
to 60, that she was ready. that death
had no fears for her, and he spoke with
assurance of her eternal reward.
Instead of his remarks consoling the
poor people, they had the opposite effect.
the congregatio leaned forward In their
eagerness to hear of the virtues of the
dead. Women with their calico sun
bonnets pulled over their faces were
deeply impressed, as If they were hear
ing things never spoken of at any other
time In their attitude they unmistak
ably showed that the virtues recounted
of the dead have frequently an unfamiliar
sound. Young girls, fresh looking In cot
ton prints. and with hats upon which
cheap flowers and colored ribbons were
massed were awed into dignity. The old
men nearer the pulpit leaned their
weather-beaten faces in their hands, and