The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1907-11-08
REFERENCES
To Local Experiences Made in a
Brooklyn Sermon.

In a sermon recently preached in
Grace Methodist Church, Brooklyn
by its pastor, the Rev Frederick A..
shannon. he spoke very beautifully
Of visit he paid to Smoky Val
ley. Mr.. shannon preached there on
that occasion. and his allusion to
it in the presence OF the big congre-
cation in the City OF Churches makes
interesting reading for his friends in
aud around Louisa 1t is as follows.
zone of the delightful experiences u
my summer vacations is preaching a.
mong the hills OF eastern Kentucky.
But think | have never enjoyed ii
quite so much as during the past sum
mer Some two miles out from my
home town is a section called the
Smoky Valley. whose citizens for a
half century have been noted for
their honest. straightforward, God
fearing qualities. The Valley is very
dear to me, because one summer
IL the long ago. our town school be
ing closed at the time my father al
lowed me to go to school there. Hay-
ing the town lads wonderstruck eyes
for things and people OF the real coun
try, l kicked up my bare footed heels
with shout OF JOY and ran away TO
the old log school house in the Val
ley The little country church stood
then, and still stands. upon one OF
the hills just few rods above the
spot where went TO school But
then | didn't know it was church
which is only one Of the many things
/ failed to learn during the days Of
my pupilage there.
So. when went out to preach for
these cody folk one evening last
July, I discovered that. while many
boyhood companions came in from
the surrounding farms, there We're
many who did not come. Some had
moved away. some We're too wearied
by the hard days labor in the har-
vest field and some. like the dear old
schoolhouse, had fallen into dust
And while the people We're gather
lug in the church, and as the night
was gathering down over the earth
/ stole over to tie very spot where
the schoolhouse used to stand chant
ing James Lane Aliens prose-poem
0. the log sohoolhouse built BY the
kentucky pioneers OF a hundred years
ago: Poor old sehoolhouse, long since
become scattered ashes, Poor little
academicians, driven Ia
about sunrise, driven out toward dusk
Poor little tired backs with nothing
to lean against Poor little bare feet
that could never reach the floor. Poor
little drOop-headed figures, so sleepy
IN the long summer days, so afraid
to fall asleep! Long. long since, mt
tie children Of the past your backs
have become straight enough, meas
ured on the same cool ed; sooner
or later your feet, wherever wan
dering have found their resting places
in the soft earth; and all your droop-
ing heads have gone 10 sleep on the
same dreamless pillow and there are
sleeping"
And when at last | went up to the
church TO conduct the seryie, the peo-
pie overlooked through the windows
and door out into the moonlit church
yard. how they sang. And one young
fellow, the superintendent of the vii
lage Sunday school, how lie prayed.
Why, his very soul trembled IN
der the breath of the Divine Spirit
as the grasses tremble under the
breath OF the autumn windi lie didn /
talk with Cosmlcal Phantom, nor
a Stream OF Tendency, nor Uniyer-
sal IL, he talked with God, and God
is his Father, and Christ is his Saw
Jour, aud the Holy Spirit is his daily
Comforter HIS hands were harden
cd by labor on the farm. but he had
gentle voice and spiritual eye.
because his soul was as clean as the
gold on the neads Of the wheat he had
harvested that day.
All, these unknown Christian work
ers, these backwoods circuit riders,
these country school teachers, these
frontier missionaries, are they not
wasting their service in behalf o;
the nations spiritual wealth? And
the people living century from now
will say of them as Allen says OF