Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1908-07-24
PREACHING AND
DINNER ON GROUND
North Tazewell Folks "Spread"
Themselves AT ''All Day"
Meeting and Picnic.

number of visitors and invited guests
had a fine day last Sunday. No one
who was present will soon forget the
occasion. Instead of the customary
picnic a meeting was held under the
spreading chestnut and maple trees,
in a beautiful grove nearby. There
was preaching at IL o'clock by Rev.
Mr.. Bowling, and at O'Clock by
Rev. Mr.. Doyle, of Bluefield, with "A
''few feeble remarks " on Sunday
Schools by visitor. All the exer.
cises were interspersed with good
singing. Good cheer, good singing,
good preaching, good eating, good
shade, good water and good weather
everything was good, and the re-
suits cannot fail to be good. The
young people were there from the
surrounding country. The fathers,
and mothers were there with their
children. They came in wagons,
buggies, horseback, and afoot. 1t
was typical, country scene, fire.
quently witnessed and enjoyed in
days agone, but seldom seen now,
alas
When the writer arrived services
had already begun. The preacher,
Rev Mr.. Bowling, a minister of the
Methodist church, stood beneath a
large spreading chestnut, the thick
foliage of which shut out the sun,
furnishing pefect shade, seated near
him and aound him on the grass In
wagons, buggies and reclining on the
soft, luxuriant bluegrass, were the
people. The birds sang in the trees.
A partridge whistled bob White"
from his perch on the top of n stump
in an adjoining field. The preachers
theme was the great love of the
Great Father of us all for his crea-
lures, shown in the gift of his
son, and the obedience and death of
The Man of Gallilee, "who died
that we might live" There was
serious and rapt attention. There
was no philOsophy-no new theolo-
gy, no attempt at scientific or learn
ed dissertation, but a simple, plain
presentation of the "Old Story
ever new and interesting.
These good Methodist people were
worshiping and walking in the foot
steps of the fathers of Methodism in
this country. In this way-out in
the open, nen whose names are il
lustrious on the pages of church his
tory, conquered the Wilderness, ("
and established the cause in days
when there were few or no church
spreading trees and the canopy of
the sky furnished sufficient meeting
place." and in the winter time, pri-
vate houses and barns were utilized
by the pioneers of Christianity who
went before and blazed the way for
those who should come after them.
Mr.. and Mrs. Wesley Whitley,
Jas. Gillenwaters, Mrs. Davis, the
Iresons, Porters, and many others,
are prominent in pushing the great
Sunday School and church work in
this community. Mr.. Whitley, one
of the oldest men in the community,
is the superintendent of the school.
Want of space must keep out many
things that should be said of this
splendid day. The dinner spread on
the ground was great. Such an
amount of fried chicken, turkey, and
other nice meats, and such stacks of
pies and varieties of cake are seldom
seen. Everybody had enough and
basketsfull were left over. Specially
attentive were the ladies and men,
dinner another earnest discourse was
delivered by Mr.. Doyle, and the
pleasant day was over.
This scrap would not be compl etc
without special mention of the dogs
present on the occasion. OF course,
they were there. They scented and
followed the dinner basket. There
were several distinct varieties of
dogs-from the long-legged, short
haired, hungry hound, down TO the
little, short-Iegged, frisky fce-all
sizes and colors. They behaved fair
ly well during service. They had to
as pretty close watch was kept ovel
them, and the dinner baskets guard.
ed by men with clubs. But, theil
time came. Every dog has hi.
day." and this was one of them
When the dinner was being spread
they got busy. Without waitin TO
an Invitation, they pitched in. L
wasn't long until they pitched il
to one another, and fought rjgh
among the women and children ant
the baskets and dinner. One littI
black and tan flee made himsel
very conspicuous. He wanted to figh
everything on the rgound, and final
Iy had to be collared and led off an,
aanhQrad ia Ia