The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-02
AN EVIDENCE or FAITH.

If anything were necessary to prove that the aggregation of fanatics up in New England were in earnest in their belief that the world was to come to an end on the morning of September 24. that proof is found in the fact that Cor six days previously they wholly abstained from eating pie. Now it may be that some reader will fail to understand how or why denying them selves of pie should have been re- garded as evidence of their earnest ness. but If so. that reader does not understand New England. In that part of the world pie in some form Is portion of their daily food. They have 1t for dinner, eat the remains for sup per and have some more for break fast. In short, pie in some form and of some material is one of the essen- tiais of New England existence; not luxury but necessity.
 Understanding this phase of Yankee existence it is not difficult to see that to abstain entirely from pie during period of six or seven days was one of the highest evidences they could give of their sincerity. Re- membering that New England without pie would be worse than the land of Egypt during the seven years fam inc. we can understand what de- gree of self-abnegation these people, all New Englanders. were practicing when they cut out pie from their daily bill of fare. It was not an absolute fast. as we understand 1t, but only a pie fast. They wanted to prepare themselves as we'll as possible to meet and triumph over the great oataclysm that they believed was coming, so they resolved to abstain from that which was nearest and dearest to their hearts. Was not that a really won- derfuI instance of seif-denial?
 But when the climax failed to come on schedule time the disappointed be- iievers felt that they had somehow made a rniscaIculation, and after wait Ing two or three days to make as- surance doublv sure they gave 1t up and-went back to pie. Therefore, D says The New Haven Register. "may xxra h.. 70 Aa ,tpa take heart. The faithful have come back to pie. They will now talk e a rosier view of the future. They are not like the backsliding children of Israel. who yearned In the wilderness for the 1entils and fieshpots of Egypt. But they become human again when they order pie. And if anything is calculated to maFe them cling to earth ard cease to desIro to believe tha. it will soon be destroyed. it is pie It must be confessed that pie is not an edifying part of any sec- ond advent creed"
 No doubt there were many others in New England besides the believers who felt a sort of sneaking notion that their belief miglt turn out to be fact. and that perhaps they them- selves might better go light on pie eating: and if so we can easily un- derstand their feeling of relief when the end failed to come. and they could cast fear and doubt to the four winds and go back to the dish which is the joy and delight of the true Yankee. If any of them were so doubtful as to actually cut out or materially modify their pie ration during the period of suspense we may reasonably infer that they have gone back to 1t with re- newed energy and satisfaction. Great is pie in New England. but greater still was fanaticism with some of them.