Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-05-14
MULE AS A MONEY RAISER.
A Story Worth $4,000 to Missouri
Methodists.

When the Missouri conference
Methodist Episcopal Church South
meets at Savannah this summer, says
Macon, Mo-, letter, the Rev. II. b
Cooper, the agent appointed by the con-
ference to raise an endowment Of $780,
600 for the benefit of aged preachers
and their widows, expects to report the
successful completion Of his task. He
has already raised about $4,000.
Down amid the cotton woods Of Aud
rain county sleeps typical Missouri
mule, which departed this life at the
age of 80. To this mule and the story
connected with it Mr.. Cooper does
homage for the success which has fol-
lowed his efforts in raising the endow-
ment fund.
When the assignment was made by
the bishop two years ago Mr.. Cooper
realized that he had hard work ahead
Some Of the churches were taxed to
their utmost to meet the various obli-
cations for missionary and church ex-
tension work, and to pile 100000 on
top of that looked like crowding the
mourners; but Mr.. Cooper took up his
task cheerfully.
He had been in conference thirty
years, twenty Of which he was presid-
ing elder, and he had become something
Of a philosopher. He knew that his ap-
peal for the poor preachers and the
widows would have to be something
out of the ordinary II it was to reach
further down into the pockets OF his
people.
After he had toured the state a lit
tie while some one told him about
Brother Smiths old mule down in Aud
rain county. He went there and inves-
tigated and came back home with
smile upon his face. Then he began
telling the people about the four foot
ed patriarch, so:
Brother Jim Jones was a Methods,
of the old school; always at his place
in church, ready to shout, sing or pray
with the best Of them. He never cheat
ed in a horse trade, never lied about
the qualities of his dogs and was al
ways honest with his neighbors and hi:
God.
Among his stock was old Bill Crow
black mule nearly third Of a CEN
tury old. His service had been almost
as long as his years. One morning
Brother Jones hitched Bill Crow up tc
the plough and started across the field
"Git ap!" said Brother Jones.
bill Crow didn't move. He just
turned his head and looked kinder
mournful like at his boss and then laid
down. His working days were over.
Brother Jones saw that, because II
was the first time Bill Crow had evel
refused to move when commanded
He went up and looked into the mules
eyes and saw tears in them. He knew
Bill Crow had done the best he could
and that he hated to quit. There was
no help for 1t, and so he turned the ole
mule out in the woods to die.
THAT night Brother Jones's boy, Joe
came to him and said:
Pap, what've you done with ole
Bill Crow?'
"'Why, son, he fell down at the
plough this morning and 80 turned
him out to die. Guess his working
days are over
You turned old Bill Crow out tc
die?
"'Why, sure; he amt no good any
more
".But see here. pap! amt he beer
working all his life for your
"'He sure has, son, and he worked
good, too,"
"'And you goin' to church every
Sunday and singing, Il Want to be g
Angel?" Pap, do you reckon an ange
would "a treated old Bill Crow thai
away after he worked for him all this
timer
"This was putting the thing III a new
light, and the old man began to fee
like he had been pretty mean to ole
Bill Crow. He spoke to his wife about
it, and she told him If he didn't go out
and get Bill Crow and bring him to the
barn and feed him and treat him well
from this on she'd leave him. Every
person about the place seemed to think
that Brother Jones had treated his old
mule outrageously mean.
Brother Jones got so ashamed OF
himself that he sneaked down into the
woods and hunted up the old mule and
brought him back, and from that time
on every day was Sunday to old Bill
crow"
The story Of old Bill Crow excites the
sympathy Of the congregation before
they see the application, and when the
story is finished Mr.. Cooper stands up
his aged preacher and asks them II
they are not going to be as good to
him as Brother Jones was to his old
mule. The homely illustration has done
more to open up pocketbooks than a
world of fine spoken oratory could
have done.
People have sent checks by the
scores, with letters saying that the
mule stC.v had so worked on their
feelings that they just had to do some
thing for the old preachers. Many who
had never before contributed to such
fund have seen the application and
resolved that they would be as good to
men as they would to mules. The sto-
ry put them in a good humor, and when
you get people to laughing they are
likely to be generous.
Under the old regime the preachers
on the shelf received from SIS to S20O
a year, never enough to enable them
to live in comfort. Some had toiled
out their lives, giving their surplus
salary to the good of the cause, and
then found old age and decrepitude
upon them without any nest egg for the
rainy day. 1t was to meet this plain
duty to the old fighters that the endow-
ment fund was proposed, by which II
Is hoped to care for the needy in
manner befitting their long service.