Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1911-10-05
SILAS JONES' PRAYER
In Which He Says Many Things
Which Surely the Deacon
Didn't Like.

I
ing good people who attended to hii
own business and had but little to say
to anyone. His education was got by
Jerks in one of the old fashioned-log
school houses, a sample of which we
find yet in some of the new settle
ments of the south western states. He
, seldom attended church but when he
did he wore such solumn look that
it excited the suspicion that he-pos-
sessed religion. Acting upon this sus-
picion, one day old Deacon Brown call
ed on him to lead in prayer Silas
said he did not have words enough to
pray and they must excuse him, but
old Deacon Brown and Deacon Smith
told him he didn't have to have words,
the Lord furnished them. All he bad
to do was to get down on his knees
and open his heart and the Lord would
put words in his mouth to express his
feelings, "for out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaketh," said
Deacon Brown. Silas said he'd try it
a lick anyhow, and having placed him
self in the proper attitude, he poured
out his heart in the following manner:
"Oh, Lord, they tell me that you
will give me words to express the feel
| in of my heart Oh, Lord, send EN-
right down now for I've got whole
lot to say. Oh, Lord, I'll tell you
who am, and maybe you won't want
to listen to me, for l am poor and
hain't got much edication. I'm just
plain Silas Jones. l hain't been very
bad sinner, nor very good christian.
Oh, Lord, maybe I'm wrong but it
seems to me that this world is wrong.
Nearly everybody is going to the devil
or else am Maybe haven't got the
right kind of Bible but it's just like
old Deacon Browns. OBJ, Lord, !
want to know about whole lot of
things. l want to know who You
made this earth for anyhow. My BIZ
BILE says the earth is the Lords and
the fullness thereof, but old Deacon
Brown claims to own half of this town,
and us poor devils that do the work
have to pay him the fulness thereof.
Oh, Lord. l want to know if he pays
it over to you. l don't think he does
for saw him sell it and put the
money in his bank where he loans it
out at ten per cent interest, and
makes us poor devils work to pay that
interest. Oh, Lord, want to know
70 iSfQ w
You commanded the people not to col
lect usury from their brethren. Some
body is mistaken and if you meant
what you said some people who stand
mighty high in this community are
going to go to hell sure, and this
church will lose some of its mighty
pillars. Oh. Lord, want to know if
you make some people to work and
some to play, some to wear fine clothes
and some to go nearly naked, some to
ride in their fine automobiles and some
to work in the hot sun every day. l
want to know if you dons this on pur
pose, or If these fellows are runnin'
bluff on us, and Oh, Lord, want to
know why we have to divide up with
the fellows that don't work. want
to know why old Deacon Brown lives
in q fine house which he didn't make,
and have to live in a little old shanty |
which had to make. I want to
know, why his gals can go off on an |
excursion with lot of e-haired |
dudes, and not be talked about, while |
if mine happens to speak to young
man they are bad medicine.
want to know, Oh, Lord, if you
meant what you said when you declar-
ell that it ia easier for camel to go
the eye of needle than it is
for rich man to enter the kingdom
of heaven. If you did, I'll tell Gym
thia Ann when / get home. It'll do
lots of good. If it is SO, there'll be
some awfully disappointed people in
this neighborbood, and, Oh, Lord,
want to know il you have got the same
opinion of lawyers you had when you
were down here. don't. think they /
are any better than they were then, 4
worse. IL anything. oh. Lord, will T
you iplease tell me If you made me on |
purpose to work for old Twenty Per
Cent. and others who don't work. l
want 10 know if You intended for old
Brother Skinhints's, gals to be better
than ,minet. II you .didn' t. why does
the world treat them better. and il |
the world 10 wrong. why don't. you
Jerk IT halahsadedN No,40hs Lord. /
haven't got snstAtag agia old Tween.
". Per Cent bat hess got ~ note e Agin
me. i don't want ysu 70 kill him, bqt
sysa can make phiHs read shis Bible
'ikelT do. hetH knock OF isosne o. sthAt I
pex CONT and E.can getpmyi wife new
iress this fall. IL Oh. Lord, i wish. yen
would enlighten me-. - it right for
people TO go to church to show their
inc clothes' Is it right to talk scan
ial about your neighborsf oh, Lord,
lid you give people tongues to tell lies
,r to tell the truth, and uows oh,
Lord. l want to know SOM thing about
Al 4. r.