Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1911-08-30
THE OLD MEET|N' HOUSE
Rural Manners and Customs of
The Long Ago
BY MATILDA L. ENBREE

what they was when l was young"
sighed Elm Porter as he continued
husking his corn.
Two year ago. they tore down
the old South Road meetin' house.
an built a stun church with a
square steeple; an now automobils
come glidin' up thar. an fashiona-
bio folks go in to worship,
1T did queer me some to see the
old meeti1' house come down. /
sot IN that old church when l was
boy, an my feet couldn't tech the
floor. The outside was all shingles,
an there was lot O. big trees on
one side, and graveyard on t'other.
There was some good old fash
Toned revivals in them days, an
folks was converted sound an sure,
an the sngin' was inspirin'. They
used to come from miles around to
them revivals, an set under the
trees an eat their dinner an wander
round among the graves. a waitin'
for the next meetin', an we alwus
had good sound doctrin' from the
pulpit.
Some funny things happened in
that old meetin' house. too, besides
the weddin's an funerals.
l remember when l was about
twenty year old, Jabe Simmons
brought his big bass viol in the
choir, an all the folks felt quite sot
10 to hev soma more music in
msetin', and it worked well, till
Parson Biggs come over from Wood
ly to preach one Sunday, an be riz
up jest before the service an said
he wouldn't preach till that ungodly
big fiddle was taken out O meetin'.
They took it out, but brought it
back after he'd gone, an they never
asked him to preach agin.
The young fellers had a way O.
linin' up from the meetin' house
door. down to the horse block, an
most alwus gen ally waited there to
watch the pretty gals, as they come
TO n.eetin'.
The gals alwus seemed TO like to
be stared at, fer they gen ally
peeked out o their poke bonnets at
the fellers as they passed along
'OpQ S1nHou psoH+
calf strsyin round loose, an the
two fellers on the end O. the line
started it up towards the meetin'
house door, an once il a while a
feller'd give it a slap to keep il a
goin', till the calf got scared an
bolted right through the door, an
tore down the aisle, an didn't stop
till it got inside the altar rail, an
then it faced the congregation an
give an awful blat.
"Children got scared, an some O
the women felt like faintin' an the
deacons didn't know what to do.
One old gray haired deacon ri:
up to the occasion, an tried 10 ge
him out, but the calf got contrary
an wouldn't go the right way. 81
the deacon twisted his tail an
started him down the aisle, an ker
q gOin after him, a twistin' his tai
every few steps. 1t was funny, an
some o the young folks laughed
right out in meetin'.
1T was that very same nigh
that Sister Baker got a goin'. Poo
old soul. she was crazy on the subjec
o religion, an once in a while She,
make a disturbance. She'd put he
thumbs an forefngers together an
raise 'em up to her mouth an maxi
a whistlin' sound. as she threw he
arms out slow, like as If she wa
swimmin, an then she'd say, witt
a deep groan, OH my sinful heart
an if you didn't stop her, she,
| keep it up an disturb the meetin
"Wa'al this particular night sh
got started, an some O. the nervou
women thought they couldn't stan,
it. cause they'd jest been consider
J. BILE scared by the calf. an so two G
= the deacons went to Sister Bake
D an told her that she'd hey to leav
o the meetin,' but she said she warn
| goin' unless they carried her out.
Y That kinder fustered the des