The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-02


Il shouldn't go in to offer priest"
said the elder in his serious way.
And neither would l. retorted the
deacon, but I'm telling folks that
We are all going to seed here. You
can go to seed in religion as well as
in other matters. Take a wicked man.
and If he amt doing something WICK
ed about so often he becomes a sort
of hybrid He's too mean to be good
and too good to be mean I was bar
reling apples to send up to New L ork
Yesterday, and Ill be hanged If L did
MT catch myself wanting TO put III
windfallS and ALL
..Hain't my prayers long enough p
asked the elder. in an injured tone
They are altogether too long!
timed you the other night at 40 MN
utes. You are a good man, but
look upon such prayers as wind
thrown away. It's thrashing over the
same old straw all the time satan
don't do that He has a Fellow steai
a horse one night and go to dance
the next-always some change 10
give variety to wickedness- I'm tell
ing you all that we've got to take
our coats off in this town ana go 10
work. There was tin peddIer mere
the other day. He saw that we were
all scra ping along on our old reli-
gion. and assisted by Satan he got
rid Of 40 leaky milk pans.
Whats your plan, deacon? was
asked.
"A camp meeting, sir-a regular
old fashioned camp meeting we
don't want no May party nor no PIC
mic in the woods. We want solid old
business We want to get together
down in Johnson's grove and sing ana
pray. We want to sing like steam
engines. and We want to pray like
the voice of a hurricane We want
to leaven our religion up with en-
thusiasm, and we want to take lot
of these old sinners around here by
the neck and let EN- understand
there's something doing
Il never did believe in soaring
man into religion" said Tompkins-
But yet you believe in soaring a
man into goodness. The Teller who
stole your calf last year was let Off
on his promise never to steal an
other. Don't make no difference now
a man gets religion. The idea Is to
have him get it and live up to it.
Taking a sinner round behind the
barn and whispering to him don't do
a mite of good. Talking to him right
here in this postoffice don't do any
good. Making 40-minute prayers over
in the meeting house while he is
sOmew here else playing poker don't
do any good. You've got to get him
out to a camp meeting and rouse him
up, same as if there was circus In
town or Fourth of July had come
again. The preacher believes as 1 do
and if you fellers won't go in with US
then you look out for satan to be
stalking through our streets in year
more"
The thing was talked of for two
months, and then It was decided to
hold a camp meeting Deacon Stevens
went ahead and bossed the job, and
there was nothing to complain Of when
the people began to put up their tents
When the meeting opened it was found
al. 10 Ill 4
things started off lively Deacon Stew
ems made 1T his blsiness to go about
dragging in the sinners. and few es-
capped him. After the third day, when
all the material at hand was used up,
he picketed the highway and took
whatever came along. 1t was in this
way that he got hold of a stranger
driving two horses and a wagon. with
a load covered up The man was about
30 years old, rough in speech and man.
ner- He was swearing at his horses
when the deason overhauled him.
Look a-here." began the deacon, $
he came up. I'VE are holdin' camp
meeting over in that grove
You can hold it and be hanged re-
piled the man
But L want you to turn aside and
attend. There's room for heather over
there-heaps of room. In an hour we'll
make d better man OF you"
You amt got no right to call me
heathenr'
But have You swear; you drink:
You are rough; you haven't listened to
the Word since you can remember.
You are a heather outside of Africa.
If you should die tonight your soul
would go straight to the place of fire
and birthstone"
What's camp meeting?'' asked the
man, as he softened UP bit
Its place where lots of people
get together to sing and pray and re-
solve TO be better than they have been
There's plenty to eat and cold tea.
buttermilk and lemonade to drink
Come, friend. give your soul show
can 1 drive my team over there ?"
was asked as the man began to smile
wicked smile
Certainly Turn around and drive
through that gap in the fence
Deacon Stevens went on ahead, fe-
licitating himself that he had accom-
plished a great work He led the
stranger and his team right into the
center OF the camp and stood there
smiling, when the man rose up, pulled
the covers off three hives of bees he
was conveying across the country, and
tipped the hives over the side of the
wagon box to the ground. Then he
seized his lines and whip and drove
off at p gallop.
Five minutes later there was no
camp meeting. and there has never