Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-12-16
Tn. Earthquake Prayer.

The Earthquake Prayer.
Twas a night of dread in Charleston. and
the air was thick with fear:
Never yet had such a terror dropped it's
raven mantle here:
Never yet had deathly sorrow had so
strange and sudden birth,
AS upon the Wis. tation of this tempest OF
the earth:
For the startled ground was surging as
the waves of stormy seas,
And the belfries of the churches fell like
stricken forest trees;
And the wall that long had lorded over
seen and unseen foe.
Covered thick with costly ruins this tor
nado from below.
There were some who prayed Gods pres
ence who to God had long been near;
There were some for help entreating with
repentance made of fear;
There were some who raved in madness
through the long and murderous
night;
There were corses calmly waiting for u
mourner's fearful sight.
And that dark race whose religion has u
superstitiOus trend,
But whose superstition chambers toward
an everlasting Friend.
They were shouting their frenzy, or IN
terror meekly dumb:
For they thought the opening signal OF
the Judgment Day had come.
But there sudden rose among them one of
earth's untutOred kings.
One of those unlocked for leaders whom
an hour of LANCER brings:
And he prayed-as souls do often. full of
sympathy and love
Partly to the souls around him, partly to
the God above.
And he said: 81 guess it's come. Lawd. dis
yer day We've prayed so long
For de symptoms all aroun' here day be
mos tremendous strong;
But We amt quite ready. yet, Lawd.
.'neber min how we'll prepared,
We feel safe in Thy good mercy, but we're
eberlastin' scared!
"For you see we're mostly human when
An de spirit wants its freedom. but de
flesh it hates to die!
We've been teasin' You for hebben all de
summer long, I know:
But we amt in half de hurry dat we was
a while ago.
When we come to look de facts through.
in de light of pain an fear.
Dere is holes in all our armor' dat at first
view didn't appear:
An we'd like to patch 'em over. il it's all
de same to You;
Put it off a yeah, for ccrtain-or perhaps
You'd make 1t. two!
Then We've got some poor relations who
may neber see Thy face
If dey do not earn de riches of de sin-de-
stroyin' grace;
Lawd, protect dem wild Thy patience, just
de same-like as before;
An keep diggin' 'roun' dose fig trees for
anOdder year o. more!
LET EN- off a little longer! In de light
of dis event,
Dey may recognize de season as a fine one
to repent!
Dey will like Ye when Gey know Ye, am
be glad to enter in.
An dere's some OATS awful good, I.awd,
eff it wasn't for DER sin!
Dis Yer world has lots of fine folks. who
Is 3nNiOlS I'm afraid
For to pick a little longer fore dey have
DER baskets weighed;
An dere'd be a large majority who would
vote, it mus be owned,
For to hab de worlds big fun'ral eberlast-
inly postponed!
An You know, o good deah Fathah, dat
Your time is all homemade,
AN a thousan' years is nothin' i'm your
Keep de saine oil footstool yet. Lawd; hoI
tn, m it STEADY yin ! 1n,, g Sstt r.
jeS once more!
"But oh co'se our .weak-eyed wisdom's
like a raindrop in de sea.
An we amt got any business to b.
mendin' plans for Thee:
If it's time to leave desc quarters am go
somewhat else to board,
Make de journey jes as easy as Your JUS
tice can afford!
AN we know You hab a fondness for de
average human soul.
So We'll hab constable courage at de
You're our sure huff Twin Fathah-
You're our fathah's God an frien'-
To de Lawd be praise an glory, now an
evermore! Amen!"
Twas a day of peace in Charleston. after
many days of dread,
AND the shelterless were sheltered, and the
hungry had been fed,
And the death-fnvaded city through it's
misery now could grope,
| And look forward to a future fringed with
happiness and hope.
And those faithful dusky Christians will,
maintain for evermore,
That the fervent prayers they Offered
drove destruction from their shore:
And how much faith moves a mountain.
or commands q rock to stay,
Is unknown to earthly Ignorance, and for
only God to say.
Will Carleton.
Autumn In tho Garden.
Pale gossamers of marshland birth
Are tangled through the shortened davs.
New favOrs from the spice-fed earth
Blow lightly down the garden WAYS.
Among the rose vines russell leaves.