Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-08-11
THE BIG MEETING.

soft arm was slipped around my
waist one morning last week, and L
turned to see Mary VS. smiling face and
hear her say, In coaxing tones: Don't
you want to go up to Bethel next Sun
day? Mirinda and Grace and Katie and
1 want to GO and we want you and The
Farmer to go, too
where is Bethel?" 1 asked.
IRIS about ten or twelve miles from
here. You go up the mountain and then
some" was the laughing rejoinder. we
want you TO please take fried chicken
and stuffed eggs and cucumber pickles.
and we will take the rest"
Who could say no? Consequently,
bright and early Sunday morning, L
packed the basket, adding few other
things to the ones requested, and or we
started.
Several times Saturday I'd see strange
teams go past, and would be told that
the people had begun to go to Bethel
Many who have once lived there return
the first Sunday in August, for this has
been an annual affair for years and
years Protracted services are begun
the first Sunday in August, no matter
what else may be going on And use
the caption, THE Big Meeting" after
due elaboration. Half of the people
never see the inside of the church-it's
a roomy structure, comfortable and In
Viting-but many go simply to see
friends, to display the children, to swap
horses, to talk over crops or to do their
choicest Sparkling" You never saw as
many couples, from fourteen to forty,
sitting around in top buggies. Some
times you'd see the bashful girl with
her finger in her mouth saw that
twice; sometimes she would be atten-
lively listening as she wrapped and UNI
wrapped her finger; sometimes she
would be doing the talking as If to head
him off. But I'm here to say that more
boys and men were talking than girls,
consequently l am inclined to think that
the young men make Bethel their Anal
point of attack, and that this fall corn
or no corn, boil weevil or not, there will
be the usual number of marriages.
The Farmer and found a good place
to leave Kate and then threaded our
way to the church. You can imagine
three acres as thick with vehicles of
all descriptions as close as they con-
veniently could be driven in, and that
will give you a picture of the magnifi-
cent grove surrounding the church. Au-
tos, buggies, wagons drawn by fat
mules or prancing horses all an orderly
conglomeration.
We had comfortable seats in a little
Sunday school room quite near the pull
pit and found 1t cool and just in line
with the minister. He preached good
sermon on where Is My Brother?"
question 1t behooves every one of us
to ask Of ourselves.
Then came dinner time.
In that immense throng you would ex-
pect US to have trouble finding our
party, but the very first people to come
in after we were seated were two of
them and right outside the church we
saw the car with the others. We Joined
them and went half a mile to shady
place near enough to a spring to have
plenty of delightful chalybeate water
as cold as any with ice tinkling in the
pitcher. Miss Lillian's and Mrs Kumpe's
baskets were added and under a wide,
spreading pine tree mot our sort of
long leaf pines), we spread the feast.
This Is the third time we have been
a party to these cooperative baskets.
Every housekeeper has some speciality
that her friends especially like. Miss
Lillian makes a delicious pineapple
sandwich, Kate makes "scrumptious"
light bread, Merinda and Mary v. have
special cake recipes, and yours truly
takes the eggs and fried chicken. Mrs.
Kumpe had some rolls that The Farmer
is yet talking about. and 1 see my fin
ish If 1 do not learn the art. She is
visiting here from Montana, left here
thirty years ago and talks most charm
ingly of that country, and thoroughly
enjoys her home out there. The rolls
came from one of those delightful
Leighton homes that I wrote about ear
Her in the year. or was 1t last fall?
We spent a happy hour eating and
talking, and when there was no ex-
cuse to linger longer we followed our
usual method and divided what was
, left. 1 did not bring back anything 1
took, nor did the others. big uncut
1 Il
basket, a generous supply Of cake also
was folded in a napkin, fried chicken,
croQuettes, sandwiches. stuffed eggs and
all sorts of goodies changed owners and
then we went back to the church-some
fine singing, another good sermon and
then dismissal till evening. We turn
ed our faces homeward and 1 wish
could tell you Of that side. For one
hour we never even saw a mail box,
sheer cliffs, rocky hillsides, a sandy
stretch and then more steep climbing;
often for quite a distance we were on
stretches of the road that would be as
sandy as any in Florida or south Geor-
gia. Then would come rocks higher
than my head and a road so rough that
I'd have to hold on with both hands
to keep in the buggy-the autos went
a longer way around the mountain.
There were springs gushing out of the
the most famous the Farmer got wa
! ter and brought some back to me 1
sat in the buggy and held the lines
Vegetation was rank n many places
and everywhere there were all sorts OF
beautiful trees 1 saw one cabin perch
ed on a shelf and little way off was
a potato patch, and on another one was
a splendid orchard, apples and pears
seemed fine In the distance were tin
king COW bells and further down the
mountain on either side were splendid
fields Of corn and cotton. Their crops
are the best rye seen. But / saw so
few chickens and one lone turkey. The
majority of the homes l saw that day
were comfortable and comparatively
new, and both of the school houses were
built after the states plan, showing that
two acres had been donated by the peo-
pie and 5000 met by as much from the
state.
Hurrah for the compulsory education
bul Now get busy and find really
good teachers for the children.
Faithfully yours,
n