The Dickinson press., 1917-02-03
CHRISTMAS IN FLORIDA

o o 9 o o o o 49,
The following letter, written by
Rev. j. G. Morrison, former pastor of
the st. Paul's M. E. church in Dick
lnson, will be read with interest by
many readers of the Press. It de-
picts Christmas in Florida, the pres
cnt home of Rev. Morrison:
Christmas day dawned as beautiful,
bright and clear az the three hundred
and-something other days of the year
dawn, here in Florida. Just cool
enough to make a coat enjoyable, and
warm enough to seem like "Indian
Summer" in North Dakota.
All the pines and Give" oaks are
green all the year round. The maple
leaves are Diood red, as though
touched by frost. The people hurry
ing hither and thither in shirt sleeves
and white dresses. 1t didn't seem the
least bit "Christmassy" to us who
have SO long associated this ancient
holiday with snow, frost, fur, bells,
etc.
The church held it's annual "doings,"
giving a fine cantata. The auditorium
was decorated with palmetto, air
plants and a profusion of soft, r
Spanish moss. The windows and
doors were all open and late shop
pers peered in at the wide doors,
merrily enjoying the children's pro-
duction.
All the stores yer in holiday trim.
Decorated suitably and displaying
toys of various kinds. The markets
were replete with Christmas foods,
even displaying the festive turkey in
considerable numbers. A civic Christ
mas tree exercise was presented in
the high school yard, to a big, happy,
~goodnatured shirt sleeve crowd.
The parsonage party was invited to
a country home for Christmas dinner.
We left at 9 a. m. in a Ford, and
were whisked away into the pine
woods some six miles. Arriving, we
found that we were scheduled to preach
at 10 o'clock In a neighboring "shack,"
to the assembled farmers. Nothing
loath, we numbered one of u
heaviest guns, beat the devil round
the pine trees, tore up his patch,
shelled the woods with "hellanddan,-
nation" and wound up with a Savior
for all men from all sin, gave an altar
(pin log) call and had four adult
penitcnts in two minutes. We stayed
by until they were converted, and
then drove happily on to Christmas
dinner, listening to the joyous shout
ing of one Of the converts, coming
pealing through the distant pines.
Dinner around the farmers ample
table consisted Of roast chicken and
pork, Irish and sweet potatoes, dress
ing, bread, butter, two kinds of cake,
ditto pie, preserved mangoes, guavas,
honey, ETC., etc., ad infinitum, ad
libitum ! On the side was a bushel
basket of grape fruit, another of Or
anges, a half bushel of roasted pea
nuts, and a bunch of bananas.
A meeting had been announced in
the shack for the evening, to which
we were delighted to remain.
The scene was a bit romantic and
weird to eyes accustomed to northern
scenes. The moon was out in it's sill
very splendor, and shone only as a soft
luxuriant o knows how to shine
in Florida. The pines emitted a most
ravishing, pungent, woodsy odor. The
people were, some of them, arriving
as we drove up, skllfully guiding
their one-mule teams among the state
ly trees. Some were singing Justify,
under the tin covered, open sided
shack. The singing was exceedingly
interesting. The sopranos were pitch
ed or a happy nasal twang, resemb-
ling at times the shrill ring of a cir
cular saw as it leaves a well-sawed
log. There was nothing about it that
resembled the monotonous and tire
cor,,a .or111o ,sifxy o-I o1o11,~onx, of ryo,11s
average church choir. The BASES and
tenors struck in wherever there was
opening, playing quite success
fully the game of catch-as-catch-can.
The floor was carpeted with pine
needles, and the pulpit was a log up
ended with a board nailed to the top.
Lanterns hung to the size posts gave
light. But the people were hungry,
and didn't have any more sense than
to believe what the preacher said, and
the preacher said, very heartily, what
he had to say. The accompanying
of the resounding pines,
lanterns, pine needle floor
and log pulpit, only a~cceatuated his
deep interest in the brown-faced, hun
CRY hearted farmers, their wives, boys
and girls, and out of that audience
the truth reached six fine specimens
of humanity. All were triumphantly
amid the necessary happy
reclamation of the ones already saved,
and the tears of several "Mothers-in-
Israel" who had prayed long to see
that day visit their neighborhood.
We autoed home in the moonlight
listening to the call of the nightbirds,
the signing of the wind in the tops
of the trees, and the purr of the
Ford, while the happy shouting Of the
converts died slowly away in the dis
and reflected that this was, al
together, the 'Merriest Christmas we
thus far ever known.
A portion of our party, Ito be accu-
rate, the girls, with their beaux)
went, during the afternoon Of Christ
mas Day, and took an ocean bath
at the LAST as-by-the-Sea' bathing
beach. Old Neptune was in his hol-
iday mood and flung sand and sea-
weed at the young folks right merri-
ly. They returned at supper time full
Of merriment and sea-sand, voting
in Florida a wet and grit
ty ucces