The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-04-09
MEN, WOMEN
AND THINGS

Somewhile ago I wrote about a Sun
day on a train, but now L want to talk
on rainy day. got in Saturday night
from trip to find there was call for
me to go out to Sipsey on Sunday to
dedicate a church, and that arrange
ments had been made to take me out in
a car
l got up at the break of day to find
the clouds letting down sheets of wa
ter, and the sidewalks and streets like
branches. / looked in vain for an UNI
/ brella, my overshoes were misplaced.
and my raincoat not to be found, I
was ~ meet friend Bowers at Chris
for breakfast.
/ Now, was placed in sad predica-
ment, all because he had called up the
weather man who had assured him that
/, the Sabbath would be a day of sun
shine, and hadn't thought it necessary
to order the taxi to come by for me.
and didn't have time to telephone
for one and be in time to keep the en-
gagement.
/ confess that I felt hesitancy in
! going out into the weather without
being better protected, but then be-
gan to think of what our boys were
undergoing in France, and how some
would have to stand in trenches with
water up to their waists, and l grew
ashamed of being unwilling - get wet
when l could be of service.
For be it understood it does not
make any difference whether l am set
down for talk, speech, or a sermon,
i it all amounts to the same thing, for
am bent only on one thing in all of
my discourses, and that is to drive
home to my hearers that it's time for
every one to get into the war and do
his best to help his country to help
our allies win it.
| And SO instead of feeling that was
being imposed on after a hard weeks
work of speaking, | counted it JOY
| to ride eighty miles and get chance
to deliver message to a Walker
county audience, among whom were
many of my friends both men and
women, who are eager to know what
| Uncle Sam is expecting of them and
| then ready to do it, for the camp at
Sipsey has shown it's patriotism in
many days.
| A few weeks back l paid my respects
| to the Walker county roads. I wrote
! the indictment after having ridden
over them in dry weather. / wish to
now apologize for the feeble way in
which it was drawn, but then I had
not seen them when they were verita-
suitable means of conveyance than an
automobile.
| After a trip over them twice in the
same day between the Jefferson county
| line and where we truned off on the
Sipsey road l can say that if had to
give the blue ribbon for the worst
roads over which l have ever Travelled
/ / would gladly award it to that por-
ton of the Bankhead, or Jasper high
way set out above. / do not wonder
that gentleman confessed to me that
| in driving through Walker county aft
| er rain he felt that he had short
ened his life by a twelvemonth.
| The big touring car in which / was
riding gave an exhibition of all the
known fancy dances, and then some.
| It's wheels hesitated fox trotted, two
stepped, waltzed and then it's body
went through all of the known muscu-
lar or abdominal movements. combining
the "couchee- couchee and the "wiggle-
WOO" and shaming by it's gyrations the
Egyptians and the Hawaiians. who
| family imagine they know the gentle
art of bodily contortion.
The trip going and coming was a
perfect nightmare. rougher than any
sea voyage l ever made. All along the
route were stranded automobiles stuck
fast in the mud looking like so many
dereIlcIS cast up III sea- SHINY with
ooze, while the poor automobilists, wet
| to their skin, appeared like unto
drowning sailors tossed about in the
wreckage of a storm. 1t was sight
pitiable enough to have touched the
heart of Asa Rountree. When our car
| rolled on to the highway Of Jefferson
| i had wild longing to throw my
arms round the neck of Jere Gwin and
j weep out my gratitude for having
rescued me from the quicksands of
Walker
! But out of my unhappy experience
in the car, as it sank up to its hubs
| Or skidded l learned great
patience for our boys over
there who will have to go through
swollen creeks, raging rivers marshy
bottoms, or roads that are lob wallows
+! in their brave efforts to drive the
Huns out of Belgium and France. Hav-
ling experienced the difficulty OF a
high powered car to overcome Walker
] county roads in bad weather. | can
better understand the difficulties our
army will have in moving its trans
ports and heavy guns in the wet sea-
! son Of spring.
| Oh. yes, there was a rift in the sky:
| for it was pleasant to find that in spite
/ of the dreary day quite a few had
i brayed the elements and gathered In