The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-11-20
As IT SEEMS
TO ME
DANA SLEETH

South. with small
black preacher dcuslng
and sousing large black sisters.
clothed In white. down and down.
until not single hair sticks out
for the devil TO perch on.
Hadn't thought about INNER
sion for years. but In our youth
Immersion was right live issue.
Dads church was liberal on the
subject
Those who wanted 10 Be sprln-
ksed were sprinkled. and those who
believed they should dive. dove.
Or were doven. TO he exact
dimensions were town cererno-
niex and spectacics; the mems
bathing suits for women had not
come into vogue. and the styles
were voiuminous.
Bu~tics and balloon sleeves and
pettieoats in layers were In vogue.
and TO plunge such body entirely
under was no slight chorc.
II seemed strange that some
souls felt their immortal salvation
entirely depended on having their
noses showed down fairly into the
creeks muddy bottom. but many
did. and doubtless lived happily
ever after--such as did not die Of
pneumonia-
N OR those were heroic
c..s.4.s.. s.s. ~ mmsv-
sion- havinx finished
their probation period
- being otherwise ready for nd.
unission TO the congregation Of the
eject. did not defer their plunge
until warm weather.
And the minister was their ohe-
dent servant.
Many and many time we re
. small stream a mile from town.
and long lines Of girls and women
passing over the ice TO be plunged
Into the Icy depths.
And the minister. modern mar
tyr. standing there In the ice and
siush and the December wind un-
I'll the last baptisee vas ducked.
Nowadays those affecting i'm
nersion have tanks at their dis
po~ai: tanks within tho church.
tanks with their waters OF cleans
ing for the spirit heated to a prop
er temperature.
A lot OF the rough edges have
been planed from religion these
last 20 years. whether for the bet
ter or worse Is not 20 evident
@0< THE old days a minis
ter was a servant.
More so even than the
koEB9oI country doctor: and the
doctor was slave enough.
A circuit rider would have per.
haps dozen small congregations
scattered over n hundred miles OF
nigh trackIess wilderness.
His saddle horse. or his Hight
cart. transported him. and he faced
blizzard and sunstroke. and hail
and lightning. and all manner Of
lesser hardship. every day for
months.
His wage In cash was about
what a skilled mechanic gets in a
month now: only he got II for a
years faithful. 28-hours-a-day ef.
fort.
And until he died. or was broken
on the wheel Of exposure. the min
lister kept his post. carrying good
cheer. stern admonition and uplift-
ing faith. as might be needed.
No more representative. or effec-
| tive. or courageous class ever car
ried the light of civilization into
dark places against all odds than
the oid.tirne priests and preachers.
who might have been weak on aft
er-dinner speaking. on oratory. on
social usage. and on the finer
points Of the higher criticism, but
who could lay hold on the sacred
soul of the dying sinner. trembling
on the brink Of hell. and on the
shoulders Of faith lift II over into
Beulah land.
wrote an epic on
IRI the Scotch doctor Of the
old school. some day an
ER8I American may be big
enough. experienced
and human enough to make irnper-
ishable the fame Of the old circuit
rider and country preacher, as al.
ready their deeds are immortal
And no more important labor
could be performed for posterity
than TO faithfully keep alive tho
wonderful story Of these old, un.
selfish. serving. faithful heroes.
whose iife's blood cementcd the
stones Of the nations foundations.
and whose sublime faith and
Christllke charity breatbed like