The Monroe journal., 1921-04-22
The Farmers
Vacation


begins at the end OF laying by time. =
which is the latter part OF July. The
corn has then been ploughed for thu
last time In the cottrI belt. the
farmers have finished chopping and
ploushins. their fields are frce from
grass, the dirt has been thrown NJ
round the plants. and the crop ha,
been laid 10y until picking time
which is about a month later. The
hay has already been made" and
the grain. wheat and oats have been
harvested and threshed.
There are. OF course. some farmers
who do not take any vacation; they
put in the month cutting weeds and
briers from the fence corners and
the banks OF bitches. cleaning out
drainage trenches. hauling grain 10
market, or perhaps putting up a new
building. But a custom has long pre-
vailed in the rural Southland the
South in the past has been largely
rural-that has had much TO do with
the social. religious and moral life
of the people. BY almost universal
custom the farmers vacation. from
the last week in July to the first week
in September. is given over TO re-
] ligious services held in the rural
churches. Some families OF members
of families make trips to the noun
tains or TO the seashore: some neigh
! borhoods have plcnics, but in every
country church there is almost sure
to be a revival, known as the pro
tracted meeting" or the big meet
ing. The Baptists and the Metho-
dists are the strongest denominations
in the rural South. Arrangements
for the meetings are made in ad-
vance. The pastor gets the assistance
of some neighboring pastor in coun-
try or town. the church or the pastor
fixes the date. and he-announeement
is made Neighboring churches try
to arrange dates that do conflict. but
some churches have begun their
meetings on certain Sunday in Au-
gust for so long that they resent any
suggestion of a change.
In some neighborhoods or churches
the custom is to have service in
inc iol thuoh anu dHollifl III tut wv
ming every day. But the most popu-
lar plan is to have two services a
day. with an hours intermission arH
dinner on the grounds. The dinner
Is a great event. Fried chicken and
pies OF several kinds are found in
every basket. and most OF the house
keepers add old-country ham, fresh
la 40 :
iced tea. melons and what not
When the morning service in the
church is over, the pastor announces
that dinner will be served in the
grove, and that everyone is invii
to partake Baskets are brought out.
linen is spread on the long rustic
tables that are permanent part OF
the church equipment. There is gem
erous rivalry in preparing and servin
the picnic dinners; every house
keeper or her daughter will pass
through the company. plate or bowl
in hand, inviting neighbors and
friends to try something from her
spread. 1t is a time of joyous fell
lowship and hospitality. but there is
nothing hilarious or otherwise UNI
seemly. for it is religious gathering.
Kinspeople and friends make it a
time for visiting one another. The
meeting is in one neighborhood this
week. ad friends and kindred from
the eighborhood few miles away
attend the meeting and are guests in
the homes. The next week the meet
ing is held in a neighboring church.
and the hosts of this week will then
be the guests. II is favorite time
for those who have moved to town
to visit friends in the old neighbor-
hood. They find themselves among
familiar surroundings In the church
of their childhood, and in a gathering
of friends of long ago.
1t is time of generous hospitality.
Everything is ready; work is through
with, the meeting was expected and
was prepared for. Company is heart
lily welcomed by all. There Is plenty
in garden. yard, smokehouse and
field; chickens are prime and melons
are ripe. In years gone by the people
came on horseback. in wagons and on
foot; later they came in carriages and
buegies, now they come in automo-
biles. A meeting usually begins on
Sunday and lasts through the week,
sometimes through the next Sunday.
A pastor from a neighboring town
who had been invited TO do the
preaching in a certain South Carolina
country church found at the railway
station negro with buggy waiting
to take him to the opening service
As they rode along the preacher ask
ed the negro about the arrangements
for the meeting. "Will there be two
services day?'
Yah. SIR"
Dinner on the ground?"
Nor. s'r we's got tables
In considering the social problems
of country life, ii is worth while to
keep in mind what the annual pro-
tracted meetings have done for the
people of the rural South. Before
the preaching, during the dinner hour
mad after the service the men gather
in groups and discuss matters that
interest and concern them. The
women have their conversational en-
change in the house before the serv-
ices begin and afterwards. For UNI
counted young men and young women
the big meeting has been the time
when admiration was famed into
lasting love. II Is afitting opportunity.