The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1921-03-11
FORMER MISSlSSIPPIAN WRITES
LETTER FROM NORTH DAKOTA


ago the letter below from a nephew
of his, w. E. Granthom. Who has been
making his home IN valley City
North Dakota, for several years
| While the letter was not written foI
publication. liberty is taken to use il
is these columns, omitting that par,
which is particularly personal. The
He has been private secretary to one
of the judges of the court of cham
bers, of North Dakota since bis resi-.
dence there. He has been pursuing
a law course and is just about ready
| to enter upon the practice of law.
The letter will give just glimpse of
| a little of the great northwest. II
| will be noted that the young man vot-
ed for Harding-the first time in his
| life he ever voted for Republican.
| In a previous letter, he said that
there was much business unrest in
| that section and social disorder, and
naturally the disposition is to lay the
responsibility for this on the party
in power. In letter written him
sometime ago. the writer endeavor-
ed to remind his nephew of his duty
to himself by proper Identification
and affiliation with some branch of
the Christian church, if he had not
already done so-these admonitions
no doubt prompted the reference to
the church and his observation as to
the preachers:
This being the first morning in
quite a while I've had the opportuni.
ty of expressing my contempt for an
alarm clock by remaining between
the sheets and enjoying the blessings
of sleep until | felt good and ready
TO begin the day, instead of rising
at the usual hour of seven and get
ting my affairs in readiness to go
over and listen to moSs-covered
sermon ] lolled lordly in disordered
bed. smoked my pipe beside a break
fast tray that had recently been re-
lleved of It's cargo. and luXuriated in
the Sunday Edition shrieking with
black headlines and spectacular with
coiored pictures: u pleasing record
Of crimes and disasters and secrets
OF boudoir, the festal diversions of
u'e opulent, the minor secrets of
astronomy, woman's attire. baseball
high arf arc faci:' rrror1- Not b-
any 1ieans Il choice selection Of read
ING matter for the Sabbath morning
but decidedly more interesting than
a casual journey through the Be-eat
chapters of the Old Testament or in
having the minister whoop 'em up for
some OF the drives that the churches
60 not seem to know how to stop.
can't say that it is Seventh Dav
habit with me to trek off to the
Whltehouse of worship, impressive
under ITS heaven pointing steeple,
pass within its forboding portals.
stepping softly to the accompaniment
Of silken whisperings, seat myself be-
tween a couple Of stifly armored
penance doers and spend an hour and
nall OF acute mental distress. |
prefer the out doors where l can sit
and watch the birds and hear the
laughter of my fellow mortals. for
laughter is 4 smile made vocal and
a smile is a signal flash from the
lighthouse of serene SOUL If the
preacher would be more personal: if
he would get out Of the hazy past in
TO the living present, believe more
fellows like myself would attend nm
on the services with relish rather
than going infrequertly as we do as
q matter of duty. j don't believe
God ever intended to literally punish
4 man with sermon.
Il would not have you understand
l 1all to appreciate the inestimable
value of the church and the great
work done by the Christian minis
try. but somehow to my mind. the
are failing to function.
Now. frankly speaking. / felt a
little bit guilty when l sat down to
the machine to strike off this belat-
ed communication. seemed to re-
member promise made in the long
ago to be more punctual in answer
ing my correspondence and the con-
clousness Of having wholly disregard
ed that promise naturally aided NV
guilty feeling in gaining undue pro-
portions. really have no valid ex-
cuse ior maintaining such protrac- |
Ted silence unless laziness could be |
counted as such. A bachelor is at a |
in not having some one
to remind him of his correspondence,
ETC., but, Of course, you cannot ap-
preclate that disadvantage because
Of never having attained that sparse
y Inhabited station in life. And
hen one who passes his life around
The hotels is constantly confronted
With the temptation to idle away a
few golden moments now and then
IN some absolutely foolish undertak-
ng, for the sake Of being a good
fellow when his time might be more
.dvantageousiy employed elsewhere.
We are all human though. and the
ZEAL Spirit Of the West is still ex-
ant in North Dakota, which am in
:lined to think is the principal reas-
IN for my sojourning here in the
and that must have been wrested
rom the Eskimos by the Redskins
'longs about the time De Soto was
.azing with wondrous eyes across
he muddy bosom of the Father of
Waters. And sometimes when the
thermometer registers from forty to