Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-07-28
THE LAKE STATE.
By !. o. Knott.

Michigan is not only surrounded and
cut into parts b lakes but every coun-
~ IN which we have been as yet con-
tains from twenty-five to thirty small
er lakes. As all OF these are fresh
water bodies, and as the weather has
Been quite as warm here as we found
in the Delta Of the Mississippi last
year, the flies, mosquitoes, and every
other insect known as a torment to
man have held hign carnival in our
Chautauqua tents. At last the short
skirts of the women have been found
to be of considerable disadvantage. II
Is sight to smile at, when a speaker
on Chautauqua rostrum, himself
hghting mosquitoes and other insects as
they nil the air, looks down on women
and men Shaping and scratching be
cause OF mosquitoes in an attempt to
stay to the end OF the programme.
TAX about powers OF oratory, when you
hold your own in the face of the thous-
and and one insects in the Chautauqua
tent IN Michigan, you are either hOarSe
or limp or both when your hour is UP.
! am still happy TO say that after over
SIX weeks Of continuous speaking, not
excepting Sunday, my voice has not
bodily discomfort save from heat and
insects. NV good DR.. Kemble of Wash
ington, ID. G., who, unknown to many
OF my friends, operated upon me last
April for very dangerous aiment.
must have done good job, for il
holds in the midst Of the most severe
STRAIN | nave ever put upon myself.
| Michigan is not Wisconsin by a
I pnnH
sins good roads, nor its well-kept
Small-town hotels. cannot too strong
ly urge upon people in small towns to
build and equip modern hotels. if they
wish to create a good impression upon
strangers. believe a really good
modern hotel as an advertisement for
a town would ultimately pay. ANYHOW
we find ourselves diSliking Michigan
for its carelessness in this regard, and
for permitting flies and MOSQUITOES TO
invade hotel rooms.
These farmers here do little, it
seems, with wheat compared with oats
barley and rye. | have not vet known
what the people do with all this rye
they plant. But Milwaukee and Detroit
are not far off, not to speak of Chicago,
and all the satisfaction YOU can pet
that it is for home use"
For the first time since have been
out on this tour, | got a chance this
morning to 20 to church. As | speak
twice myself every Sunday, and never
stay but one day in any town, there
is little chance to hear preaching from
other men. | wonder if shall be sun
POSED to give a dig at preaching. if |
nf no Of
mornings sermon, and that without
any eXaggeration.
The preacher was fat, short. large
headed youngiSh man, with very severe
face and sharp, Shrill voice. He look
ed like he never smiled and did not
like TO think of ANYBODY else smiling
he spoke on Jesus preaching, as an
example for all time. He spoke Of its
simplicity, its timeliness and its fear
lesSness In the course of his remarks
calculating these points he said
Jesus raid little attention to cschato-
loev." He never explained what he
meant by this term, but seemed to have
a peculiar 10Y in having stunned his
audience hv that word eve must have
a coSmODolitan outlook upon life" he
sad with much vigor "Preachinr is
.
geliSfic or hOrtatorv," he said. but call
ca "hortatorv." 'hOrtory." He urged
simplicity of language and manne- and
the conversational Stvle of prea ching
He was himself bombastic. evrlosiIe
and abstract in all his terms. As a
consequence, all Of the men sitting
around me were asleep. end loc';i1o
around on the congregation | saw not
even one face which showed ~, lo,e.
interest in what the man was saving
Yet he urged that preachers preach
Christ cruciticd and do It il such lam
Guage and manner that men must be
persuaded of the truth md feel the
force of the gospel And We ask why
more rcople ~ rot 90 to church, +
grant that this preacher heard TO-DAY
may be an extreme case Nut he vae
a yourg man, and a Methodist preacher
who had the Said) been 10 co!lec. and
mad attended theological seminary.
After all. the Chautauoua lecturer
and taIker has a mission, if Il is nut
to cNemnlifv how TO interest peonle
Will e telling them high moral ard srir
itual truths.