Evening star., 1925-11-08
WIVES Of STRIKERS
PRAY FOR MINERS
Ask Safety Every Day for
Men Taking Places
of Husbands.
By the Associated Press.

| By the Associated Press
| HENRIETTA, Okla, November :
! Prayers at dawn beside a dusty road
! start the days work in the coal mines
! here. Women in sunbonnets and cal
! leo praying for the safety of men who
! have taken their husbands jobs is an
! innovation in coal strikes which sher-
| iff s order. court edicts, and militia
! have failed To stop
1t started early in the Summer The
| sheriff. believing the supplications
were threats, stopped them. The high
! court overruled the sheriff. The mill
| tia was sent
But still the women pray. There is
prayer at sunrise. prayer at sunset
| hymn singing and lay preaching. with
! a display OF the American flag and
| speeches.
Gather at Dawn.
Just at dawn. the women gather on
| posite the wash house OF a mine
| sturdy old woman, with a heavy voice
is the first arrival. She carries
! large American flag, as though leading
parade. BY 6 o'clock 90 women
! have gathered There is banterin@
and Joking while they wait for others.
Then the striking miners. husbands
Of these women. begin to arrive The
| all wear clean OVerallS. The men TAX"
up position about so feet from the
| women, sitting on the ground. They
are very quiet
Shortly before o'clock the non
/ union miners working I'm the mine
make their appearance. One miner aS
! he goes TO the wash house shakes his
fist at the group on the roadside and
! let's go a few hard oaths. A captain
| of a company of men who form
guard, cautions the miner against ere
ating disturbance. The miner tells
him that his home had been threat
ened the night before.
Songs and Prayer
/ Then singing begins. God WIZ
I Take Care of You, -" is the first. Some
voices are off the key. but they work
| through that. then comes Nearer, Ny
God, to Thee" The Star Spangled
Banner" follows. the miners standing
up and doffing their hats, while the
soldiers snap 10 salute.
I'VE thank you. God. for our bless
I ings," begins the old woman with the
flag at the close of the song. I'VE
thank YOU for blessing our lives. Al
times it seems hard. Sometimes it
seems 10 take a long time for Your
righteousness TO come about. Since !
was 12 years old ] have trusted You,
/ o Lord Many times | have had the
cross to bear. But If we hold out we
| always see it was for the best and to
Your glory.
! This morning be with our enemies
! They don't know what they are doing
If the men going down into that pit
could only see what they are doing.
| Prays for Enemies.
BE with the operators, O Lord. Be
| with Mr.. Grove mime uperintendenu.
! And, dear Lord, we beg You once more
| to be with us. Look down on US and
! raise these monsters from the earth
! Lord, we are true-born Americans.
/ We are meeting here TO establish free
dom. We have just as much right to
pray for this victory as for victory
in war
While she prays they all stand.
we Shall Meet Bye and Bye" IS
. struck up. followed by We're March
ing over TO Zion, the beautiful Cit
/ OF God.
A woman Introduced as Mrs. John
son begins a shor, speech directed al
! the wash house
The whistle blows All the work
ing miners disappear into the mine
Jordan, the leader of the strikers, ad
monishes all TO be present at the eve
ming meeting. Gradually the crowd
slips away. the soldiers relax, and the
strike prayer meeting is over untl
evening.