Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1941-09-12
tbs, the father of the heroine of the
Story, Vesta Gusts.

these articles, By-Products. In each
of the two years in midsummer, in
company with my friend, the late
Jacob w. Wheatley, l spent three
weeks in the mountains in the north
eastern part of West Virginia in the
counties of Hampshire, Hardy and
Mineral. The object of our visit was
to assist the Rev. E. E. Barclay in
series of evangelistic Meetings. Mr..
Barclay was a Presbyterian minister
and was the pastor of large circuit,
comprising several appointments
two or three churches and in commun-
tiles where there was no church, he
held services in the school houses.
Mr.. Wheatley and myself were en-
gagged to take charge of the Music
and lead the singing. Mr.. Barclay
was a fine preacher. Mr.. Wheatley
and l made speciality of solos and
duets in gospel songs. We started in
at meetings held at Capon Bridge,
the town in which the parsonage was
located. We were entertained in the |
pastors home. Our next meeting |
was held at Hanging Rock, a settle
ment named from a pass in the Blue
Ridge Mountains, over Swallowed by
huge high rock having the strange
formation of stupendous over hang
ing mountain, projecting over the
public highway, leading to the village.
Later, we three conducted meetings
in church at Sedan and were enter
tanned in the homes of farmers in the
neighborhood. In these homes we
were the recipients of that famous
Southern hospitality for which "Dix-
lie" is celebrated the country over.
The mountain air was invigorating
and the nights even in July were de-
lightfully cool. Someone has de-
scribed Virginia as "The Land of a
Thousand Lures" and we certainly
had an opportunity to learn the truth
and aptness of that statement. It was
hard to realize that we were so far
away from the marts of trade-in a
section of country, twenty eight miles
from a railroad station-in the heart
of a valley in the Blue Ridge Noun
tains. Our meetings were well attend
ed for a mountainous country and
great interest in them was manifested
and elected newspaper publicity as
follows:
I quote from the "South Bend In
tellingencer" of Aug. 2, 1894, pub
lished at Romney, w. Va.,-
"The meeting which was held at
the school house Changing Rock) on
Thursday night was one of the best
ever held in this neighborhood. Bro.
Barclay is in good trim, consequently
the results are glorious. The singing
was superb. The voices of the two
gentlemen (Wheatley and Hearne)
blend most beautifully. There were
twelve conversions, all adults,-some
of them old residents who have long
resisted all overtures, but who, under
the magnetic influences of the sweet
singing and the strong preaching
were brought into the church"
Our stay in that mountainous coun-
try was most inspiring and in such
surroundings one feels near to ma
lures heart.
On our way home, one of our newly
made young friends drove us to the
railroad station at Capon Road, where
we boarded for our trip home Shen-
andoah Valley train. We stopped off
at Stephen City, town south of Win
chester, where we spent day and
a night at the home of Miss Eva
FARMLAND, who few years later be-
came the wife of my friend, Mr.
Wheatley. During the visit we learn
ed that the father of Miss FARMLAND,
Che being our host) was one OF the
few survivors of the celebrated Brl-
gade of Colonel John S. Mosby, who
organized the Partisan Rangers in
the Confederate service during the
Civil War. Many years after the
War, Colonel Mosby wrote book the
"Dawn of the Real South" If the
book describes the Dawn" it is we'll
for us to remember that after the
dawn the day moves on until it reach
es the ~Noon-day," which the South
has reached in it's stride down
through the passing years, bringing
with it it's wealth of treasure for it's
> teeming thousands, who are the de-
scendants of those who worked so
hard for restoration of Dixie Land
after the period of time which has
been known as the Reconstruction
:, Ito be continNed:)