Groom's Brother Marries Bride's Sister

New York, 1912

Following the example of their brother and sister, Miss Beatrice Loope and Harold Warner, both of Liverpool were quietly married Saturday night at the home of the Rev. S. R. Ball, pastor of the Liverpool Methodist church. The bride's sister, Miss Nina Loope, and the groom's brother, Fred Warner, were married a year ago by the Rev. Mr. Ball. There was opposition to both marriages on the part of the parents of both couples.

—The Syracuse Herald, Syracuse, NY, June 10, 1912, p. 16.

Signature of the Cross, Signing with an "X"

1874

The mark which persons, who are unable to write are required to make instead of their signatures, is in the form of a cross; and this practice having been formerly followed by kings and nobles, is constantly referred to as an instance of the deplorable ignorance of ancient times.

This signature is not, however, invariably a proof of such ignorance. Anciently the use of the mark was not confined to illiterate persons; for among the Saxons the mark of the cross, as an attestation of the good faith of the person signing was required to be attached to the signature of those who could write, as well to stand in the place of the signature of those who could not write. In those times, if a man could write, even read, his knowledge was considered proof that he was in holy orders. The clericus, or clerk was synonymous with penman; and the laity, or people who were not clerks, did not feel any urgent necessity for the use of letters.

The ancient use of the cross was therefore universal, alike by those who could and those who could not write; it was indeed the symbol of an oath, from its sacred associations, as well as the mark generally adopted. Hence the origin of the expression, "God save the mark," as a form of ejaculation approaching the character of an oath.


The Friendship of Men

I know nothing which life has to offer so satisfying as the profound good understanding which can subsist, after much exchange of good offices, between two virtuous men, each of whom is sure of himself and of his friend. It is a happiness which postpones all other gratifications and makes politics and commerce and churches cheap. For, when men shall meet as they ought, each a benefactor, a shower of stars, clothed with thoughts, with deeds, with accomplishments, it would be the festival of nature which all things announce. — Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Bride-To-Be Alive in Coffin, Funeral Becomes Wedding

Virginia, 1892

A BIG SURPRISE

A Man Married His Wife on the Day of Her Expected Funeral

"I married my wife on the day I expected to attend her funeral," said Abram Poindexter to the Idle Hour club that was holding a séance. "That was twenty-five years ago, in Richmond, Va. We were to have been married on the 1st of January, but on Christmas day the young lady was taken ill, and on the last day of the old year she died; apparently.

"The funeral was to occur at an early hour next morning, and she was placed in a coffin that evening. About midnight I went to the room where she lay and the watchers withdrew to the hall. I sat down and bowed my head upon the coffin, overwhelmed by my loss. I had sat there perhaps ten minutes when I heard a scratching inside the coffin, then a stilled sob. My nerves, already stained to their utmost tension, seemed to snap, and I stood up and screamed like a hysterical woman. The watchers thought I had become insane, and tried to take me away. I was powerless to speak, and could only point to the coffin. They did not understand me, and persisted in taking me away. I broke from them and strove to tear off the coffin lid with my fingers. They trailed for help, but all the men in Richmond could not have held me back. I ripped that coffin lid to splinters, dragged the young lady from it and rushed into the open air with her. The people were too much horrified to follow me instantly. They called in the police to confine me, but when they found me the young lady had her arms around my neck and we were both laughing and crying like a couple of children. The minister came to preach the funeral sermon, but performed the marriage ceremony instead."

—The Davenport Tribune, Davenport, Iowa, Nov. 19, 1892.

Got Pluck? Or Are You Merely a Mouse?

1874

Pluck

The hopelessness of any one's accomplishing anything without pluck is illustrated by an old East India fable.

A mouse that dwelt near the abode of a great magician was kept in such constant distress by its fear of a cat, that the magician, taking pity on it, turned it into a cat itself. Immediately it began to suffer from its fear of a dog, so the magician turned it into a dog. Then it began to suffer from the fear of a tiger, and the magician turned it into a tiger. Then it began to suffer from fear of a huntsman, and the magician in disgust said, "Be a mouse again. As you have only the heart of a mouse, it is impossible to help you by giving you the body of a nobler animal." And the poor creature again became a mouse.

It is the same with mouse-hearted man. He may be clothed with the powers, and placed in the position of brave men, but he will always act like a mouse; the public opinion is usually the great magician that finally says to much a person, "Go back to your obscurity again. You have only the heart of a mouse, and it is useless to try to make a lion of you."



To say what should be said, to say only what should be said, and to say it only as it should be said is a rare gift.



An Irish clergyman, who was a hard laborer on his glebe, and when so occupied dressed in a very ragged manner, was recently engaged attending the early potato field, when he was surprised by the very rapid approach of his patron in an open carriage, with some ladies, whom he was to meet at dinner in the afternoon. Unable to escape in time, he drew his hat over his face, extending his arms covered with his tattered jacket, and passed himself off as a scarecrow.

Twenty Rules for Health

1874

1. Remember the author of the laws which govern the human body is the author of the Ten Commandments.

2. Infidelity to the laws — established that mankind should be healthy and happy — is the greatest sin of the present generation.

3. Be cheerful, trustful of others, and faithful to your own best conception of duty. Never brood over troubles that you have, and be sure you never borrow any.

4. Be much in the sunlight, and prefer light-colored clothing.

5. Drones must die. Exercise liberally and live. Be out-doors all you can while the sun shines.

6. Breathe pure air. Live with open windows, and the windows of heaven will be more likely to open for you.

7. Pray with a pure heart and a clean skin. Bathe often.

8. Avoid stimulation by spirits of all kinds, strong coffee and tea, opium and tobacco.

9. Keep the head cool, feet and heart warm, hopes heavenward, and fingernails clean.

10. Eat only three times daily, and never between meals — not a nut nor an apple. Drink nothing while eating.

11. One hearty meal of meat per day is sufficient. The other two should be spare.

12. Avoid late, hearty suppers, pork, spices and pepper, rich pastry, and imperfectly cooked beans.

13. Wheat, oat and barley meal, with beans, peas, lean meats, fish and wild game, are the best articles of food.

14. Fruits are cooling to the blood, and especially adapted to warm weather.

15. Eat slowly, masticate your food well, and eat nothing for three hours before retiring.

16. Let the time spent at table be happy. Encourage pleasant, cheerful conversation; joke, but do not argue. Rest a half hour after every hearty meal.

17. Sleep eight hours of each day.

18. Brain, bone and muscle are built of different material, and the brainworker should have food different from the muscle-worker. He is not thoroughly educated who cannot select food adapted to his needs.

19. Avoid corsets, and suspend no article of clothing from the waist. Protect every part of the body from chill and exposure.

20 Study hygiene, attend health lectures and read health literature. As you are ignorant or intelligent in physiology will your habits be wise or otherwise.


Note: Consult with your physician before taking questionable health advice. There has been progress in health information, I've heard, since 1874. The information here is for entertainment purposes only. And I'm not so sure it's good enough for even that.



You may glean knowledge by reading, but you must separate the chaff from the wheat by thinking.


Economy is the parent of integrity, of liberty and of ease, and the beauteous sister of temperance, of cheerfulness and health. Profuseness is a cruel and crafty demon, that gradually involves her followers in dependence and debt.


A clergyman in Dundee, Scotland, announced to his congregation that, in consequence of his inability to afford coals for keeping up his study fire, he had discontinued studying, and would preach old sermons until a fall in the price.

Notes Around Town – Motion Pictures, Fobs, and Fish

Stevens Point, Wisconsin, May 29, 1907

A. W. Carle, proprietor and manager of the Ideal theatre, will give the usual program of moving pictures, illustrated songs and musical numbers on Sunday afternoons and evenings.

Benjamin Sias, of Sparta, who won the district declamatory contest in this city a couple of weeks ago, was named the best speaker at the state contest, held in Madison, last Friday evening.

Chas. U. Conlisk left for the Sacred Heart Sanitarium, Milwaukee, Monday morning, to take a course of treatment, he not having been feeling well of late. He will no doubt return in a short time fully recuperated.

The latest fad! Gold plated signet Normal and High school fobs. Call and see them at French, Campbell & Co.

The machine shop of F. A. Sustins, on North Third street, was entered through a window Friday night and a number of valuable tools stolen. A bar was pryed off a window after a pane of glass had been broken.

Mrs. E. I. Tozier, who resides just west of the city in the town of Linwood, has been afflicted with blood clots in the veins and tissues for the past few years, and will leave next week for the Sacred Heart Sanitarium, Milwaukee, to remain some weeks under the care of the able physicians and nurses there.

J. W. Moxon and son, Arnold, returned Monday morning on train No. 1 from Gills Landing, where they had spent Saturday night and part of Sunday on the Wolf river, catching bass. No bass offered to take their bait, but a huge rock sturgeon, weighing 47½ pounds was secured by Arnold. His father assisted in landing the big fish.

Judge Murat has ordered Willie Koslowski, of Junction City, to be committed to the Boys' Industrial school at Waukesha. The boy refused to obey his parents and was given into Sheriff Guyant's charge, Thursday, he being taken to that institution thereafter.

Jack Carkeek, who in years gone by was one of the best known wrestlers in this country, but who has spent the past few years across the ocean, has been renewing acquaintances in this city for a few days.

Geo. L. Rogers and John Martini left here Tuesday morning for Mt. Clemens, Mich., to remain about three weeks and enjoy the health-giving baths of that resort. Both gentlemen have been troubled with rheumatism for some time.

Rev. Russell Wilber, archdeacon of Fond du Lac, conducted services in the Episcopal church here Sunday morning and evening. The visiting clergyman made a fine impression, he being a speaker of unusual ability, with a pleasing manner and a convincing form of expression.

—The Gazette, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, May 29, 1907

She Escaped Burial Alive

Des Moines, Iowa, January 1915

Powerless to Cry Out, Though She Tried for Hours, Mrs. A. Sedden, Was Pronounced Dead

Des Moines. — For eleven hours Mrs. August Sedden of Persia, lay in a trance and was pronounced dead by her physician. Unable to move a muscle of her body or to make a sign, she heard the sobs of her family, heard friends notified of her death, heard the doctor telephone the cemetery officials to have the grave dug, and heard the minister engaged to conduct the funeral service.

Then at the last moment she gave a gentle sigh, and was saved from being buried alive. She is in a precarious condition, and death may yet result from a long sickness and the shock to her nervous system engendered by her dreadful experience.

The American Breed, Girls Smoking, Welsh Evangelist

1906

The American Breed

Professor Edward A. Ross, of the University of Nebraska, uses the term "the American breed" to describe what he calls a distinct type of man — the restless, strenuous people so different from the easy-going types of Europe. There are reasons why our immigrants should become nervous and energetic in one or two generations, but Professor Ross seems to think that the restlessness is not acquired here, but is the reason why these types left Europe. America is therefore weeding out the energetic folks from Europe — they are selected, venturesome natures and constitute a type. Whatever the reason is the type is fairly distinct and the chances are that much of our prosperity is due partly to our energy and not altogether to our tariff.


Girls Smoking

Cigarette smoking among girls is stated by the secretary of the Leeds, England, branch of the Anti-Cigarette league to be on the increase. The practice is particularly prevalent among the factory and warehouse girls in Leeds. Many of them, however, have taken the following pledge: "I promise, with God's help, to abstain from purchasing or using tobacco in any form, at least until I reach the age of 21, not only for my own sake, but for the good of my country." The league has now 4,000 pledged members.


Evangelist Endowed

Evan Roberts, the Welsh evangelist, has been given an income of £5 a week for the remainder of his life by will of Mr. Robert Davies, a millionaire philanthropist. Mr. Davies' idea was to enable Mr. Roberts to engage in continuous revival work wherever he felt called upon to go, without having to think too much about the money question.

--The Weekly Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, April 18, 1906, page 4.

The Sun and the Father's Will

1905--

Back of the loaf is the snow flour,
Back of the flour, the mill;
And back of the mill is the wheat and the shower,
The sun and the Father's will. -- Anon

--Iowa State Register and Farmer, Des Moines, Iowa, October 13, 1905, page 2.


It is said that a gramaphone of twice the power of those now in use has been invented. This will make the ownership of one an indictable offense. The one owned in our neighborhood now has dried up all the cows and made the hens quit laying.

--Iowa State Register and Farmer, Des Moines, Iowa, October 13, 1905, page 3.


As To Preachers

"Show me ten preachers," said a woman, "who have even a suggestion of sympathy or pathos in their voices, or who read the services with any degree of impressiveness, to say nothing of common intelligence; and I will show you ten churches filled every Sunday to the doors and filled with no ephemeral crowd, but with congregations that are interested and in thorough accord with their respective ministers." Surely she is right. So much or just a bit of intelligence, just one touch of human sympathy.

--Iowa State Register and Farmer, Des Moines, Iowa, October 13, 1905, page 3.


By Bailey of Britt [Britt, Iowa]

We dissected a mosquito at Clear Lake the other night and this is what we found in the crop. One toad, thirteen pinchbugs, forty-eight grasshoppers, a baseball, three old socks, eighty black oak acorns and a rattail file. The darn thing was chasing editors trying to suck enough blood to soften up the sculch so the file could get hold.

--Iowa State Register and Farmer, Des Moines, Iowa, October 13, 1905, page 11.


1908--

Broad Furrows
by Geo. W. Franklin

The only honest quacks in the world are ducks.

Why spend any time worrying about troubles that have not yet come into plain sight?

There is more profit in attending to one's own business than in attending to the business of others.

If you keep a dog, keep a good one and then act humane by providing him a good place to sleep in cold weather.

A little girl said her fat uncle was good natured "because it takes him a long time to get mad clear through." That explains it.

It shortens a man's life to carry burdens not his own. When the alarm clock is set, don't lay awake all night "for fear." Let the clock do that.

Lay out the garden now—in your mind. Get busy when opportunity presents itself and don't let chickens, or "too busy to attend a garden" keep you from having a good one.

Pay as you go, friends; cease speculating and the currency business will adjust itself. Men who buy and sell blue sky will continue to be more or less "up in the air" all the time.

Sam says that judging by the present prices of beef an ox team is worth about twice as much per pound as a modern locomotive, thus making it the most expensive power in modern civilization.

Don't wait too long this time before testing the seed corn. Like the boy promised a thrashing, it is better to "have it done and over with." Give seed corn good winter care, then exercise care in testing and planting.

A friend recently told me that he did not believe in friendship. He said there was no such thing as friendship; that a man's first duty was for himself; that people pretended to be friends but arc not. That certainly is a gloomy way of looking at it. If I did not know plenty of people I could trust I would be a most unhappy creature. Don't look at the world through blue glasses. This world, after all, is just what we make it.

--The Iowa State Register and Farmer, Des Moines, Iowa, January 4, 1908, page 4.

What Easter Ought to Mean

1920--

What Easter Ought to Mean

Its significance is both sacred and sentimental. From the devotional standpoint it lifts our souls in communion with our better impulses and gives us new incentives for better living with Nature's changing season.

From a sentimental standpoint it enlivens and awakens our pride, our self regard and the esteem with which we seek to impress ourselves in the minds of our fellow men. We manifest that in our new raiment, new spirits, new aspects on life from which we receive our suggestion with Spring's balmy breezes, green trees, the happiness of the birds and the fragrance of the flowers, and rendering to us a fuller appreciation of the joy of living.

"What Easter Ought to Mean" was the subject recently of Rev. Waldorf, D. D., pastor of Cleveland Methodist church, who said in part:

"There is danger that the multitude of Easter eggs and the social customs shall hide the real meanings of the day. Let us have Easter ecstasy -- not something cheaper and lower.

Easter means a new reverence for human life and a new sense of the worth, the dignity and the divinity of the race. We are not creatures of a day. Our origin is not creatures of a day. Our origin is not obscured in myth. Our destiny is not shrouded in mist. All this and more the Resurrection proves. The thinking world has understood this. Most beneficent have been the results. No person would be permitted today to treat a dumb animal today as any Roman slave owner might have treated his slave with impunity before the Resurrection.

"Easter ought to mean to us as individuals a call to a high earthly life. We are immortals. We must live as immortals. To live as immortals we must discard the carnalizing and the low and deal with the spiritualizing and the pure. A soul that is destined to be crowned and throned, and to live perpetually amid the glory and beauty of heaven, must enter upon its high career here and now, and must deal constantly in those things which are morally and spiritually ennobling.

Easter ought to mean an assurance of faith. The Resurrection of Christ is so important that we are not content with a guess. We desire to be sure. Fortunately it is the one historical fact, the one supreme miracle which has been attested with such an array of evidence as to satisfy any honest judicial court of inquiry. The Crucifixion was not done in a corner. It was at Jerusalem and a multitude saw it. They were mostly Christ's enemies. The Roman spear proved that the sufferer was dead, the sealed tomb proved that he was buried. The empty grave proved that he had broken his bonds of death. The six weeks' fellowship after the Resurrection and before his ascension, during which he was seen by dozens, scores and even hundreds, makes assurance doubly sure."

--The Chronicle Telegram, Elyria, Ohio, April 3, 1920, page 5.

Easter - The Good News in Church This Week

1908--

Easter Sermons in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Universalist Church - "The Easter Alleluia," Rev. W. A. Pratt.

First United Presbyterian Church - "The Glory That Followed the Sufferings of Christ." In the evening service, "Sadness in the Midst of Joy."

Westminster Church - "Like Unto the Son of God," Rev. Geo. W. Bryant.

Bethany Congregational - "The Risen Christ," B. H. Morse, minister.

First Lutheran Church - "Glory of the Empty Tomb."

The other churches, and these as well, have numerous Easter anthems, recitations, hymns, cantatas, and special programs.

Musical selections from around town include, "From the Depths," "Let Mt. Zion Rejoice," "To the Hills I Lift My Eyes," "Mary's Offering," "As Panteth the Hart," "Unfold Ye Portals Everlasting," "Welcome Happy Morning," "See, the Day Is Dawning," "They Have Taken Away My Lord," "Christ Is Risen," and quite a few others.

The First Baptist Church's recitations are "Christ the Lord Is Risen," "What Does Easter Mean to You?," "Easter Bells," "The Light of the Easter Morning," and, by the class of the primary department, "How Daffodils Come Up."

--The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, April 18, 1908, page 11.

Famous Evangelist Leading "Winning" Services

1920--

Increased Attendance At Meetings In First Baptist Church

Bob Green, the famous evangelist, who is conducting a series of meetings at the First Baptist church in this city, is drawing larger crowds each night. His oratory and appeals to people to lead different lives is being helped by the large chorus choir under direction of Philip Brown.

"The Winning of Men," or "A Passion for Souls," is being brought out by the evangelist in a series of addresses and he is doing it in a way that appeals to intelligent, honest people.

The evangelist, who is known in his home town, Franklin, Pa., as Rev. R. M. Green, pastor of the Baptist church there, is regarded by many as one of the most famous pulpit speakers in the state of Pennsylvania.

--Olean Evening Herald, Olean, New York, December 1, 1920, page 6.



PENNSY R.R. SHOP EMPLOYEE SUFFERED BADLY INJURED FOOT

James Baird of No. 106 Coleman street, an employee of the Pennsylvania railroad shops suffered a badly injured right foot while at work yesterday afternoon. An x-ray photo of the injured foot showed that five bones had been broken and according to the attending physician the man will be confined to his home for about 8 weeks.

The accident occurred, it is said, in the babbiting room at the shops when in some manner a part of the heavy jig used in babbiting, fell from its position, a distance of about four feet from the floor and struck the man's foot.

--Olean Evening Herald, Olean, New York, December 1, 1920, page 8.

Big Crowds Out for the Harp Evangelist

La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1913--

BIG CROWDS HEAR HARP EVANGELIST

The evangelistic services being conducted at the Tabernacle Baptist church by Rev. George H. Thompson, known as the Harp Evangelist, are drawing good sized crowds each evening. Last night's meeting was impressive. While the choir sang "Nearer My God to Thee," the evangelist accompanied them on his harp. His sermon on "Playing Second Fiddle" last night was impressive. The subject of the sermon tonight will be the "Underground Road to Heaven."

--The La Crosse Tribune, La Crosse, Wisconsin, October 8, 1913, page 4.

Boy Victim of Cult is Lost; The Zoroastrian Connection

1912--

BOY VICTIM OF CULT IS LOST

William Lindsay is Stolen From the Custody of Court Officer

CHICAGO, Jan. 4.—A second disappearance of William Lindsay, 13 years old, heir to the fortune of his uncle, Charles R. Lindsay of Philadelphia; the appearance on the witness stand of a cult leader, and the introduction of testimony controverting the latter's assertion that the boy and his mother held places in the cult different from other members, were the features of today's hearing in the juvenile court involving the Rev. Dr. Ottoman Zar Adusht Hanish, head of the Mazadazuan cult here.

The proceedings are the outgrowth of the uncle's attempt to remove the boy from the cult's "temple" here, where he was living and where, with his mother, he was receiving "treatment" in accordance with the Mazdaznan belief.

Attorney Oscar Brecher, to whom the boy has been entrusted by the court, reported that an abduction plot had made it impossible for him to keep his promise to have the boy present today.

Hanish denied knowledge of the whereabouts of the boy or of his mother. He declared himself of royal descent, and said that he was known by the term "master" to his followers; said he became a doctor at a Chicago medical school and was characterized as "reverend" by his own society. He told of trips about the country with the Lindsay boy at the mother's expense; told of visiting Mrs. Lindsay at her New York apartment and denied that any improprieties took place at the temple.

Mrs. Alma Reakirt of New York, sister of Mrs. Lindsay, said her sister had told her Dr. Hanish was considered the reincarnation of Christ. She also described mystic rites of adoration performed before pictures of Christ and Hanish by Mrs. Lindsay and the boy. Mrs. Lindsay, she said, told her Hanish said she was a princes of France and that the boy was the "lost orphan of Louis XVI."

Mrs. Asenth Cochran of New York, a friend of Mrs. Lindsay, said the latter had told her of the discovery of Christ in Hanish and gave as proof the statement that the cult leader "told her all about herself."

--The Billings Gazette, Billings, Montana, January 5, 1912, page 1.

Brother Oliver Preaches Great Sermon on Noah's Flood

Ada, Oklahoma, 1906
---------
OLIVER PREACHED GRAND SERMON TUESDAY NIGHT

Bro. Oliver was at his best at the Tuesday night service, and his sermon was one of the best that we have ever heard in Ada. His text, "And the Lord said unto Noah, 'Come thou and all thy family into the ark'" is found in Gen., vii, 1.

Mr. Oliver began by reviewing the results of scientific investigation as to the age of the earth and the date of the creation. He concluded this by saying that no two scientists agree upon the age of the earth. The estimates vary from a few thousands to many hundreds of millions of years. We must, therefore, reach the inevitable conclusion that we only know that man was created and not when. Mr. Oliver gave a brief review of man's history from the day of his creation to his destruction by the flood. The basic thought of the sermon was that as God called Noah into the ark before the great flood, He is now calling all into the ark of salvation.

"People made fun of Noah when he responded to the command of his God to build an ark. Perhaps his family was snubbed by the social leaders of his neighborhood. People called him an old stogy, and mocked and scoffed at him. But Noah said, 'God will send plenty of water.' He will always flood the soul when his children obey his commands. You will not get a blessing while you are playing the hypocrite." Mr. Oliver quit his line of thought just here long enough to condemn hypocrisy in the local church. He said that those who drive to Byrd's mill or any other mill on Sunday ought to be turned out of the churches. "There are hypocrites right here in Ada who are dragging men and women to hell." Mr. Oliver asked, "Are you fulfilling the command God has made of you?"

"Just as the people were indifferent and reveling in sin while Noah was building the ark, people are today turning an indifferent ear to the warning that God will again destroy this old world and all with it who do not take heed now and make their eternity secure in the ark of the blood of Jesus Christ."

Mr. Oliver attacked the theory of the Universalists, who say that God is too good to punish his people. "The same devil who told Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, that no harm would come to her, tells the Universalists that God is too good to punish those who disobey Him."

Mr. Oliver's description of the filling of the ark with birds, beast and man; the dastardly work of the uncompromising waters and the awful end that befell all living creatures was eloquent, graphic and picturesque. He painted a lifelike picture, which will always be remembered by those who heard him.

Mr. Oliver pleaded that the families of Ada let God shut them in the ark of salvation just as He shut Noah and his family in the literal ark. "It means eternity security. I pray God that He save you from the storm of judgment."


Announcements.
Mr. Oliver will preach a farewell sermon to the Christian people Sunday morning at 11 o'clock on the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit."

On Sunday afternoon he will preach to men only. Subject, "Manhood."

--The Evening News, Ada, Oklahoma, August 8, 1906, page 1.

Comment: This is a great article. I like how Mr. Oliver dispenses with the whole issue of the age of the earth. Then the mocking that Noah must have received is a nice part. As for Byrd's mill, I don't know what that is, but apparently some worldly behavior went on there, dancing, maybe drinking, I'd guess. Finally, the article writer's review of the sermon, one of the best ever heard and to be remembered always, is classic. I love it.

Pastor Marries Couple In Bathing Suit, May or May Not Have Involved a Mud-Hole

Lawton, Oklahoma, 1922
----------
["Saturday" was April 29, 1922]

ABDUCTION OF LAWTON MINISTER STILL UNEXPLAINED; VICTIM FOUND BOUND AND GAGGED IN MUD-HOLE, BUT IS NOT HURT

Associated Press Dispatch.

LAWTON, Ok., May 1. - Both factions of his congregation here today were discussing the abduction Saturday night of Rev. Thomas J. Irwin, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, who was found lying in a mud-filled ditch twelve miles east of here shortly after midnight Saturday, bound and gagged and in a semi-conscious condition. There was much speculation as to what action Rev. Mr. Irwin would take in the matter, for beyond saying that he recognized none of the three men who felled with a blow on the head on a street here and then took him in an automobile to the place where he was found, the pastor has not made a statement as to what he intended doing about it.

Faction Sought His Removal

Rev. Mr. Irwin, whose removal is being sought by a portion of his flock because he married a couple in a public bathing pool, exhibited moving pictures in his church and preached the funeral sermon over Jake L. Hamon more than a year ago, is to be tried by his presbytery on charges of conduct unbecoming of a minister on May 9. Recently he announced that certain persons were trying to intimidate him and force him to leave town.

Threatened Once Before

Saturday night was the second time within two months that he has been approached by three men. The first time, he said, he was confronted by a trio as he was leaving his church one Sunday night and at the point of guns warned to leave town.

Rev. Mr. Irwin lay in the mud-hole approximately three and a half hours before five persons in an automobile bound for Medicine Park, a resort near here, picked him up and took him to the residence of Senator J. E. Thomas nearby, where first aid was administered.

Escaped Uninjured

Irwin today reiterated his belief that the men had chloroformed him after rendering him unconscious. He was not injured by the men, he said, and today appeared none the worse for his experience.


Associated Press Dispatch.

LAWTON, Ok., May 1. -Resignation of the session, the executive body of the First Presbyterian church here, with the announcement that it would complain to the Oklahoma Synod against what it termed the "persecution" of the pastor, the Rev. Thomas J. Irwin, and a statement by the minister that members of a church faction were responsible for his abduction by three unidentified men late Saturday night, were developments today in the attempt of a part of the church membership to have Irwin removed. The judicial commission of the governing presbytery will hear on May 3 charges against Irwin, alleged misconduct unbecoming a minister.

Charges Against Presbytery

The session, which has supported Irwin thruout unanimously adopted a resolution, before resigning, declaring that the El Reno Presbytery, which has jurisdiction over the local church has "been unfair, unchristian, unpresbyterian and irregular in all its proceedings against the pastor and the session." The resolution further charged that the action of the Presbytery constituted "the darkest chapter in the annals of Presbyterianism in the United States, more cruel than the Spanish inquisition."

--Denton Record-Chronicle, Denton, Texas, May 1, 1922, page 1.



STARTS PROBE OF LAWTON KIDNAPING

Abduction of Minister Outside Hands of Church — County Steps In.

(Associated Press.)

LAWTON, Okla., May 2.—The Lawton Presbyterian church controversy got outside the confines of the church today, when county authorities took a hand.

A civil court of inquiry was under way, directed by County Attorney Riley who has undertaken to determine the identity of three men who last Saturday night abducted the pastor, the Rev. Thomas J. Irwin and threw him into a ditch outside Lawton, half conscious and tied and gagged.

Filing of criminal charges, the county attorney said, would depend on the outcome of the investigation. The county attorney today prepared subpoenaes for about thirty persons who had been ousted from Pastor Irwin's church by the church session or executive board, with the sanction of Mr. Irwin and who have joined the movement to have him expelled from the Lawton pulpit.

Mr. Riley said all the suspended members or anti-Irwin factionists would be interrogated about abduction and asked to explain their whereabouts on the night the alleged slugging and kidnapping took place.

Pastor Irwin and three members of the church session were called in last night and questioned at length when the county attorney decided to convene the Inquiry court.

--The Lincoln Star, Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2, 1922, page 7.



LAWTON PASTOR CALLED BEFORE PROBERS TODAY

Scandalized Minister Will Explain Conduct To Judicial Board.

RESIGNATION HINTED

Irwin Announces He May Quit Church That Put Fire On His Head.

(By the Associated Press)

LAWTON, May 9. -The judicial commission of the El Reno Presbytery, which has jurisdiction in this territory, met here this morning to hear charges of "conduct unbecoming a minister of the Presbyterian church" against the Rev. Thomas J. Irwin, pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Lawton.

Mr. Irwin announced recently that he would resign from the church and his request for dissolution of his pastoral relations with the local church was to be presented to the commission this morning. This action, in the opinion of the Presbytery, will eliminate the necessity of a trial.

When Jake L. Hamon was buried at Ardmore more than two years ago, the Rev. Mr. Irwin preached the funeral services, eulogizing the former republican national committeeman. The pastor had been a constant supporter of Hamon and this with the funeral service brought dismay to his congregation, split the church, and resulted in part of the congregation leaving. Then last summer the minister married a couple in a bathing pool at a summer resort here, and more withdrawals from the church followed.

Who Fired Church?

Recent fires were discovered in that portion of the church built by Mr. Hamon and arrangements were made to destroy the motion picture booth placed in the church by Hamon. Then later, on Saturday night, the pastor was abducted by three unidentified persons, and he was found several hours later in a mud-hole near a summer resort near this place.

An investigation by county authorities followed, the result being that charges of arson were filed against the pastor and a member of the church board of session, which had resigned. Arraignment on this charge is scheduled for tomorrow. The county attorney announced that his investigation of the alleged abduction led him to believe that it had been arranged and the matter was dropped.

--The Ada Evening News, Ada, Oklahoma, May 9, 1922, page 1.



MINISTER'S FROCK TORN FROM IRWIN

LAWTON PASTOR HELD GUILTY IN THREE CHARGES

Rigid Secrecy Is Followed in Hearing Before Presbytery.

IS DENIED COUNSEL

Defendant Is Silent On Trial But Announces He Will Appeal.

LAWTON, July 28.—By his conviction at the secret trial on the widely heralded bathing suit charge, and allegations of perjury and high handed discipline of members of his flock, the Rev. Thomas J. Irwin former pastor of the Lawton Presbyterian church, was unfrocked as a minister of the Presbyterian church in the United States of America early today by the judiciary commission of the El Reno presbytery. "You are indefinitely suspended as a minister of the Presbyterian church in the United States of America and may the Lord have mercy upon you," read the verdict of the trial body.

The expulsion of Irwin from the ministry came as a close of the episode growing out of the bitter controversy in the Lawton church. The convicted minister gave notice to the trial commission of an appeal to the synod of Oklahoma, the next highest body in the church. The synod is scheduled to meet in October.

Mr. Irwin was found guilty of conduct unbecoming a minister in performing a marriage ceremony last summer in Medicine Park, a resort near here, in which the principals, including the minister, wore bathing suits. It is alleged that the wedding was conducted in a spirit of revelry, bringing disrepute upon the church.

He was convicted of having sworn a false affidavit to obtain a district court injunction restraining interference with his conduct of the affairs of the Lawton church.

Undue Discipline Charged

The third count upon which the jury voted guilty was disciplining of members of his congregation without due process provided by church regulations.

Rigid secrecy was maintained as to the trial procedure although it was known that a number of members and former members of the Lawton church were called to testify.

Mr. Irwin refused to comment on the verdict. He had previously announced, however, that he would carry the issue even to the general assembly of the Presbyterian church if the outcome of the trial should be adverse.

Mr. Irwin conducted his own defense at the trial having been denied the right of counsel.

It was announced that he filed a motion during the proceedings asking disqualification of two members of the commission, J. E. McQueen and J. H. Webb, alleging bias and unfairness. The motion was overruled.

Weight to Represent Irwin in Appeal

OKLAHOMA CITY, July 28. — Rev. Thomas J. Irwin, former pastor of the first Presbyterian church at Lawton, today suspended as a minister, will be represented by Rev. C. C. Weigh of Ardmore in his appeal to the Oklahoma synod from his conviction yesterday at his secret trial before the El Reno presbytery on three counts of ecclesiastical charges.

This announcement was made here by the Eugene Hamilton of Chickasha, Irwin's attorney, who arrived today from Lawton after a conference with the former pastor. Hamilton was not allowed to appear in Irwin's behalf at the trial and the minister conducted his own defense.

In a statement to newspaper men Attorney Hamilton emphasized that Irwin was suspended from the ministry and not from the church, and that he can be reinstated at any time the presbytery sees fit.

--The Ada Evening News, Ada, Oklahoma, July 28, 1922, page 1.



PASTOR LOSES SYNOD APPEAL

Bathing Pool Marriage Ceremony Origin of Rev. Irwin's Troubles

TULSA, Okla., Oct. 13.—The conviction of the Rev. Thomas J. Irwin, of Lawton, on charges of conduct unbecoming to a minister, and his indefinite suspension from the ministry was upheld early today by the judicial commission of the Presbyterian synod of Oklahoma, after a review of the findings of the El Reno presbytery before which Mr. Irwin was recently tried.

Counsel for the suspended minister gave notice that the case would be appealed to the general assembly or the Presbyterian church which meets next May in Indianapolis.

THREE CHARGES ADVANCED.

The Rev. Irwin was convicted on three counts. He was found guilty of having brought disrepute on the church by marrying a couple in a bathing pool at a summer resort near Lawton. The bride and groom and the minister wore bathing suits. The other charges were that he swore to a false affidavit to obtain an injunction in district court to prevent members of his congregation in Lawton from interfering with his conduct of the affairs of the church, and that he had disciplined members of the congregation without due process.

Mr. Irwin faces trial in district court at Lawton on a charge of arson in connection with an alleged incendiary fire at his former church.

"ATTACKS" DISCREDITED.

The fire occurred while he was still pastor. The minister was found outside Lawton on two occasions, this summer suffering from attacks he attributed to men who, he charged were trying to drive him out of Lawton.

The county attorney, after an investigation, declared that the abductions were "framed by the minister himself."

Charges have been made repeatedly by friends and counsel for Mr. Irwin that the whole controversy at Lawton grew out of the pastor's friendship for the late Jake Hamon, Republican national committeeman of Oklahoma, for whose death Clara Smith Hamon. was tried at Ardmore for murder.

The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden City, Utah, October 13, 1922, page 7.



From an account of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America's general assembly, May 24, 1923:

The only case of wide importance reviewed was the appeal of the Rev. Thomas J. Irwin, of Lawton, Okla., from the verdict of the El Reno Presbytery and the Oklahoma Presbytery, indefinitely suspending him from the ministry on charges of conduct unbecoming a minister, violation of his ordination vows and violation of church laws. The Rev. Mr. Irwin came into prominence when he preached a sermon defending the private life of one of his former parishoners, the late Jake Hamon, former Republican national committeeman, who was shot to death by a woman relative. Later he was charged with having married a couple while he and the other principals were dressed in bathing suits, and his troubles with the Presbytery growing out of that affair included civil and criminal court actions, an attempt to burn his church, charges that he had set the fire, two assaults in which he was badly beaten by masked men, and other occurrences.

The judicial commission found that the sentence of indefinite suspension which, the report said "is the ecclesiastical capital punishment," was too severe, and that a reprimand or very limited suspension would have been sufficient. It therefore, recommended, and the Assembly approved, that Mr. Irwin should be restored to membership in the El Reno Presbytery and given a letter to any Presbytery to which he might choose to transfer.

--The Landmark, Statesville, North Carolina, May 28, 1923, page 2.

Hypnotism, Not Drowsiness, The Cause of Sleeping in Church

1908
----------
WHY THEY SLEEP IN CHURCH.

Hypnotism, Not Drowsiness, Declared to Be the Cause

"Churchgoers don't sleep in church. They undergo an hypnotic trance. The soothing voices and mild music and monotonous recitative of a church service put forth powerful hypnotic influences, and that is why the pews resemble a railroad track in the abundance of their sleepers."

The speaker, a hypnotist, banged the table vehemently:

"Don't laugh," he said. "It's true. Hypnotism, not drowsiness, is what makes you sleep in church. Through your auditory nerve sound waves are passed to your brain that are as effective as though a professional hypnotist had made them. Sound, you know, is the newest and best hypnotic.

"At first, in the church service, the periodicity of the wave alterations is short. There is a little speaking, then more music. And just when you are getting properly lulled the clergyman, in a modulated, agreeable, soothing voice, speaks on and on and on — and you begin to nod. You are, hypnotically speaking, entranced.

"The average church service is a scientifically correct hypnotic instrument. No wonder, then. It puts many of us to sleep."

--The Bayard Advocate, Bayard, Iowa, March 26, 1908, page 3.

Minister Charged With Making Off With Cash

Ohio, 1919
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PASTOR MISSING.

Paulding County Minister of Gospel Charged With Making Off With Cash.

A dispatch says: Rev. F. G. Moore, pastor of the United Brethren Church, at Oakwood, has left for parts unknown with a heartbroken and sadly disillusioned bride and a trail of bad checks behind.

Shortly after marrying Miss Grace Gettal, one of Oakwood's highly respected young women, he left this part of the country taking with him hundred of dollars of church, salvation army and other funds. Officers and representatives of the Salvation army are trying to locate him.

He victimized several merchants at Defiance by giving them bad checks. At Lima he made his get-away in an auto which he also obtained by giving a bad check in payment. Representing himself as pastor of the church, it was an easy matter for him to pass checks.

Stating that he had been a Y. M. C. A. worker at Camp Perry, Moore came to Oakwood about nine weeks ago. He was placed in the pulpit where his good appearance and glib tongue made him pleasing to all. He was placed in charge of collecting funds for the Salvation army and church benevolences were also put under his care.

Taking leave of his wife, the reverend gentleman told her that he going to Defiance to purchase a car. The young wife is prostrated. She has already paid off some of her husband's creditors.

--The Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, September 1, 1919, page 3.



REV. MR. MOORE SOME COLLECTOR

Makes Getaway From Bride With $600 Cash, Salvation Army and Church Funds.

ALSO "BORROWED" CAR

(Special to The News.)

DEFIANCE. O., AUG. 30.—Officers and a representative of the Salvation Army are making efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of Rev. F. G. Moore, who has been serving as pastor of the United Brethren church at Oakwood, a little village west of Defiance, who, after having been married to Miss Grace Gettal, one of Oakwood's highly respected young women, suddenly left for ports unknown after appropriating hundreds of dollars of church funds and left several creditors behind him. He then came to Defiance, where he victimized different merchants by making purchases, giving in return worthless checks. At Lima he made his getaway in an auto, which he secured by giving another bad check.

As the officers begin unwinding the tangled trail of Rev. Mr. Moore they find that his record involves him deeper and deeper in wrongdoing and that from evidence in hand he will have a long explanation in front of him when he faces the bar of justice.

A representative of the firm of Dean & Dean, automobile salesmen of Lima, has arrived in Oakwood, accompanied by Fred F. Harris, on the trail of the missing minister and from the evidence they produced another chapter is furnished to the sordid tale.

Gone to Lima.

Shortly before his flight Moore went to Lima, where he purchased from Dean & Dean (on trial) a Buick second-hand car. He was to pay $450 for it. After trying it out he came to Lima, and paid by check, which was endorsed by Fred Harris, of Lima, and drawn on the Oakwood Deposit bank. This car was sold by him, later, either in Defiance or Fort Wayne. The check was worthless, there being no funds in the bank to his credit.

When he finally fled from Oakwood he secured a taxi driver in Defiance to take him to Lima and he made his appearance at Dean & Dean's business place. He stated that he had been on a business trip and said that he was wanting to go to Oakwood immediately and asked for the loan of a car to make the trip. At that time the auto salesman had not found out that the check was bogus and eager to accommodate the gentleman loaned him a fine roadster.

Harris, who endorsed the check, is also anxious to have an accounting with Moore as he had to stand good for the cheek.

It appears that just before he took his departure from Oakwood he went to a Defiance store and saying he was pastor of an Oakwood church and wanted to buy a suit. He was shown several and finally selected a $37 outfit for which he gave a check on the Oakwood bank. He also visited another Defiance store and made several purchases on his good looks.

Officers confidently expect to land Moore within a short time as a description of the car he took has been sent to all garages and should he endeavor to sell it he will have left another trail for the officers to follow.

Posed as "Y." Worker.

Moore arrived in Oakwood about nine weeks ago, and from his story he was supposed to have been a Y. M. C. A. worker in the proving grounds at Camp Perry. Of pleasing address and nimble tongue he made a good appearance in the pulpit and was placed in charge of the work of collecting funds for the Salvation Army. Benevolences of the church were also placed in his hands and it is alleged that several sums were borrowed from members of the church. From sums paid into the hands of Moore during his pastorate at Oakwood he had in his possession about $600.

When the reverend gentleman took leave of his wife he did not tell her that he would be gone permanently, but stated that he was going to Defiance to purchase a car. Mrs. Moore, who is prostrated over the turn of affairs, has paid off some of her husband's creditors.

A man answering Moore's description was last seen on his way to the B. & O. depot in this city. He carried a new suitcase.

--The Fort Wayne News and Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, August 30, 1919, page 1.

Love Letters Flood Peggy Beal, as She Awaits Trial for Slaying False Lover

Kansas City, Missouri, 1922
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Love Letters Flood Peggy Beal, as She Awaits Trial for Slaying False Lover

Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 18.—Three hundred men have written Peggy Beal, slayer of Frank Warren Anderson, "the perfect lover," asking her to marry them. Among the suitors for the hand of the fair slayer are ministers. Also many men who claim to have great riches.

Peggy Beal, who shot and killed Anderson, scion of an old Philadelphia family, in a hotel room in Kansas City, June 3, has just left the hospital where she recovered from wounds inflicted upon herself after shooting Anderson.

She is charged with murder and will face a jury in Kansas City in the near future. She herself is the moving spirit back of plans for early trial.

"I want to stand before the work vindicated," she said. "I want other women to know what I suffered. I want them to know that I killed Frank Anderson to save other women from his clutches."

Minister Proposes.

Meantime the proposals of marriage come flooding in. In one of them, a man calling himself a Detroit minister, says in part:

"I am sure you are not all bad. No woman could have written the wonderful love thoughts that you have written and be bad at heart. I would like to make you my wife and lift you up from the depths of despair.

"As a minister, it is my duty to offer you a haven in my heart and home."

Peggy Deal, before revealing the letter, clipped the writer's name from it. She said she would not give out the names of any of those who have written love letters to her. A man describing himself as a Galveston, Tex., sea captain wrote that he was sure he could make her forget the drear days that have followed the killing of Anderson.

"If you will marry me, I will see that you forget the past," he wrote. "I am not so terribly handsome or so terribly good, but I would be willing to give every hour in the day to trying to make you happy.

"If you will say the word, I will get a year's leave from my work and will come to Kansas City at once."

From a Widower.

From San Diego another man writes:

"First I must confess I am a widower, but in that confession I ought to make myself more desirable to you, for I have learned how to put up with the whims of women.

"I have read that you trusted Frank Anderson and then learned he had 50 other sweethearts.

"I want to say that I never have paid court to more than one woman at a time. You could count on me being loyal and true to you."

Peggy has not answered the letters -- at least not many of them.

One of the letters, she says, is from a former convict.

"I have had my troubles and you have had yours," he writes from near San Quentin, Cal.

"I have $90 I made doing fancy work while in prison. I'd like to send you that to come out here and we would see if we couldn't be happier together.

"Please answer at once whether you would marry a former convict if he is trying to do right now."

Love letters do not thrill Peggy Beal as they once did, she says. It was when Frank Anderson, just out of the army, wrote such strong protestations of love that she received her greatest thrill.

"The Perfect Lover," the young woman styled Anderson, when she spoke of him to other women.

She exhibited letters, from which the following is an excerpt:

"Dearest Peg: I have just finished reading one of the most wonderful books. 'Thuvia -- Maid of Mars.' Honestly, sweetheart, I never knew I was such a big cry baby. I read it with a handkerchief in the left hand and I had to use it constantly to clear my visage. If you have not read it, by all means get a copy."

Apparently Peggy got a copy for after Anderson had come to Kansas City to join her, he was found dead and she near death from bullet wounds inflicted by her in a hotel room. By her side lay a copy of the book. "Thuvia -- Maid of Mars." It was open at an illustration of Thuvia, character of the novel of her victim, a dagger in her hand.

List of Women.

A list of names of women, a list printed carefully with a pencil by Anderson, was found in the room. It was the list that brought death to Anderson, according to the story police say Peggy told them. She chided him about failing to keep a promise to marry her, she is alleged to have said, and he showed her the fist.

"Peg, I'm a devil -- I love no woman," he said.

A bullet from Peg's pistol was her answer.

After the shooting, when Peggy Beal was recovering at a hospital, she said:

"I killed him to save other women from the fate of the 50."

For weeks the young woman lay between life and death. Physicians had given up hope when from Terre Haute, Ind., her former home, came this telegram.

"Tell mamma I love her and I want her to get well."

It was from Louis Beal, 13 years old, who lives with his brother, Stepehen, 16, and their father in Terre Haute. The children have lived with their father since their parents were divorced several years ago.

It was the child's telegram that caused Mrs. Beal to have a determination to recover and to seek vindication by an early trial.

--The Helena Independent, Helena, Montana, September 19, 1922, page 3.



Peggy Beal Acquitted

SAYS SHE'LL MAKE GOOD WHEN FREED MURDER CHARGE

Peggy Beal Faces Life With Renewed Determination When Acquitted of Slaying Lover

(By The Associated Press)

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 24—Marie L. (Peggy) Beal faced life with renewed determination today, freed after a brief trial for the charge of having murdered her lover Frank Warren Anderson, who she said boasted he bad broken the hearts of fifty other women.

Leaping to her feet as the verdict was read last night, Mrs. Beal thanked the jury and asserted:

"Now I am going to stay right here in Kansas City and make good. I'm going to send for my little boys in Terre Haute and make a good home for them."

The court ordeal was comparatively brief, there were few witnesses and the testimony was adduced speedily. She took the witness stand, pallid and nervous and the story of the shooting was drawn from her by the attorneys.

From the first meeting in Dayton Ohio. Mrs. Beal, a young divorcee related in chronological order, incidents of their association which terminated in her fatally shooting Anderson and seriously wounding herself in a room which they occupied in a local hotel June 3. He lured her there, she said, with a promise of marriage. She had been reading a passage in a romantic novel in which a woman killed her lover. She shot Anderson as be lay upon the bed and turned the revolver upon herself, sending a bullet into her breast.

"I met Anderson in a restaurant in Dayton, 0.," she testified. "He asked me to marry him before he left Dayton and I told him I would give him my answer in June."

Twice she visited him in Kansas City. They moved to the hotel where the tragedy occurred. She asked him to marry her, she said. "I was nearly stunned when he told me he could find no grounds for divorce," she said. "I asked him what I was going to do," she told the court, "and he said 'do as you please.' "

She asked him why he had sought her love and he answered, she declared, "because I am a devil." She said that she could not recall shooting him but remembered shooting herself.

--The Olean Evening Herald, Olean, New York, Oct. 24, 1922, page 1.

Ministerial Alliance Against Dancing

Deming, New Mexico, 1920
----------
ARE PROTESTING DANCING

Last Sunday a petition was presented after the services at the Christian, Methodist and Baptist churches of the city, and members of the respective congregations were asked to sign their names for the purpose of making a protest against the modern dance, and especially against the indulgence of the dance by the members of the faculty of the public schools. We have learned that 20 members of the Christian church signed the petition, 60 members of the Methodist, and ---- members of the Baptist denomination.

At the regular meeting of the school board, which was held Tuesday night, the presentation of the petition had not reached that body. Following is the petition that was drawn up by members of the Ministerial Alliance:

"Believing that the influence of the modern dance is inimical to the highest interest of the young life of the community, and whereas the influence of the teachers of the public schools vitally affect and influence the social life of any community, therefore, we the undersigned, without questioning the right of every individual to their personal views upon this as all other questions, do respectfully petition the board of trustees of the Deming public schools, from the standpoint of public policy, to pass such rules or regulations prohibiting the teachers from engaging in dancing during the school term."

The teachers of the public schools signed the following protest in answer to the action of the ministers of the city in circulating the petition given above[*]. They are exceedingly indignant at the measures taken to curtail their actions and all but two signed the instrument:

"We, as teachers, are willing to be condemned because of inefficiency in our work or because of conduct unbecoming a teacher, but we desire to enter vigorous protest against the action called for by this petition as undemocratic, an insult to each of us personally, a reflection upon the teaching profession and entirely subversive of the best interests of the public schools."

Answering the attack made upon his administration of the public schools, Superintendent Martin presents the following:

"In general I am opposed to public dances of any kind. In particular I regard the promiscuous obscenity that, I am told, is often found in connection with the modern dance as dangerous to the young life of the community, and I am sure that anyone guilty of such forms of dancing, whether teacher or not, should be absolutely condemned.

"I challenge the gentlemen who formulated the petition in question to present a constructive program tending to improve the amusements of the community, and I guarantee the hearty co-operation of the teaching body as a whole."

--The Deming Headlight, Deming, New Mexico, May 14, 1920, page 1.

[*] They meant "below."



THE DANCE QUESTION

Apropos of the publicity given the circulation of petitions asking the school directors to restrain the teachers from dancing during the next school year, as a matter of public policy, the undersigned would like to give the reasons which actuated him to join in a movement of the kind. First, may I say of the school teachers personally that I like every one of them whom I have met, and I have found some of them charming. I believe, however, the question is of too great importance to permit personality to enter into it.

First, may I say, this is an age of specialists. Not a man in town, however much he may think of the blacksmith, will go there to have his watch repaired or the nerve in his tooth killed. Preachers are moral specialists, and while it is possible for them to be mistaken, as specialists in all lines disagree at times, it is practically a unanimous deduction from years of observation by ministers of all communions that the one who indulges much in the dance loses spirituality. The dance differs from all other so-classed amusements in that it is the great passion play of the world. Like poison oak, some people may handle with harm, others may handle without harm part of the time but at other times be susceptible to its poison, still others are always harmed by its contact, and yet others cannot pass close by without coming under its influence.

"What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say," is a terse statement of the observation of the race. Should one of the preachers dance as some of the teachers have danced right along in Deming, his resignation would be requested -- and properly. Yet, the preacher's influence with a possible hour or so a week is vastly less over the child and adolescent -- the plastic stage of life -- than is that of the teacher with her 15 to 30 hours weekly. Then what of the teacher? When the school board undertakes to look for a teacher of "good moral character," does the influence of that teacher count for naught? "Why, mother, teacher does it," says the child, and mother's efforts at discipline are weakened yet further though already the district judge -- not a preacher, mind you -- has threatened to bring action against the parents of this community unless there is less trouble with Deming boys in the future, and he says "contributing to juvenile delinquency" may be either by overt act or omission. Of course, he was discussing neither the dance nor the teacher, but these are community influences we dare not overlook.

What are the facts? Many of the teachers dance. Has there ever been a case where the dance was too objectionable to the teacher? Has a teacher ever left the dance hall because of the program? We have never heard of such a case but very, very much to the contrary. Yet the dances "pulled off" in our little city are the same ones that have been legislated out of community after community all through our land from coast to coast. Even San Francisco, once holding the criminal record of the world, found the "shimmy" too tough. How about our teachers? Bunny hug, turkey trot, wiggly worm -- tommy rot. But what are we to do? School patron, has a teacher with too little initiative to plan clean entertainment, sufficient ability to teach your little ones? Think it over. When they have shown that they have not sufficient moral fiber to put out the most objectionable dance, I personally feel we should not trust them to dance at all -- for the protection of our young. N. J. REASONER.

--The Deming Headlight, Deming, New Mexico, May 14, 1920, page 1.

Comment: N. J. Reasoner wasn't the editor or publisher, but this is apparently simply a letter to the editor on page 1.