Of)) yr o r
FIFTY-FIFTH YEAR.
ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE.
NUMBER 22
RALEIGH, N. C, THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1909.
HOT WEATHER PHILOSOPHY OF BILDAD AKERS.
j-rjn T WAS ONLY AN ORDINARY knot of men and boys that almost
I I I obstructed the doorway of the waiting-room. It was not difficult
I JL J fr the detached lounger to discover that base-ball was the subject
of discussion. We were about to pass on to the ticket window when
our ears caught a familiar note in one voice which seemed especially ob
trusive and masterful. It dealt out with enthusiasm and authority such
words as "ferst base," "pitcher," and "run," and averred that "that
pitcher jest naterally had ought to be tuk frum the game in the fust eenin."
Of course, we did not pass on at once to the ticket window. We look
ed over the fringe of the crowd at a hale animated old man who was the
centre of interest. We did not mean to catch his eye, but he caught
ours, and, breaking into a sentence descriptive of the "pitchin" power of a
"feller down my way," he advanced toward me and gave me what is called
a handshake, while he. roared his salutation through the waiting-room.
We knew him to be Bildad Akers before we saw him in the centre of
the crowd. If there had been any doubt it would have been dispelled after
that handshake. There is no other like it.
"Bless my soul, Ivry, who'd a suspicioned a-seein you down here jest
as I was a-hopin you'd never ketch on as I had bin to Raleigh. Fer jest
as sartain as I see you you've got to plunk somethin down in the Advocate
about me. I don't keer, but Lizy says people '11 think I go to Raleigh jest
to see and be seed, and then to git my name in the Advocate. So I sorter
thawt I'd git out of these diggins without havin sot eyes on you. But shore
as guns iron you have cotch me this time. Well, well Ivry how air you
anyway?"
We answered Bildad as courtesy and brotherly feeling demanded, and
informed him that we were going down his way and anticipated with great
pleasure the privilege of talking to him on the train. The old man drew
his fingers through his hair and his face took on an expression which sug
gested to us a painful query on his part as to what "Lizy" would say now.
But the dominant feeling in a moment conquered and his pleasure express
ed itself in the words: "I'd jest as soon talk to you as any of these other
fellers." This from Bildad meant much.
In a few minutes we were on the train. The car was crowded. Not a
vacant seat could be found. There was one defiant looking little man
with a stubby moustache and bull-dog jaw who was occupying two double
seats. Bildad eyed him for a moment, and then approached him and said:
"You feller, there, hike them hoofs offen that seat and dont make me think
so much of a hawg tryin to eat two years o' corn at the same time." The
little man at first hesitated, but looking up at the owner of that voice, hp
immediately "hiked." We turned the seat and settled down for our chat.
The conductor came around. There was a look of trouble on Bildad's
face. We found that he had not become accustomed to the little slip that
had been placed in his hat. "Ivry," he said, "it's a piccayunish thing to
mind, but do you know it riles me evrytime that captin puts one of them
things in my hat. It's too much like brandin steers or ticketing punkins
and roosters out at the State Fair." We tried to explain the utility and
necessity of the slip, but even then he was not satisfied.
After criticising some hill-side plowing that was being done in a field
to the right, my companion lit an old Virginia cheroot which was minus
its wrapper, looked at us a moment, and said:
A DELIVERANCE ON BASEBALL.
"Ivry, you think I'm shamed of myself, aint you, about that baseball
blsness? Well, I aint one bit. I haint only bin tawkin about it, but I
went to the game this very evenin. I might as well tell you that ever
sence I was a boy at the ole Pond school-house and played 'cat and town
ball,' Ive jest naterally hankered arter every good game of baseball what
was in walkin or ridin distance. Why, it's like hearin preechin when I
see a good game. I larn so much bout myself and others. To see a feller
hold a bat jest like he was a-goin to miss the ball minds me of these
fellers who never spect to make anything in life, and never does. They
dont spect to hit the ball. Then to see a man what has got on a base
and doesnt wait for a ball to put him on another base jest teaches nie
that it won't always do for a feller to wait for somethin to turn up as old
Bill Sellers has bin a-doin. It takes the best quality of brains to play a
good game, anj it jest pintedly stirr all the bile in me to see two good
teams a-playin ain one anuther. It'd help you, Ivry, if you would take
more intrust in sech. No, I aint got a thing to be shamed of; even if I am
a Stewart in the church."
We assured Bildad that if he did not have laid up against him any
sin more grievous than that of liking baseball, his account with the Re
cording Angel was all right.
In spite of the fact that Bildad's conscience had seemed so clear, our
assurance that we attached no blame to him seemed to please him But
he put his mouth close to our ear and said in a subdued tone: "You needn't
tell Lizy bout my goin to the game this evenin. I tell her bout evrything,
but wimmen is so quare, what's the use of botherin them with things they
cant understand and may make a fuss about?"
HE DISCUSSES THE ADVOCATE.
The train rattled on. The conversation lagged and finally stopped.
Bildad was nodding. We allowed him to sleep. This, however, was only
for a few minutes. The voice of a porter calling a station waked him. He
rubbed his eyes and yawned. Then he said: "Ivry, how is the Advocate?"
We told him that the Advocate would be getting along finely if we could
only keep any money in the treasury; that unpaid subscriptions were both
ering us, especially in the summer season; that we had a good many
friends among the subscribers, but that a large number would take the
paper as long as we would not say anything about pay, but that the mo
ment we would ask them for their subscription, they would get mad and
stop the paper. We dwelt for awhile on the fact that the "Old Raleigh" is,
with one exception, .the only first-class religious paper in Southern Metho
dism which is supporting itself from only one-half of a State. We closed
by saying: "If we had more friends like you, Brother Akers, we would
sweep everything."
The old man slowly shook his head, and said: "Ivry, we have got
some quare fellers among us Methdists. I met up with one of em last
week. I was a hitchin my hoss at the post-office when Jeems Sedly cum
out with a letter in his han. He was as mad as fire. I sed, 'Jeems, what's
the matter?' Jeems said, 'Jest look thar,' and he handed me the let
ter. I tuk it and read it and seed whar you was a-axin him to send you
some money, sence he was over three yeers behind. I said: 'Jeems, that's
all rigkt. Why don't you anty up?' He said: 'That's a dun, and I hate
duns like snakes.' I said: 'That's square. If I owe a man anything and
haint antied up, I cant blame the man for wantin his money and tellln
me so.' 'Well,' sed Jeems, 'I prescribed for only a year.' I axed Jeems
if he had paid for a year. He scratched his head and said he hadnt, but
lowed to do it. 'But they want me to pay for the time ever since then.
This is eight times they have wrote me, and Im gittin tired of it.' 'Well,
have you rote fer em to stop the paper?' sez I. 'No,' he sez, 'they knowd I
prescribed fer only a year. They ought to have stopped the paper. Why
didnt you stop it by not takin it out of the office?' sez I. 'You knowd if
them Advocate fellers stopped the paper thout your orderln it stopped,
you would have got your dander up and would cuse em of not wantin to
credit you. Ef you was too no-count to write to em, why in the name of
common-sence did you keep on takin the paper out of the office? You
wouldnt write to em, and you kept on takin the paper and readin it, and
how in the name of common-sence and religion could you keep em from
thinkin you still was a wantin of it, and how in the name of common-sence
and religion can you be agin payin em?" Jeems only sed he wasnt agwine to
even ef he had read the paper all this time. He didnt tell em to send it
all this time, and he wasnt agwine to pay for it. Well, Ivry, I seed it
was no use to talk to him enny more. I left him, and as I left I sez to
myself: 'I trust to the good Lord the "Old Roily" hasnt got many like
him to fool with. He needs both sense and religion.' "
We assured Bildad that we had so many good, true men and women
among our readers, that if he didn't mind, we would not talk on the
subject any more. It was a sore subject with us, and had given us more
trouble than anything else connected with the paper.
BILDAD'S SCHEME.
But Bildad was not willing to leave the subject altogether. He said:
"Ivry, I have gotten an idee in my head which has been buzzin thar
eve: sence I hearn you at the Deestrict. You said down thar in your
speech that Methdism wont never deliver the goods (you didnt say it
adzactly in them wurds) until our people git to knowin more about the
Church not one society, but the whole church. You sed people had to