“The Sin of Bridge***
Is Subject of Sermon
Bv Rev. C. T. Thrift
-<s>
Condemns Popnalr Game and
\sks Church People To
Leave It Alone
-®
Last Sunday night the Rev. C. T.
Thrift preached at the Methodist
church on “The Sin of Bridge.'’ In
his appeal to his people and to all
bridge players to let the game alone
he said, in part Editor's Note—The
following is being published in its
entirety at the special request of the
Rev. Mr. Thrift):
The Kingdom of God is a spiritual
kingdom and that is the grejuest
kingdom of all The church is the
representative of God's Kingdom on
earth. That is the greatest organi
zation in this world or the world to
come. “The gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. the general assem
bly and church of the first-born in
heaven." It is the church militant
here and the church triumphant
there.
The ministry is the most responsi
ble office in the whole world. All
else may fail, but we may start again
when there are “men sent from God. "
The faithful minister is the greatest
man that walks the earth. Christ
was greater than Herod; Paul was
greater than Nero: Luther than
Charles V, Wesley was greater than
Pitt. The faithful preacher is God's
man and his primary obligation is to
God and not to man. Paul speaks of
Tychicus and Epaphras. not as pop
ular, but as faithful ministers.
It is no easy matter to declare all
the counsel of God or “to reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all long-suffer
ing and doctrine." as Paul exhorted
Timothy to do. Unless the preacher's
life is four-square, he will be told.
“Physician, heal thyself.- Many
preachers might preach more boldly
if they lived more nobly. God's man
must combat the world, the flesh and
the devil, and there is much of that
on the inside of the church, for it has
come about that there is very little
difference between the church and
the world. God's man must be clean
morally, not greedy for money, de
voted to his work, aiming to present
his people faultless before God. and
bold in his preaching.
My life has been an open book and
the people of this town know my
manner of life; you may ask the
board of stewards whether I have
ever been greedy for money; you may
ask every organization of the church
whether I have helped or hindered;
you may ask those in my church and
out of it whether I have been faith
ful in visiting the sick and the needy;
you may go out in the country and
ask what preacher visits them the
most, no matter to what church they
belong I have preached in the col
ored Baptist and the colored Metho
dist church. My people have even
showered their praise upon me as a
preacher, and have marvelled at ray
zeal for the church. Therefore, as
God's minister, as a man. and a citi
zen, I am not afraid to speak boldly
as I ought to speak.
The Methodist church, humiliated
by a consciousness of its low spirit
ual condition, its low moral stand
ards. and its worldliness, is putting
on what is known as the Aldersgate
Commemoration of the time when
John Wesley's heart was "strangely
warmed." regarded as one of the
epochal hours in the history of the
church. X had announced our study
course, which is a part of the pro
gram for the entire Methodist church.
I had announced it from the pulpit
and distributed the books, as busy as
I am all the time. I asked the co
operation of the missionary society ’
because they had special interest in
the book for credit in their work.
They agreed to cooperate and prom
ised to attend. To my great surprise
I found that the largest bridge party
of the season was being held the very
night we started our course, though
our program had already been an
nounced. For some reason the bridge
party was changed from some other
night over to our already announced
night, thus bringing on a head-on
collision. They did it, not I. This
bridge party was sponsored by three
women, two of whom are members of
our church, of our missionary society,
and of our choir. The missionary
society was well represented at the
bridge party but poorly represented
at the study group. Bridge clubs are
partly and in great measure responsi
ble for the need of the Aldersgate
Commemoration. If they are all right
then we are doing an unnecessary
work in putting it on. In fact it is
a question whether we need the
church or the minister except to visit
the sick and»to bury the dead. For
in looking over the "society roster"
of that night I find there several
names of my members who never at
tend church at any time and whose
names are as familiar in the Beacon
as the name of the paper itself. In
more than 30 years in the ministry
I have never seen anything so heart
less as this to the program of the
church. It is almost past belief. This
was done, too, by "leading members,”
who claim to be my friends and to
love me as their pastor.
I was distressed beyond measure
for things like this cut the very heart
out of the pastor. I slept little that
night, but cried to God to tell me
what to do to handle the situation.
For if ever anything needed an em
phatic rebuke, that did. I would have
been recreant to my trust as God’s
man if I had let it go unrebuked. I
would have been a cringing coward.
Nearly morning I prayed, "Lord,
show me what to do." Clearly the
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Announce Program
Methodist Serrices
—@—
There was a good congregation to
hear the sermon, and the following
members attended the Methodist
Church last Sunday night: Mr. and
Mrs. G. H. Harrison. Mrs. Katherine
Harrison. Justus Ange. Mrs. Ruth
Winslow. Mr. and Mrs. Dock Latham,
Roy Manning. B. G. Campbell. Mrs.
Don Davis. Mrs. Allen Dupree, Mrs.
C. T. Thrift. Mrs. Jones, Mrs. T. M.
Bratten. Martha McGowan. Dr. and
Mrs. Lewis. Mr. and Mrs. Basinger,
Mrs Mary Owens. Mrs. Alice Brown.
Miss Olga Gardner, Claudia Bratten,
Miss Ethel Perry, Rankin Ambrose.
Mrs. Dave Hurley.
The congregational singing was so
good last Sunday that it will be con
tinued next Sunday. It elicited com
ments from the presiding elder and
his wife.
The young people will meet at 6:30.
At 7:30 the pastor will speak on
"The Heroism and Hardships of the
Early Methodist Preachers in North
Carolina.'’
The March issue of the Roanoke
Messenger wil be 50 per cent larger,
going from 16 to 24 pages. James
ville, Plymouth and Roper High
Schools will have pages in it. It is
meeting with a hearty reception.
Open-Air Preaching Saturday
If the weather is favorable Rev. C.
T. Thrift will preach on the vacant
lot between the Coca-Cola Bottling
Works and Midgett's Service Station
Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock.
answer came to me: Dismiss your
choir for next Sunday, and that will
arrest their attention and focus the
eyes of the whole church and com
munity upon the enormity of this
thing. I accepted it and immediately
went to sleep. I have been happy
ever since and have been busy about
the Lord's work, visiting and praying
with the sick, talking religion to ev
erybody, and walking with the King.
I have had a glorious time.
If the bridge party had been as
moral and innocent as making mud
pies or playing marbles it would have
been a sin for the members of the
church to have preferred it to any
church meeting, especially one they
had pledged their support. "Lovest
thou Me more than these things?"
Even innocent things must not be giv
en precedence. The church should
come first. "Seek ye first the King
dom of God."
But bridge is not innocent. I be
lieve that as Gods man I am qualified
to speak. (You can't get any preach
er in Plymouth to endorse it.) Are
we fools or blind? I am an expert in
my line as much as the lawyer, or
the doctor, or the engineer. Why
don’t people go to a plumber for ad
vice about law or to a horse doctor
to run a factory or to a garage man
to extract their teeth? If the
people know more than the minis
ters. what are their preachers for?
If they will not have their advice,
why do they want preachers anyway?
The essence of bridge is gambling,
nothing else. If gambling is all right,
bridge is all right, too. But not only
the moral law but the statutes con
demn gambling. What is the differ
ence between men down town in a
back room playing poker for money
and women up town playing bridge
for silk stockings, lingerie, or money?
There is not as much as between
tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee! It has
the same color and smell. It is the
same. Gambling is one of the great
sins of the world. So I declare to
my people that I. as God’s man, pro
nounce bridge just plain gambling.
I have heard of a good sister in the
church who gave her husband “the
devil” for staying out until midnight
drinking and playing poker with the
boys, when she had just come in at
10 o’clock from a bridge party, where
they drank cocktails and she won the
big prize. That would make a dog
laugh.
UUt UUL lilt* piiZCS (U1U a UCcU
of it would stop. "Prizes and stakes
make it interesting, you know.”
The thing is deadly in its effects
on spirituality. For instance, Plym
outh is reeking with bridge. It has
gone to seed here. If it is a good
thing our people ought to be known
far and wide as a holy people, but
they are known everywhere for the
worldliness. Visitors at our churches
marvel at the small number attend
ing church, and at the almost utter
lack of any spiritual note or power
in any of the church meetings. They
are in the hands of bridge players.
“By their fruits ye shall know them.”
In my own church bridge conflicts
with almost everything in the week
time. People cannot go to this in
spirational meeting where they might
get help or they might go to prayer
meeting, but bridge has the right of
way and comes first. I never saw
anything just like it. Our Sunday
school moves on leaden feet for the
same reason. If I saw that bridge
was making saints and filling my
church with holy zeal and godly en
thusiasm, I would be for it. But,
alas, the opposite is true.
Can it make saints? Can any
good thing come out of it? In an
atmosphere frequently dense with to
bacco smoke, with cocktails before
and after, with the gossip, with the
gambling spirit rife, yes,- can any
good thing come out of it? Can it?
You know it can’t.
I thus declare myself against
bridge. I implore my people every
one to touch not the unclean thing
but follow me as I try to lead them
into high and holy living. But no
pastor can lead his people when they
are headed the wrong way. A shep
herd cannot do that with sheep.
Preacher and people are both doomed
though they are following him, if
they are going the wrong way. God’s
man cannot do that. Eye servants
and men-pleasers might. God’s man
ought always to face the right way.
Then his people ought always to be
at his back and never facing him.
If they are, they are wrong. Thus
he is forced to try to keep them from
going to hell when they should be
following him to heaven.
I appeal to my people to “about
face, march.” Arise, let us be going
to the mountain tops and have our
hearts strangely warmed and find
peace and joy.
If you believe that I am God’s man,
follow me. If you don’t believe that
I am God’s man, come out and say
so. Praise less and do more that I
ask you to do. Actions speak louder
than words.
Thirty-one 4-H com club mem
bers of Granville County report 46
bushels to the acre as the lowest
yield secured last year while Earl
Farabow of Stem produced 103.5
bushels on his acre to win ;he coun
ty championship.
Honor Students at
(-reswell Inerease;
January Lists 81
—_3>—
\nmber for Past Month Near
ly Double That of Two
Preceding Months
-<$>
Honor students of the Creswell
school in January jumped to a re
cord high of 81. almost doubling the
number for November and Decem
ber. according to a release by Prin
! cipal A. T. Brooks.
As a coincidence, there were 49
I students on the roll each of the last
two months. These students have
averaged B or over during the per
iod covered by the report.
Tire third grade led with 8 last
month but for January the second
and third grade led the list with
a total of 12 students each. The
fifth was the next best with 8 and 9
in the music class.
Music Honor Roll
The following were on the Music
Honor Roll: Barbara Barnes. Neva
Patrick. Iris Spruill. Marjorie Bate
man, Ada Virginia Hopkins. Mary
Ellen Stillman. Betty Jean Bateman,
Clyde Smithson Jr. and Theda Hop
kins.
Honor Roll
rsieventn grade: Kaipn Davenport,
Anna Jane Blue. Ada Craddock, Ger
trude Davis, and Vera Snell.
Tenth grade: Collia Davenport,
Evelyn Swain and Theda Hopkins.
Ninth grade: J. C. Gatlin. Billy
Wells Bateman. Marjorie Bateman.
Edna Rae Spruill. Selma Stillman
and Margaret Davis.
Eighth grade: Carrol Van Daven
port. Neva Patrick and Gerard Spru
ill.
Seventh grade: Rachel Woodley,
Geneva Ambrose and John Hufton.
Sixth grade: Evelyn Belanga, Ly
; dieth Halsey, Selma Furlough, Thel
ma Roebuck. Robert Bateman and
Billy Liverman.
Fifth grade: Alma Stallcup. Wen
dell Haire, William Davenport, Edna
Spencer, Eva Liverman. Louise Spru
ill, Melvin Chambers and Arthur
Alexander.
Fourth grade: Virginia Woodley,
Marjorie Phelps, Eloise Gibbs. Ed
win Norman. Clyde Smithson, Jr.,
Jimmie Hopkins. James Harold Gibbs,
James Davenport. Lillie Cooper and
Nettie Hathaway.
Third grade: Christeen Ambrose,
Mildred Ruth Ambrose, Betty Jean
I Bateman. Vivia Cahoon, Sadie Lee
Patrick, Betty Swain, Daphnia Wil
liams, Dan Davenport, Robert Irwin
Stillman. Gervis Phelps, Garland
Spruill, and Aubrey Spruill.
Second grade: Wade Phelps, Wil
liam Herbert Clifton, Mary Jane Am
brose, Alice Patrick, Jean Craddock.
Louise Davenport, Cleo Davis, Wil
liam Furlough, Jack Midgette, Mar
jorie Davenport and Dorrence Phelps.
First Grade: Anita Nooney, Alice
Davenport, Marvin Davenport and
Ruth Mae Sawyer.
--
Mount Tabor Club
Meeting Friday
The Mount Tabor home demon
stration club held its regular meet
ing at the home of Mrs. L. W. Daven
port on Friday with 8 members and
3 visitors present. One new member
was added to the club roll.
Following reports from the can
ning and clothing leaders, Mrs. Alton
Furlough was elected poultry leader
and Mrs. Annie Ambrose and Sarah
Holmes house furnishings leaders.
Mrs. Darden gave an interesting
demonstration on refinishing floors.
During the social hour the mem
bers enjoyed several games and con
tests, with Mrs. Earl Midgette win
ning the prize. The hostess served
fruit and candy.
Bridge Luncheon
At Country Club
en members of the country club was
held at the club house Tuesday aft
ernoon.
Mrs. O. H. Cox, Mrs. Lloyd Horton,
and Mrs. W. M. Cary, members of
the entertainment committee, greet
ed the guests at the door.
The luncheon table held a beauti
ful centerpiece of red, white, and
blue carnations, and at the place of
each guest was a small white basket
full of red candy cherries holding a
tiny blue hatchet.
The menu consisted of fruit cock
tails, chicken a la king, peas, toma
to aspic salad, celery, rolls, ice cream
decorated in red, white and blue, cake
and coffee.
Follow'ing the luncheon bridge was
played at five tables. Mrs. Claudius
McGowan won the high score prize,
a large pot of white hyacinths. Red.
white and blue carnations were pre
sented to Mrs. W. F. Winslow for sec
ond high. Mrs. T. L. Bray received
a bov of candy for third high score.
-$
Bridge Chib Meeting
Held Last Tuesday
Mrs. W. E. Waters and Mrs. Ras
ser Edwards were hostesses to their
bridge club members at one of the
prettiest dinner parties of the sea
son when they entertained them at
the country club Tuesday night.
The three-course dinner consisted
of grape fruit, fried chicken, aspara
gus. mashed potatoes, tomato aspic,
celery, pickles, hot rolls, ice cream
covered with cherries, cake and cof
fee. On each dessert plate a Cupid
was placed to further carry out the
Valentine motif.
Following the dinner, bridge was
played at three tables, with Mrs. W.
L. Whitley winning the high score
prize. Mrs. W. C. Chesson won sec
ond high score gift: and low-score
awards rvere given at each table.
CHERRY
Messrs. Sidney Holloway and John
nie Smith, of Newport News, Va„
were visitors here Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. L. B. Bennett and
children were dinner guests of Mr.
and Mrs. S. D. Burgess Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. J. K. Spruill were!
week-end guests of his mother. Mrs.
J. W. Spruill.
LEGAL NOTICES
NOTICE
North Carolina, Washington Coun
ty; Superior Court, Before the Clerk.
John L. Roper Lumber Company, a
Corporation, vs. John Bell, Et Al.
Glover B. Allen, C. B. Brewster, C.
M. Manning and Cora Manning will
take notice that a motion has been
lodged in the above entitled proceed
ings before the Clerk Superior Court
of Washington County, North Caro
lina, for the cancellation of the cer
tificate of title, covering the land
hereinafter described, issued to Glov
er B. Allen, and recorded in book 5,
page 62, of Washington County, a
certificate of title issued to C. B.
Brewster covering the same land and
recorded in book 7, page 255, Wash
ington County, and a certificate of
title covering the same land issued to
C. M. Manning and Cora Manning,
recorded in book 8. page 17, of Wash
ington County, and that the land cov
ered by said certificates is described
as follows:
All that certain lot. tract or parcel
of land containing 76.5 acres, more
or less, located, lying and being in
Lees Mill Township, County of Wash
ington, State of North Carolina, be
ing bounded on the north by Bertha
Hartung, on the east by W. L. Fur
bee, on the south by B. M. Holton,
and on the west by “A” Canal, and
being lot No. 12 South of Washing
ton County Drainage District Num
ber 4: and having such shapes, metes,
courses and distances as will more
fully appear by reference to a plat
thereof, made by Stewart Harris, sur
veyor, September, 1923 which plat is
on file with the Federal Land Bank
of Columbia.
The said Glover B. Allen, C. B.
Brewster, C. M. Manning and Cora
Manning will further take notice that
they are required to appear at the of
fice of the Clerk of the Superior
Court of said county in the court
house in Plymouth, N. C., on the 28th
day of February, 1938, at 10 o’clock
a. m„ and show cause, if any they
have, why the certificates of title
above referred to should not be can
celled and a new certificate issued to
the Federal Land Bank of Columbia
or its assignee.
MUSICIANS —
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Mail Orders Solicited
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121 Main_Williamston, N. C.
Courtney
Funeral Home
Successor To Nurney Funeral Home
PLYMOUTH, N. C.
FUNERAL DIRECTORS
EMBALMERS
AMBULANCE SERVICE
DAY ox NIGHT
Call 247-6
LEGAL NOTICES
This the 15th day of February. 1938.
C. V. W. AUSBON.
Clerk Superior Court of Washing
ton County, North Carolina.
'Copy) f 18 2t
NOTICE
North Carolina. Washington Coun
ty : Superior Court.
Town of Plymouth vs. Marcellus
Everett
The defendant. Marcellus Everett,
will take notice that an action en
titled as above has been commenced
in the Superior Court of Washington
County, North Carolina, as follows:
To foreclose the paving tax lien of
the plaintiff against the lands of the
defendant for the years 1930 to 1935.
both inclusive, the said lands being
Lot No. 13 of the paving map of west
Main Street of said town and ad
joining the lands of Commodore
Heath and Virginia Cooper and abut
ting on said Main Street fifty feet:
that the said defendant is a necessary
party to this action for the foreclos
ure of the said paving assessments in
the sum of fifty-nine and 61-100
i S59.61 > dollars and interest as al
leged in the complaint: and the said
defendant will further take notice
that he is required to appear in the
office of the Clerk Superior Court in
said county in the courthouse in
Plymouth, N. C., within thirty days
from and after the 18th day of
March. 1938. and answer or demur
to the complaint of the plaintiff, or
the plaintiff will apply to the court
for the relief demanded in said com
plaint.
This the 22nd day of February, 1938.
C. V. W. AUSBON.
Clerk Superior Court. Washington
County. North Carolina. f28 4t
-<*>
NOTICE OF SALE
Under and by virtue of a power of
sale embraced in a certain deed of
trust executed by A. W. Davenport
and wife on the 30th day of April,
1932 to A. R. Dunning. Trustee, and
recorded in the office of the Register
of Deeds of Washington Countv,
North Carolina, in Book 107, page
193, and the holder of the bonds se
cured thereby having made demand
of foreclosure, the undersigned Trus
tee. having been substituted as Trus
tee, for A. R. Dunning, said substi
tution being duly recorded in the of
fice of the Register of Deeds in
LEGAL NOTICES
Washington County. North Carolina,
in Book 121. page 367. will expose at
public sale, at the Court House door
in Plymouth. Washington County.
North Carolina, to the highest bidder
for cash, on the 24th day of March,
1938, at 12 o'clock noon, subject to
all unpaid taxes, the folowing des
cribed property:
Two certain tracts of land lying
and being in Washington County, and
more particularly described as fol
lows :
1st Tract: Beginning at an iron
stob at the public road in Eli P.
Spruill corner at the public roiad,
running westwardly along said Eli
P. Spruill's line to his northwest
corner and thence running on the
same course of said Eli P. Spruill's
line to W. C. Spruill's line, thence
| southwardly along said W ,C. Spru
■ ill's line to Prissy Bomes line, thence
Eastwardly along said public road to
the first station containing four
acres, more or less, being the same
land conveyed to A. W. Davenport
! by G. F. Woodley and Hester A.
j Woodley. Recorded Book 68, page
19.
2nd Tract: Beginning at an iron
I post at the public road on the East
side of said road directly opposite
the line of A. W. Davenport and Pris
sy Bomes on the West side of said
road running eastwardly in the same
direction as the line of said Prissy
Bomes and A. W. Davenport to Bea
ver Creek, thence northwardly along
said Creek being down the Creek to
N. A. McGowan line, (formerly N. A.
Craddock i thence westwardly and
southwardly along said N. A. Mc
Gowan line to Samuel Simpson line
thence Southwardly and westwardly
along Samuel Simpson line to the
public road, thence southwardly along
the road being up the road to the
first station, containing six acres,
more or less, being the same land
conveyed to A. W. Davenport by A.
M. Ambrose and wife, Julia A. Am
brose. Recorded in Book 68. page 30.
The highest bidder at said sale will
be required to deposit ten per cent
of his bid as evidence of good faith,
and to be forfeited to the holder of
said bonds in the event his bid is
not complied with upon demand by
said Trustee.
This 21st day of February, 1938.
Z. V. NORMAN,
f25 4t Substituted Trustee.
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Pork Chops 23c
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FIG CAKES
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