Series II(a). Sermons. Folder 9. Sermons, n.d.

This folder contains a song/hymn entitled “A Sacrifice of Praise” and typescripts of approximately 15 sermons, some of which appear to be unfinished and/or have handwritten notes on them. Titles and text include “An All Night Wrestling Match” (Genesis 32:29), “Bartimaeus” (Luke 18:35-38), “The Laziest Man in this Community” (Proverbs 12:27), and “The Living Past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15).https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1017/thumbnail.jp

Series III. Folder 5. Poems, n.d.

This folder contains typescripts and manuscripts of approximately 10 poems. Some of them show Cummings’ political side, criticizing what he saw as the shortcomings of the GOP and warning that “If you vote for Ike you’ll cut your throat.”https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1025/thumbnail.jp

Series II(a). Sermons. Folder 2. Sermons, n.d.

This folder contains typescripts and handwritten notes for approximately 10 sermons. The texts come from both the Old and New Testaments; titles include “How to Get Saved,” “The Blessing of Suffering,” “The Home,” and “After that the Judgment.”https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1010/thumbnail.jp

Series II(a). Sermons. Folder 4. Sermons, n.d.

This folder contains typescripts of 8 sermons. Titles and texts include “The Old-Fashioned Way” (Jeremiah 6:16), “Family Religion” (Mark 5:19), “Reasons for Missions” (Mark 16:15), and “His Riches—Our Riches” (2 Corinthians 8:9).https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1012/thumbnail.jp

Series I. Personal Materials. Folder 3. Correspondence, 1922-1968

This folder contains one of Cummings’ “Our Weekly Message” newspaper columns and approximately a dozen letters written to or about him. They were composed between 1922 and 1968; topics include an invitation to become the pastor of a church in New Martinsville and several matters related to his hymnwriting work.https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1004/thumbnail.jp

Series III. Folder 6. Poems, n.d.

This folder contains approximately 15 poems and 2 letters: a letter to a parishioner praising her singing voice, and one to Cummings thanking him for making regular payments on his account with the Benson Printing Co., located in Nashville, Tennessee.https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1026/thumbnail.jp

Series II(b). Radio Sermons. Folder 3. Radio Sermons, n.d.

This folder contains of approximately 20 sermons delivered on the radio at unspecified times (some bear the month and date, but not the year). Some are typed, others handwritten; some are complete, others unfinished. Topics include “domestic subjects,” church membership, and “turning defeat into victory.”https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1020/thumbnail.jp

Series III. Folder 2. Articles, n.d.

The majority of the items in this folder are approximately 15 “Our Weekly Message” and roughly the same number of “Our Weekly Visit” columns. The dates and names of the papers do not appear on the clippings; according to the Register, “Our Weekly Visit” appeared in the Grantsville News, with “other featured columns” published in the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. Some items appear to be duplicates of articles in Series III, Folder 3. Topics range from pastoral visitation to the value of optimism and a clear conscience to an anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Other items in this folder include an assortment of “Corner Couplets,” an article on Cummings’ hymn entitled “Has Your Heart Been Warmed?,” and a letter to the editor of the Grantsville News written under the name “Parson Jones.”https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1022/thumbnail.jp

Series III. Folder 3. Articles, n.d.

This folder contains materials ranging from a poem written in honor of retired ministers to several sayings by a character named Josh Hayseed. Most of items are approximately 25 newspaper columns written by Cummings, under the titles “Clergyman Chatter,” “Our Weekly Message,” and “Our Weekly Visit.” The dates and names of the papers do not appear on the clippings; according to the Register, “Our Weekly Visit” appeared in the Grantsville News, with “other featured columns” published in the Huntington Herald-Dispatch.https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1023/thumbnail.jp

Series II(b). Radio Sermons. Folder 2. Radio Sermons 1948-1960

This folder contains typescripts of approximately 20 sermons Cummings delivered between 1948 and 1960. Most were broadcast on WMON, a radio station in Montgomery, WV; one, a “Pre-Christmas Sermon,” was done for the “chapel” of WSAZ, a TV station with studios in Huntington and Charleston. Other topics include self-examination, “falling and rising,” “trusting in God,” and “the importance of the home and the family.”https://mds.marshall.edu/cummings_papers/1019/thumbnail.jp