Oh, the weak feeling I had in the pit of my stomach that first Sunday as my car came to a stop in front of Blue Lodge, a place I had rented for the purpose of a community church. Most of the dwellings in this section were given some sort of name; this one suggested the owner\u27s name

Owens, Max

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The LighthouseMAX OWENSOh, the weak feeling I had in the pit ofmy stomach that first Sunday as my carcame to a stop in front of Blue Lodge, aplace I had rented for the purpose of acommunity church. Most of the dwellingsin this section were given some sort ofname; this one suggested the owner's name.It was painted a pale blue which hadalmost faded to white from the sun andweather. A two-story house with a full-length screened-in porch, it did not haveany of the characteristics that usually areassociated with a church. Two cementsteps in the center led onto the porch, notmuch of a vestibule, except, perhaps, forthe abandoned town fire bell that rolledout the call of worship. It was understoodthat the mode of the clanging would deter-mine whether the people were to bringbuckets or Bibles, that is, if they had aBible.A door from the porch opened into alarge room that smelled of scrub water,for the floors were still damp. The onlyprotection from the cold February windswas the outside weatherboarding, but anold, freshly blackened parlor stove radiateda friendly glow. An adjoining room, thathad served as the kitchen, and which stillhad the gas range and pitcher pump asevidence, was separated by an enclosedstairway. The large opening between thetwo rooms made it possible to arrange thefolding chairs, that had been borrowedfrom an abandoned tavern, in a semi-cir-cular fashion. At the east end of the largeroom, in the corner, stood a well seasonedjardiniere stand that had become feeblefrom the years of service and now was toserve as a rostrum, not very substantialfor a young minister who was to deliver hisfirst sermon. The music was supplied byan old upright piano; it was as tempera-mental to the weather as are some folks'aches and pains. A swivel stool that hadat one time been painted green was oflittle assurance to the pianist.To complete the setting for our firstservice, Tabernacle Hymn books with newgreen binding tape on the backs were dis-tributed among the seats. To us and thehumble worshippers it was a cathedral;God was there./RetrogressionCAROLINE PRESSELSuppose that you were suddenly to findyourself twenty-five miles from the nearesttown in a cabin on Bay Talaunch in theAlabama forests. How would you managein this modern day if you were that farfrom civilization? After having all of theconveniences of modern life as a part ofone's heritage, it is a real art to be able tolive happily and comfortably in such anenvironment.A trip to the grocery store to purchaseheaping quantities of staples is one of thefirst essential requirements in preparationfor this experiment. One must include in(21)

The Lighthouse

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The Lighthouse

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