72 AUTOBIOGRAPHY 



convert fainted while " getting the spirit." Such 

 a revival was a highly entertaining place for the 

 youths of a wide countryside in search of fun. 

 Then, as now, there were many who came to church 

 to be entertained rather than instructed ; but a few 

 came to entertain as well as to be entertained, for 

 all attended whether church members or not 

 the revival meetings. While the noise and excite- 

 ment were going on in the front seats, many mis- 

 chievous acts were perpetrated in the back seats. 

 The legs of the great box heating stove, which had 

 a very long pipe for additional warmth, were set 

 up on loose bricks, and these could easily be worked 

 from under by the foot. After working a brick 

 out of place the culprit, with others in the secret, 

 would start for a cooler place and immediately the 

 red-hot stove would topple over and a portion of 

 the pipe would come down. This stopped the serv- 

 ices and created a wild panic, but the cause of the 

 disaster was seldom discovered. 



Although this was the most serious prank I ever 

 witnessed, it was by no means the only one. If for 

 any reason the shouting and praying in the front 

 seats ceased for a moment, the scuffling and loud 

 talking of the unregenerate in the back seats would 

 be heard and somebody was likely to be led out 



