Ski'tkmi!i:r. 1921 



C L !•; A ,\ I X O ,S IN ]', 1-: K C U I- T U K K 



would be ''free lit'cr ' ' to anybody who 

 wanted it. That, incident i-alls to mind that 

 sonic of the tactics that are going on now 

 ("beer as medicine," etc.) are nuich like 

 my experience away back there. "What did 

 I'do.^ I said first,' "Lord, help." Then I 

 cut the exercises down half, and told the 

 girls and women that we would adjourn to 

 the brewery. Sure enough, there were my 

 boys and men filling the room; but when 

 they caught sight of me they rushed out at 

 the back door and hid in the bushes. I 

 finally succeeded with pleasant words in 

 getting them to come back, and sing some 

 Gospel Hymns. Then I gave them, as well 

 as the brewer, a good square talk — of course 

 in a kindly spirit. When permission was 

 gi\en n'le to close with prayer I prayed for 

 the brewer, but you my be sure that I did 

 not piay for his occupation- 



W(dl, fiiends, the Sunday school ]ire- 

 vailed until there was not a brewery, a sa- 

 loon, nor a Dutch dance in the town, and 

 never has been since. But it took cii/Jtt 

 i/rdis of hard work to head off intemperance 

 in that neighborhooil. Of course there were 

 no automobiles at that time, and when the 

 weather was too bad for our liverymen to 

 let a rig go out I went on foot five miles 

 and back again; but I firmly believe that 

 some of the hajjpiest hours of my life were 

 when I was trudging thru mud and snow to 

 that Abbeyville Sunday school. I decided 

 then, and I stick to that position even yet, 

 that the only sure remedy for intemperance 

 that still afflicts the world is to bring u)) 

 our children in the fear of the Lord, witli 

 till' help of the Sunday schools, the Ka- 

 deavor Society, Y. M. V. A., Salvation 

 Army, and other things of that sort. 



All along these years since that Sunday 

 school was started and kept up I have found 

 some new things' to thank God for. (See our 

 second text.) The seeds that were sow'u in 

 the hearts of the children during those Sun- 

 day afternoons have borne fruit abundant- 

 ly. Let me give you one little illustration. 

 Of course I had discouragements. There 

 were no automobiles in those days, of 

 course, and T had no horse and buggy of 

 my own. A good deal of the time T hired 

 a livery; but as the fall rains came on it 

 was somewhat of a question as to whether 

 the Sunday school would be kept up all win- 

 ter. I told the children and others that 

 when the weather became very bad, and 

 iioliofli/ came, I would be the .last one to be 

 on the ground. When I reached the school- 

 house during bad weather an<l found not a 

 single l)oy or girl, nor anybody else, I would 

 consider giving it up. But I was deter- 

 mined to be the last one on tlu- ground. 



One Sunday afternoon wlicii it raine(l un- 

 ceasingly, and the mud on our clay roads 

 here in this county was just awful, 1 called 

 at the livery for the horse and buggy just 

 as T had been in the habit of doing. Tiu' 

 li\ civHia II said he preferretl not to ha\'e his 

 rigs taken out during such weather. I had, 



however, reason to suspect that he, like the 

 brew-er, was not very much in sympathy 

 with Sunday school work. I got some rub- 

 ber boots and an umbrella and made the 

 trip. By the way, in order to shorten the 

 course a little when going on foot I passed 

 thru a piece of woods. About the center of 

 that woods was a large oak tree, and I was 

 in the habit of kneeling away oft" there 

 alone in the Avoods, and asking the dear 

 Lord to bless that Sunday school, and, in 

 fact, take my poor self into His care and 

 kee})ing on week days as well as Sundays. 

 Oh, how I- did enjoy those brief stops for 

 l)rayer! and what wonderful answers came 

 along for days, weeks, and months after! 



When I reached the schoolhouse on that 

 particular day there were only two small 

 barefooted boys there. Not at all disheart- 

 ened I sat down and had a good talk with 

 them. They told me their troubles. Their 

 jioor overw'orked mother was trj-ing to care 

 for her little family while the poor father 

 gave the most of his scanty earnings to the 

 brewer or to the two saloons as I called 

 them. Before we closed our talk it was my 

 privilege to have them both give me their 

 promise to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 Now for the outcome. 



Not many days after, one of those two 

 boys came up to our factory. At that time 

 our first brick building — the one with the 

 beehive and the motto cut in front, "In 

 God We Trust" — w'as" just finished. The 

 motto was made from a block of sandstone, 

 and probably will last long after A. I. Eoot 

 has gone to his reward. Well, this boy 

 asked if I could not give him some work to 

 helj) relieve his poor mother. I said, "Why, 

 my good boy, while I admire your spirit, I 

 am afraid you are too young and small to 

 do any work." He replied: 



"Mr. Root, I know^ Lam small, but I will 

 do a good job of trying if you will just give 

 me a chance. ' ' 



I told him to come with me, and I went 

 clear thru the busy rooms but did not sec 

 any place for him until I got down into the 

 engineer 's room. The engineer was busy 

 shoveling coal under the boiler. 1 asked 

 him if he thought he could find something 

 for the boy whom I held by the hand. He 

 took a look at the boy and said, "Why, 1 

 think I can, perhajjs. Just let him stay here 

 and we will see. ' ' 



r was so busy, about that time in my life 

 that, to tell the truth, I really forgot about 

 the hoy. It might ha\-e lieen two or tliree 

 days after when I came around and said, 

 "Oh! 1)\- the A\'av, Park, how aliout the 

 boy."' 



It was one of my hajiiiy surprises when 

 he icplied, "Why, Mr. Root, he is one of 

 the brightest and handiest boys I e\'er ran 

 across. He is equal to a man for a good 

 many things." 



On a later triji the report was still more 

 fa vol able. 



"Mr. Root, " said the engineer. " that boy 



