The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 4, April, 1887 — John Shaqi
The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 4, April, 1887Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 4, April, 1887
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
VISIT TO MT. HERMON UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
TOUGALOO UNIVERSITY, MISS.
On Saturday, the 19th of February, President Pope set out to fill his
regular monthly appointment to preach at Mt. Hermon Seminary for Young
Ladies, whose head and founder, Miss Sarah A. Dickey, was a pioneer in
this Mississippi work, and has passed through such trials and hardships
as those who enter at this stage of the work will rarely, if ever, have
to encounter, and who is now reaping a measure of the respect and honor
she so richly deserves.
Clinton is twelve miles or so distant, and the windows of heaven were
just being opened after a remarkably dry winter, so that when Mr. Pope
said to one of the teachers who had not been at Mt. Hermon for four
years and had only heard of the enlargement of the work there, “Will
you go along?” she cried out, “What––in this rain?” but finally decided
to venture.
Had not Mr. P. been belated an hour in starting, all would have been
well, for they were within four miles of their destination when
darkness and tempest settled round them so densely and drenchingly
that the last third of the way consumed three hours of time, since it
was frequently necessary to stop a few minutes and wait for a flash of
lightning to reveal the road.
The faithful horse was bewildered, and persisted in veering to the
right, as if to get nearer the driver. This finally led to the complete
overthrow of the buggy, the right wheels running up a bank and striking
a projecting root. Mr. Pope was out in an instant and at the horse’s
head, his companion disentangling herself and scrambling out more
slowly, stepping into several inches of soft clay and leaving an
overshoe, which must be pawed for in the darkness, and, upon securing
it, taking her place at the horse’s head. It was found necessary to
take poor Rob out of the shafts, when he gave one or two scrambling
leaps up the slippery bank and stood with his head close against Miss
K.; all the time Mr. P. labored to right the buggy. And how it rained!
’Twas “sic a night” as “Tam O’Shanter” took the ride in.
While Mr. P. was tugging at the prostrate vehicle, with its two wheels
in the air two men on mules were seen by a broad glare of light
hurrying along the opposite high bank. In response to Mr. P.’s halloo
for help, they called out, “Who are you?” and hastened on. The priest
and the Levite having passed by on the other side, it was hoped that
the good Samaritan would appear next, but he had not done so, when
Mr. P. succeeded, unaided, in getting the buggy up and the wet, muddy
cushions, blankets and passengers into it and setting forward.
After a time the darkness seemed to thin a little and the rest of the
way was passed without accident, though the water was deep in all
the low places. How cheering were the light and warmth of the deep
fireplace and the cordial welcome of the Christian teachers to these
muddy, wet and supperless travelers when at last they reached Mt.
Hermon!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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