The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. NationNation, Carry Amelia
History
The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. Nation
Nation, Carry Amelia
Nation, Carry Amelia, 1846-1911; Social reformers -- United States -- Biography; Temperance -- United States
I was naturally ambitious and was very fond of nice furniture, china
and dainty things, but I have lost all taste for these, and stopped making
fashionable calls, for I have seen the vanity and wickedness in fashionable
society and costly dressing. I educated myself to look at things as I
thought God would, and this change came about after that transaction
between my soul and God, at the Methodist church, which I know was the
"Baptism of the Holy Ghost;" but did not know then what it was. I had
been born in the Christian church, and was taught that only the Apostles
had received that gift. I never knew what to call this experience until
three years after when I went to Kansas, and had it explained to me by
the Free Methodists, and where God gave me a witness that it was true.
We had quite a drought in Texas, everything was parched and burning
up, and great concern was felt by all. Charlien said to me one day:
"Mamma why don't you pray for rain?"
I was so struck with the idea that I went to the church that night and
proposed that we pray for rain. So four ladies were elected to appoint
a special meeting. The minister's wife, Mrs. Todd, Mrs. Blakely and myself
were the four. We met and we said the first thing is to agree. The
minister's wife began to cry and said:
"I have read of so many thunderbolts lately, that I am almost afraid
to pray;" and Mrs. Blakely repeated the same, but I told the women this
was doubting God in the beginning.
" 'If you ask for bread, will He give you a stone.' I am willing to
trust God who said: 'Ask and ye shall receive,' and let Him send the
rain any way He pleases." This was finally agreed upon, and the next
afternoon the citizens of the town were called to the church to pray for
rain.
After the meeting, we were standing on the platform in front of the
church, and a sprinkle of rain out of a cloudless sky fell on the platform,
and on the shutters of the house. This was nothing but a miracle, and
was very astonishing to us all. The next day the clouds began to gather
in the sky, and the moisture began, at first, to fall like heavy dew. There
was no lightning or thunder and the rain came down in the gentlest manner
and continued in this way three days. With this marvelous manifestation
in direct answer to prayer, many people said "we would have had the
rain any way." "Truly the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's
crib, but my people doth not know, my people doth not consider."
I began to think what I should do to fulfill my vow to God, for I
vowed to return to Him something for rain, to show my gratitude that I
had seen done. There was an old man, about seventy years old, entirely
destitute, whose name was Bestwick. I went to see him, asked him to
come to the hotel and make his home there. There was also a poor German
girl, named Fredricka. I also gave her board at the hotel. These two
stayed with me free of charge as long as I lived in Richmond.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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