“That’s what we need, we must wipe holiness out,” responded Brown, as he let go a sluice of tobacco juice.

Gramps continued, “Just today I had a letter from a cousin of mine back in Kentucky.  He says they have a wonderful preacher back there by the name of Preacher Bonds.  He says this Preacher Bonds feels a special call to fight holiness.  I tell you, brethering, if we could get him here we would make it hot for old Benton and his bunch.”

“We would that,” Jones chimed in.

“Brother Gramps, why don’t you write and ask Preacher Bonds to come?” suggested Brown.  “Although the other two members of the Board are not here, I think we just as well go ahead.”

“Better bring it before the church,” said Gramps, “because we’ve got to raise some money to get him.”

Brown and Jones both agreed that Gramps was right in this respect.  With the understanding that Deacon Gramps was to call a meeting of the church at the earliest possible date, the three men separated.

Gramps spent the entire following day riding about the community giving every member of Mount Olivet a personal notification that a special meeting of the church would be held on the following Wednesday evening for the purpose of considering grave problems concerning the church.  Wednesday evening came; practically the whole church responded.  When the appointed hour arrived, Gramps was on the spot.  On every face was written expectancy.  Deacon Gramps presided of course.  He arose from his seat, flung his quid of tobacco out of the window, squared himself against the pulpit, adjusted his eyeglasses near the point of his nose, and looking over them he addressed the assembly thus:  “My brethering and sistern, we have met as members of the grand old Mount Olivet Church.  Here in this church our fathers met.  Here in this church our mothers met.  Here in this church our grandfathers met.  Here in this church our grandmothers met.  Here in this church, my brethering, we have met.  And let me say to you, my dear people, that we have met here tonight in this church for a purpose.  There are certain people in this community whose aim is to tear up this church; certain people, I say, whose aim is to tear down this church.  There is a certain doctring—­the doctring of holiness—­getting into this community.  This holiness doctring, my friends, is a devilish doctring, my brethering, and must be wiped out.”  (Amens all over the house.)

All this the Deacon said, and much more.  He began his speech with considerable warmth of utterance, but as he progressed in praises of Mount Olivet and her faith he waxed hotter and hotter until his spellbound hearers were fairly deluged in a mighty avalanche of his rustic oratory, and he wound up with the sweeping statement that the doctrine of holiness must be abolished from the face of the earth.

When the Deacon had finished, and regained breath enough to put the matter to a vote, it was unanimously voted that Preacher Bonds should be secured at the earliest date possible.