IMH 75:2 168-169

"Chronicles of Upper Burnet" (1)

1881

Sunday, February 6th.

To-day was the great day of the quarterly meeting at Mt
Olive and putting on my best duds I wended my way up there
afoot again (It may be well to state here that the breeches
bought yesterday were pronounced not good, by Mother and
will be taken back I suppose.) Elder Poucher(57) a man of me­
dium size and height black-bearded, bald headed, with bright
black eyes, and winning smile began his sermon shortly after I
got there. He is quick in gesture and a little sensational in
style with enough of the stump speaker about him to hold the
attention of his audience. The seats were all filled, and the
congregation orderly. His sermon though somewhat scattering
was able and telling. His magnetic power was exemplified in
the collection for he drew between 25 or 30 dollars out of the
pockets of the audience and kept it in a laughing humor by his
wit and liveliness. I spent the time till night with Doc. Curtis.
King. York(58) was there and Bill Fowler's girls.(59) At night the
Elder preached from that old subject the Prodigal Son. I had
heard Elder Woods handle the same subject in a powerful ser­
mon and did'n't expect to be much edified by Mr. Poucher He
however struck out on a different course, by running a parallel
between the lives of the young men of to-day and the life of the
Prodigal Son. The vivid and circumstantial manner in which
the disgrace and struggles of the young man were portrayed
kept the congregation almost spell-bound. Three mourners
came forward in response to his fervid invitation and till after
nine o'clock he worked in conjunction with the brethren for the
souls of those boys but without avail. The protracted meeting
came to a close and about eleven o'clock I was in bed at home.
The day was cloudy. It thawed some little but was chilly and
overcoats felt good. Alvin took a jook over the creek during the
day and brought home a hornet's nest. Nobody of the rest went
anywhere or did anything noteworthy.