Americus Times-Recorder, 12 Jun 1919
JAY BIRD VS. PREACHER
A news dispatch from Sandersville brings the following interesting story of what happened last Sunday morning in the Sandersville Baptist church:
SANDERSVILLE - W.A. Wray, pastor of the Baptist church here, created a mild sensation at his morning services yesterday when he stopped in the midst of his sermon, obtained a shot gun and killed a jay bird that had been flying around the auditorium and singing while the services were in progress.
Mr. Wray announced just before the congregation sang a hymn that he would kill the bird if it sang again. The moment the congregation stopped singing, the jay bird began. The preacher immediately stopped the services, went to his home near the church, got his gun, returned to the church and took his stand in the center of the building. He fired once, the bird tumbled to the floor and services were resumed after the powder and smoke had cleared away.
In order to be able to sympathize with the Sandersville preacher, one must be conversant with the habits of jay birds. He must have compared their "singing" with the music of other feathered songsters, and must have tried to talk in opposition to a jay bird chorus.
Imagine a preacher with a burning message to deliver to a congregation of sinners on a hot June Sunday morning. He has labored faithfully to prepare his sermon and expects it to strike home. But he finds a noisy jay bird disputing with him the right to claim the congregation's attention. Instead of "amen" from the front pews there came squawky "jays" from the rafters. When the preacher says, "Brethren let us pray," there is a flash of blue wings accompanied by shrill "kaylups" from above the organ. The jay bird has the stronger voice, and excitement due to its presence in the church causes it to work its noise-making apparatus over-time. Add to all this a nervous temperament in the preacher and it is easy to imagine that the jay bird flirted with death from the moment it entered the church.
The Good Book directs men to be diligent in attendance upon divine worship, but it lays no such responsibility on birds. It says "the Sabbath was made for man," but does not mention jay birds in that connection. We suppose the Sandersville preacher realized there was not room in the church for a concert in the rafters and a sermon from the pulpit at one and the same time, and that either bird or preacher must retire. As successful preachers nowadays cannot be of retiring dispositions, the jay bird was destined to lose out in the contest - predestined as the Presbyterian brethren would say.
Wise jay birds that insist on going to church in Middle Georgia will do well to sit in the trees outside and keep quiet during the sermon - Albany Herald.
JAY BIRD VS. PREACHER
A news dispatch from Sandersville brings the following interesting story of what happened last Sunday morning in the Sandersville Baptist church:
SANDERSVILLE - W.A. Wray, pastor of the Baptist church here, created a mild sensation at his morning services yesterday when he stopped in the midst of his sermon, obtained a shot gun and killed a jay bird that had been flying around the auditorium and singing while the services were in progress.
Mr. Wray announced just before the congregation sang a hymn that he would kill the bird if it sang again. The moment the congregation stopped singing, the jay bird began. The preacher immediately stopped the services, went to his home near the church, got his gun, returned to the church and took his stand in the center of the building. He fired once, the bird tumbled to the floor and services were resumed after the powder and smoke had cleared away.
In order to be able to sympathize with the Sandersville preacher, one must be conversant with the habits of jay birds. He must have compared their "singing" with the music of other feathered songsters, and must have tried to talk in opposition to a jay bird chorus.
Imagine a preacher with a burning message to deliver to a congregation of sinners on a hot June Sunday morning. He has labored faithfully to prepare his sermon and expects it to strike home. But he finds a noisy jay bird disputing with him the right to claim the congregation's attention. Instead of "amen" from the front pews there came squawky "jays" from the rafters. When the preacher says, "Brethren let us pray," there is a flash of blue wings accompanied by shrill "kaylups" from above the organ. The jay bird has the stronger voice, and excitement due to its presence in the church causes it to work its noise-making apparatus over-time. Add to all this a nervous temperament in the preacher and it is easy to imagine that the jay bird flirted with death from the moment it entered the church.
The Good Book directs men to be diligent in attendance upon divine worship, but it lays no such responsibility on birds. It says "the Sabbath was made for man," but does not mention jay birds in that connection. We suppose the Sandersville preacher realized there was not room in the church for a concert in the rafters and a sermon from the pulpit at one and the same time, and that either bird or preacher must retire. As successful preachers nowadays cannot be of retiring dispositions, the jay bird was destined to lose out in the contest - predestined as the Presbyterian brethren would say.
Wise jay birds that insist on going to church in Middle Georgia will do well to sit in the trees outside and keep quiet during the sermon - Albany Herald.
Americus Times-Recorder, 12 Jun 1919
JAY BIRD VS. PREACHER
A news dispatch from Sandersville brings the following interesting story of what happened last Sunday morning in the Sandersville Baptist church:
SANDERSVILLE - W.A. Wray, pastor of the Baptist church here, created a mild sensation at his morning services yesterday when he stopped in the midst of his sermon, obtained a shot gun and killed a jay bird that had been flying around the auditorium and singing while the services were in progress.
Mr. Wray announced just before the congregation sang a hymn that he would kill the bird if it sang again. The moment the congregation stopped singing, the jay bird began. The preacher immediately stopped the services, went to his home near the church, got his gun, returned to the church and took his stand in the center of the building. He fired once, the bird tumbled to the floor and services were resumed after the powder and smoke had cleared away.
In order to be able to sympathize with the Sandersville preacher, one must be conversant with the habits of jay birds. He must have compared their "singing" with the music of other feathered songsters, and must have tried to talk in opposition to a jay bird chorus.
Imagine a preacher with a burning message to deliver to a congregation of sinners on a hot June Sunday morning. He has labored faithfully to prepare his sermon and expects it to strike home. But he finds a noisy jay bird disputing with him the right to claim the congregation's attention. Instead of "amen" from the front pews there came squawky "jays" from the rafters. When the preacher says, "Brethren let us pray," there is a flash of blue wings accompanied by shrill "kaylups" from above the organ. The jay bird has the stronger voice, and excitement due to its presence in the church causes it to work its noise-making apparatus over-time. Add to all this a nervous temperament in the preacher and it is easy to imagine that the jay bird flirted with death from the moment it entered the church.
The Good Book directs men to be diligent in attendance upon divine worship, but it lays no such responsibility on birds. It says "the Sabbath was made for man," but does not mention jay birds in that connection. We suppose the Sandersville preacher realized there was not room in the church for a concert in the rafters and a sermon from the pulpit at one and the same time, and that either bird or preacher must retire. As successful preachers nowadays cannot be of retiring dispositions, the jay bird was destined to lose out in the contest - predestined as the Presbyterian brethren would say.
Wise jay birds that insist on going to church in Middle Georgia will do well to sit in the trees outside and keep quiet during the sermon - Albany Herald.
JAY BIRD VS. PREACHER
A news dispatch from Sandersville brings the following interesting story of what happened last Sunday morning in the Sandersville Baptist church:
SANDERSVILLE - W.A. Wray, pastor of the Baptist church here, created a mild sensation at his morning services yesterday when he stopped in the midst of his sermon, obtained a shot gun and killed a jay bird that had been flying around the auditorium and singing while the services were in progress.
Mr. Wray announced just before the congregation sang a hymn that he would kill the bird if it sang again. The moment the congregation stopped singing, the jay bird began. The preacher immediately stopped the services, went to his home near the church, got his gun, returned to the church and took his stand in the center of the building. He fired once, the bird tumbled to the floor and services were resumed after the powder and smoke had cleared away.
In order to be able to sympathize with the Sandersville preacher, one must be conversant with the habits of jay birds. He must have compared their "singing" with the music of other feathered songsters, and must have tried to talk in opposition to a jay bird chorus.
Imagine a preacher with a burning message to deliver to a congregation of sinners on a hot June Sunday morning. He has labored faithfully to prepare his sermon and expects it to strike home. But he finds a noisy jay bird disputing with him the right to claim the congregation's attention. Instead of "amen" from the front pews there came squawky "jays" from the rafters. When the preacher says, "Brethren let us pray," there is a flash of blue wings accompanied by shrill "kaylups" from above the organ. The jay bird has the stronger voice, and excitement due to its presence in the church causes it to work its noise-making apparatus over-time. Add to all this a nervous temperament in the preacher and it is easy to imagine that the jay bird flirted with death from the moment it entered the church.
The Good Book directs men to be diligent in attendance upon divine worship, but it lays no such responsibility on birds. It says "the Sabbath was made for man," but does not mention jay birds in that connection. We suppose the Sandersville preacher realized there was not room in the church for a concert in the rafters and a sermon from the pulpit at one and the same time, and that either bird or preacher must retire. As successful preachers nowadays cannot be of retiring dispositions, the jay bird was destined to lose out in the contest - predestined as the Presbyterian brethren would say.
Wise jay birds that insist on going to church in Middle Georgia will do well to sit in the trees outside and keep quiet during the sermon - Albany Herald.
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