From  DARING TO LOOK: Photographs and Reports from the Field by Dorothea Lange, by Anne Whiston Spirn (University of Chicago Press, 2008).

GENERAL CAPTION NO. 24 (by Dorothea Lange and Margaret Jarmon Hagood)

DATE:  July 9, 1939

LOCATION:  1 and 1-tenth miles S.E. of Gordonton, Person County.

MAP CODE:  Person 21.

***SUBJECT:  A country church on “meeting Sunday”

Notes

See July 5, 1939 general caption No. 23 for general information about the church and its membership.

Wheeley’s church is a primitive Baptist Church and, therefore, has no Sunday school or musical instruments. They have meetings once a month – “every second Sunday.”

People questioned said that most of the congregation were farmers who lived within a five or six mile radius, although some of the ex-farm people who now live and work in mill towns come back to church.

Meeting began with the singing of “Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound.”

The “Pastor” (so introduced to us) began his sermon rather calmly, worked up to a climax through increasing use of rhythmical phrasing and periodical increases in volume. The effect was very similar to the sound of a tobacco auctioneer. At the height of the climax, the phrases were not very connected, although the general theme was a plea to Church members to let the Holy Ghost into their lives. The following is an approximate quotation:

“I’m talking now about the Holy Ghost – hah –

“The third person of the Trinity – hah –

“The third person of the Godhead – hah –

“The Holy Ghost can enlight your experience – hah –

“Let the Holy Ghost come into your lives – hah –

“He will show you a new light on your experience – hah –

“The Holy Ghost will help you to see you have all those things in the Book – hah –

“You have Faith, Hope, and Charity – hah –

“You have brother love – hah –

“You will remember back when you was a child – hah –

“You will see your experience by the light of the Holy Ghost – ”

Mr. Hugh Moore, deacon, had been asked about photographing the church and members and he brought the pastor over and introduced him. The pastor, Mr. Adams, was afraid of undue criticism and cautioned us to “remember what Paul said – that some things were expedient and some things were lawful” – and that was how it was now. With circumlocution he gave us to understand that he saw no reason why the pictures should not be taken but that some of the members might object. We agreed not to ask the congregation to pose, not to go inside the church. They gave their approval.

The photographs show the church with the congregation arriving, the end of the meeting with the congregation coming out the church, and the congregation standing in front of the church after the meeting. Note the division along sex lines corresponding to the seating inside where men sit on the left and women on the right. One little girl told us that “last second Sunday” was the first time in her life she had ever seen a man sitting on the right.

There was no shouting and no audible “Amens” from the audience during the meeting.

20021D, 20023C, 20094C, 20095C, 20096C, 20097E, 20098C, 20100C, 20101C, 20102C, 20103C, 20105C, 20134E, 20229E, 20236E, 20239E