I can see him even now singing with him eyes closed most of the time for he knew a great many of the hymns by heart. He used to "hist" the tunes down at the Hopewell Church, before they had an organ there. I have his "tuning fork" that he used to set the pitch. Sundays were quiet, we must remember that in those days - 1902 to 1908 - there were very few cars, in fact I do not recall a single locally owned automobile in Taylorsville during these 6 years, Then it was true too that in a little town of this size for 700 to possibly 900 people there was not much to be done. Grandpa always took a nap after dinner every day, Sundays Included. After he got up he read his Bible and his Church papers. After studying The Catechism I was permitted to read the "Youth's Companion" which had interesting true stories of adventure. I am sorry it went out or circulation for it was a nice clean paper with many fine stories which were inspirational.
One summer I had the very unusual pleasure of hearing Papa,, Uncle Lynn and Uncle Sam all preach on the same Sunday. You will wonder how this could happen, so I will explain. Uncle Lynn was at this time the pastor at TaylorsviIle and he preached at the morning service; after dinner Uncle Sam went down to Shilo near Stony Point, to preach for Uncle Lynn who usually preached there one of the Sundays he did not have to preach at Taylorsville. Then that evening Papa preached for Uncle Lynn at the Church at Taylorsville. This was a great experience for me as the three men all preached very good sermons. This may be just as good a place as any to tell about Grandpa's observations on men who were D.D.'s - Doctors of Divinity. In the early years of life there he referred to this honorary degree as "Dry as Dust"'. I do not know that this description originated with him but I do know that after Papa was given his D. D. at Davidson and Uncle Sam received two - one from Davidson and one from Hampden - Sydney, Grandpa did not have much to say about D.D.'s being 'dry as dust' any more. Uncle Lynn who went to Jefferson Medical College and roomed with his first cousin John Gibbon, I believe, he was the first man in his class - and would have been a wonderful doctor gave his early years as a medical missionary to China- until his health broke down - with malaria. John Gibbon, the father of the present John Gibbon of Philadelphia, was one of the greatest surgeons of America in his day. Uncle Lynn prepared himself for the ministry after his return to America, and in my opinion was just as able a preacher as his two other brothers, but never held any large churches. He was, however, a truly fine man and I admired him greatly.
Even though Papa and Uncle Sam had graduated from Princeton Seminary and Uncle Lynn from Union in Richmond (two years I think) and from Princeton (one year) I have of ten heard them seek Grandpa's opinion on scriptural interpretations of the Bible, not I am sure just because they respected him as their fathers but they respected his knowledge of the Bible.