to Valley river; stop and stay all
night at William Kern's.

FRIDAY, September 16. Cross Cheat mountain, thirty-five miles, and get
to Brother John Riley's, where we stay all night.

SATURDAY, September 17. Wonderful rain last night. Waters higher than
they have been in a long time. Meeting at Liberty meetinghouse.
Subject, Luke 24:46, 47. Stay all night at Adam Hevner's. Cloudy and
misty, but waters partly run off.

SUNDAY, September 18. Sky almost clear this morning. Promise of a fair
day. Meeting again at Liberty meetinghouse. Subject, "The Great
Commission," Matt. 28:18, 19, 20. Come to John Riley's, where we stay
all night. Clears up beautifully to-day. Our congregations have not
been large, but they have appeared to pay attention to what has been
said. A preacher of Brother Daniel Thomas's power cannot fail to
impress an audience. He enjoys the rare ability of analyzing and
arranging his subject matter in a way that makes its presentation easy
to be understood. I have observed a very important truth, and I am
learning its lessons more and more every day, that people can be
interested only in what they understand. Uneducated people, and
children even, will listen with attention to what they understand.
Paul perceived this truth. Hence he said: "I would rather speak five
words with the understanding, than ten thousand in an unknown tongue."
Paul got at the very root of the truth, for his remarks imply that no
man can make a thought clear to the mind of another unless it be first
clear to his own mind. "If the blind lead the blind, both will fall
into the ditch together."

MONDAY, September 19. Dine at Adam Hevner's; come to Greenbank, to
Dunmore post office; then to Shenaberger's, but we cannot get across
the river. We then go five miles down the river and cross on a bridge
over to Knapp's Creek, and stay all night at William Harper's.

TUESDAY, September 20. Afternoon meeting near Harper's. Subject, Heb.
12:12. Stay all night at the widow Harper's.

WEDNESDAY, September 21. The widow Harper and Abraham Rankin are
married this morning. Meeting at Andrew Harold's in Mt. Vernon.
Subject, Matt. 7:21. After dinner we cross the Alleghany mountain to
Alexander Gilmore's, on Back Creek. Night meeting at Green Hill. John
1 is read. Stay all night at John Divner's. Much rain this morning.

THURSDAY, September 22. We return to Gilmore's and get our horses,
having walked from there to Green Hill and back to Divner's.