"Baptism In Kansas 1928"

The crowd stood in their finest
Hymns ringing through the air
Father John in the water
With a bride of Christ so fair;
The makeshift wooden pool
Water up to their knees
The two figures stood
Before the local citizenry.

A circle of Model A's
Farmhouses painted red
The windmill spun in the breeze
As the Parson said,
"In the name of the Father, the Son
And the Holy Ghost
I baptize you Mary Margaret
Blessed by the host."

The preacher dunked her back
Just for a minute or two
And she was baptized
To the joy of those she knew;
In white they all lined up
The next ones to be saved
Father John declared
"Jesus frees us from the grave"

Men and women nodded their heads
The hymns began again
Were there doves in the sky?
Many would say so, my friend;
And this is the scene all day long
Where life is not hurried
Baptism in Kansas 1928
Painted by John Stewart Curry.