Carteret County, NC - Sea Level's Church Dilemma The people of the village of Sea Level, formerly known as Wit, had a serious problem confronting them, but finally succeeded in circumventing it in a most masterly fashion. Down on the coast, in the county of Carteret, is the quiet, peaceful little hamlet of Sea Level. It is located on Core Sound and is a favorite spot for fishermen in the summertime and hunters during the winter months. Before acquiring the name of Sea Level, the place was known as Wit, but where the Wit came from is something we don't know. Mr. Waldron Baily, now living in Aurora, told us recently of a church episode that happened in Wit and that caused the people of the little community considerable concern. It all took place a number of years ago. The people of Wit erected a church-house near the shore at an exposed point on Core Sound. At this particular place the prevailing south-west winds were very strong, especially during the summer season. In designing the little building - or rather, in locating it - the builders forgot all about the winds; they placed the entrance to the structure on the south-west side of the church. Nobody thought anything about it until a few Sundays after the first services had been held in the new building. It was a fair Sunday in March, and the southwest wind was blowing half a gale. As the church- hour arrived, people began assembling for worship. All went well until the ladies of the flock started rounding the corner of the edifice and had their long and voluminous skirts whipped by the stiff breeze. Conditions became even worse as they walked up the two or three steps that led up to the entrance. When the women - with blushing faces - finally got inside the church, they gave sighs of relief and thanks, but they made a solemn vow that never again would they attend services when there was a high wind blowing across Core Sound. And they kept that vow, too. For some time the preacher was puzzled over the startling drop in attendance on certain Sundays. And then one of his parishioners, who was half blind and could see only a very short distance, told him what was the matter. "It's the wind and the skirts," he informed the pastor. The latter was inwardly troubled, and meditated for some time upon the problem. Finally he had a conference with some of the brethren to see whether something couldn't be done about this proposition. The conferees sat and thought, and at last one of them announced: "I've got it!" The other looked at him expectantly. "Tell the women to sew net- leads in the bottom of their skirts," he proclaimed triumphantly. "Then the wind won't bother them none." The men looked at one another and nodded in solemn agreement. They went home and told their wives, and their wives told the other women of the congregation, and there was an immediate run upon net-leads. The following Sunday the wind was strong once more, but the women turned out in large numbers. Confident of the effectiveness of the precautions they had taken, they marched firmly in the direction of the church. They rounded the entrance corner. The wind whipped their skirts vigorously, but the skirts stayed down. The preacher, who was standing outside with some of the men, watched proceedings with a satisfied smile upon his countenance. So did the man who had suggested the idea. But, judging from the expressions upon the faces of some of the ladies after they had gained admittance into the church, everything was not well. They sat with stern and somewhat tense faces, and occasionally one of them would reach forward and rub her legs tenderly. The explanation came out shortly after services broke up. The strong wind, blowing the leaded skirts against the women's legs, had inflicted painful bruises upon tender skins and calves. The ladies once more decided that the church was no place for them on a windy Sunday, so they told their husbands in no uncertain fashion that when the wind blew, they'd stay home. Once more the attendance dropped seriously, and once more the preacher was downcast, for he liked not to preach to empty benches. There was only one thing to do, and that was to call another conference of the church leaders. The man who had suggested the leads was present, but he had run out of ideas, and could only shake his head disconsolately when called upon for another suggestion. It looked as though they would have to admit their defeat and be satisfied with slim attendance every time the wind blew. But just before the conference was about to break up, an elderly gentleman raised his hand and said: "Parson, I believe I've got an idea that'll work." "What's is it?" asked the preacher. "Well, it's like this. We'll just swap ends." "What do you mean - swap ends?" inquired one of the other men. "Swap ends of the church," explained the inventive genius. "We'll board up the side to windward and move the pulpit over to that side. And we'll cut a new door on the leeward side of the building. That'll put an end to all our troubles." It was agreed that this was a most Solomon-like suggestion, and the conferees with one accord decided to adopt it. So the windward side of the church was boarded up, and a door was but through the leeward side, and the following Sunday, when the women - somewhat dubiously - approached the structure, everything went well, and everybody was satisfied except a few male members of the congregation who were inclined to grumble over a fact that there are some people in this world who are always meddling with things that should be left alone. "The State" Magazine 10 Apr 1943 Pages 15-21 Funny Experiences by Carl Goerch ______________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Guy Potts - egpotts@gmail.com ______________________________________________________________________