Interesting anecdotes and articles collected by Ross Phares in his book "Bible In Pocket, Gun In Hand - The Story Of Frontier Religion", 1964

Tough Times On The Frontier
Frontier Saying:
"Life ain't in holding a good hand
But in playing a pore hand well." p. 11

Funerals And Headstones:
"He was young, and brave, and fair,
But the Indians raised his hair." p.36

"Here lies the body of Jeems Hambrick
    who was accidentally shot
on the banks of the pacus river
    by a young man
he was accidentally shot with one of the large
colt's revolver with no stopper for the cock
to rest on it was one of the old-fasion kind
brass mounted and of such is the kingdom of
heaven." p. 36

"Played five aces,
now playing a harp." p. 37

"He had sand in his craw,
But was slow on the draw,
So they laid him out under the daisies." p. 37

Marriage In Texas:
"Wilt thou take her for thy pard,
For better or for worse,
To have, to hold, to fondly guard,
Till hauled off in a hearse?"

"Wilt thou buy her all the snuff
She in her little box can pack;
Buy her shoes and extra stuff.
And feed her on hardtack?"

"Wilt thou comfort and support
Her good and aged mother,
Aunt Jemima, Uncle John,
Two sisters and a brother?" p. 40

Frontier Pulpit:
"A very fine church and a very tall steeple
A herring-catching parson, and a wicked set of people."
p 65

Camp Meetings And Great Revivals:
(capturing the democratic spirit of the times)
"Come hungry, come thirsty, come ragged, come bare,
Come filthy, come lousy, come just as you are."
p 90

The Many Uses Of Tobacco:
*Insecticide in the home
*Poultices applied to wounds to stop the bleeding
*Treatment for snakebite
*Smoke blown into ears to relieve ear-aches
*Good for jaundice, dyspepsia, toothache, corpulent persons (would make them 'spit their fat away.')
Some parents testified that unhealthy children began to grow when they started using tobacco, theorizing that tobacco killed the poisons existing in their systems. p 109

Admonitions Against Its Usage:
"Ye chewers of that noxious weed
Which grows on earth's most cursed sod
Be pleased to clean your filthy mouths
Outside the sacred House of God

"Throw out your 'plug and cavendish'
Your 'pig tail' 'twist' and 'honey dew'
And not presume to spit upon
The pulpit, aisles or in the pew." pp 110-111

Songs Of Denominational Enthusiasts:

"Baptist, Baptist, Baptist,
Baptist till I die.
I'll go along with the Baptists
And eat that Baptist pie."

"The world, the devil, and Tom Paine
Have tried their force, but all in vain,
They can't prevail, the reason is
The Lord defends the Methodists." p 121

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.    Religion Arrives
II.   The "Brush College" Graduates
III   Bible In Pocket, Gun In Hand
IV.   Emotions in Strong Doses
V.    Fightin' the Devil
VI.   "Bad" Preachers and "Badmen" Who Preached
VII. Camp Meetings and Great Revivals
VIII. Church Discipline before Court Discipline
IX.   Rivalry among Denominatons
X.    Prayers of the Frontier
XI.   Scoffers and Troublemakers
XII. The Hard Lot of Saddlebag Preachers

182 pages, paperback