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Shady reputation not deserved of ‘drummers’ all of the time

When I wrote some weeks ago about drummers - traveling sales representatives - in the prairie communities of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, I was also reporting on the currency in those days of a folklore genre - the fraternal prayer, you might call it. By which I mean, a declarative sort of prayer, recited publicly, on behalf of some selfconscious group. Often the group felt itself misunderstood, and thus called on the Almighty for understanding and relief.

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