Mass Appeal

Cumberland County was the most populous county in Maine. Yarmouth's population was neither large nor small by Cumberland standards, numbering more than eight thousand. The town was best known for the four waterfalls on the Royal River and the nearly sixty mills built between 1674 and 1931. The middle-aged priest tirelessly told Salomon and Wanda about the upcoming Yarmouth Clam Festival and the grandeur of the previous one. Based on the results of the last festival, this year's Yarmouth Clam Festival was expected to draw more than 120,000 visitors, roughly fourteen times the local population. While searching through the previous priest's diary, the middle-aged priest also recommended that Salomon stay and try the local delicacy, fried clams. He strongly urged them to donate to the Lions Club, the local international non-political service organization, and contribute to vision care, hearing and speech protection, diabetes education, youth outreach social work, international relations, environmental issues, and many other programs.

Protestantism's responsibilities extended beyond preaching; matters concerning community development also fell within the priest's administrative duties. "The Clam Festival is in two days, and the congregation is terribly worried about the weather. The weather station's phone is practically ringing off the hook because they predicted that a summer storm is forming along the coastline. You have to understand, meteorological experts said this was impossible, but it happened anyway." The priest looked deeply troubled. "Many of the chairs the congregation put out weeks ago to mark their spots for Friday night's parade viewing were blown away by the storm. But only God can decide Friday's weather. If you don't mind, I can give each of you a car ornament shaped like a steamer clam. You can treat it as a bribe from the government."

"The storm will definitely pass," Wanda said. "Even if it weren't