agape with the mouth wide open, in surprise, wonder, etc., gaping.
agnostic a person who believes that the human mind cannot know whether there is a God or an ultimate cause, or anything beyond material phenomena.
Bible Belt [coined (c.1925) by Henry Louis Mencken] those regions of the U.S., particularly areas in the South, where fundamentalist beliefs prevail and Christian clergy are especially influential.
break down a lot of walls to enact change resulting in progress.
bully for you good for you.
caricatured rubes unsophisticated people whose characteristics have been exaggerated.
cavalcade any procession.
Chautauqua meeting one of various late 19th and early 20th century meetings that were often held outdoors in tents and featured lectures, concerts, and plays, in addition to popular education.
clock-stoppers narrow-minded thinkers.
cocks an eye looks.
cocksure sure or self-confident in a stubborn or overbearing way.
cold feet fright.
composition-paper suitcase a cheap cardboard suitcase.
Copernicus (1473-1543), a Polish astronomer known for his theory that the earth spins on its axis once daily and revolves around the sun (which is at rest near the center of the universe) annually.
Corinthians two epistles, letters adopted as books of the New Testament, written by Saint Paul to the church in Corinth, an ancient Greek city.
Coronation of Charlemagne Charlemagne (Charles the Great) (742-814) built a huge empire in Europe during the Middle Ages. He was well known for his military victories, the size of his empire, and his respect for Christian doctrine and the law. Charlemagne was coronated on Christmas Day, 800 a.d, in Old Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.
county cooler a county jail.
Coxey's Army In 1894, Jacob Sechler Coxey (1854-1951), an entrepreneur, joined with Carl Browne, a revivalist, to lead a group of 500 unemployed people, a "living petition," from Massillon, Ohio, to Washington, D.C., in support of his plan for national reconstruction. The marchers became known as "Coxey's Army," and the demonstration when Coxey was arrested for demonstrating on the Capitol lawn.
cussedness perversity; stubbornness.
