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Woman Goes On 48-Day Hunger Strike To Try And Force Her Husband To Attend Church
In 1921, an Illinois woman went to extreme measures to try and force her husband to find religion
Romantic couples generally try to please their partner, even if the road to a resolution can be rocky. However, there can also be lines in the sand that will not be crossed no matter how much arguing and cajoling occurs. That’s exactly what happened in the 1920s when a woman went on a much publicized 48-day hunger strike in her efforts to try and make her husband attend church with her.
In 1921 Danville, Illinois, Sadie Harrington was a faithful member of her local Baptist church. However, her piety was conducted on her own, as her husband refused to attend services with her. She tried everything she could think of to get him to change her mind without success. Finally, she landed on a more drastic strategy — embarking on a hunger strike until her spouse acquiesced to her wishes.
Unfortunately, for Mrs. Harrington, she underestimated her husband’s determination to not find religion. By the time her strike exceeded a month, the story became fodder for newspapers all over the country.
By Day 38, she had still not eaten. She allowed herself to be examined by a doctor but refused all medicine and overtures to end the madness. She explained:
“I will continue fasting and praying until God grants my prayer. The Lord talked to me… and told me to do this for while my husband is not a bad man, he has no religion and He said this would be the means of converting him.”
Despite his wife’s dire situation, Mr. Harrington held fast to his guns, refusing to be intimidated. He opened some eyes when he admitted what he was prepared to do if the strike continued:
“I do not believe in her kind of religion and, besides, I am not ready to join church. If she wants to starve herself to death that’s her business.”
Incredibly, she lasted 48 days before she finally gave up and returned to nourishment. She admitted defeat while her husband continued to insist nothing was going to bring him to the church until he was ready to do so.
