Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1870-12-02
The Sons Of Poor EIothcrs.

SuccfcQ Duuule VI SILK ana 1catncrS as 1T
moved daintily up the street, in city not a
thousand miles distant, scentiug with its aris.
tocratic nose, like genuine pointer, the we'll
dressed and we'll connected persons of her
acquaintance. The young man referred to
trod the ground like neither prince nor lord,
but like man conscious Of his power; like
/. an American citizen every way worthy Of the
name. Hc had trampled under, foot the
sneers of the scornful and pretententious, and
stood before the world with his foot upon the
mock Of their mcahncss. Step by step he
had disputed the ground with adverse cir
cumstances, and they had yielded, step by
step, till he stood now where he could look
down upon and use every obstaclc that had
striven to hinder his progress, and make it
slave to his bidding. lie had taken calum.
ny and p,ido, and envy by the throat and
flung them from him with such force that
they covered at his glance, nor dared SO much
as to lift their skinny fingers at his shadow
when his back was turned. Through weary
struggles against fiightful obstacles that the
poor alone know battling with tho tide of
oppression bufettcd by the waves of advcrsi-
ty, still upward he rose, onward he went, till
to day no man is acknowledged with louder
acclamation-no man bowed down to with
deeper rcycrence-no man whose recognition
is greater honor, than this son of a poor
woman.
Ills mother was poor woman
Look over the list of enrth's magnatcs
royal kings of intclcct-her lords of genius
patents of whose greatness originated in the
courts of the Most High, ere this little world
brought forth its mock nobility, and tell US
what proportion of those great ones were the
sons of rich mothers? Very, very few. The
best sto tcsmen, the proudcst poets, the holicst
divines those thundcrcrs by whom the earth
was shaken to it's ccntre--mcn who have de-
thtoncd kings and founded nations-the mas
tors Of rhetoric elocution-thc most profound
philosophers the bravcst generals the nc
blcst authors, we're nearly all the sons of poor
women, some Of them widows who suffered in
loneliness and sorrow. Franklin, the unri
vailed philosopher, was the son of poor
woman. lie, himself said "rhc first breath
Of life he drew was in the lap of poverty and
obscurity." His mother was a poor woman.
In our own day, our best and brightest
names have been given to little babes by the
lips Of poor women, their heads cradlcd upon
coarse pillows, their little bare feet trained
over carpctlcss floors.
Daniel Webster was the son Of poor wo-
man. The first grandeur he knew was that
Of the hills that lifted their granite brows in
eternal worship towards hcaycn--the only
splcndor t It of majestic clouds and lcaping
torrents, til. :. umphantal entry of the sun
through avenues Of golden glory, and his
western march like that of monarch, wrap
ping robes Of crimson and crmine about him.
And yet for greatness, intellectually speaking,
he had but few equals, and no supcrlors
Who knows if the babe Daniel Webster,
had been rocked in rosewood cradle, and
lullcd to sleep with silver rattle in his hand,
reared in the midst Of city streets, with 10
wild anthems Of the forcst-no thunder leap
ing FROM crag to crag to bring out tho strong
er elements of his mnl-no birds in the
branches, and no silver streams to wakcn tho
the mere ethereal and picturesque character
istics Of his intellect and group them into
harmony; who knows hut the world had
sighed over greatness born to blush, unseen,
to droop, to die in comparative solitude?
Sons of poor mothers what host of them
have scaled the summit Of Immortality They
have left their impress in the land of idols,
and many dark browcd hcathcn has learned
the way Of salvation through their almost su-
pcrhuman cxertions. Everywhere through
out the world, how do they stand forth and
challenge our homage! Not with glossy kids
and faultless coats, patent boots and slender
canes, do they 60 forth, the admired whskcr.
andos of thoughtless girls, but with sturdy
steps, and coarse shoes-with signs of tile
much used needle here and there seriously
showng--wi.h patched knees and cbows,
i and with many an evidence besides that they
were the sons Of poor mothers. All honor to
tho sons Of poor mothcrs TO them the ma
tions look for Statesmen and defenders. For
them tn re will always be vacancies in tho
halls Of science, seats in the temples of our
Legislatures, and pulpits in our ohurohcs.--
For them the doors of the White House have
sprung wide, open, and shall agaih, while the
people gather in crowds to do them reverence.