Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-08-11
Past and Present.
For the Bulletin.

Past and Present.
For the Bulletin.
1t has been my good fortune to live in
a very interesting portion of time when,
by keeping my eyes open, have seen
great and strange events, and wonderful
changes in the world. think the coming
one hundred years will be marked with
more wonderful changes and improve
ments than the last; and having that In
view, it may be profitable to keep in mind
some things of the past, as compared with
the present.
1t seems only few years since we used
the "bull pillow" to prepare the ground for
seed, and the hand sickle to cut our grain.
What a change since then! The wooden
pillow has been laid aside for the bright
steel one; the hand sickle for the horse
reaper; the old numbering four horse coach
for the railroad cars, and the pony express,
of speed of four miles per hour in case
of some important government news, has
given way to the telegraph, which almost
annihilates time and space.
1t is almost increditable to think of the
Improvements in my time, since De Witt
Clinton made himself so tamously unpop-
ular by advocating the building of the
Erie Canal, such as the building of that
canal and of railroads; the tunneling of
mountains and rivers; the submarine tel
egraph, and the various uses made of cleo
tricity and steam. And, reckoning from the
past, what may we not expect for the
futule9 Will not our next Centennial
exhibition be worth looking at. Is it too
visionary to suppose that, before another
century comes around, we shall have an
neXed to our Union the whole of the
western continent; that from some one
elevated position for observation, we shall
have battery of guns that will be suffi-
Gent to defend our entire coast; that our
next Centennial show will be located on
some artificial island in the ocean; and
that aerial mode of travel will do away
with our railroads, and ocean railways
will send our shipping into dry docks,
and then the nations from the poles will
vie with us in their fine arts, and the pro-
ducts of their soil. Should l live until
that time, hope to see far more than is
in the range of my vision.
L
three reform movements that have oc-
cured within the last half century, which
show equally the march of mind; and, at
the risk of being disbeleved or deemed
egotistical, am going to state things in
which | have had hand, and therefore
know.
Only few years since it was generally
conceded that the woman's place was at
home, looking after the household matters,
taking care of the little ones, and being
lovingly obedient unto their husbands;
and whose wardrobe did not exceed fifty
dollars per year. The change to the
present is great She now goes and
comes at her pleasure; occupies the rost-
rum or any other conspicuous place;
leaves the little ones to be cared for by
others; and must have an income of some
ten or twelve hundred dollars per year to
be in style.
But few years since it no way mill
tated against christian or minister's
character to daily use intoxicating drinks.
No mans cellar was considered furnished
without barrel of whisky. Whisky or
its equivalent, was used upon almost every
occasion. 1t was essential in social gath
erings to give purity and freedom of
thought, and flow of words. The morn
ing meal was unpalatable without it, 1t
was indispensable in hot weather or in
cold, alike in wet or dry times. 1t kept
at bay fevers and colds, and was great
support amid tue decrepitudes and decline
of life. 1t gave consolation to afflicted
ones, ard encouraged the sick and dying.
Ministers and deacons needed 1t to prepare
them for the solemn and arduous duties
of their Office, and the communion service
was rendered more spirited by the use of
the ardent. In fact, no one belittled him
self or herself by getting drunk on GER
tain occasions. What change few
years have wrought. Now, to make a
daily use of intoxicating drinks, unchris-
tianizes one in the judgment of both the
good and bad; and to do so, shuts him
away from the true and good.
Again, | well remember when hardly
any one doubted that American Slavery"
was of Divine origin, lone of Heavens
institutions, handed down to us through
the patriarchs, prophets and apostles for
safe keeping. A man who owned slaves
was an enviable parsonage, and was en-
titled to high position in life, and a fit
leader in church and State; and a north
ern man gained much in his ambition if
elevated TO the position of slave driver.
In my early days never thought, dream
ed, read OF heard anything against slavery.
Now the whole thing is a putrid carcass,
cursed by God and man. Wonderful the
change in 80 or 40 years. Some 40 years
ago God converted my SOUL and so thor
ough was the work, that l believed and
felt that slavery was wrong, and God be-
ing my helper, have never from that time
voted, knowingly, for n slave owner
or his apologist. / voted an antislavery
ticket long before such a thing was thought
of. 1t was at a town election, and when
l could find only two to vote for, and one
of them was myself. Truly it was day
of small things. / was one of the few
despised anti-slavery men who convened
i'll Utica, N. Y, to organize a State anti
slavery society, not political, and were
driven out of the city by a mob, headed
by men high in church and State. was
at Peterborough next day, and witnessed
the conversion of that great and good
man, Gerritt Smith, to antlslaveryism.-
A few years later l escaped violence at
the hands of a few gentlemen at Lagrange,
Mo-, by denying that was an amalgama-
zionist AS late as 1S43, while serving
church with apparent success, l was very
politely notified that my services were no
longer needed; all because gave counte-
nance to an anti-slavery meeting on the
Sabbath. The past has been when it cost
something to show pity to the poor and
oppressed the present is hen most every
one will claim that he was always an anti
slavery man.
And, again, I can remember the time
when there was some apparent honesty
and virtue in the Democratic party, and
when the party could bring from their
ranks now and then man that would do
honor to any Office he might fill. How is
it now?
l am daily admonishcd of a greater
change that awaits me; when this ''mor-
tai shall put on immortality" That
change will exceed far and be more glori.
GUS than anything that pertains to this life
Immortality. N. SHAPLEY.
Walker, Ia.
PERsoNAL-Jacob Rich, Esq, of Du-
buque, was in the city few days of this
week.
A. M. BarDhart, Esq, one of the pro-
pretors of the Great Western Type Foun-
dry, Chicago, honorcd this office with a