The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-07-03
Golden wadd,ng,

assembled at the residence OF William
Bell, the ex president of the Old Settlers
society and one of the Oldest settlers of
this county. 1t was the anniversary of
the golden wedding of himself and his
good wife, and the old settlers aud many
of his friends thought it fitting to remem-
Der him. : 1t had been arranged by MIR.
and Mrs. Bell to have family reunion
and they were all there on Wednesday
evening. Mrs. W. s. Rsiter, oe Chicago.
Mrs. J. P. Jones. of Toledo, Miss Ella Bell,
of Chicago, and Mr.. Charles Bell, of
Toledo, the daughter now living here, Pet.
Mrs. Reiter brought her children Myrtle
and Ollie, and Mrs. Jones her children,
frankie and Grace.
The party was one of those pleasant
affairs, which all delight to attend. because
of universal social good feeling. The
parlors were handsomely decorated with
flowers. and on the wall on one side was
the word Welcome" and also the date of
marriage. and July 2-1879," worked in
evergreens. Besides this, handsome bou-
quets of roses and honeysuckie, dissent
mated sweet fragrance IN the room. Uncle
Billy" as his old time friends delight to
call him, looked supremacy happy and his
good wife was, as she always is, the per-
sonifcation of geniality. 1t was a happy
gathering and one long to be remembered
by those who were present. The old
settlers went to the house 10 a body, Mr..
John Warner, president of the street car
line, having kindly furnished an excursion
car for them as far az Broadway After
the handshakings and congratulations.
lDr. 2. Gregg, in behalf of the old settlers,
presented MIR. Bell with a handsome
Knell reclining chair and Mrs. Bell with
a handsome camp chair. lie made one Of
his characteristic speeches, good Que Of
course. so good that we reproduce it IL
full; he said
Mr. and Mrs William Bell:l
On this the anniversary of your fftieth
marriage day, your old settler friends have
assembled to greet you, and by their par
ltiality am appointed the honored agent
TO present TO you small token of theil
esteem and high regard. Small in value
| but priceless as conveying the estimate il
which you are held by them. You, sir
have filled many chairs OF honor, Thu
chair of Old Settlers Society, the alder
r manic chair and others. But doubles!
when seated in this chair, the donation oil
which is prompted by true friendship
you will, IN contemplating the motives O
the donors, be imbued with sense o
q comfort and ease not derivable from any
chair Of state, however much exalted
There are many Bells historically cele
brated. The great bell of Moscow, tht
belle Of Notre Dame, the Liberty bell anC
the "oeila Of Shandon that sound so CRANE
on the pleasant xGIers OF the river Lee
But we have our Bells, 81 Book Island
more dear to US than their Anticipated
namesakes. aud we hope tina. when th'
t old Bells c8ase their chimes, the LITTLE
Bells will continue TO perpetuate the Uus:'
, down the stream OF slqoe gn't TINE shall
be no more.
For fifty long years,yot:, dear old couple
have pulled together in harness "itGne'
to loves chariot, up and down your native
J hills aud over the lovely prairies of tbs
West without breaking buckle or bend
ing spoke, and of many this cannot bt
spoken.
In these degenerated days of loose mat
rimonial splicing, it is pleasure once il
awhile to come on a hard knot. There il
an old legend Of an ancient Gordian knot
for the untying Of which a reward was of
tered, nothing less than kingdom. NJ
one was found to unravel the knot. until
great king or emperor solved the problem
by severing it with his sword, and so thi
( matrimonial knot to commemorate which
> we assemble here tonight has remained
and will so continue unraveled until anothe
great king, inconsistency called the ''Kinl
Z OF Terr0rs' shall sever it with his ght,
] moving machine. Of him you, our goot
friends here, have no terrors, for in tina
hour if it is permitted to mortals to pee
into the future, you surely may hope t
get glimpse of widespread pinioDs how
ering over you, and to hear from on higl
e the loving invitation, Come unto Me, al
S you who are weary and heavy ladened, an
Q [ will give you rest
:, Good Old Settlers, accept from you
admiring friends these little gifts 10 tn
big, whole-souled spirit in which they ar
{ proffered:
Estimate not friendships Offering
By money value, or its size,
i But by the motives OF the donor.
, In that alone its merit lies -
Mr. Bell replied in happy vein: Fl
! said-ltis about fifty-three years ago sine
the boy known as Billy Bella name tia
is sometimes given to me even now, be
cause 10 the half century that has inter
s vaned have never lost the spirit of yout
first took shine to a girl known q
Il Betsy Harold. | never recovered fror
e that shine, and never wanted to. Youn
d folks nowadays talk about popping th
question" being sometimes very hard I
a do. never found anything hard abor
<. it. 1t was just as easy as rolling off 10
{ and much more agreeable. We gre
into each others affections, and the frs
( thing we knew the question had poppe
i itself One afternoon, exactly fifty year
o ago we married. and of all who wer
G guests on that occasion. but one, a brides
maid. Mrs. Drug, is here to greet US. 9
the fittieth milestone of matrimonial iifC
u Of these fifty years over forty have bee
+ spent in Rock Island Ten children ha
o blessed our union, FIVE of whom still glac
!, den their parents hearts, and FIVE grand
children give them assurance that life
E perennial, He then feelingly thanked hi
old settler friends for their handsome an