Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-10-02

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echisns as instruments of torture, while these
might have been made the gate of Heaven.
Happy are they who here reach the golden
mean. Did he and his children, and do those
still living, manifest this in their lives q? To
ask questions and moralize are out of place
here. What he was as professor of religion
and church officer, the world already knows.
Morally, he was very exemplary Though
raised at still.house, and where his oifacto-
ries were constantly excited with the odor Of
rum, he abstained from the poison as careful
ly as if distilled from the vipers fang.
The first temperance society ever formed
in Chester District, was organized at the viii
lage-eight members signing the pledge. OF
these, Rev. John B. Davies, Joseph CASTOR
and Robert Fee were three; the names of the
others the writer does not remember He al
ways regretted that his name was not put on
that paper on that day, his whole life being a
temperance speech.
If he eyer INDUCED in profanity, oblivion
has obliterated the tradition. To the filthy,
expensive and murderous habit Of chewing
tobacco, however, he was seemingly hope
less slave; but for years before his death,
the poisonous narcotic had not polluted bis
breath. Here also, he was teetotaller, show
ing what mind and will can accomplish.
How bis mind was improved by education,
the sketch, furnished by himself, informs US.
This education was first English, then class
ical. and mathematical, and then military.
That he was no idler while at school, his wri.
tings plainly show. Some passages in the
"Women of the Revolution" are simply
grand. In the military, he was thorough,
both theoretically and practically, though
ungraceful both as rider and on drill. His
voice was without compass, and was great
drawback in issuing commands.
He was not an agreeable reader, but a fine
debater. In the magistrates book and. exec.
utive law, he was perfectly at home. His ad-
vice was law in the vicinity in which he re-
sided, and his decisions were acquiesced in as
final. He had forehead phrenologist would
have envied A friend who had seen the mag.
mates from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from
Canada to the Gulf, said it was the finest on
which he had ever looked. He was a great
talker, living history, and particularly fond
of company. Persons, names, dates and
genealogies he seldom forgot.
During Sherman's raid he "refugeed." By
this exposure his hearing was impaired. As
he advanced in years, this impediment in
creased until it became almost impossible
for some persons to converse with him. This
was great annoyance to him, being thereby
frequently deprived of spending an hour
pleasantly in an interchange Of views and
feelings and opinions with particular
friend.
When in his prime, he was nearly six feet
high, erect, and walked rapidly. When the
im6rmities of age began to weigh upon him, he
leaned little forward, and finally became
quite stopped. With the exception Of two or
three short attacks of bilious fever, and one
of pneumonia, his health was generally good.
In the beginning Of the summer of the present
year, he had dropsy Of the chest or some at.
fection of the heart, from which he apparent
ly partially recovered; but being cheer
full and hopeful, talked Of again visiting his
children yet, on the morning of the 10th
Of September, 1879, in the 86th year Of his
age, his Master called his spirit home, which
he yielded up withouta groan or struggle.