The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-11-13


"who sang others fame. but left their
own unsung"
An Eastern legend tells Us that once q
Persian Pasha, perceiving an old man
planting a fruit tree asked him his age.
The peasant replied, "Sire, l am four
years DID," An officer rebukcd such
seeming absurdity uttered to his superior.
81 did not speak without TRUTH" replied
the old man, "for the wise do not reckon
time by years lost in folly and the triaes
OF the world. ] count my true age only
that which has been passed in serving
the Deity and discharging my duty
to my day and generation" The Pasha
said, "Thou cannot hope to see the tree
thou art planting grow TO perfection and
repay thy labor with fruitw "True," an
swered the sage. "but Since others have
planted that We night eat, il is but right
that I should plant for the benefit Of 9TH
ers." Excellent" exclaimed the mon
arch, and the royal purse-bearer present
ed to him who had received the applause
of his sovereign the customary gift Of 4
thousand pieces of gold. The peasant
prostrated himself on the ground and
added, 80, King other mems trees come
to perfection in the space Of many years,
but mine has produced fruit as soon as it
was planted" Bravo" shouted the
Pasha, and a second purse was cast
at the feet of the old man. "The trees of
others only bear fruit once year" cried
the old man, "but mine has yielded two
crops in one day" "Tis truly beautiful
TO find one so humble and yet so wise,"
explained the Emperor, and third purse
fell from the obedient hands of the treas
urer. The monarch gallopcd away saying,
Reverend father. 1 dare not stay longer,
lest thy genius and good sense should ex-
haust my treasury"
We may not be repaid, like the old
Persian, in purses of gold for labor of his
kind, but this consciousness of performing
an act which some will gratefully enjoy
who may tread in our footsteps hereafter
should be sufficient reward
A Northern farmer remarked that lie
considered his farm one thousand dollars
more valuable on account of an avenue
of elm trees planted by his father. Per
haps if not for that one link, instead ofa
wide.awake, live farmer, we should have
had in some town or city one more ten
cent Tor three for quarter) calico
clerks. If the past generation could
have had more of this spirit, there would
not be so many worthless acres 10 be re-
cuperated or left in an idle waste of
gullies. Then let US each and every one
do something in his day and generation
to beautify the waste places, until our
own country homes shall be us beautiful
and fresh as q new spear of grass, and
all these thousand hills blossom and
bloom like those of our many Northern
States.
There il a work and there is reward
for all. Let the fathers and brothers re-
store our abandoned lands, then will the
mothers and sisters beautify these homes
by planting flowers, shrubs and vines
for as some one has beautifully said,
"The breath Of flowers is far swcctcr in
the air whence it comes and goes like the
warbling of music, than in the hand"
Then let the perfume of the rose, jasa-
mine and violet, and The other thousand
floral beauties of the Sunny South,
breathe around our homes in spring,
summer and autumn. Then, indeed,
will the coming generation say, when
magic pictures of the fertile West are
held luringly toward them, when our
young men dream Of fortunes beneath
each city paving-stone: "My home, my
Owl. nome, cannot and / will not leave
thee. These fertile lands my father res
cucd from their sterility. These flowers
my mother and my sisters planted here
! spent my happy boyhood; here | re-
ceived my fathers counsel and won my
mothers love; this is my own vine and
fig tree. / will not forget thee Let my
right hand forget its cunning if do not
remember thee, let my tongue clcave to
the roofof my mouth if prefer not my
Carolina home above my chief joy"