Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-02-28

BY 1.-THE BERKELEY BOY"
NUMBER THREE

pirate to revive the verses which
follow. They at least are timely.
give them unrevised as written,
according to my scrap-book for
the Virginia Republican, Captain
William A burtis' paper, on the
25nd Of February, 1888.
ODE TO THE 22ND OF FEBRUARY.
Hail ever-welcome glorious moon
On which Washington was born
our land from Rritain's chains to free,
Vita joyful hearts we welcome thee
We hail thy dawn with sacred nirth
tga-e a noble hero birth
Whose glorv ended as begas-
The Union s boast, Virgi3a son.
Haii cheering prospect, clos less day
Wen g greet thy first refulgrat ray
With shouts OF JOY and saer-l Jays,
And fill the air with songs 0. praise
Hail all ! Ye remnant sons Of yore,
Who revolution struggles bore,
Around fair Freedoms altar bend,
And hail once more our Coartry's Friend
revive the foregoing, not for
its merit, but as reminiscence
which has an interest apart from
merit for which none is claimed.
The tone of it--making due allow
auce for the enthusiasm natural to
a youth, fer / was then only
twenty years old-fairly repre-
sents the temper of that earlier
day as respects patriotism, AS
such il will sadly serve by contrast
az an indication Of the great
change that has come over the
American peoples dream in less
than fifty years, which is brief
periOG in the life of "A nation. How
seldom Is Washingtou's birthday
celebrated or even sung Of now!
Now TO the Failing Water
church, a i. Is called nowadays
clearinghouse" was the less pre-
tentious appellation Of all the Pres
hyterian places for worship in my
hoyhood's day, while "church"
was considered more legitimate
for Roman Catholic or Protestant
Episcopal houses of worship. And
then steeple or bcifry was con-
sidered too ostentatious for the
plain regime of the most demo-
cratic Of all the sects. not excepting
the Methodist before the era of
cushioned pews and other silk
stocking" innovations, because
they separated the sexes-nor even
the Quakers, because they did the
same undemocratic thing, al
though they never have as yet,
with not a few other innovations,
called themselves or their meet
ing-houses' Church"
LIE. me now throw some light
On the apparent missioner Of
"Fallingwater" for the meeting
house and organization in hand,
SO that there shall not be the dis
appointment felt by the younger
readers of this, which is naturally
experienced when they look
around in vain for a cascade or
falling water as suggester of the
name, there being none whatever
beyond the waters that fall upon
the wheel of what used to be
known as stephens Mill" after
i s first proprietor, q well-known
citizen of Martinsburg, in the
earlier day whereof l write. This
is the explanation: The congrega-
ton now worshipping at Falling
Waters, or at leas. the very few
survivors thereamoDg. first built
at the geographical Falling Wa
tiers, on a piece of rising ground
nearly opposite to the store, as it
used 10 be located, and nearly due
west from the mill-at least as
pointed out TO me by one who
ought to have known whereof he
affirmed.
The members If the Falling
Waters congregation having grad
ually abandoned the then under
estimated, because not properly
tilled, slate lands round about the
original site In search of the GER
tainly preferable limestone lands
around the present site, as the
rocks plainly tell they are, until
there were too few left near enough
for convenient access TO warrant
a longer continuance at the real
Falling Waters. Il am not sure
that the epithet "realn is exactly
in place, for | cannot recall a cas-
cade OF any size thereabout either.)
But no matter for that. 1t does
not effect the history which am
writing from memory as accurate
iy as pretend to in these random
recollections of the long time ago.
1 can remember near about the
date of the erection OF the house of
worship now used. 1t would carry
US back at least forty.five years.
AS cannot be exact, / will pause
here to give some of the surviving
veterans Of the Falling Waters
CONGREGATION an Nnn0rtnniiu IN