The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-23
THE OLD FoLKs.
"Rill Arp" Laments the Loss of the Men of
Sixty Years Ago.

Atlanta (Ga Constitution.
Most everybody is dead. That is. all
the old folks. There are mighty few
left of the old stock that used TO move
around so lively and take the lead in
public affairs. Some of us are getting
lonesome now, The ranks keep filling
up, but We don't know the new recruits.
o I'D Father Time if a conscript officer,
aud he won't take any substitute nor give
anybody Il bomb-proof place There are
no quartermasters nor commissarics nor
potash getters in this war, but it is fight,
fights all the time. Sooner or later all of
us have got to go. We can't desert nor
dodge nor play sick nor shoot finger
on, and there are no furloughs and no
pensions and no discharge. There is not
even promotion for good conduct or
noble daring There is nothing but to
do and die Well, its all right | know,
or it wouldn't have been So but it grieyes
me TO hear the bell tolling all about and
to see the old stock passing away Thirty
two years ago | moved to Rome and it
was right smart town Of 5000 people
They are not there now. What are left
| can counter my fingers, hardly Il dozen
of the old settlers. and they move about
very slow Old Mother White died the
otherday. The oldest Of them all She
was always going about doing good or
trying to- She outlivCd her old ''Maun"
the Scotchmau, and she outlived her
| children, but she never surrendered to
grief or trouble These old Scotch people
have habits and principles like cast IRON
They never change The old "Maun,'
as we called him, was always merry, and
| always at work, making harness, and he
| died in harness. He had his time to eat
| and to sleep and to pray and to sing and
| to read the Bible, and his time to work
and he never neglected the regular pro
grammc. Old Maun White couldn't sing
but he thought he could, AMI he consider.
ed it as much a duty as to pray He
was always IN his seat at the church.
He was heavy man, but he
waddled up the hill to the meeting house
with alacuty, and took his seat like he
meant business, and he did mean business
H said amen and amen all through the
| preachers prayer, aud then he opened his
hymn book with eagerness and stood up
| right in front of the choir and sang away
down. He tried TO follow bat was sure
t. get little ahead, for he enjoyed II
and wanted to do more than his share
The choir did their best 10 smother him
but they couldn't His bellows WERE
strong and blew loud. His kind of singing
wouldn't have been tolerated from any
other man, for he was always up or a
little down, and he tapered off, His voice
was a good deal below base and came w
like there was n cogwhccl in his throat
But everybody that knew the old mar
enjoyed his singing, for it seemed to do
him so much good, and at times wheI
the words were very tender the old ma
would say 'ameu" at the end of tn
stanza. | remember that one time whcl
Henry Gartrell and George StOvall wer
leading music the old man turned twt
leaves in his hymn hook and got from
} long into short meter, and the word
didn't fit the music There wasn't enouel
of them, and the old man shook his hea,
and gave a grunt and filed cut with
5 couple of amcns He heard a title
behind him, and, looking round, muttere
audibly, "Thar's sumihin' wrong abou
here We joked him about it next day
but he laughed as he said; All, wei
: you know that David said sing unto til
Lord Il new song, and deed it. Yes,
a deed it" | wonder how many childre
old Mother White has taught in Sunda
school She has had class of little on,
y ever since / knew her, and she taugl
them all the same thing, to love God an
N tell the truth and do night. | don't thin
N she ever improved on that-she don
y know any thing about the science {
r religion or the evidences Of christianit.
= and she didn't want to know. 1t W,
!. | enough for her that she loved her Make
e and loved everybody, and her MAXI
loved her Her faith was iron clad; sh
lived in it and died in it. If could traC
in chances for heaven, | would be wlllir
to trade for hers She is there | reckol
and some Of the children she taught al
there, too, and they gave the old lady
>. welcome that was heaven enough f