The Dawson journal., 1883-08-16
BILL ARP ON THE OLD
SETTLERS.

Most everybody is dead. That
is all the old folks. There are
mighty few left of the old stock
that used 10 move around so lively
and take the lead in business and
public affairs, Some of us are
getting lonesome now. The ranks
keep filling up, but we don't know
the new recruits. Old father Time
IS a cohscript officer and he wont
take any substitutes nor potash
gettefs III this war, but if is fight,
fight, fight all the time, Fight
like they did at Thermopolye
where there were only 800 against
a million, and there was no posi-
BILE escape. Sooner or later all of
us have got to go. We can't de-
sert nor dodge nor play sick nor
shoot finger off and there are no
furloughs and no pensions and no
discharge. There is not even a
promotion for good conduct or no.
bic daring. There is nothing but
to do and die, Well, its right 1
know or it wouldn't have been so,
but it grieves me to hear the bell
tolllng all about and to see the old
stock passing away. Thirty-two
years ago l moved to Rome and it
was right smart town of 5000
people. They are not there now.
What are left I can count on nv
fingers, hardly a dozen Of the old
settlers and they move about very
slow. Old mother White died the
other day. The oldest of them all.
She was always going about doing
good or trying to. She outlived
her old "Maun" the Scotchman and
and she outlived her children, but
she never surrendered to grief or
trouble. Those old Scotch people
have habits and principles like
cast iron. They never change
The old 'Maun' as we called him
was 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 neglect
ed the regular programme, old
Maun White couldn't sing, but he
thought he could and he consider
ed it as much duty as to pray.
He was always in his seat at the
church. He was a heavy man, but
he waddled up the hill to the
meeting house with alacrity and
took his seat like he meant bust
ness. He said amen all through
the preachers prayer and then he
opened his hymn book with ca
gerness and stood up right in
front Of the choir and sang from
away down. He tried to follow,
but was sure to get little ahead
for he enjoyed it and wanted to
do more than his share. The
choir done their best to smother
him, but they couldn't. His bel
lows was strong and blew loud.
His kind of singing wouldn't have
been tolerated from any other man
for he was always little up or
little down and he always tapered
off. His voice was a good deal be-
low bass and come out like there
was cogwheel in his thoat But
everybody that knew the old man
enjoyed his singing for it seemed
to do him so much good and at
times when the words we're very
tender he would say amen at the
end of the stafiza l remember
that one time when Henry Gar
trell and George Stovell were lead
ing music the old man turned two
leaves in his hymn book and. got
from long into shoft meter and the
words didn't fit the music. There
wasn't enough of 'em and the old
Maun shook his head and gave a
grint and filed out with a coupled
of amens. He heard litter be-
hind hip and looking round NUT
tered addibly: "Thar's suinthing
wrong about her." We joked him
about it next day and he laughed
as he said: '.Ah, well you know
that, David said sing unto the
Lord a new song, and l deed it.
Yes, / deed it" / wonder how
many children old mother White
has fought in Sunday school: She
has had a class Of little ones ever
since l knew her, and she taught
them all the some thing to love
God and tell the truth and do
right; | don't think she ever inn
proved on that, she didn't know
anything shout the science Of re-
ligion or the evidences Of Christi
anity and she didn't want to know.
It was enough fot' hef that she low
ed her maker and loved every
body and her maker loYed her:
Her faith was iron clad; she lived
in it and she died init. I'll could
trade, iii chahces for he6ven /
would be willing to trade for hers.
She is there l reckon and s6iile of
the children she taught are there
too and they gave the old lady a
welcome that was heaven enough
for hef:.
But the old mgii of the state are
dying too;, The men who have
memories; know about the history
of Georgia. All about Troub and
Clark and JOHN Forsyth and the
Lamars and Lunipkifis and Berri-