The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-07-26
TIE COMMON RUN.
Folks VIII be Folks All The Time.
.fHdltd Constitution.

cant make 'em any folkser. | was
thinking what E biz li,tle world every
man has of his own, especially every
family man. There is not 80 much diff
ference no how in the average of human
life. OF course there are some men who
do some big things and make noise aud
get reputation, bat they are few and far
between compared with lie common run.
Most of us belong to the common run
and after all it is the best run for it is
most according to nature. Folks are
folks just like horses are horses. I've
got my little world of hopo and anxiety
and pleasure and trouble and it changes
every day and my life is sortcr like
Kaleidoscope with new picture at every
turn and it is turning ali the time, bu;
still there is an average of good and an
average of bad and we must take it al.
together just rs il comes for it is the com.
mon lot. David says that man is born
to trouble as the sparks fly upward and
David saw n heap Of it and n heap Of it
WAS David's fault, but don't think that
we are born to so much trouble. There
is more good in this life than bad if
man will behave himself and he can
behave il he will try and don't think
that original sin will keep him in the low
grounds unless he wants to stay there.
Folks are like cattle and cats and dogs.
Some of 'em are good and gentle and
kind aud some are not. but the majority
nf mankind nad rather do good than bad.
Pm willing to trust my race for kindness
and protection and sympathy when am
in trouble, that is except some. There
are some few wouldn'ttrust for nothing
for they belong to the devil and reckon
cant hell it. Close observers say there
is good streak in every man and think
there is, but know some who have man.
aged to hide it for 80 years and they are
hiding it yet. l reckon We will hear of it
OH their tombstones.
lye been reading tho life of Alex
Stephens, good book and it has pro.
voked the foregoing reflections. There
is comfort in it, for it proves that a
great mans life il pretty much like o
common mans life. You have got to get
down To the heart of man and his daily
hopes and fears and troubles 10 know
what he is. and Roswell never photo
graphed old Samuel Johnston better than
Dick Johnston has photographed Mr..
Stephens. His inner life never come out
before and after all it was just an average
life. lie was family man of his own
but his affections hung around his kin:
dred all the same as if they had been his
children. His statesmanship and his big
speeches and his political fuses with his
adversaries made him prominent and at
tracted attention, but that was the small
est part of his Iiie-sorter like Christmas
and the 4lh Of July when compared with
his mind, but his letters to Linton and
I..h i,i, h., Il, !,
emotions, his longngs for home and love
and friendship. lie was n tired man, all
his eventful life, tired of company and
struggles aud contention. His loved, his
kindred, and especially Linton with a
love that strengthened him and kept him
alive. lie loved his nabors and his SER
wants and his dog. He hardly ever wrote
letter home without some kind words
for Rio. II love him because he loves
me and that is reason enough" When
he heard that Rio had had fight with
Bill Alexander's big dog and whipped
him, he ssyr he almost wept with Joy.
lie writes lovingly about his home aud
longs for stroll in the grove or the
orchard or the potatoe patch. He wants
to caress old Robin Short and give him
some oats anu lend him to the branch to
drink. He il in love with everything mt
home and says "My dog Rio is almost
blind and now my greatest pleasure is to
lead him about and talk to him." What
a wonderful love he would have had for
wife and children. But then they would
have robbed him Of his thoughts and
his studies and closed up his books and
the country would have not known him
ss {. statesman cr :: philosopher.
This is wonderful book Of Mr.. John
stOn's and will make any man better and
more charitable and loving who reads it.
We are oil very much alike, that is in
our home life which is the biggest part
of life and most concerns cur happiness.
MIR. Stephens had borrowed horse TO
run away With him once and he logt bic
umbrella and then his hat and jolted his
bones through his skin in two or three
places. His school master was about To
| whip him once and he defied him and
they made friends. Judge Cone cut him
| all to pieces with knife but he wouldn't
take back what be said. He educated
81 young men at college. He was al.
ways giving away money. He threw
away twenty. five thousand dollars on the
Atlanta Sun under the vain idea that he
could run a newspaper when he was NO
moro fit for it than Marcellus Thornton.
He gathered and wasted. He made mis-.
takes just like othe. people and take
great comfort in having discovered that
in some things he was just rs big fool
as | am. There is a power of consola
ton in finding out that great men haven,
got all the sense in the world. They say
that Sir Isaac Newton cut hole in the
bottom of his door for the cat to 60 il
and when the cat had kittens he cut Q
smaller hole for the kittens, just rs though
they couldn't go through the big one.
like that. l never heard Mr.. Stephens
make but one speech in the court house
and that vas in n murder case and the
prisoner wanted to give bond and keep
out Of Jail until the trial at the mex,
term, and Mr.. Stephens was against him
and he said, "May it please your honor
shall take no pleasure in his incarcera
tion, but sir trust your honor will make
the bond large enough and strong enough
to hold him and keep him." Then b,
elevated his voice and stretched forth hi
long arm and as his bony fingers trem
bled he screamed: "May it please you
honor do not let this man escape" ant
he sung TIC last syllable Of the word 8,
long and so loud that we could almos
see the rsisoner flying for his life.
On the whole am better content witt
my humble lot since read this book
Carl has mashed the nail off of his bi
toe and it Isl just awful and the girls hav
been gone threo weeks and Ralph
away with the travelling thrasher an
Jessie has lost her new thimble and W
are mighty lonesome and the sun shine