The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1884-10-11
BILL ARP
On His New SchOOI-HOuse and
Evolution.

Evolution.
Our country school-houso is finish
cd, and we are proud. The teacher
has been installed and the children
are gathering in. That school-house
may be historic in time to come, for
some one or more of the scholars may
wake up to the world about something
There is a heap to learn yet. The
mysteries are not all unfolded. That |
school-house may be the alma mater
of some wonderful genius, and then
we who have stock in it will be proud. |
1t is no log cabin-no sardine-but a
good, large, stylish academy. We were
all poor in money, though rich in chill
dren, and 50 we foraged around for
help, and we got it. There is nothing
like strategy about doing these things.
We strained ourselves first, and then
we foragsd on the town and got little
here and little there, and it counted
up. I used to live in town and the
country foraged on me, and so l am
just playing for even. Judge Under
wood used to say that he had stock in
all the country churches and country
schools from Tagalo River to the
Tallapoosa. Well, it is bread cast up
on the waters, l reckon, and it will re-
turn to us after many days. l don't
know how many, but after many days.
don't mind begging for church or
school-house. When we found we
couldent make up the money we sat
down and wrote letter to Governor
Brown and flattered him up about his
great zeal in educating the people,
and we laid it on pretty thick, but del
icate-very delicate-and l mentioned
his iron mines that he is operating
close by, and how he was building up
thriving settlement and we looked
to him for aid in the good enterprise
and told him what wo lacked, and
sure enough he wrote back forthwith
and thanked us for our compliments
and regretted that he could not help
US, and said he had already contribu
ted all he could to such things, and
was still receiving just such letters
every day from all parts of the coun
try and he had to put them in The
waste basket unanswered or else hire
all extra clerk to answer them, and il
was his advice for us to cut down tn,
house to tho money, and his obserya
ton was that those people who de
pended upon themselves got along thu
best, and 80 he wound up his lette
with an assurance of his personal re
gard, etc, etc, and signed his name
But after he had signed it reckon h
road over the compliments again, TO
man will do that, and then he adde'
poscript saying: "On reflection
have concluded to send you fifty do
lars" | thought we would get hin
and 80 we dident mind about his lect
IRE and his advice. The school-hous
was what we were after.
Well, we wanted a good, large hea
ing stove and some pipe, and while
was in Atlanta, the other day, | visi
cd those great and good men, Hum
cut & Bellingreth, and opened up
their generous minds distant views
u broad philanthrophy and what
luxury it was to make these inves
ments that contribute so much to IL
comfort of little children, and no
future generations would rise up an
call them blessed, and so they sure
derod it, 1t was a quick way of &c
ting rid of me, and so they gave us Il
stove and they did it gracefully al
cheerfully, and our people are gratef
and will make returns after many da
yes, many days,
was amused at good old Chr
tian lady, who, not long ago, looked I
over her spectacles at me and sal
"Major, what kind of a man is Mr.. j
Gould?"
told her | dMent know him, but
reckoned he was right clever ma
and she then told me she had writ
him letter more than month Il
asking him to give tho church t
dollars for a chandelier and a carp
"and," says she, as she laid her KIN
ting in her lap, "Major, ho hasn't CIV
answered my letter. Do you reck
he ever got it? Governor Brown sc
us ten dollars, and they say that n
Gould is richer than he is"
Well, we are all right now and t
Ironville academy is open to the co
munity, Our teachers are going
teach rudiments and good behav
and good manners and music, a
baseball, too, reckon. They are
yct prepared to teach evolution a
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