The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-02-26
VALENTINES DAY.
Arp Talks Of the Ways of tho World.

The good st. Valentine lived in q
warmer latitude than this-sometimes
we have breath of Spring by the 14th
of February, but not often. The birds
are not mating now-in fact, they have
not yet come out of Winter quarters in
this region. The peach buds are not
swelling. The willows ON the branches
show no signs. We have planted moth.
ing in the garden, but we live in hope
and faith that Spring will come and is
near at hand. The young lambs have
come and are shaking their little tails,
aud some of the hens have gone to set
ting and that is sign. 1t has been a
hard, long Winter, and so we will enjoy
the Spring all the more. We can't pillow,
for the ground is either frozen or it is too
wet. The boys can't hunt, for the guns
freeze to their hands, but they run rab.
bits, and we have rabbit stew most every
day all mixed up with Irish potatoes. and
it is savory dish. It is mighty hard to
keep up an inviting bill of fare now, for
we are afar of. from oysters and fish and
beefsteak. It is too late for backbone
and sparerib and too soon for turnip
greens, and so the rabbits and the birds
help out and vary the monotony. But
ne have big lye hominy most all the
time, and that is hard to beat; and we
have eggs-lots of eggs-and cook them
lin lots Of ways, and they are good any
way you cook them. / don't know what
the country folks would do without
chickens and eggs. A good fat old hen
makes the best soup in the world, and
will almost cure the toothache at my
house. Then we have nice fresh butter.
milk every day and corn meal hoecakes
split open and butter to 60 with it. And
once or twice in while / am allowed to
have mess of cod fish, with eggs and
cream, and the dish ia set close to me at
one end of the long table, and Mrs. Arp
sits afar off at the other end and looks
amazed to see the children help me dis
pose of it. "The ides," says she, "that
my children eat cod fish p And SO,
when she and they eat tripe, l put on
airs and say, "The idea of my children
eating tripe!" Cow peas are q good
country dish and the cheapest thing I
know Of Children love them and will
keep fat and healthy, and then there are
the roasted potatoes that they never get
tired of. Anything roasted in the ashes
or broiled Oh the Goals is better than 10
be cooked on stove. We have great
big 6replaces, four. feet wide, and The lit.
tie chaps have got eggs orpotatoes in the
ashes most every day, and it keeps them
dirty and contented, for they are always
hungry, and thatis good sign. Chill.
dren who have no appetite are in bad
way. They are puny. So it is with
stock. The best horses are the heartiest
eaters. Hungry folks don't need any
tonics to whet the appetite. I love to
see working-man eat. for he enjoys it,
and he enjoys bis sleep, and gets up in
the morning refreshed, and lis ready for
another day. / have great respect and
for the working-men of this
land. They are the backbone of the
government and will be its best protec-
tion when trouble comes. Mr.. Randall
wrote we'll about them in the Augusta
paper, when he said that if these million
airs, who are making their immense for.
tunes out of sweat and toll, didn't change
their methods, they would have to pay
one half of the common people to keep
the other halt from taking their i'll got
ten gains away. Wealth is not always
secure. There are millions of restless
people who would divide out if they
could, and they are getting bolder every
day. But the common farmers and Ia
bnrers of the country are not of their
class. They are for law and order and
good government. A man who works
hard every day is not apt to be distur.
Der of the public tranquility. He has.
ent got time or inclination. Idleness is
the parent OF vice, and when these idle
men beg for. employment, the rich men
had better give it to them-give it to
them at any sacrifice. Ifa man wants
to work for bread for his family the work
ought to be provided, even if it is work.
ing on the road. Bread is due every
man if he will work for it. When the
mills are stopped and a thousand fami.
lies are cut off from bread they are ter.
rible element to deal With. There are
some things that know no Law, and hun
ger il one of them. The concentration
Of wealth in the hands of the few is the
great danger that threatens government
everywhere. No man has a right to a
hundred millions when his nabors are
starving. Itshocks humanity. Itshocks
Judgment and reason and pity. The
people will respect and tolerate a fortune
of million, for /. that sum ia surely
enough to put the family above all dan
ger of want; but for ten millions or a
hundred there is no sympathy. There is
deep seated conviction everywhere that
most of it is i'll gotten. and even if hon.
estly gotten it ought to be surrendered
and distributed. Good men feel more
than they say, for they do not want to be
classed with communists. Good men
everywhere lament these colossal for
tunes, and some day spark will be
kindled that even good men will not try
to put out. There is but one safety for
such fortunes, and that is to give them
away. Do like Seney, or Peabody, or
Peter Cooper.
cities want fuel. There are thousand
in Atlanta who have not got it. Your
people called them there. You are call.
ing all the time, "Come, all ye ends Of
the earth come to Atlanta" So they
came, and many Of them are struggling
for bread and clothing. Your rich men
roll 10 wealth, and if man who is
worth hundred thousand gives ten dol.
lars TO keep your poor from starving or
freezing he is published in your paper as
a beneiactor, q philantrophist, and so be
consoles himself and receives his bene-
diclions. If it were not for your benev.
olent women your poor would perish.
As general thing the rich men have no
more conception of true charity than q
Comanchee Indian. They wouldn't give
cent, but for public opinion. The
poor are the charitable. They give a
hundred fold more than the rich in pro.
portion totheir means. The world don't
know how much the poor do for one an.
Al u.