The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-27
The Mansion and the Man.
rPomeroy Library.l

home. We saw him one morning with
tape line in his hand, He started
from a stake driven in the earth and
walked some distance away. He drew
that line as taut and straight as line
could be drawn. Right over vacant
lot-over low place in the earth
where dirty water had settled, rubbish
had been thrown and ali manner Of uu-
- cleanness had accumulated, and from
whence in the Summer time went out
malaria and poison. IN 4 little while
there came another man--then
another then othermcn. All Of them
workers. They be"an with picks and
spades. They loaded carts with all
manner of old rubbish and it was
carted to the dumping ground. They
followed the line 10 the East-then to
the North, then to the West, and then
to the South, as brave warrior for the
right follows the line of duty. The
workmen came to the solid rock. 1t
was in their way. Then with bars of
steel, and sledges Of iron in the strong
arms of industrious men they beat the
anvil chorus and drove progression
with a drill where daylight had never
before penetrated. Mind directed mat
ter. Bold and well-directed strokes
told against the rocks which had for
ages but waited for all this hardihood
and daring of those who proposed to
build up something on firm basis.
The man with gunpowder came one
day. He emptied granulated ingenuity
into the holes made by the drill. He
filed in with hard gritty sand, we'll
packed alongside the line of fuse. Ex-
plosions followed. The rock was broken.
A man came one day to find fault. He
: said the noise disturbed him. That
what God had made a rock must not
be broken to be made into wall. He
asked what all this meant. The man
with the line and the plans in his head
sion was to be erected there. and
that before it could be done the old rub
bish must b. taken away before the
new can be built. The work went on.
( How oft from the window of our library
have we watched the laborerS. Start
ing from the foundation they builded
souarely, broadly and well. From the
bedrock they built. Stone upon stone
brick upon brick-s,ory after story
was gained. Higher and higher grew
the walls, a4d, as they grew, up and
still up rose the worhnen, as, in the
Eternal, will rise above the lazy, the
idle, the grovelin@, all who dare be
men-builders living fingers to the
hands ofGod.
This morning we looked and the
walls We're all up. 4 row Of fifteen
elegant houses-mansions Of them
: selves, now mark the spot where but a
few weeks since was Golgotha for
rubbish, a place filled with unclean
things. The old has passed away. The
new has arisen. The waste places have
been made glad by the workmen. The
raw material has been utilized. The
ground so long despised has been
cleaned away and made valuable.
Where was but dirt and filth will soon
be beautiful homes, standing on sure
foundations The "orkmen will here
have homes. Side by side they will
live in peace, take their rest, enjoy
their comforts, ard gather strength to
build still! more. Here is q house with
many munsions, with no occasion for
the occupant of either to quarrel one
with the other, for where there are I'M
told millions Of workers there is eXclu-
sive honor foT..none, but abundant re-
ward for ali. These houses will soon
be finished. Their floors will be laid
with carpets. Their walls will be hung
with pictures. Happy parents and
children will gather by the fireside, or
sit on the porch when comes the twi-
light to talk Of home joys and the work
of the morrow.
Turn we now from the window and
the mansion to the man. Not to the
man who is, but the man who will be-,
to the boy who will read this, and
whom we would see great and happy.
We know a boy who lives in asmall
house; who sleeps in q small room ;
who has plain home far away from
where this home chapter is written.
This boys father is friend of ours.
Through evil as well as good report he
has been good friend. In dark hours
he has stood by US to sustain and en-
courage, giving of his good thoughts
and kind words that sunshine which
makes twigs grow to be oaks all in
good time. We cannot we'll help the
father for he does not need help.
But as he has been a friend to us so
would we be friend to his dear son.
So we will draw our chair and our
desk near the fire and the fender, and
this to the boy who has come to sit in
that easy chair so close by, IN love,
and desire to do good, we say:
Take lesson from the builders. Sit
with us at ease, and let us look into
the fire to see the Goals burning. Let