The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-07-24
BILL ARP
On History and the History Makers-TEe
Lodge Bill and the Pension 1niquity.
From the Atlanta Constitution.

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livered the eulogy on Washington, and
used the famous expression, First IN
war, first in peace, and first in the
hearts of his countrymen."
! That was mistake, and / rise toap"lo-
gize for it. I trusted too much to
memory. Richard Henry, the states
man, died before Washington. 1t was
the soldier, Light Horse Harry" who
delivered the eulogy.
wish tha. lived next door to Judge
Richard H. Clark, so that when | got
tangled up in history, could hail him
and say, Judge, how is this, and who
is who, and what is what" 1t would
save me the trouble Of hunting over
the books. In fact, be is more reliable
than some of the books. He never
makes mistake. He is the best his
torian in the South, and yet he is not
an old man. He is not decayed or fos-
siliferous, but seems to grow brighter
with advancing years. would like to
live by him, and day by day listen to
his lucid "reminiscences of notable men
and notable events, and would take
notes and be his Boswell, and together
we would write book that would be a
treasure to the Southern people. 1t
would be an authority and would re-
vive and perpetuate much Of history
and biography that will soon pass away
forever. In a few years there will not
be man left to recall and relate the
unrecorded history of our noble men.
The Crawfords, and Forsythe, and
Dawson, and Troup, and Clark-the
Branhams, and Walter Colquitt, and
Cooper, and Mcdonald, and Dooly:
and Underwood-the Lamars and
Cobbs, and Stephens, and Lumpkins,
and Doughertys, and host Of others,
many of whom migrated to the West
and there illustrated their Georgia
blood and breeding upon the virgin
soil of Alabama and Mississippi and
Texas.
Just see how tenderly sarcastic is the
Judge in the note that he wrote me:
NV Dear Friend-I hasten to thank
you for correcting my impression that
it was "Light Horse Harry" who de-
livered the eulogy on Washington. l
reilly supposed that Richard Henry Lee
died before Washington. l have so
long regarded you as authority on such
matters that must surrender my own
convictions. A man can believe an
an error so long that his belief is almost
as good as the truth. learn also from
another writer in to-day's Constitution
that Mrs. DR.. FELTON, was before mar
rage Miss Swift. For many years l
have supposed that her maiden name
was Rebecca Latimer. l stand cor
rected. Your friend, R. H. CLARK.
ButI'll trump him yet. pllpay HIM
off. I'll try him on the authorship of
Junius, and who wrote the book of
Job, and was William Tell fact or L
fiction, and who was the father OF
Zebedee's children. I wish that he
would wlite book so that / could get
at him. I'd cure him of his sweet and
tender sarcasm.
A habit of study and a good memory
to preserve what is learned is combi-
nation that makes the most interesting
class of men. We were talking about
General Lees memory, and one OF his
pupils assured US that he knew every
one of his 400 students in his college by
sight and by name and where he lived
and what was his standing in his class.
A graduate of Princeton remarked that
DR.. McCosh had similar gift, and he
never knew him to forget anything but
once. He forgot to give notice before
he began the chapel prayers that he
desired the senior class to meet him in
the class room that morning. He never
thought of it until he was actually en-
gagged in the prayer and he knew that
he could not give notice at its close for
the whole mob of 400 always bounced
out with a racket before the "Amenn
was said-so he concluded his prayer
with "And oh Lord let thy daily bless
ing rest upon all who are here assem-
bled and incline the second division CT
the senior class to meet ME in the class
room Immediately after prayers for
Christ's sake Amen" These old Scotch
men have wonderful resources, and
where there is no way open they chop
out one. Our preacher was telling Of
his grandfathcr-a stern old Scotch
man, who had ways and eccentricities
peculiar. His grace at the table was
more important affair than the meal.
In fact the best dinner was not fit
thing to eat until it had been blessed
in John Knox fashion. One day the
old gentleman was late in coming to
dinner, and did not respond to the call.
Tom was awful hungry and had to go
back to bis work, and said he couldn't
wait any longer, and so ne pitched in
and was in good way, when the old
gentleman came forward, and, after
the family were all seated, and Tom
had paused, he raised his plous hands,
and said:
Oh, Lord, wilt Thou let Thy blessing
rest upon us all, and upon the food
that we are about to partake Of, and
especially upon that portion of which
Thomas has already partaken in all
ungodly manner, for Christ's sake.
Amen.
But it looks now like history will
soon be all that is left us to boast of.
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