The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-04-05
BILL ARP.
Bill Doesn't Understand Why Children
Should be Afflicted with Whoop-
ing Cough.

Bill Doesn't Understand Why Children
Should be Afflicted with Whoop-
Ing Cough.
Here she comes running and wants
somebody to hold her while she coughs
and coughs until the blood darkens her
face and the tears run Gown her cheeks.
The poor little orphan. I wonder what
the whouping cough was made for-and
the measles and mumps and scarlet fever,
and the collie snd all these infantile dis
eases that prey upon and distress the
poor little innocents-what have they
done that they should suffer. l know
what I have done and left undone, and
it is no wonder that grown people, ex-
cept a few, have headache and toothache
and rheumatism and consumption, and q
whole DOCTORS book full of complaints.
I feel that deserve my share of all these
bodily troubles, and even if I don't, |
know that they better prepare me for
heaven. They make me 80 tired that l
am willing to go when my time cometh.
But can't understand why these little
children, who are all unconscious of
original sin or any other sin should suf-
fer so. But suppose that we can't under.
stand it, what are ne going to do about
it-nothing-nothing of course, and so
the best thing to do is to accept all the
conditions of life and be thankful.
Though He slay me yet will l trust in
Him." On this beautiful spring morn
ing, while the sweet south wind is breath.
ing it's balmy odors upon us, I was
Illuminating upon life and its measure of
Joy and sorrow, and / wondered why
both were not more evenly distributed.
Why should bad luck and peril overtake
some and leave out others? Why should
the ill.fated Naronic go down with all on
board and the Aurania come safe to
port? Why should one man fall in bat
tie and his comrade escape unharmed7
Is it fate OF providence? Is it chance or
destiny that one should be taken and the
other left? I know not aud will not let
it disturb me. / do know that / am here
and have duty to perform. I know
that
Life is real, life is earnest.
And the grave is not its goal.
know that virtue is everywhere re-
spected and that good people save the
world just as ten geod men would have
saved Sodon.
What shock it is to the civilized
world when ship goes down at sea and
passengers and crew
Sink into the depths with bubbling
groan,
Unknelled, uncoffined, and unknown.
Why is it, why does it 80 harrow up
our feelings and provoke our tenderest
sympathies? Here are 5000 people
dying every day in the United States and
they would make funeral procession
500 miles long. Not less than $4,000
kindred are bereaved and mourn for
them, and yet all these coffins and graves
and saddeoed hearts and homes do not
concern the public like the sinking of q
ship at sea. The manner of the death is
not 80 horrible. Indeed. drowning is
said to be the least repulsive of all deaths,
for it is painless and the agony of mind
is soon over, and yet it is an awful
calamity. No help, no kindred, no last
words, no messages of love, no requiem,
no flowers on the gravel In my early
youth the shock of the loss of the pilot in
which Theodorsea Allston perished bad
not passed away She was the beautiful
daughter of Aaron Burr. That ship went
down with all on board and no one
knew when or where, and the whole
South was grieved. She had married
distinguished son of South Carolina and
was herself the great granddaughter of
Jonathan Edwards, and her beauty and
her. lovliness had saved her father from
being convicted of treason. 1t was a
tender story that my father used to tell
me and loved such things, and love
them yet. The next disaster that shock
ed the country in my youth was the loss
of the Home that went down on the Car
olina coast when almost in sight of land.
l remember how Georgia mourned for
Oliver Prince, her most distinguished
lawyer, who sank with that vessel. He
was our United States Senator and the
gifted author of many sketches. Had he
sickened and died at home not half the
grief and sympathy would have been
manifested by the public heart. We are
more reconciled to the inevitable than to
the unseen, unexpected stroke that comes
at sea from the mighty hand of God.
We all desire to die at home-at home,
where loving hands can smooth the
aching head and loving eyes look down
into our own aud weep. I do, and if /
don't get better, I am aot going far away
any more. There is nothing sadder to
me than to see kindred, who are near and
dear gather at the depot to meet the
corpse of a sou or daughter WHO had
died in strange land and whose last
request was to be taken horne.
But do not know why my thoughts
have run this way for the day is bright
and the birds are singing and the fruit
trees are in bloom and there is nothing
to make me sad-nothing save the strug-
ling child that every little while has to
70 oh har little frane with that relentless