The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-01-03
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
He Talks OF Bow Christmas should Be
Spent.
atlanta Cbsutitutioss.

Only a week until Christmas-the
day Of hallowed memories the day Of
peace on earth and good will to men,
and especially 60 women and children.
The day Of frecrackers and fuss for
boys, and dolls and dainty things for
the girls. The day when everybody
ought to smother their troubles and
try to make all around them happy.
Selfshness is sin at all times, espe-
cially on Christmas, and so let us all
open our hearts, and if we have moth
ing else to give to others, let us give
our smiles and benedictions. We are
all poor now-poor in purse, but love
and good will cost nothing and there
are many ways Of showing it besides
making presents that we cannot afford
to buy. / see my folks working over
their scraps Of silk and lace and
stufiBg homemade dolls-making
cra7sts and hemstitching handker-
chiefs, and doing come other things
on the sly just for little tokens and
surprises, but we will have no Christ
mas tree this time. When I was in
my teens we had debating society,
and one Of the faYorite questions was,
"is there such . thing as disinterested
benevolence r. I was for the afirma-
tive then and I am for il yet. With
many peopleI know that it's more
blessed to give than to receive, and it
is q comfort to me to believe that 1
am one Of them. Sometimes / wish
that I was. rich just to have the pleas
ure snd the fun Of helping the unfor-
tunate. I would like to go about in
disguise as King Rupert did and look
in upon the huts and haunts Of poverty
by night, and see their wants and
miseries, and send round my charity
wagons next morning and make them
happy for afew days, if no more. I
would like to follow the wagons along
and linger at the doors and see the
eager-wondering faces Of the children
as the good things we're handed out.
I would have something good to eat
and good shoes and stockings and
blankets and quilts and soap and
towels and few simple medicines and
some secondhand books with pictures
in them. I would raise the family up
for week or SO any how and leave my
card, ssFrom friend who wishes you
well and begs you to look up and not
down. Be q trne. man and q true wo-
man and raise your children to be
good and happy. Don't despair. )"
Yes, I have at times had just such
usopian Dreams as that, but I will
never be rich, and it is all right I
know-best for me and best for the
children. Old Agur's prayer was put
in the good book for a good purpose.
Solomon was trusted with riches but
he came to grief. We have scores Of
millionaires in our day, but the Peter
Coopers and Peabodys are few and far
between. Most Of them hold on with
. selfish grip until they die, and even
then they let go unwillingly and would
take their treasures with them if they
could. Iknew a rich man who would
never make a straight out deed to a
piece Of land when he sold it, but
would only convey it by lease to
last Gas long as trees grew and rivers
ran" He actually claimed rever-
sionary interest in every acre that he
sold, and seemed to imagine that he
would get it all back some day. If
the time ever comes when there shall
be a new heaven and new earth, I'm
afraid he can't locate his boundaries.
We have got the grip at our house.
The worst thing about this new fan
gled disease is its depressing influence
upon our emotions. I don't feel like
doing anything, or saying anything
or writing anything. Ifeel blue and
have lost my hilarity, and so we have
concluded to go to Florida for sea-
son. We will divide the family.
Four Of us will go to Clearwater Har-
Dor, on the gulf coast, and bathe in
the salt water and breathe the salt air,
and we will fish and eat oysters and
oranges until we get we'll. Board is
very cheap there and I will radiate
around to the beautiful little town and
mix with the yankees and sell my talk
for more than it is worth at home. l
have long wished that they knew US as
we'll as we did them and I want fair
chance to tell them some things that
they do not know. I am now calm
and serene and won't quarrel with
anybody nor hurt their feelings, but
it is relief to man to express his
sentiments. I have recently written
a little book history of Georgia,
and I was just obliged to give his
tory Of the late war and who was to
blame for it-nothing to extenuate or
set down aught in malice, but I had a
time of it with my publishers. Ginn
G Co., are Boston men. They are
tinker Hill yankees and love their
fatherland with its glorious memories,
which is all right, of course. Patriot
ism is to be admired everywhere.
They engaged me to write a school
history of Georgia and when they pc