The Forrest City times., 1894-09-21
The Hidden Beauties of United
 States History.

Wcfc ftdt. I0S NVee Of many or these and women cxemplify the fact that truth is often stranger than Action. They hrourhr with them many of the Old World fancies and snpefs..tio,ns ,,, wnich IL took time to eradicate. which appear rid icuious to us now but for which they were ready to lay down their lives They made mauy mistakes and committed serious errors. Yet, underlying 1t aii we see the great principle Of religious freedom strug- gliug for the mastery.
 Hawthorne has given us many pen pictures of those early times He could paint them in mFe realistic and masterly manner having had his birthplace in the town of Su- lem. tue fountain head of all that was wierd and expectations. He tells us rather humos- onsly that he was not proud of this fact as e considered that salem had not very enviable reputation. But it we wish to gnin clear conception Of the peculiar man. nars and customs of the times. let us read The Scarlet Letter." "6randfather's Chair" The Gentle Boy" and The May Pole of Mer- ry Mount"
 Fortune played some rare pranks in those days ss in the instance of William Phipps Follow him from his hut in the forests of Maine and 20 with him upon his eyenttul ex- petition after the Spanish galleon. Here ill., eed was man whom fortune could not spoil. After having been knighted in com pliment to tke successful termination of his enterprise, he was creatad governor of New England. Yet, in his most prosperous duys he was not ashHTei of the time when he had occupied tue lowy station of wood cutter. sOn the other hand, his iavorite expression in referriug to difficult points of law. was. that they were like knotty pieces of timber. So kind. ust and equitable was his government that ne ga,ned for himself. the sobriquet of
 Good Sir William Phipps." thus affording 6 striking contrast to the noted Sir Edmon Andros.
 Thus. if time and space allowed we might go on with the enumeration. We might step side by side with Mary Chiffon upon Ply mouth Rock, or stand with Priscilla upon the seashore and gaze iongingly after the depart ing ships. We might follow the doughty Niles Standish upon his Indian fighting ex- petitions. go with the Pilgrims into their DoubtfuI' as he held his court in the -four fshing village of New Amsterdam.
 , And then again; ichabod Crane. Evangelinc, The Leather Stocking-are these not part of our history too? Indeed they are, inasmuch as they are true types of character rendered probable by the existing order of things.
 recall the close of q beautiful summer day when found myself at the foot of the Cats kill mountains which stretch along the west bank of the blue Hudson. Their cresis were bathed in the purple, crimson and gou of a glorious summer sunset. which seemed to finger lovingly along their summits. In a little valley, At their feet lay the village of Catskill. Along their sides hung soft mist which like bridal veil half hid their lovliness and lent enchantment to the.view. So impressive eva was S the scene, so vivid the kle recalled, that almost fancied could see tue bent form and long white beard of Old Rip himself as he trndged along tue mountain side. and l even selected the very spot which in my fancy seemed most suitable for the de- scent, Since that time Rip Van Winkle has OcSu to Mc a pdit OI OuF history. luSr dS buucu real living parsonage as John Smith or Po- cahontas. and far more interesting. But. I bring upon the canvass these pictures merely to illustrate that the spirit of romance is not yet dead in America.
 Tue dreams of French kings. English prin- ces and Spanish Dons found their fullest fru- ttion in history and a a-literature which bring to us memories and associations that lnake life more or less elevated and aspiring tn proportion as we are familiar with their builowed scenes and incidents.
 It remains for the philosopher and the psy- choogst to demonstrate how out of the en- vironments of the times, was evo,ved the long array Of statesmen, scientists, inventors and military heroes who played their part in the history of our nation.
 The Revolution came on with its privatiOns, distresses and horrors At Lexington was fired the ''shot heard round the world"
 Now. indeed was American valor to be put to the severest test. Some of our soldiers had received their training in the French and In- dian war. Some had been with BraddOck and Washington at Fort DuQuense. Some Louisburg. Others had been with Wolf at Quebec. and had joined in the shout of victO- " upon the plains of Abraham. Yet. the majority had never seen a fight. They were farmers. mechanics. blacksniths. lawyers and even echOO-Ieachers. A motley array. truly. to cope with the well trained. well disciplined croOps winch composed the regular army or Great Britain. Friends look upon the picture Gan you not appreciate the humor and tho pathos of the whole thing Is it any wonder that the nations of the earth paused in their onward march and watched with intense in- terest the c0nflict?
 Then and there. America became what it has ever since remained. the focal point Of observation to the civilized world.
 The fail of Saratoga upon that memorable October dey proclaimed aloud tue fact that these raw recruits were not behind hand in courage and fdeterlnination. Foreign powers now looked upon the colonies with more re- spect. England, mortified and astonshed, saw that her efforts must be redoubled.
 France, glad of an opportunity to strike blow at her old enemy when she could do 90 xu{ rlpr raf ftvTa fafv fn Vl- deutly believing in the Oc maxim of 'Heip those who help theslselves." now consented to send over men and ships to aid the aspir- ing beligerents.
 l shall not attempt to follow the war with all it's vicisstudes, but shall come at once to another October day in the year 1880. and sO to the next great turning point. to our own b-hvd Southland and 10 Kings Modnta a This famous fight has never been given the prominence that 1t deserves in our history, for up. n 1t hinged the fortunes of the war.
 The feeling of gloom among the people of the South cannot now be conceived or. sur rounded by the English. having just ex- perienced that disastrous defeat nt Camden with thousands of Tory neighbors in their midst, they were indeed as they patheticaliy expressed it. Tn the Coils of the Anaconda. But out of the ashes of their despoudency rose the Phoenix of desperation. The hardy mountainers who surrounded Ferguson at Kings Mountain. were, as little as they dreamed of it making one of the brlghtest pages in the history of a great nation ana were giving undyi.g fame to the, the names T or Campbell. Cleveland, Shelby, Williams ana Sevier.
 Ferguson, having collected large follow ing of Tories. had taken his position upon this mountain whence he said the Almighty. Himself could not dslodge him but the mad rush of the infuriated Whigs was irresistiDie Ferguson's men soon began to run up wnite flags which he as promptly cut down, de. termined not to surrender to the despised enemy. And not until he fell was the posi- tion surrendered. This battle. says Ban croft, changed the aspect of the war It fired the patriots of the Caroinas with fresn