The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-09-26
RIP VAN WINkLE IN ALI AGES.

| W ultH W USIlIlE l'l ~ ' III ''iNA
with 50 much dry humor, Of the good
for-no.himg putchman who lived in
the village Of Falling Matters up the
Hudson. and whose scolding wife.
Gretchen, drove him out into the
storm. and how he went off into the
Ka,Skills and drank rum with the
ghosts Of IIcndrick Hudson and his
crew. Most If the boys VIII" live in
large cities have seen the great actor,
Joseph jefferson, play the part Of the
Jolly old fellow whom all the children
love have seen him wake up in
the mountains after his twenty years
nap. to 90 home and find himself for
gotten.
But perhaps not everybody knows
that he story of the long sleep.
and the dramatic awakening. is one OF
the Oldest stories in the world, and
that every nation has one or wo YER
>ions of it. :,
The first one is Of the beautiful
Grccian youth, Endymion. who slept
for one hundred years on Mount Lat
mus. He was kept young and beau
tiful by Diana the moon. which came
every night and hathcd linn in white
light.
In Rome there was legend of the
Seven Slccrcrs of Ephcsus. which is
one of the best known. The emperor
Dccius, who rcigncd in the year l:3?,
prosecuted the Christians, and sought
out all who were supposed to belong
to the hated faith. Seven noble
youths who were under the ban con
ccalcd themselves in Il cave. The
cmissaricS of the emperor. discovering
that they were there, chnkcd up the
entrance with stones. The youths
Immediately fell into sleep which
lasted for ISL years ut the end of
this time workmcn took away the
stones to use in building. When
they awokc the youths, like Rip Van
Winklc. supposed that they had been
asleep over night, and being still in
fear for their lives, they chose one of
their number by lot to take what they
supposed to be the great risk Of going
into the city after food. for they had
some coins in their pockets.
AS the boy came out upon the hill
where he could see the city he was
struck dumb with amazemcnt. The
city had spread away beyond his re-
collection he did not know his native
country. As he came down into the
town he saw people walking about in
strange costumes. and, saddcst OF all,
he saw procession carrying cross
going about the streets unmulcsted.
yesterday no one dared pronounce
the name Of Jesus : he said, wonder
ingly.
He took his coins into shop and
offered to buy bread with them. The
baker looked at them curiou>ly and
called in his friends.
They hustled him through the mar
kct place and before the judges.
"Call my rctaincrS, he SAID:
They arc mobiles in EphcsuS. :
But when he mentioned their names
no one had ever heard of them.
Where is the Emperor DcciuS !?
he asked, and then he told his story.
The bishop of Ephcsus and all the
priests and some accounts even say
that the Emperor rhcodorus himself
visited the yonng men and heard their
story. and the cave is a shrine to this
day.
The legend varies in every country:
In Wales there was Il young boy named
Taffv Ap Sion, who loved to hear the
birds singing in the woods. One day
he sat down to listen to the woodland
music and it was so sad and sweet
that he fell asleep. When he awokc
he was surprised to find that he was
in the midst of great forest. Trees
and vines were close all about him.
The tree he sat on lad grown to be
mighty trunk, but it was dead. When
he arose and went to his home it had
become to be almost a ruin. An old
man came to answer to his knock ut
the tumble down door. and when he
asked for his parents he was rcco=-
nizcd with fear.
"Tafy Ap Sion exclaimed the
old man. My great grandfather
told me of you as one who sat under
the great sycamore in the forest.
tied by fairy spell which couhl only
cease when the sap in the tree dried
up ~
In China and Japan there arc sto-
ricS of the lccpcr.
In Japan the legend is very rictur-
csuuc. and in listening to the natives
tell it one wonders if Mr.. Rider llag
gard did not hear it before he wrote
she. There WAS Il young japan
csc fisherman who worked to support
his father and mother. One day there
came up beside his boat Il beautiful
woman who begged him to 70 with
her to her home below the waves. lie
was so cnamorcd with her beauty that
he forgot everything and went.
After three days the thought .! his
poor old father and mother stirred his
conscience. They must be starving,
with no one to care for them. lie
bcSnught his entertainer, who waS the
GOODIES uf the sea, t" let linn 20. She
gave him golden ca>kct wit Ii Il key,
and told him never to open 1t unless
he was false to her. and wa> 50 won
away by the world that he would not
return to her. Then he WAS to accept
its contents as her parting .ift.
When he reached land again. his
experience was like that of his brother
slccpcrs in all parts of the world. lie
finds the sravcS pf his parents Il hun
drcd years old The three days have
been over Il century lon@
Thinking thcrcmuSt be >ninc my>-
terry. which the ca>krt would explain.
he opens it. From it there arises Il
grayi>h yalor which cnvcl"!> linn.
He begins t. experience Il queer feel
inr. His voice gct> husky in the VA
por he seems to shrink his form
lose, its youth an, roundnc>s his hair
turns white. He falls to the earth an
old man and dies.
In China two youths 80 out int"
the mountains to walk. and come t" Il
ravinc which is Spanncd by Il bcautl-
full bridge. Standing on the other
side are tw" lovely young Girls in
flowing pink and blue silk .owlis.
| Sometimes YOU may see the stnrv