The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-09-04
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Bill Has Been Reading Up Ancient History
and Enjoys 1t.
atlanta Constitution.

old books sometimes, "the quaint and
curious volumes of forgotten lore," as
Poe calls them. have been reading
about the old times, as far back as
Pocahontas, the beautiful Indian
maiden who married John Rolfe ir
1914, and was converted by him tc
Christianity and christened with the
name of Lady Rebecca. It is beau
tiful, romantic story, and if Longfel
low had been a Virginian he woult
have immortalized her in verse. Dur
ing the war we were shown the ereputeo
place near the Chicahominy where she
threw herself upon the breast Of Cap
tain John Smith to save him, and die
save him, from an awful death. Tht
ungrateful fellow ought to have mar
ried her, for she loved him, but he
put in substitute and got his frienc
Rolfe to do it and wrote nice letter
to Queen Anne asking that Lady Re
becca be received at court, for she wa:
princess whose father was king oyel
thirty tribes and that this marriage
had made lasting peace between the
races. That reminds me Of what
Josephus says about Moses. Pharaoh
made Moses his general-in-chief tt
lead the Egyptian army against the
Philippians, who were a very powerful
nation, and whose army was advancing
on Egypt. Moses understood the flank
movement as well as old Joe j Johnston
and got in their rear and attacked theil
royal city. A princess, the only
daughter Of the old Ethiopian king
saw Moses from a tower and was sc
fascinated with his magnificent person
that she sent out flag Of truce ano
had conference with him and told
him that she was dying for love Of
him and that if he would marry hel
she would make peace and withdraw
her army. He looked upon her and
listened to her and surrendered, which
I reckon was one of "the mistakes Of
Moses" +" for Aaron and Miriam threw
it up to him for years afterwards.
But Rolfe made no mistake, and
from that union came the Randolphs.
Whittlcs, Bollings and Robertsons, Of
Virginia. John Randolph, Of Roam
oke, was the seventh in line of direct
descent and the Indian cropped out
in his character all his life-devotion
to his friends and hatred Of his enc.
mics. On a slight provocation he
challenged Webster to fight duel and
Webster made short work Of a reply.
"You were not entitled, sir, to make
a demand on me for explanation nor
do recognize your right to call me to
the field to answer what you please to
call an insult to your feelings. 1t is
enough to say that I do not feel bound
to accept from any man an invitation
of this sort, though I shall always be
prepared to repel in suitable manner
the aggression of any man who may
presume upon such refusal.
I believe that those grand men Of
the olden time had more political strife
than we have now, for there was more
at stake in constructing new govern
ment than there is now in keeping it
constructed. And there were greater
men in those days. They were schol-
ars and they were patriots. We have
no such scholars in politics nowadays
not one who can happily use in
great oration Greek or Latin or
French quotation. The letters Of
Webster, Adams, Jefferson, Rutledge
and Randolph are full Of them and 1
make bold to say that no man can ever
be great orator who is not thorough
classical scholar. The present genera
tion of senators and representatives
are not scholars. They are only trim
mers and skimmers compared with the
giants of former days. But they had
some ambitious rascals among them.
Washington was barely chosen COM
mander-in- chief. All New England
aud Pennsylvania wanted General
Ward, of Massachusetts,, and even
after the revelation was well under
way General Gates laid a scheme to
support him. But old John Adams
stood by him from first to last and
lost thereby some Of his own popular
ity at home. I have great respect for
Adams.
It is refreshing to read about these
old times when Jefferson and Madison
and John Adams and Washington and
Ben Franklin and Patrick Henry lived
and shone like stars in the political
heavens; and about John Hancock,
whose great big classic hand is first to
the declaration of independence. He
was the richest man in Boston and the
most unquenchable patriot, but he
signed first only because he was the
president of the continental congress.
The first State that was called was
Georgia, and Button Gwinnett the
first to sign that patriotic and perilous
document. I am proud of that, for
Georgia is my native State and Gwin.
nett my birthplace. Lyman Hall and
George Walton's names came next on
the roll of honor, and in 1918 three
counties adjoining each other were
laid out and named for them.
It seems from these old records that
the resolution that declared our indie
pendence was passed on the I'd day Of
July and John Adams wrote to his
wife the next day and said: "The I'd
day of July, 1776, will be the most
memorable epoch in the history. of
America and will be celebrated by
succeeding generations as the great
anniversary festival. 1t will be COM
memoratcd from one end of the conti-
nent to the other as the day of our
dcliverance.
But it seems that the trimmings had
not been put on. The colonies had
only seeded. They had not told the
world why, and SO on the 4th the
whole thing as written by Jefferson
was passed.
Mr.. Jefferson tells an amusing story
about that. He had in the original
draft blamed England for conniying at
the African slave trade and this part
was voted down by South Carolina and
Georgia because they wanted to buy
more slaves, and by New England be-
cause they were engaged in the slave
trade and were making large moneys
by bringing slaves from Africa and
selling them to the Southern colonies.
So it was stricken and New England