Smyrna times., 1895-06-05
Reminiscent Thoughts From Former
Resident Of Smyrna-ln the De-
cade Before the War.

The following is an extract from q
private letter to the editor from Mr..
Nicholas Watkins, the first foreman of
the TIMES. who resided in Smyrna six
or eight years just before the war, and
who has resided in Washington most
of the time since he left Smyrna, and
accumulated property there. He made
numerous warm friends here whom he
has not forgotten, and to whom in this
and other letters he has sent his re-
membranes. He says:
WASHINGTON, D. c., May 26, 1895.
447 H. Street, N. w.
Am still engaged as proof-reader at
/ have also a son emplOyed-a married
man, in the 9th year of his age; and
am now looking with interest for July,
when l hope for few weeks leisure
purposing then to do as did last sum.
mer-spend the time, with my family,
in the neighborhood of Norfolk, on the
sea shore, sailing, fishing, grabbing and
resting.
Some day l hope to drop in at the
TIMES office, and will do so the first
time get within thirty miles of Smyr-
na-thOugh it would bring to me a
feeling of sadness to walk the streets of
the town as a stranger. At this dis
tance l can readily note the changes
that have been effected in the years
that have elapsed since | called it
home" There are water works, gas
works, telegraphs, electric lights, and
possibly telephones now-which were
not there then. So you may see how
strange these thing would make the
town appear-tO say nothing of the
many missing friends and the unfamiliar
faces. And these thoughts may take
US back to young days, when life
seemed easier and everybody appeared
happier than at present, nOtwithstand-
ing the lack of modern cOnveniences.
say young days"-though you need
not interpret that as an intimatiOn that
we are getting old / we'll remem-
ber when people didn't have to hustle
to liVe-when there was come day, :"
''go day" mode OF life, coupled with a
commendable spirit of independence,
quite different from the present. True,
in those days there were ailments of
various sorts to afiict folks, but there
were efficacious remedies as easily
obtained then as now. Men lived as
| long, surely, and suffered in mind,
body and estate" not as much. There
was less competition, less strife, less
nervous strain. Men may have ap-
peared to work harder because they
worked longer, but they were not dys-
peptics - they ate heartily and
slept well, and thus enjoyed more
fully the blessing of life. Of
course l do not regret that Smyrna
has modern mproYements-not at all.
1t is necessary, perhaps, that she keep
abreast of her neighbGrs; and | would
regret to see her in the attitude of a
fossil, dead and without prestige. But
just here, remember, is the trouble of
many MISUNDERSTANDING "abreast of
their neighbors" has proved the ruin of
thousand.
1t is true, people of to-day live in the
same world as did those of Old-but in
a greatly different atmosphere. Change
is written on all things-the very face
of the earth is changing; but nothing
appears so changed as the education
tastes, and habits of the people. Some
say we have improved; and this may
be true; but, for one, | cannot fully
appreciate the improvement. The
ways of old have a strong hold on me,
and the relation of them, at times, i;
both entertaining and profitable, as
you doubtless realized during the ses
sion of the Conference, lately held a
Smyrna. We may not be old-no, no
old-but it is happy to dwell on thu
scenes of our childhood, when cow-bell
jingled in the bushes, and we hearC
, with gladness the music of the dinner
e horn that came from behind the barn
There were golden sunsets in thOsr
days and the children of to-day may
we'll wonder as we tell of the Fairy
Land.
We did not then live at Smyrna will
its steam-cars, gas and electric lights
telegraphs and telephones, and waite
work, amid the din of foundries ant
factories, nor in the city of Washington
either, under shadow OF the great ma
tion's Capitol, where progress marche
with steady step, but we lived in tn
sunlight-might say ''in the sunlight @
truth"-where bread was sweet, waite
pure and the air balmy. No railroad
in the oountFy---shOFteniD distance
no steamers to take us across the ferry
but terrible collisions were unknown
and our strength was sufficient to en-
able us to pole the scOw or paddle tn
canoe. Those were good old Johnny
cake" days, when we early learned t
be careful to cover the Goals, and pre-
NOTED soeiability and good-fellOwshi
by the borrowing OF fire, ! love t,
think of them. LapFObes, ranges, anC
the like, were not then sources G
trouble to us. We bad a glowing fiS
on the hearth, where the cricket dwell
and moulds and dips plenty in tn
!. absence of gas. No hydrants, eithel
getting out of order, nor water pipe
right in the house, TO freeze and burs
but there was good, old. never-failin
spring way down the great steep bill
and the fetching of water taught us II
our youth to be industrious.
Yes, those were good old.times-n
"gew.gaws," no ''jim-cracks." no veS
atious humbugs-but real life, with th
promise of "two-dollars day and r0as
y beef. Not old-no-but am glad tina
n we are old enough to remember thes
n profiles that appear now and again
not as shadows, but as beacons on tn
road, bringing to view thousan
pleasant scenes-in the fields, in th
woods, along the lane,
!, Pianos aud organs we're scarce
those days, too, and there were bu
few Gagged canaries, requiring oOnstau
A care; but mocking birds and othe
- sweet warblers sang on the tree.tops I
early dawn, aud. the FAMILIAR whippo
will sang 1nllabies at night. And th
music-all as free as the air Yes, al
glad that we are cid epaugh to not
thesa nhannes and rehearse Lhem