The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-09-28
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
RETINISCENSES AND REFlEC-
C!cEs On THE LONG AGO.
There Is No Place Like the Beautiful
and Classic City Of Savannah.

Memory is strange faculty. T. seems icde-
pendent OF the mind, but is uysterlous!J eoc-
nected With it. The forgetful witness IS right
when he SAYS y didn't chargs my memory
with it. When re were children memory was
strong and the mind Vas weak. As We get old
tie mea.a! power grows stronger and memory
Heakens. In. the memories that fastened sore'
where in orr ctaniunl5 IL cur youth do reTer
fade. remember we'll the scenes, names and in
ciients Of my childhood. remember when !
wore aprons and how old Aunt Mint!, the cock,
looked and how nv father killed the dog bs-
cause hs Foamed at the mouth and vas thought
TO be going mad was only three years cid
then. When / vas six years old my nosne:
found her long lost brother and I remainder
the meeting and how they embraced each other
and cried for Joy. Their parents. died III
Charleston Of yellow fever and we're buried IN
cne grave and the TWO little children we're hur-
ried away during the panio snd got separated,
for they had no kindred to care for them. Tho
boy was put Oh & sllip aud sent 10 Boston-the
gill on another Tessel and sent 10 Savannah
Each vas placed in an orphan asylum and tneJ
never fund each other until sCnlo yeaEs after
they we're grown and married. Dl:lgent search
was made in Char eston, bu. no cleH could be
found, and as last resort my father advertised
IL Boston paper and it was seen and letter
came that was written il tears. I remember all
the excitement and how her brother cane and
wna: a handsome young man he vas and how
the people Of Tic little village joined IL
the rejoicing. I remember hcw the next year
my father and mother, with my brother and
miles-and took a sail vessel there for Boston
tc visit tia. brother and his family. vas
Illuminating about this, for was in Savannah
last week and I recalled the river and the wharf
and tie vessel that we took passage on ard the
lona To"ag: Of tnirty-scven days. l remember
ell the loug. wide street and il had e double
.cT of immense china trees that OIletaorpe
planted. Those trce5 are all gone and other
kinds hare taken their places. I was told thef
their old trunks were plant:d IN the water to
support the w:iarrcs and that some OF thsm ar
there gel, for tbs sea Tcr@s Will not touch
china wood. AS Tesniered along the streets
I wondered how many people were living III
that city who were there sixty years sgo Wien
hrst visited ii. Probably there are not fifty
perhaps not ten. There are not but FIVE il:
Rome who were there foIty-6Te years ego when
1 settled there. What people re are to die o.
move away.
Savannah is lovely city. How clean, lo%
shaded. how ornamentcd With cTersreels ana
f ,wers. What beautiful parks with the gree:
grass growing all around where the hspr7
children frolie and the baby carria%es abound.
Monuments are there, TOO. 10 corlnemora:'
ncbie men-Pula,:i and Ja-per and v. V.
Gordon and others, but none TO OSietAcrpe.
What grand people rsed to adorn this his
toric and elias ic city I remember the times
wlsn the Habershams. Haraees, Etllct!s, bu!,
locks. Joneses, Hou:tons. Laws. Jacksons AMI
TaIf tirs lived there. Some of thsir descend
ants liz: til: re now and wear the mantle Gt
their fathers in tone and manners and high
mora. prin:iples. Tllsy are gentlemen BIZ ill
htrjtsn~e anil training Who ever saw noblrl
gentlemen # the oIden times than Generals
Lawton and Jackson? Who ever cav 3 hner
sDec men of Younger manhood than Fleming
GuBgnon, the most classic and eloquent young
man in G orgia-a lawyer, statesman and
orator, and always e gen 'lcllan?
When was college by 1 did not at frs
mix witL tie boys from Savannah, for It WAS
said they we're stuck up and proud, but IN time
was undcceiTed and vas pleased to rank them
az nv friend. did not understand their r
cu!iar pronunciation. Ihey said pa and liza
like pad and maj, while we up country boys
said pa and N. like pr and mar and our back
woods boys said paw end NAV. The low coun
try boys said z, Ilrl for girl and We thought
vas .ff~c:ation Savannah has the same pecu
liar folklore yet a.d like il. 1t sounds gentl
and So. and rriaed. Even tlic negro ling.
has charm about it. heard all cid nurse So
tn e child in The park: Honey. your mar say
csn,e dare to her; run long chile fore de buc;Er:
man co!cn you.
There is no rush in Sa7annah. ETeryhoGH
and everything take their time 4 dignihed
leisure prevails among the business men and
they will taL g time tD give courteous attention
TO visitors. whereas in Al tnta they have L.;
time fcr the cour'esies Of life. How are you
hnwdv do; are YOU vol? Come around and Sc
me-" and y0u. friend will hurry on. Atlanta
gcts her manatrs from north Georgia mainly.
Tue pc"r!e are Idnl, literal, progressive an;
de- 4perlteiy III talu st, especially after money.
Saysnnah people are more scholarly and clas.
sic, and that il why the Historical Society was
founded there and has teen so long and SO lib
orally susi aimed. IN our coll ge days Henry
Law and Morroe Mc1ver We're the most gifted
orators, and the grafton cf the former on Pau!
at Mars Hill is still remembered by those who
heard it and are ye: alive.
was ruminatiiIS about that long journey Of
six DAYS to Savannah by carriage, aud how the
o'her night l took berth in a sleeper at
&C ock and awaked neSt morning in Savannah
and found breakfast awaiting me at the DeSoto
hotc. was tlI!rhing about that stormy voy-
HSe Of thirtr.seYen days to Boston, and how
We suffered partial shipwreck, and my father
would not return h. wafer, but bought car
riagc and span Of black horses and we came ali
the Way to Georgia overland, and it took Us SIX
long weeks 20 make the trlp; and how We never
crossed railroad, for there was none, to cross.
All this is within my recollection, and l still
remember as If il were no. 50 very long ago
how my father held me by the feet as I laid
down to peep over the brink Of the natural
bridge in Virginia into the awful chssm below.
Well all these memories make me feel sad, for
Of all my kindred WHO hen lived only am
left Father aud mo- her aud uncles and arlnts
and cousins al dead. What an erentful life
lave I lived and what all advance in the worlds
progress have seen. The time was when I
had to do all my reading and srudyiDg at night
by tic light Of q tal!ow dipped caudle-not
only that, bu' ] and my brother had to dip
them. and if had q corner in the exposition I
would like to show the boys and girls how 1t
ras done. We thought we had good time.
and We did, but it would be awful to live that
way now.--B1LL ARP in Atlanta Constitution.