The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1895-10-01
"REMINISCENCES.
Bin Arp Has Some Reflections on
tho Pleasures Of Memory.
No Place like ssvannah-The Phiiosorser
Writes of Their Soft rronune alton,
Culture and Easy Manner OF
Taking Things.

htemors Is q stfahgs faculty; II scemy
independent of the mihd, but is mysteri.
ously connected with 1t. The forgetful
witness is right when he says II didn't
charge my memoirs with it." When we
were children me,sayry was strong and
the mind wac weak, A. we get old the
mental power grows stronger and mem'
DRY weakens. but the memories that fast
ened somewhere III our craniums In our
youth do hetet fads. Remember well
the scenes, names and incidents of my
childhood. | remember when / were
aprons and how old Aunt Mintt. the
cook, looked, and how my father killed
the dog because he foamed at the mouth
and was thought to be going mad. vas
only 5 years old then. when was 6
years old my mother fuund her iongslost
brother and / remember the meeting and
bow they embraced each other and cried
for joy. Their parents died in Charles
ton of yellow fever and were buried In
ONE grave and the two little chilJ-en
were hurried away during the panic and
got separated, for they had no kindred to
care fc< them. The boy Was put OH a
ship and sent to Boston-the girl on an
other vessel and sent to Savannah. Each
was placed in an orphan asylum and
they never found each other until some
years after they were grown enC married.
Diligent search was made In Charleston,
but no clew could be found, and as a last
resort my father advertised In Boston
paper and it was seen and letter came
that was written in tears. l remember
all the excitement and how her brother
aap nd hot ms N
he was and how the people Of the little
village joined in the rejoicing. 1 remem-
ber how the next year my father and
mother, with my brother and myself,
went to Savannah in carriage-350
miles-and took sail vessel there for
Boston to visit that brother and his
family. l was ruminating about this,
for 1 was in Savannah last week and
recalled the river and the wharf and the
vessel that we took passage on and the
long voyage of thirty-seven days. l re.
member the long, wide street and it had
double row of immense china trees
that Oglethorpe planted. Those trees
are all gone and other kinds have taken
their places. 1 was told that their old
trunks were planted in the water to sup
port the wharves and that some of them
are there yet, for the sea worms will not
touch china wood As / meandered along
the streets | wondered how many people
were living in that city who were there
sixty years ago, when / first visited it
Probably there are not fifty-perhaps not
ten. There are not but five in Rome who
were there forty-tive years ago when l
settled there. What people we arc to
die or move away.
Savannah is a lovely city. How clean,
greens and flowers! What beautiful
parks with the green grass growing all
around where the happy children frolic
and the baby carriages abound. MOnu-
mcnts are there, too, to commemorate
noble men-Pulaski and Jasper and w.
w. Gordon and others, but none to Ogle-
thorpe.
What grand people used to adorn
this historic and classic city. I remember
the times when the Habershams, Har-
.dees, Elliotts, Bullocks, Joneses, Hous-
tons, Laws, Jacksons and Telfairs lived
there. Some of their descendants live
there now, and wear the mantle of their
fathers in tone and manners and high
moral principles. They are gentlemen by
inheritance and training. Who ever saw
nobler gentlemen of the olden times than
Gems. Lawton and jackson? Who ever
saw a finer specimen of younger man
hood than Fleming duBignon, the most
classic and eloquent young man in Geor-
gia-a lawyer. statesman and orator, and
always a gentleman?
When / was college boy did not at
hax- Sax- h
for it was said they were stuck up and
proud, but in time l was undeceived and
was pleased to rank them as my friends.
/ did not understand their peculiar pro-
nunciation. They said pa and ma like
pad and mad, while we mp country boys
said pa and ma like par and mar and our
backwoods boys said paw and nav. The
low country boys said gyurl for girl and
we thought it was affectation. Savannah
has the same peculiar folk lore yet and
/ like it. 1t sounds gentle and soft and
refined. Even the negro lingo has a
charm about it. heard an old nurse
say to child in the park: Honey, your
mar say came dare to her: run long chile
fore de buckra man cotch you."
There is no rush in Savannah. Every
body and everything take their time. A
dignified leisure prevails among the busi-
ness men and they will take time to give
courteous attention to visitors, whereas
In Atlanta they have no time for the
courtesies of life. How are you, howdy
do; are all well? Come round and see
me-" and your friend will hurry on. At
lanta gets her manners from north Geor-
gia mainly. Tho people are kind, liberal,
and desperately in earnest,
after money. Savannah people
are more scholarly and classic, and that
Is why the Historical Society was found
ed there and has been so long and SO
literally sustained. In our college days
Henry Law and Monroe McIver were the
most gifted orators, and the grafton Of
the former on paul at Mars Hur' il
still remembered By those who beard II
and are ret alive.
was Eliminating about that long jon--
ney Of six days to Savannah By carriage.
and how the other night / took berth in
sleeper at z o'clock and awaked uexi
morning in Savannah and found break
fast awaiting me At the DeSoto hotel.
I was thinking about th4t stormy vcy-
ago Of thirty-seven days to Boston. and
ho,v we suffered partial shipwreck, and
my father would not return By water.
bal bought carriage and apan OF black
hoI ses and we came aIl the way 70 Geor-
gia overland. and Il took 10 ejx long
weeks to make ~ txip: ana how "
nevsr crossed : r1lipoad. for there was
olIestion, and fouemheE a. N 4
ven not e ~ ~ hew Nv father