The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-08-06
chIIdrsn,s Day al Rocky springs.

IU
"Like to a star, unhasting, yet un-
resting" time moves apace and we are
scarcely conscious of its going, as the
bright days merge into weeks, the
weeks into months and the months in
TO years. We grow old and hardly
realize the fact.
1t did not seem q year since the last
charming children's day at Rocky
Springs, whenw we were again delighted
by an invitation to attend this annual
occasion, a festival indeed, intellec-
tually and otherwise. We weresim-
patient for the day to come and at last
the first rays of the SUI gilded the
west on the morning OF July 9th
Remembering the old adage, "the
girl that was up with the lark was suoa
down with the rheumatism yet pos
sessed of a reckless spirit of defiance
VIC arose early and were soon speed
ing over the hills, with happy, hopeful
hearts.
Arriving quite early at the Mecca of
our pilgrimage, we found large crowd
already assembled in the beautifully
decorated church, whilst numbers Of
men stood around the doors and dis
cussed that eve failing theme of in
terest "the weather." Back in the
welcome shade we're tethered splendid
mules and horses that told more elo-
quently than words of the successful
farmer n of the christian who is
"merciful to his beast" Rocky Springs
may we'll boast of her bright and hand
some boys and girls. with them, to try
is to succeed.
Mrs. Bell had trained them for this
occasion and it was an entire success
The Basket Offering, Missionary plea,
Temperance Band, who bore above
them a banner with the national mot
to, "For God and Home and Native
Land, were all very beautifully rem
dered, besides many other recitations
and sweet songs. Then came that
Hour of all hours, most blessed upon
earth, blessed hour of our dinners" of
which Owen Meredith says:-
'The land of his birth;
The face of his first love: the bills that
he owes:
The twaddle Of friends and the venom
of foes;
The sermon he heard, when to church
he last went;
The money he borrowed, the money he
spent;-
All of these things, q man | believe,
may forget,
And not be the worse for forgetting:
but yet
Never, oh! never! earth's luckiest sin
ner
Hath unpublished forgotten the hour of
Of his dinner"
Rocky Springs folks have too much
good sense TO forget about dinner and
| am glad of it. Again as of yorc the
long tables under the canopy Of grand
old oaks, groaned beneath their bur-
dens of good things. All! mo, I can
shut my eyes and see those good things
again, but alas. it is fancy only. The
good people dispensed hospitality most
beautifully and bountifully and the
poor folks from town Jared sump-
tuously for one day at least, whilst
the happy birds in the dark
green boughs above warblcd q
merry roundelay in anticipation of the
feast that would be left on tho ground
and a glass Of sparkling lemonade
you wonder Just here our record
ceases? The address in the afternoon
by their talented and much loved pas
tor DR.. Bean wa very fine, we are
sure Of that from having enjoyed lis
tening to him previously. The speech
by w. L.. Gray ("Sawney" as Mr.. Oil
yer Templeton called him was good
too, VIC feel sure. but after that dinner
who could do anything else but speak:
After this address all united in sing
ing:
God be with you, till we meet again,
When lifc's pcrils thick confound you,
Put his arms unfailing round you,
God be with you, till we meet again"
With this sweet b~cuGd;ction lingcr-
ing in our hearts, we badc Il kindly
friends.