The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1897-03-19
BILL ARP'S WEEKLY LETTER.
FIFTY YEARS AGO WILLIAM MADE
A PROPHETIC SPEECH.
TALKS OF HIS OLD SCHO0LMATES
Major warrcn's Trip to Florida Was n
Moral Mistake According to the
Philosophers standpoint.

/
| close it. No such period Of progress has
| transpircd since the world was made. Prog
| rcss i'll art and science, tn" diffusion OF
knowledge and the spread of Christianity;
| progress in invention and contrivancC Tor
| better living and the comforts and pleasures
| of life; progress in mental and moral intel
| liS"n"e. There is no "qua! comparison be-
| tween the last sixty years and any that pre-
| ""d"d them Progress has made great
| leap forward. and seems to have como to
| halt We cannot imagine that tho world
needs anything more in tn" way OF invcn-
| ton, but 1t will in few years, and then it
| will come. kind Providence never fails
| us. One by one the doors unlocked
| the my stcries of nature are revealed.
Just fifty years ago was chosen Il junior
| orator from the Phi Kappa Society in Frank
| lin college. 1t was esteemed Il great honor
then to be one of the four, and l am proud
| even now to tell my children and grandchil-
dren about it. There were forty-four Cf US
! in my class and was one of the four. Ths
honor was not for my oratory, but more :oI
| my scholarship and popularity amonS :Ey
| society members. did not expect il, L did
| not deserve it, and was gricyed that some
| of my low-country classmates whom loved
| were left out and | was chosen. In that day
| the savannah boys We're not popular in col
| l"Sr. 1nry w"r" looked upon us swyllS and
! ariSto"ratS and from then until now moth
| ing in the way Ut hOnorS or offices has been
| given t" Savannah. have lam"ntrd thi;
| for all these wears. Their" are no nrnirr ,vu-
| pie in all III" stat" than Savuruah people. I
| admire Them and respect them and Whenever
| ON" 81 th"m "lr"r~ for otir" am for him on
| general principles. The good prin"irir~ ,h.
! integrity ni ~" I'D ilu..u"uut- and i'nrr-
iiniauS who .,;;tr ia that region has descend.
| eel To their I"~f'rI:. Trd they are still tn"
| best p"npl" "" have iu th" state. In" cradle
| of liberty WIS there. aud If ever we have ~
| fall back on ia"n 10 urrnu,unt, o,Ir r.yniu.
| tonarN principles mad rather drurnd ur-
| on I'll" "li-tin" people -! Savannah than ANY
| "th"rs. ! was Ia '"li,'." with John Srrrvrn
and Charley iiar'!"" and Henry Law ani
| M"nr"" N'lv"r a"l Naay from Savuuuah
| anG they W"r" the best boys we had.
| But started 10 teal that the subject of my
junior orator speech WAS "A Hundred
Years Hence J. was Il prophetic speech
| and of course. ] got IN! father L. hell, mo
| writ" ii. Al til" boys ,iu that. Ii was a good
| speech and nIadv I'm imrr, s.iOn hut have
| often Thought low little we then knew of
| what was I" happen in III" next fifty years
| No telegraph, no telephone or rhonCgcuphS
| no air-hrnE"S on railroads. no antisrptic
| remedies in surgery. II" y rays no electric
| lights, no oil stoves. no refrigerator ears no
| fruit or vegetables from Florida or Cairur-
| ma, no L." factories, no elevators no hi"vrlcs
! II" manufactured fertilizers. My prophetic
speech was not prophetic, though il did tell
| tiiat less than fifty year the people would
travel in the air On ilyi.g machines Just
| hity years ago | Travelled to "oll"g" at Athens
on muin train rom Union Point and
Thought was doing pretty well. Tor ". w,r..
| r"rch"I on tn" top - II -nhouS, and had
| ample time To p"rISc The country on both
| sides aS "" logged along. II was only FORTY
I miles, tut took al day g" In;t..r it. rrm"rn-
b"r that | had on boots honl j. made boots. To-
and wore STRAPS To Keep ii!t PANTS down
nat WAS the fashion then, .,CaIh"r Srraps
| that wrr" bu.tunrL ON T." inside Of the pants
| They kept ia" LEGS ct the pants down 50
| straight that IT." knr"rul mad" II drprc~Sion
and looked Iik, :; :n.~. had laid an go. in
| them. h"ta wD!!"uta aU. event il was fora hov
| To enter college. At ,hat time il took three
years to 20 around the wurl,i la, this yya@ a
bigger thing than tn" world bigger to me
| bigger I" my l"nr mother who hud long
J cherished n" iIuH that VAS L. either br "A
preacher or Il president. But now am al
! most al"n" and haze been neither Almost cv-
cryh0dy then knew Is dead. Briscor and
| Cody and l"rrril and Thornton and Mont
gnm"ry and Henry Law and Grant and the
King boys. an! not Ions ago Willoughhy
| Lumpkin died the boy whom | especially
loved. Tor u" was always lovahlc and true
| HheHs Howard and Jim Warren are still in
| tn" land of the living where peace may bo
| sought and pardon found. Chess is always
genial and kind. and | had hopes OF jim
Warren for he is as solid as Il rock and has
been governor secretary for about twenty
years. With pride have pointed TO him as
| one among the few who have rrospcrrd and
maintained their integrity. Eut OF late a
chang" seems To have com" over lin He
| has been To Florida on Yu"ation aud has
| fallen from grace. But t"w men can 90 to
| Florida aud tell tn" Iru,h afterwards. | So.
| hy tn" papers that Jim The steady. unrXrit-
able Jim has gon" oil after Florida gods
| ana writes back that ii" caught Il string Of
Sh""pSh"ud and cnugrr eel in for inst
| threw out Il lin" in Il Tampa hay mist and
caught Il whole string. thinking that he was
| iishinS III tn: water. bI; fuIud out when the
| mist lifted that II" was Half 4 :nii.. from tho
| inlet ana had been fishing III tn" fog It
| beats Bud krrnodlc. who ~worc thai the. fish
w"r" so eager that h" had To- get behind a
a AZ ia. hon
| that from kcrnodic, but from Jim Warren
never. | have been referring my grnndsons
| u hiin aS an example II truth and intrgritv
jim ana ar" about tn" same age and [
Waht"! us 10 go along down together and
| have the same "rlanh. hut thcr" i, no reli-
ahc" on n man who goes fishing in Florida
me devil, who is the father "f iiar- must
live there or th"rca!uiitS
Speaking of tn" Old r.:l., wa ru!riunt-
| ing about The advantages tl.n, we, veterans
| nav" over thc Present rising generation who
never knew tn" want Of modern Inventions
1 lh"sc young pcopl" who were born in an
| az" OF electricity and newspapers and books
| without number and store clothes and hi,.y.
ci"'. Contrast Sw"rtciIS everything \ man
who WAS reared pnnr can al. the better cuioy
riches. prisoner appreciates liberty. \
| sick man enjoys good health when il comes
| To him. W" read of Il man who after years
oi confinement in II gloomy dungeon WIS 50
ovcrjoy"d at being suddenly released that he
devoted all his earnings 10 buyin. tho birds
| in every Gag" that hc saw aud giving them
| their liberty.
Il WAS IA prisoner myself" ii" said and
know how il feels.
But habit, ar" iik" chains. and "" nid mon
| stiil stick To tn" ways 0f our fathers. l"Strr-
| day hOught a homr-mad" basket from an
, odd darky, and | had respect for him lust
hr"au~" Ii" continues to make la k"i~. Il
| said that nary on" OF his children Or grand
| children knew how and didE I want to know
| hut that h" could y"arn quarter ~ dollar
| every night and not miss the time.
| And now the spring is upon us again. and
| til" robins are on dress parade i'll our
! grove. Tho pcachtrccs are budding. Tho
| plum trees are in bloom, and all nature is
| IIIt hnr