The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-29

for a second time quiet title to the old
home plantation.
TWO ESSENTIALS.
Among the people of Augusta county
there are two considerations that come be-
fore ease, comfort and style in living-re-
lgion and the proper education of their
children. The boys must go to college if
the floor goes bare. and the girls to board
ing school if mother wears a calico dress
to church. In this the evidence of the strong
Scotch-Irish character is distinguished,
and one is reminded of MacLarin's
stories when he sees the self-sacritice of
parents in this matter.
The neighborhood in which have been
passing the summer is rife with stories of
the life and work of Cyrus Mccormick, the
great inventor, who was born just over the
line in ROckbridge county, and whose par
ents and grandparents lie buried in the
quaint old churchyard Of Old Providence.
The house in which Cyrus Mccormick was
born is still standing, and is beautiful and
picturesque structure, much after the fash
ion of the majority of the brick dwelling
houses here, and finished inside in a style
superior to the average country home The
farm is still in possession of the Mccormick
family who have left the surroundings
exception Of a fine new barn, which looks
oddly out of place and suggests the idea
that it has suddenly, by some sort of magic,
been transported from the domain of some
prosperous Indiana or Illinois farmer The
place is under the management of jolly
Englishman, who makes visitors welcome
in his bluff, genial fashion, and is much ad-
mired by his neighbors for his thrifty meth
DDS of farming. The old shop and forge
where the reaper was made is still stand
ing, close to the foot of the Blue Ridge
mountains, in one of the loveliest spots on
earth. 1t is the general opinion in this
neighborhoOd that the machine was not the
invention of one mans brains. Robert Nc
Cormick, the father of Cyrus, and a cousin,
also named Robert, We're for years engaged
in assisting in the perfection of the reaper,
which was deemed by the majority of the
neighbors a wild and visionary project and
destined to end in failure. Cyrus McCor-
mick was the man who pushed the thing
through, who persisted in spite of discour-
agement and perpleXity, who braved the
incredulity of friends and neighbors and
lived to see the success of the invention
About five or six miles from the home of
Cyrus Mccormick lived a man who believed
in the invention and encouraged the young
inventor, not only by kind words but by
proffers Of assistance. When the first
reaper was completed this gentleman in
sisted that it be tried upon a fine field
of grain just ready to be cut, upon his
own plantation. In my journeyings about
the neighborhood 1 frequently pass this
field and never without a thought of the
summer morning long ago that witnessed
the trial of the first reaper. Many readers
will no doubt remember seeing a colored
plate used by the Mccormick Company as
an advertisement in which is represented
this self same field and the group of neigh
bors gathered to witness the event. An old
Virginia mansion is pictured in the rear,
and a glimpse of the distant Blue Ridge
is seen over the tops of the trees. This
was the home of Capt. John Humphreys,
and it was upon his land that young Nc
Cormick was invited to try his invention
Captain Humphreys shortly afterward re-
moved to Indiana and resided in Rockville,
where he died in 1865, forgotten, doubtless,
by the man whom success had crowned
The Mccormick family however, have
kindly remembered many of the old friends
and neighbors. They have walled up the
old church yard and placed substantial
granite monuments to the memory of their
hood are cordially received and entertained
by them in their Chicago home.
ANOTHER INVENTOR.
Almost within a stones throw>of the Nc
Cormick home is that of another inventor.
Mr. ]. e. A. Gibbs, who invented the Will
cox & Gibbs sewing machine. Mr. Gibbs's
home was once a secluded country estate,
but now borders upon the little town of
RaDhinP which Of ba
villages that sprung up during the regime
of the new South. Raphine is situated
upon branch of the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad and is a busy
little place, as unlike the typical old Vir-
ginia village as may he.
At this special time of year it is incum-
bent upon the best people of Augusta coun-
ty to go to the springs This has been the
custom for years, and the exodus is still
pretty general. There are a number of
popular resorts in this and Rockbridge
counties, where the ailing go to drink the
waters and the we'll people to make them,
selves i'll by several weeks of dissipation
Not far from GreenviIle, in horse 81 Aae''
in the Blue ridge, is a little resort caned
Cold Spring, where many of the elite of
Augusta county go for the month of August
Each family is established in a commo-
dious cabin, with a sufficient number of
servants to make life easy. On either side
of the camp is a beautiful, clear mountain
stream, and at the foot of the green lies
a pretty little lake. Close about the camp
rises the lofty mountain barrier only adj
hitting the sun in the middle of the day.
From the entrance to this little retreat
and from the heights above may be seen
views of the beautiful country calculated
to make one wonder if it is not all a dream
that the poor, sin-cursed, weary world can
be so fair to behold In contemplating such
a prospect one cannot but wonder what
leads men to the crowded city streets when
such expanse of beautiful open country lies
all about us everywhere. The people of the
Shenandoah valley are wont to speak of
this particular region of the country, some
what vaingloriously, as the garden spot of
the world" and in looking down upon it
from the lofty heights of the Devils
Steps" a point about 1900 feet above Cold
Springs, one is fain to excuse the vanity
of the people and in part agree with them.
In respect to the general aspect of the
country Virginia will always remain pecul-
iarly favored above the majority of her
sister States. In society, however, the lev
cling process is at work. The finer aris-
tocracy of these splendid counties is decin-
ing while in the west the standards are
growing higher. Whatever may be the flu
ture of the Old Dominion, we shall always
rejoice, if from no other than a purely ar