The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-03-17
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Fifty Years Ago he Predicted Many of
The Appliances of To-day.
atlanta Constitution.

We old people are thankful that We
began life early in the century and
have lived to close it. No such pc
riod Of progress has transpircd since
the world was made. Progress in art
and science, the diffusion of knowl
edge and the spread of Christianity;
progress in invention and contrivance
for better living and the comforts and
pleasures Of life; progress in mental
and moral intelligence. There is no
equal comparison between the last six
ty years and any that preceded them.
Progress made great leap forward,
and seems to have come to a halt. We
cannot imagine that the world needs
anything more in the way Of invention
but it will in few years, and then it
will come. A kind Providence never
fails us. One by one the doors are un
locked-thc mysteries Of nature are
revealed.
Just fifty years ago / was chosen a
Junior orator from the Phi Kappa So
ciety in Franklin College. 1t was cs-
teemed great honor then to be one
of the four, and l am proud even now
to tell my children and grandchildren
about it. There were forty-four of us
in my class and l was one of the four.
The honor was not for my oratory, but
more for my scholarship and popular
ity among my society members. l did
not expect it, l did not deserve it, and
| was grievcd that some of my low
country classmates whom [ love were
left out and l was chosen, In that
day the Savannah boys were not pop
ular in college. They were looked
upon as swells and aristocrats, and
from then until now nothing in the
way of honors or Offices has been given
to Savannah. I have lamcnted this
for all these years. There are no no
bier people in all the State than Sa
vannah people. I admire them and
respect them, and whenever one of
them offers for office I am for him on
general principles. The good princi-
pies, the integrity of the old Hugue-
nots and Carolinians who settled in
that region has descended to their pos
terity and they are still the best peo-
pie we have in the State. The cradle
of liberty was there, and if ever we
have to fall back on men to perpetu-
ate our revolutionary principles, [ had
rather depend upon the old-time peo-
pie of Savannah than any others. I
was in college with John Screven and
Charley Hardee and Henry Law and
Monroe McIver and many from Sa-
vannah, and they were the best boys
we had.
But I started to tell that the sub
ject Of my junior orators S speech vas
can Hundred Years Hence" Itwas
prophetic speech, and, of course, |
got my father to help me write it. All
the boys do that. 1t was a good
speech, and made an impression, but
I have often thought how little we
then knew Of what was to happen in
the next fifty years. No telegraph,
no telephone Of monographs, no air
brakes on railroads, no antiseptic rem
edies in surgery, no \ rays, no cleo
trio lights, no oil stoves, no refrigera-
tor cars, no fruit or vegetables from
Florida or California, no ice factories,
no elevators, no bicycles, no manufac-
tured fertilizers. My prophetic speech
was not prophetic, though it did tell
that in less than fifty years the people
would travel in the air on flying ma
chimes.
Just fifty years ago | travelled to
college at Athens on mule train from
Union Point and thought was doing
pretty we'll, for we were perched on top
of caboose, and had ample time to
perusc the country on both sides as
we logged along. 1t was only forty
miles, but took all day to make it. |
remember that / had on boots-home-
made boots-and I wore straps to keep
my pants down. That was the fash
ion then-leather straps that were
buttoned on the inside of the pants.
They kept the legs Of the pants down
so straight that the kneepan made
depression and looked like goose had
laid an egg in them. What momen-
tous event it was for boy to enter
college. At that time it took three
years to go around the world: but this
was bigger thing than the world
bigger to me-bigger to my dear moth
er, who had long cherished the idea
that I was to be either a preacher or
a president. But now [ am almost
alone and have been neither. Almost
everybody l then knew is dead. Bris-
coo and Cody and Ferrcll and Thorn
ton and Montgomery and Henry Law
and Grant and the King boys, and not
long ago Willoughby Lumpkin died