The Van Buren press., 1897-08-21
POOR STREET LIGHTS.
Suggest to Bill Arp Possibilities
Of Bottling Lightning Bugs
Southern Philosopher Discusses the
Heated Spell and Drought-Suf-
fcring of the Poor and
Their Hope.

l wonder if there is a town or city
il the world whose gaslight and water
works satisfy the people. | know that
it is chronic to complain of corpora
tions. but am obliged to consider my
self an injured person. Almost every
night | have to go downtown to help
nurse and comfort a little sick child
who is very dear to me, and, although
the street has gaslight, collide with
something or somebody or fall into
ditch every dark night l travel. ran
against big fat negro woman the
other night, and she used disrespect-
full language at me. Last night had
in my hand a bucket of blackberries
that my daughter gave me, and | fell
over stepping stone and split them
all and skinned my aged shins and
dropped my cane, and it took me some
time to find it. I've a good notion 10
bring suit for damages and have re-
cever appointed. That so-ealled gas
light does not throw its etfulgent rays
a hundred feet and is not lighted more
than half the time, and now that light
ming bugs have come again, l think the
company ought to catch some and put
them in a bottle and do away with the
gas. But | don't see any sense in hav-
ing gas with the lamp posts quarter
of a mile apart. We don't want to car
ry lanterns and pay for gas, too. That's
all I've got to say about this gas busi-
ness, and my folks have limited that
the fault is more in my eyes and my
legs than in the dim, religious light,
but | know better. I am not on the
superannuated list by good deal. ]
work every day in my garden and get
all in a sweat of perspiration, and then
clean up and feel good and honest. The
long drought hurt me pretty bad, but
the garden survived it, and now we have
vegetables abundant. The waterworks
man never caught me stealing more
than my share of water but once, and
he didn't make much of fuss about it.
He is a very considerate man. Up north
the companies put meters at every con-
sumer's residence and he pays for what
he uses, but we have got more water
here than the town can use, and don't
have to be stingy. What blessed thing
it isl Water, plenty of water! Water
in the kitchen and at the back door
and in the front yard and the garden,
beside bathtub upstairs and down.
stairs. Pure water, fresh from n big
spring that gushes from the hillside.
n ri
filtering machines nor microbes nor
baciili. No well rope to break nor wind
lass to get loose and knock one of the
children in the head. No cleaning out
and finding dead chickens that we had
been drinking on. The fact is, | never
knew the comfort of water, abundant
water, until we planted our waterworks
in Gainesville. Strange to say, they
never came until we abolished whisky
that is. the saloons. A great English
poet and jurist says: "Its cool refresh
ment drained by fevered lips gives
pleasure more exquisite than nectarean
juice" and Coleridge's sum of human
agony was to have
water, water everywhere,
But not a drop to drink"
During the late long heated term in
June it was alarming to read from the
weather bureau that the world was
slowly but surely drying up, and the
rainfall was decreasing every year.
What an awful calamity is to come to
somebody some time! God grant that
it may not come in our day, nor our
children's nor children's children! God
grant that it may not come at all! But
the Scriptures do say that this world
shall be burned up, and | heard Prof.
Proctor, the great astronomer, deliver
Il lecture on the Birth, Growth, Ma
World" that made the hair almost stand
on end, for he proved that the world
had passed its meridian and was new
on rapid down grade of decay. Rap
id, rapid, did | say? Yes, rapid for o
planet, but it may be million years
distant" That let us down easy, and
that night the young people danced and
the sports played poker as usual. just
postpone the Judgment out of sight,
and human nature will take the
chances.
But the blessed seals that hold the
rain in the heavens have at last beer
opened, and once more man and beast
and nature rejoice in a temperate at
mosphere and a moistened earth. II
was distressing to read of the sun
strokes and the suffering in the great
cities and to think of the little innocent
children and the invalids in the garrets
and crowded rooms of the tenement
houses. Oh, when will the good things
of this world be equally apportioned
Many of us have far more than our
share, but we are still ungrateful and
long for more. My opinion is that, in
dependent of all revelation, there is
obliged to be another life in another
world just TO equalize things. "Son
remember that thou in thy lifetime re-
ceivedst good things and Lazarus evil
things, but now Lazarus is comforte6
and thou art tormented." That is Q
good text for us all 10 ruminate about
once or twice or thrice in awhile.
tell you, my friends, lis fearful thing
10 be rich and selfish. I'm afraid tC
risk It. But sometimes l do catch my
self wishing that had a rich old bach
clor TO die and leave me pile of money
to frolic with in my old age. Or that
Mrs. Arp would realize her part of thai
Holt estate in England. Good gracious!
she should have a carriage and pair oi
Kentucky bays before next Sunday &c
ride to church. But it is an old proverl
that if wishes were horses we woult
all take ride. Aud there is an ole
Persian fable that tells us how an old