The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-08-23

1 Ills = ~ .
features. and vet we 90 not know Wheth-
er ii is his eyes or nose or mouth or chin
or forehead that impressed us: We know
tina the eye is the index OF the soul, the
spiritual emotionS-and the brow IS the
measure of the intellect. There is the az
uuiSitive nose and the fighting chin and
the eloquent lips and the iargt, generous
ears. but when we meet a man we have
not known, we do not stop to inspect
either Of these features, but a glance al
the whole combination makes up on,
verdict.
was Eliminating about this the otheT
day while travelling from Covington to
Eatontun. \ gentleman on the opposite
side Of the car Interested me because /
saw at Il glance he outmeaSured the
average man. He WAS quite large IL
frame and his head ana chest were mas
Siv.. His hair and beard We're thick.
coarse and slightly silvcred. He had on
Il black silk travelling cap and wore 4
white handkerchief careleSSly thrown
around his neck. He was reading 4 lit
tie book at his leisure with an occasional
glance at the fields and farms that
seemed to be flying behind us rs the
train sped on lis winding way. / knew
that he was an Intelligent. cultured man,
and possessed much force and vigor
mentally and physically, but how dad |
know? He is Il preacher or 4 teacher or
perhaps Il judge. thought /, but if ]
could see the book that he is reading ]
could tell. BY and by he laid the little
book on the seat and walked to the rear
end of the car and looked out. | too got
up and took Il glance ut the little book.
1t was 4 history Of the Vanderbilt uni
versity-my doubts We're removed. |
;, had never met Or. bowman. the new
president of Emory College. but [ WAS
sure this was he. Without hesitation |
introduced myself. and we had pleasant
intercourse until we separated 1T Eat
onton. and he journeyed on to Milledge-
vile. | am sure that he is Il gentleman
and a scholar. and will make a worthy
successor to pr. Gambler.
The books that n man or woman reads
are Il good index not only of their pro
fesSion. but Of their character. | wouldn't
give a nicklc for q young man or a young
girl who reads nothing but modern trash.
!, and takes no pleasure III the grand old
+ literature of past centuries. How many
college graduates. male or female, in
Georgia have read Colcridge. Words
worth. Gray. Tom Hood. Campbell.
Cowpcr. Burns. Charles Lamb. Addison,
Goldsmith. DR.. Johnson or even Shakes
, peare? How many have shed delicious
tears over Genevievc and the Hermit, or
btt1 tbnN tlStI owe join 1IllDII Inu
, Tam O'Shanter? How many can repeat
4 single verse Of Gray's Elegy. Since
the passing Of Longfellow and Iitz
Green IIalleck and Bryant. who are our
+ modern poctS?NNhat novcliStS have sue
, ceeded Dickens. Thackeray. Cooper and
, Hawthorne?
j. But | was journeying to EatOnton. old
+ classic Eatonton. the county seat of Put
I nam, one of G~eorgia's historic counties.
where many Of her great men used to
I live. Half Il century ago these great men
Il flecked the country with their autocratic
presence and their ariStocrttfc mansions.
e The Shorters. Holts. Lamars. Napiers.
e Abercromhies. Turner's. Trips. Reds,
e Meriwethers. Branhams and Coopers
have passed away. but the landmarks.
the old mansions with their tall, tluted
columns and stately groves have been
V we'll preserved. | was Il guest in the
c spacious house where my college mate.
G Billy Reid. lived some fifty years ago.
e The hall IS eighteen feet wide and the
a rooms twenty-five feet square. The futed
I columns are three and onc-na1f inches in
e diameter at the base and thirty feet
high and lave been standing for AiNv
: years. GOOD. amiable Billy Reid. How
d we all loved him.. But fortune did not
$ favor him and his life was not n success.
] iIatonton IS one Of the old towns IN mid
q die Georgia that has liveo and almost
died several times. but is now on the up-
grade and boasts Of her water works
ana her electric lights and her new ana
: handsome churches. 1t is 4 town of set
tied trade. settled religion and settled
politics. The habits and customs of tha
people have not changed much since the
war. Wenty years ago there were q
rev gentlemen of easy fortunes and dig
u niiled leisure who gathered in the piazza
of the hotel III the afternoon and talked
| over the latest news and there is an
II other set who do the same that can at
) 1ord to do that-that are not in Il hurry
TO pass thelr lives away and are not
e crazy after the almighty dollar. Solo
mon says that lin leisure there is wis.
DOM and 50 these gentlemen become
u the oracleS of the community. If the
q reverse be true and there is no wisdom
where there is no leisure. Atlanta must
n have Il population of 100. 600. mostly
fools. | visited the canning factory than
IS now busy putting up peaches for the
army and IS making hay while the sun
e shines. for peach time will soon be over
4 and the war. too, and then the factory
Il VIII shut Town until next summer. Can
J ming fruit and vegetables is about the
most simple business | know of. 1t re,
q qllres no skill. no genius. no experience.
/ Anybody can do it. About four white
men ana twenty negroes run this one
q and the pay roll is only $50 Il week. |
counted seventeen wagons unloading or
waiting for their turn to unload their
1rult. Their contents varied greatly.
o both III tho quantity and quality of the
II fruit and they got from - cents to 10
h cents Il bushel. The output is about 8
900 cans Il day. hut | did NOT find on,
n how much money it brought. The owner
says he IS going to build Il crate factory
n for the next peach crop. When | expressed
my fear that timber could not be found
g was told that Judge Lawson had LOO
acres OF sweet gum forest in -On7 body
and that would run Il factory for many
years. But | never saw any forests Of
y any kind as | journeyeu to Eatonton.
| saw nothing hardly save corton-cotton
field after field with here and there a,
magnificent distances Il few acres Of