The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1898-07-30
ARP ON LOVE AND WAR
These Are the Two Subjects He
Takes for His Letter.
Tells the Girls They should Not Seek
Wealth By Mnrrying-Has No
Love for the Average
Regular.


I tell youy my brethren, and don't
you forget it, the good things of life
are not so unequally distributed as we
imagine. One thing is certain, a big
pile of surplus money does not insure
happiness and if | was a young mar
riageabIe girl l would hesitate and pom
der a long time before | married
experiment, and nine times out of ten
fatal one. 1t is like marrying a count
or a nobieman. | was Illuminating about
this while reading about Anna Gould
and her Count Castellane ana about
Nellie Grant and Sartoris and about the
Astors and Yanderbilts whose families
have been smirched with domestic
scandal, and was thinking about many
girls nearer home who married for
money and have wrecked their happi-
ness. Much money is curse both
TO men and women. Old Agur's prayer
is as good philosophy now as it was
4 600 years ago. Give me neither pow
erty nor riches" There is a skeleton in
every rich mans closet. ! knew good
lady, kind, charitable lady, who has
money to burn, and does much good
with her large income, but she does not
dare TO keep her iewelry at home and
keeps her $4,000 diamond necklace in
Tiffany's vaults, and has not seen it
IA tNBT ba
hours when there is nothing to do-no
aim in life. How sweet the dreams of
those who earn their living by honest
work. How happy the young mother
whose time is absorbed in nursing and
sewing aud caring for her little chill
dren.
Every hour of the day brings some
new duty and new pleasure while she
watches their development and feasts
her very soul upon their innocence. |
Was thinking about this, for yesterday
was my birthday and our youngest
daughter put tags upon her two little
girls and sent them up to me early in the
morning as a birthday present. Hand
in hand tie little innocents came tod
ding along and ran to me and climbed
upon my knees and kissed my old sun
burnt cheek. There is no pl6asure SO
sweet as tba< and their mother needn't
TO have tagged them, for they are mine
already, and they know it. Father and
mother are both jealous of their love
for me, but it is my comfort, and will
pass away some of these days when
I pass. My prayer is that my wife and
I may live until all our little ones have
learned to know us and to love us. |
want our forms and faces ard smiles
TO be photographed upon their mem
cries and 10 endure as long as life en-
aures. There is another one coming to-
mcrrow-a Florida boy not yet two
years old. One we have never seen, and
be viii have to be petted, too, apd made
10 love us, and l will have to trot AROUND
after him and divide my time. There
ar. two dogs here that love children.
md four littens that don't, for l tell
You these little chaps are hard upon
iitteus. Then there are scores of pi-
seons, and here is water basin in the
ront yard where the jaybirds and cat
oirds and sparrows drink and battle
nd There is 9 swing il the hack hall
ind wheelbarrow in The garden, where
! roll these children, and there is a
lretty playhouse in the cabin, where
hey set their tables and give parties
md play storekeeping and sell sugar
md cardy and fruit, and use gunwads
Tor money and make believe everything
hey want to. And there Is a great,
Dig, open grove all around, where they
play tag and mad dog agd where they
make playhouses around the roots q
he big trees and decorate them with
broken plates qnd eb!na@are and empty
.ans aud marble chips. And there are
+uspbtrrias and blackberries down in
The corner of the garden and pretty
flowers all about; and everything is as
Tree as water to these children when
they come, and they know i. Yes, they
know II! What they break they bring
to me 10 mend, as 4 matter d course,
and I keep on hand hammer and nsils
and taeks and g11epot, and my wife
keeps her scissors and needle and
thread, aud there is always some bis
cult and Jelly and cake in The sideboard
.or these chaps-always coming hungry,
DO matter how much they have had at
home. This house is free hotel-a
for children and grand
and they know it-yes, they
know il. And it is the same for near
6 nd dear friends, and they know IL too.
We like it, and they like it, and it beats
fashion and folly and war;
War! Yes, war, with all its pomp
and glory. Chickamauga is in Walker
county aud Walker county is begging
for martial law, Ii is history repeating
itself. These United States regulars
are, as general rule, the scum # all
nations. When yagabond gets here
he is enlisted, for he can find nothing
else to do and joins the machine. lie had
no moral principle at home and has
none here. Whether white or black the
regulars are "a set of brutes. We found
that out during the last war, and they
are the same now. What do they care
about subduing Spain or relieving the
starving Cubans2 They will rob and
rape and steal whenever and wherever
thev get a chance and our poor fools
call them patriots. Our southern sol
diers did not do these things. / know
they did not. They had regards for the
rights Of man and respect for woman
kind. I remember when Col. Barton
called his regiment. the Eighth Georgia,
TO dress parade at Winchester AMI told
them that an old man who lived near
,.,,,. cor,n had been robbed of his honey,