The Van Buren press., 1898-09-24
ARP ON PHYSIOGNOMY
Barlow Philosopher Declares Il
Should Be Studied in Schools.
Books Are an Index, He Says-Inter
esting Account of the writer's
Journey from Covington
to EatOnvilIe.

ii
well worthy of study in the schools.
We look at stranger and form an
opinion of him instantly by casual
inspection of his features, and yet we
do not know whether it is his eyes or
nose or mouth or chin or forehead
that impresses US. We know that the
eye is the index of the soul, the spirit
ual emotions-and the brow is the
measure of the intellect. There is the
acquisitive nose and the fighting chin
and the eloquent lips and the large
generous ears, but when we meet 8
man we have not known we do not
stop TO inspect either of these features,
but glance at the whole combinat ton
makes up our verdict.
| was Illuminating about this the
other day when travelling from Gov
ington to Eatonton. A gentleman on
the opposite side of the car interested
me, because l saw at a glance he out
measured the average man. He was
quite large in frame, and his head and
chest were massive. His hair and
beard were thick, coarse and slightly
silvered. He had on black silk tray
cling cap and wore a white handker-
chief carelessly thrown around his
neck. He was reading a little book at
his leisure with an occasional glance
at the fields and farms that seemed
to be flying behind US as the train
sped on its winding way. | knew that
he was an intelligent, cultured man,
and possessed much force ami vigor
mentally and physically, but how
did l know? He is preacher
or teacher or perhaps judge,
thought |, but if l 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 of
the car and looked out. l too got up
and took a glance at the little book.
1t was history of the Vanderbilt uni
versity. Ny doubts were removed. l
had never met DR.. bowman, the new
president Of Emory college, but l was
sure that this was he. Without hesita-
tion l introduced myself, and we had
pleasant intercourse until we sepa-
rated at Eatonton, and he journeyed
on to Miliedgeyille. [ am sure that
he is a gentleman and a scholar, and
will make a worthy successor to DR.,
Gambler.
The books that man or a woman
reads are good index not only of their
professions but of their character. /
wouldn't give a nickel for a young
man or young girl who reads nothing
but modern trash, and takes no pleas.
ure in the grand old literature of
pastcenturies How many college grad
uaets, male or female, in Georgia have
read Coleridge, Wordsworth, Gray,
Tom Hood, Campbell. Cowper Burns,
Charles Lamb, Addison, Goldsmith, DR..
Johnson or even Shakespeare? How
many have shed delicious tears over
Geneyieve and the Hermit, or been con-
vulsed over John Gilpin and Tam
O'Shanter? How many can repeat
single verse of Gray's Elegy? Since
the passing of Longfellow and Fitz
Green Halleck and Bryant, who are
ou- modern poets? What novelists
have succeeded Dickens, Thackeray,
Cooper and Hawthorne?
But / was jourreying to Eatonton,
old classic Eatonton. the county seat of
Putnam, one of Georgia's S historic coun-
ties. where many of her great men used
to live. Half century ago these great
men flecked the country with their au-
tocratic presence and their aristocratic
mansions. The Shorters, Holts, La
mars, Napiers, Abercrombies, Turner's,
Trips. Reds, Meriwethers, Branhams,
and Coopers have passed away. but
the landmarks, the old mansions with
their tall, futed columns and stately
groves have been well preserved. |
was a guest in the spacious house where
my college mate, Billy Reid, lived some
so years ago. The hall is IS feet wide
and the rooms 25 feet square. The
futed columns are 31s inches in diam
eter at the base and so feet high, and
have been standing some 60 years.
Good, amiable Billy Reid! How we all
loved him. But fortune did not favor
him, and his life was not a success.
Eatonton is one of the old towns in
middle Georgia that has lived and al
most died several times, but is now
on the upgrade and boasts of her wa
terworks and her electric lights and
her new and handsome churches. 1t
is a town of settled trade, settled re-
ligion and settled politics. The hab-
its and customs of the people have not
changed much since the war. Twenty
wears ago there were few gentlemen
of easy fortunes and dignified leisure
who gathered in the piazza of the ho-
tel in the afternoon and talked over
the latest news, and there is another
set who Go the same thing now.
like these country villages that can
afford to do that-that are not in
hurry to pass their lives away and are
not crazy after the almighty dollar
Solomon says that "in leisure there is
wisdom" and so these gentlemen be-
come the oracles of the community,
II the reverse be true, and there Is
no wisdom where there is no leisure,
Atlanta must have n population
of 100. 1000, mostly fools. l Wis
tied the canning factory that is
now busy putting up peaches for
the army and is making hay while
the sun shines, for peach time will
soon be over and the war too, and then
the factory will shut down until next
summer. Canning fruit and vegetables
is about ,he most simple business l
know of. 1t requires no skill, no
genius. No experience. Anybody can
do H. About four white men and 20