The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-05-18
ARP VISITS Athens
And in Order To Be Classic He
Quotes Latin
TO REMIND HIM OF OLD TIMES
When lie Was Student At the University
Talks Of His School Day and Boys Of
0iden Times.

''Tempora nutantur ct nos muta-
muir in ills" / an now in Athens.
the classic city, and must quote some
Latin to be classic. too, and show that
I have not forgotten my alma mater.
"The times have changed and we must
change with Them" said the Latin
poet 1900 years ago, and this maxim
is more striking now than it was then.
The changes are more rapid and more
radical. Old Franklin college, within
whose unpretending walls walked and
studied and expanded my youthful
mind, has grown to be an university |
and We old men are straining our
minds to keep up with the new order,
the widening of mental and physical
training which is now offered to our
boys. Time was when We thought
that DR.. Church and Professors Mckay,
Wsddell, Leconte, Jackson, Ste
vens, Hull amp Nahum Wood
knew ell that was worth
knowing in this sublunary world;
when there was no higher honor than
TO be Phi Kappa or a Demosthenian
orator or 70 be chosen as a junior ora
tor of one of these societies. Time
was when to be in love with q lovely
Athens girl was in itself liberal edu-
cation, for they were fair to look upon,
refined in manners and fascinating in
conversation. There were only a score
or two of them then, and they had the
pick of 16O students. young men OF tho
best families OF Georgia and her sister
States, and half hundred new ones
coming in every year. Just think Of
| it; what blessing to girls is the proxi-
nifty of male college or a university.
But by and by there comes along fe-
male college in the same town or city
and then the logs have an equal
chance.
My visits to this classic city have
been few and far between. l do not
suppose there is soul living here now
who was here in 1884. My parents
and my brother and 1 stopped over
night at the old Sledge hotel as we
journeyed from Boston to Georgia in a
carriage. We went to Boston by sea
from Savannah, but came back all the
way by land in g private carriage and
never crossed railroad. There was
none to CROSS. My next visit was elev-
en- years later, wher I came 10 enter
the sophomore class. Two mules at
tandem pulled our little car from I'm
ion Point forty miles to Athens. There
were common passengers below and o
score of uncommon ones on top for
they were college boys. and as such
preferred to ride high just as col
lege boys do now. With what fear
and trembling we went through the
examination that was to determine our
fate whether we were fifteen to enter or
only fitten to get fifteen. It was q
thrilling and momentous ordeal, bnt
We survived it. What awful majesty
appeared in DR.. Church's classic feat
ures and in the quick glances of his
dark and piercing eyes. He was from
New England, and after he came south
married sister of our Judge Trippe, a
beautiful woman and the mother OF
five of the most beautiful daughters
ever seen in one family. They were
queenly. These yankee school teachers
all mated with our southern girls and
didn't mind owning few negroes any
more than so many horses or COWS es-
pecially if they came with the wife's
patrimony. Old Judge Warren go
his that way, but it cut him off from
. his yankee relations. Nathaniel Be
man was another distinguished yam
: kee teacher, but whether he became
: slave owner or not have not learned
. My father was a yankee schoo
L teacher, but didn't get any slaves b,
marriage. He bought some, howeve.
g and that created GOODNESS among hi
d northern kindred. It took thos
J. yankees long time to acquiesce il
d slavery unless they came down South
II Gid Bill Steward tried to marry
|. Putnam county girl who had about
y hundred, and because she woulda'
}. have him he went back North and rails
j. ed howl about slavery. Josia
IA Meiggs, another Connecticut yanke
and grandson of Return Jonatha
Meiggs was the first preside Ell
of this college and held his plac
N for twelve years. I think that he, too
married Southern girl-a sister {
:. Governor John Forsyth. Next cam
% Moses Waddell, an educator of gres
- renown. He married sister of job
% G. Calhoun and educated him and L:
u care ard Pettigrew and other notab
l. men before he became president. A
ter that he had for his pupils many {
the great men of Georgia, includin
h Stephens, Toombs, Howell Cobb, job,
Ia son. George Pierce and the Crawford
And there were giants in those day
s. Some folks say there are just as gre
men now, but there are SO many mol
I'd of them that they have become cor
=. mon and do not attract 80 much attel
) ton. Maybe so-yes, maybe 80.
!, The poet says, II feel like one wi
al treads alone come banquet hall deser
p ed," and 81 do I when viewing the
T. classic halls and meandering in Il
er shade of these classic trees. All of n
n preceptors save one havs passed ov
e, the river. All my college-matea 50
IL perhaps a dozen have followed thel
and if Swedenborg OWNED the futu
state correctly they are going to scho
again in another world. Some Of the
O. who were dear 20 me have left Oh
al dren or grandchildren who greet 4
tn kindly for their fathers sake Fo
memory recalls the Churches, Da
an sons, Ferrells, Howa rds and Boil
to Stovall, whom loved, and there "
na the gentle Henry Timrod, who y
40 as lcvable as timid school girl. HI
- often did we see him brushing t
'' dew from off the upland lawn alone
taking his evening strolls withou,
Nv companion, but alays kind and gent
he We little dreamed that he was ev,
lat tten nursing poetic thoughts al
ort breathing the sweet harmonies of n
,at ture. Poor boy. How did our hea,
Of bleed for him when long after
Ike Va LID '"noiinss auo MS 81