The Southern herald., 1899-04-21
ARP'S COURTING.
Anticipates the Golden Wedding and
Ruminates.
He Writes How He Won the Partner
Who Now Celebrates the Hap
Py Occasion with
Him.


Who New Celebrates the Hap
Py Occasion with
Hlm.
There is to be 3 playa drama IN
which there are but two aetors-a
hero and a heroine. Fifty years ago
they were the bright particular stars
in the same play and were the eyno-
sures of many eyes and received the
warm congratulations Of kindred and
friends, but now the role Of the drama
is reversed. The stars have faded and
lost their dazzGng light The actors
can no longer strut or pose upon the
stage and the sympathetic audience
must do the playing. Passive, pensive,
subdued and grateful, my wife and |
can only receive our friends, listen 10
their salutations, rejoice with those
who rejoice and sympathile with those
who have had sorrow. Fifty years ago
there was not a cloud lowering over
our horizon-no apprehension of
trouble or grief or death or war or any
dire calamity. Bright hopes and fond
expectations filled our cup to the brim
and loves young dream made every
thing to seem beautiful. We breathed
the poets grateful prayer:
''The world is very lovely. oh, my God.
l thank Thee that live"
The memory of those halcyon days
is sweet and fingers with us, but in
course of time the unwelcome con-
trast came. Affections and anxieties
invaded our humble home. Sickness
came, and death; and then war with all
its horrors. Then our dear parents
passed away and left us to fight our bat
ties alone, and we have long since
learned that hfe's victory is TO suffer
and be strong-to look upon the bright
side-to enjoy the blessings of thepres-
eDt rather than lament those we have
lost or borrow trouble that may never
come.
In looking backward over our we'd
ded ife / can say that we have had
more than our share Of peace and Joy
of comfort and luxury-of health and
strength; more than usually falls to the
lot of mortals. As we look around or
read the public press we learn of mis-
cry and distress, sickness and want Az
over this blessed land, and there are
thousands of unhappy creatures Ian
gushing in the prisons while their
wives and mothers and sisters suffer
and grieve in broken-hearted homes.
1t grieves us to think of these, and we
can but rejoice that Providence has
granted to us better fate. We still
have liberty and neither we nor our
children nor our children's children
have ever suffered for the comforts of
life
Some years ago at a county fair in
Arkansas. l was introduced TO an aged
couple who had been awarded the pre-
MUM for bringing upon the ground
the largest family and the. most nu-
merous posterity. Each of them had
passed the four score mark, and while
| was taking notes the old man said:
"And you may put down that nary
one of our ten sons or seven sons
in law have ever been brought
into court for anything that they
have done. And, Mr.. Arp, you may
put down that me and my wife have
lived together 61 years and both joined
the Baptist church 60 years ago, and
endurin' all that time have voted the
democratic ticket--put that down, Mr..
Arp"
If | were asked what is the lever that
moves the world, would answer: ut
is love" The poet says:
"All thoughts, all passions, all delights
Whatever stirs this mortal frame,
All are but ministers Of love
And feed its sacred fame"
Education and religion and inyen-
ton are all levers, but stronger than
all combined is love--the love of par
ents for their children and their chill
dren's children--the love of husband
and wife, of young men for their
sweethearts or of girls for their low
ers. the love Of friend for friend and Of
the generous and philanthropic for hui
mankind, the love of home and coun-
try and of the scenes OF our childhood,
the hills and wales and springs and
streams, the trees and flowers that
adorn them. Walter Scott never
wrote stronger or truer verse than
when he said:
Love rules the camp, the court, the grove,
And men below and saints above;
For love is heaven and heaven is love-"
Fond memory goes back to my own
youthful days when | was a schoolboy
and loved a pretty lass Of 10 summers
and she knew il, and when at our books
on opposite sides of the room ever
and anon she glanced at me and al
ways blushed when returned her
gaze. 1t was an incentive to me to
study and keep up with her, for she
was a good scholar. At the weekly
spelling bee, when all of us stood in
semi-circle half round the room she
generally got head and stayed there,
and l generally got next to her and
slyly held her hand in mine and stayed
there, too. That was but school
boys love and with time and separa-
tion it faded away. Then / went to the
institute and was prepared for college
and in due time became sophomore
at what is now called the University
of Georgia. found many sweet and
pretty girls in Athens, and during my
second year fell desperately in love
with one of them. All, how gently she
tolled me along and how sweetly she
toyed with me and sang the same old
story: "Will You Walk Into My Par
lor, Said the Spider to the Fly''-and
walked in. She was kind, very kind,
and said she would always love me as
sister. Alas, these sisters who are
Of no kin, NV addresses were rejected