Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-08-24

day Of our city-in doing honor unto its
illustrious founder and his co-laborers,
those sturdy, patriotic, brave-heartcd
German pioneers.
Fifty years ago they found here II
prineval forest in all it's native ver-
durc and beauty. Only short time
before Ind the smoke of the last wigwam
yonder mountains. These gentle slopes
and beautiful valleys wero still the noe
turnal rendezvous of huge stays with
sixteen antlcrs" But amid the dense
wildness and prodigality of primitive
nature the penetrating, fnr-secing eye
of the founder caught II glimpse of the
latent wealth here locked up, of its
power to sustain IL complex, enlight-
encd civilization. AS he drank from
the refreshing brook, und rcclined under
the restful shade of the trees, us he
bchcld "shudc above shade, woody
theatre of statelicst hue" his mind
naturally wandered back across the
waters to the land of his birth; he sat
again upon the banks of the Wcser and
Thought Of the shady groves of the
Fatherlnnd he recalled the story of
Walhalln; how in Scandinavian my
thology it was painted rs an ideal place
of sweet rest, "the Paradise of the
hallu," said he, Fits name shall be. !"
Ills fancy was kindled, his heart was
touched, and, callinr kindred spirits
about him, he orgnnizcl the German
Colonization Society of Charleston, and
took immediate steps toward the ac-
complishment of his high resolve.
Would we venture to say that ho
he looked down the dim vista of COM
ing years he doubtless saw here busy
marts of trade, great industrial enter
priscs, large manufacturing plants, all
surrounded and sustained by broad
fertile fields, yielding the varied pro-
ducts of diversified agriculture. And
has not his dream already i'm part been
fulfilled? There has been nothing of Il
boom growth; but, on the contrary, we
can point with pride to Il constant,
steady, uniform development. A con
sorvative estimate places the property
Of the town at IL half million dollars.
Within the corporate limits to-day is
bcin. spun from the ilcccy staple of the
fields near by, thousands of yards of
cloth which may find sale in China to-
morrow, should the Boxer" get his
deserved boxing and the "open door" be
effectively opened.
We believe there is great future
before Walhalla and the whole County
Of Oconec. Nature has here been lavish
in the bcstownl of her gifts. Rich lands
pure water and Il healthy climate insure
happiness and prosperity. These were
the material factors which determined
the choice of this section Il half century
ago as the home of that heroic band oi
thirty-srvcn comrades who cast here
their lot. They sought n home where
health and contcntmcnt might reign
far from the mndding crowds ignoblc
strife" where they could look through
nature up to natures God. This was
the cause for which they ,oilcd. And Il
noble cause it was.
or all the nations OF the earth it was
reserved for the Trutonic to teach the
world the inspiration OF a noble cause
II has been said that the greatness OF
the Greek was his power to think the
greatness of the Roman was his power
to act; but the greatness Of the Truton
is his power to both think and act 1t
is he who to-day shouts loud and clear
the words of truth and freedom. Ills
is still the spirit of the soldier who
fought for German liberty in the Truto-
berg forest, now the soldier of God and
humanity. 1t was reserved for him &C.
teach the world constitutional liberty
and government by the people; to con
struct those eternal charters Of free
dom, the Magma Gharla of England and
the Constitution of the American Union
Ii was reserved for him by the Protestant
Reformation to free the soul from the
tyranny of priests and secure for all
ages liberty Of conscience. 1t WAS he
who entered the secret chambers OF
nature and made the giant forces his
slaves. 1t is the Tcuton that has ribbed
the earth with steel and sent the engine
pluwing through the mountains. 1t is
he that gave speech to the wire and
whispered thought around the globe
Swiftrr than the voices of the morning
1t is the Teuton that gave to war II
Wellington, to science Il Newton nnu Il
Humboldt, to humanity n Luther and !,
Washington. To-day the rculon rulrS
His throne i'm the Old World is England
and Germany his home i'm the New
World is our North American cont
ncnt. lie has made the desert to rejoice
and blossom ns the rose He is King OF
the Old World and King of the Ncw.
He is King by the divine right of N
noble manhood
Let us rejoice that we behold This
day; let our hearts be grateful to the
God Of all nations and peoples, kindrcdS
and tongues; that, nS we stand at the
parting of the centuries. ours is Il hap
pincss and prosperity beyond the COM
mon allotment Of Providence to men.
Full of present JOY, and gliding with
bright beams the prospect OF the future
the dawn of the new century is fast
breaking upon us This is Il great age
the greatest i'm the worlds history. We
are living AT an epoch which marks the
greatest progress, the most gigantic
achievements Of human genius in the
arts and sciences, in trade and com
mcrcc, in government and law. Elrtc
monnrchics, though hoary with the age
Of centuries are fast crlmbling beneath
the pondcrouS tread of the Western civ
iliZation. There is no nms-houSc for
dccrcpit or paupcr races. Our fortu-
nate lot in this land Of civil and rrlig-
ious liberty is the resultant Of all the
mighty forces which have wrought in
the past for the elevation of humanity
As we stand here to-day in the full
enjoyment Of our inheritance, may we
hold communion at once with our an
ccstors and our postcrity; and, looking
before and after, recognize our relation
to the past and to the future. Stand =
ing in that relation wc have assembled
on this sacred spot to perform the
duties which that relation and the pres
cnt occasion impose upon us. We have
come hiihcr to record our homage To
the pioneer set tiers; our gratitude for
their labors; our sympathy in their
SuIfcrings, and our admiration for their
virtues. Weary and distressed at times
wc know they we're; not few, too,
we're poor i'm all but faith and courage.
But they toilcd toilcd on, without
murmur or complaint. They entered
in, that others might occupy. The
sowcd in weakness, believing that it