The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-12-27
BLK ARP AND cHrLDRasa !.
ALL OFF THEM Lovn anANDPA.

he Likes to Sec tho Little ones at Play.
There are Great Many Beautiful
ThiDGs In Life.
These little chaps alarm me-alarm
me with their innocence, their happi-
ness, their love, for / have forebod-
sorrows and they will have their share.
1t is the common lot. One melancholy
poet says: MAN was made to mourn"
Another says: 81 would not live al.
ways," but like that ono better who
wrote ''The world is very lovely. Oh,
my God, I thank Thee that l live.'
From my window almost every day l
see two little girls, only four and six
years old, turning the corner and com
ing up through the grove to see
grandma and grandpa and be petted
and OF course, befeasted with bis
cult and jolly and apples and
to nurse the cat and play
| with their little cousins fine Paris
doll. They always come hand In hand
| and with clean faces and ribbOned hair
and we meet them at the door, Tor they
| bring sunshine to our hearts and homo.
| love to have them climb into the back
Of my big chair and bother me while |
write, aud | have to stop and draw
pictures for them and to hear the little
one call me her good old for nothing
gan pa. The other day l met them
going another way and they said they
were going to SEQ their other grandma.
"Yes," said l, 'you have two grand
mas, but you haven't got but ono
grandpa" The little one looked up
lovingly to me and said: I'VE don't
tai key for the boys who are coming
and the little girl surveyed him and
said: "Gan'pa, be is running at the
nose and It's bloody" 1t Was the older
one who said the turkey WAS sick,
reckon for he keeps vomiting.
! Dean Swift was d cynic and had no
love for chtldron. He said that an
author who talked about his own books
was as silly as mother who was ever
telling something smart about her
children. l reckon he would say that
grand parents were more silly tnan
mothers. l confess that it is q good
part OF my happiness now to mingle
with and to pet the little grand
children and that is why l feel alarmed
for fear some thing will happen to them
before / die or that | will die before
they get old enough to love me with u
love that will not forget, and | think
Of Tom Moore and his gazelle that
died. | don't know, where my spirit
will be, but it seems TO me now that
would like to have these little ones
bring flowers to my grave sometimes
. and talk about me. What would the
world be without children, for OF such
is the kingdom or heaven. just
imaY inc for u moment the desolatlon
the despair that would pervade the
homo and society and trade and com
merce-not day school in all the
land, nor Sunday school; not little
shoe or stocking nor little
hat nor doll or toy in any store; nc
. | ~ OF mr. All
, infantiie medicines; no tireworko, nc
, Christmas nor Santa Claus; no nothing
hardly, for it is q fact that the worlo
is working for children. The cynics say
that marriage is q failure. Suppose II
! is in many cases. Children are moi
= failures, Divorces may st.as the love
Of man and wife, but they still love
the children and contend for the
possession Of them.
} Good schools build up towns and com
muniLies and the children make the
schools. Country people move to towr
to e lucate them. What would become
OF the 1000 teachers In the State O
Georgia? What would the publishers
do with all their schOOlbooks ano
picture books? Who would 90 to 8
picnic or a monkey show? What ex
cuse would men folks have for going
to the circus? Wouldent it be g !oL c
some, NO account WOfluI
| But marriage is not failure. l,
| could not be-, for 1t was ordained by
God. One or two unhappy marriages
[ in community sets all the dogs bark
| ing. Divorces are multiply ing, but
only among the very rich or the
drunken poor. Money or whisky are
the cause Of most of them and in nine
cases out of ten tho man is 10 blame
| There Is but one Scriptural ground for
J divorce and nine men are guilty OF
that to one woman. Poor, long suffer
, ing women. How silently, secretly
| and sadly you have to endure what you
know, but cannot tell. and all you car
do is to hug your children all the closer
) to your bosom and trust in God.
| was Illuminating about children be.
cause [ am away off from mine and on
my way hero passed country school
house just as the children were piling
out for recess and they came like bees
out Of q hive. AS long as the train
stopped at that station watched them
at their merry plays and sports in the
pretty grove near by and | almost
wished that | was a boy again 80 that
might join them. Good gracious,
how | could run and jump and climb
aud sh cut: how long and happy was
the day.
THE sun ne'er rose wink too loon,
Nor brought too long day,
But now | often wish the night
Had borne my breath away"
Tom Hood wrote that poor fellow.
do not say 1T, for love to live a I'd
} have few regrets to distress me. I am
here In Okolona, pretty town with a
pretty name. This good old State, q
daughter OF Georgia, Is full OF Indian
names OF towns and counties and
rivers. These names are all that ia
left OF the tribes--the Chickasaws and
Choctaws and Greeks and Matches.
They were proud and happy people,
but had ito vanish when the pale faces
came and coveted their lands. Colonel
Gordon, a Confederate veteran, lives
here and interested me greatly in the
history OF Mississippi, for he and bis
father before him could say "magna
pars fulp'-'a good part OF 1t I was"
He gave mo the origin and meaning OF
Ind 1fon frkN