The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-04-18
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Arp Tells About the Days and Months.
Atlanta Constitution.

burncl upand the standard of weights
and measure, was burned up with it
and IT took years to reproduce them.
Tor although thousands Of people had
yard sticks and weights and measures.
they were not exactly alike. Many
yard ticks were trilic short and
there were scales to buy by and scales
to sell by and 50 with peek measures
and halfbushcl measures, for there
were dishonest merchants then and |
reckon there are some now The first
foot measure is said to have been the
exact length Of an ancient Roman
cmpcrors foot. The first inch was
the length of three grains Of English
barley, which, it is said, is the most
uniform in size and length Of any grain
in the world. They took los grains
out Of Il pile and laid them in line
( touching each other and called it a
yard, and one thirty sixth part Of that
line was an inch and so VIC have the
old table Of three barley corns make
one inch, twelve inches one foot and
so on. When my wife wishes to cut
up shirting or calico into certain
lengths she measures it by holding it
out at arm Is length from the tips Of
her fingers to her nose and declares
she does not miss it quarter Of an
inch and says it is moro correct than
three barley corEs or an emperor $
foot. What time the people Of the
world have had in getting things set
tied down to u uniform condition.
And they are not all settled yet. We
have not yet agreed on our war with
the Philippines or the English war
with the Bocrs or the tariff on Porto
Rico or whether Nc Kinlcy is a tipplcr
or is Dewey joking about the presi
dcncy Or who isgovcrnor Of Kentucky.
There arc over 200 different kinds Of
religions in this cou, try. There arc
seventeen kinds If NIcthodists. thir-
teen OF Baptists, twelve Of Prcsby-
tcrians, six Of Roman Catholics, six
of Adventists, four Of Quakcrs, ten Of
Mcnnonitcs, seven Of Luthcrans, two
Episcopalan besides Dunkards. Uni
versalists, Mormons, Spiritualists and
many others too tedious to mention.
All Of these profess to be Christian
chi rches and declare they eau prove
their faith by the Bible.
But still the world rolls on aud the
years with it. The seasons come and
go just as they havc for ages. There
is no variation in the works Of God
Sometimes l wish that like Him
could be poised away up in the heav-
F, ems and look down upon tho world and
see it turning over and rolling onward
in it's orbit. would want eyes that
would scrutinize everything upon it.
Battles and blood and carnage and the
dead and dying snd the mourners and
! the spires OF the churches and hear
the Sabbath bells and the preachers
sermons and see happy children going
co school and the farmers plowing in
tho fields and the cattle upon thous-
and hills and the never ceasing rush
of people in the streets Of the great
cities and the gold piled up in the
bankers vaults and the poor and
wretched in the slums and the thous-
ands of convicts in the prisons and the
fires and funerals and banquet, and
the ships at sea and here and there q
wreck and all on board engulfed. Yes,
I would wish to see it all just once
life and death, happiness and misery,
saints and sinners in one vast kaleido-
scope. Then 1 would like to climb
higher still and see the universe and
listen to the music Of the spheres and
soar among the stars and ride upon
tho planets and-weli no, don't be-
lieve I would. On the Who'll, would
rather stay at home and work in the
garden and cat my own asparagus for
dinner and take my evening nap and
anon hear familiar voice remark
"William, the flour is out and so is the
sugar" am glad I can't sec all the
misery and am content with my hum
bic lot.
BILL ARP.