The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-04-26
BILL ARP LOVES LITTLE ONEs
He Says IL May Mean That He Is
Growing Old-His Delight is to Sec
the Little Follows Enjoy Them

Growing Old-His Delight is to See
the Little Follows Enjoy Them
selves.
That pony and dog show is the best
entertainment for children | ever saw.
reckon that Professor Gentry runs it
Tor the money that Is In it, but never-
theless ne should DO commended and
hOn0red for the pleasure that he has
given to thousands and thousands OF
children all over the land. The poet
said that Abou Ben Adhem was ad-
mitted to Heaven by ST. Peter because
he loved his fellow men, and maybe
the professor will get in because he
worked 80 hard to please the children.
Children are big thing In Heaven.
"Suifer little children to come unto
Me, for of such is the Kingdom OF
Heaven" is the sweetest verse in the
Bible to mothers and it utterly para
lyzes the dogma of infant damnation
| know there is plenty OF scripture to
establish the doctrine OF election, hut
have mover believed that 1T applied
to little children. The maternal in
stinct abhors it.
But this pony and dog show was a
most beautiful street pageant and was
free to the hundreds who were too Door
to pay for the tent performance. They
ought to thank the professor for that.
/ am poor myself, but | strained nv
pockctbook and took all our little folks
in. They are still talking about it.
The monkey who played doctor, and
the pony who laid down and groaned
and played sick and how the monkey
cured him, and how they rode on the
ponies and the tricks of the beautiful
dogs and so on. How wonderfully fond
the children are Of little things, little
dolls and puppies and kittens, little
horses and colts and calves, little tiny
babies and little chickens. Old folks
like little children, and it is q sure
sign that n man is nearing his second
childhood and that his hold upon the
world Is weakening when he loves the
company of innocent children. Now |
am not SO dreadfully stuck on the aver
age boys. When they arc good they
are very good indeed, but when they
arc bad they are horrid. Onc day a
grand-chjld behaved SO Oal st the
table that | told him he 81 ouldcnt
come any more, but should wal, or cat
in the kitchen. When | got up and
loft he said: Gamma. ganpa gettin'
mighty old, ain't he? ?" " Yes ;" she
said. "Ganpa, he'll die some time,
won't he ," But | do love the little
girls.
am nov in Florida again, for the
good people kept calling me and the
spring has come and everything down
here is SO calm and sercre that am
glad | accepted their invitations. The
loyal Daughters Of the Confedcracy
are very strong in Florida and ask cd
for q little hcl p and SO I am here In
their behalf. had two hours in Sa-
vannah, but had to leave at 3 o'clock
in the morning and so cid not sec my
friends, Tor nobody gets up in Savan-
nah until dinner time and some lew lie
abed till next day. That's what Evan
Howell told me. | travelled with him
all the way and enjoyed his company,
for he Is always the same good talker
and he gave me q graphic account Of
his re cant Havana trip. He likes the
Cubans, especially the Castilian class
es, who, he says are high-toned, gen-
erOus and honorable people. He feared
that our occupation Of Cuba was going
20 be prejudical to Florida, but he stop
ped long cnoagh ao"n here to DO away
with such apprehensiOns.
Florida cannot have a substitute and
will always DO the lovelest State in the
UniOn-the natural sanitarium for our
invalids and the garden Of the South
An old Georgia friend who has been
hore for some months told me today
that this State was never in so PROSPER
Gus q condition as it is today and that
there Is. moro money here per capita
than there is in Georgia. Every branch
Of business and every industry is pros.
pcring and the people generally are
contented and happy. Howell says the
worst draw back upon the rural popula.
tion Is the lack of good, cool, refresh
ing water. He told about an old friend
Of his who came down here for the first
time to visit an old acquaintance. He
got of the train at Waldo, whore his
friend met him, and drove out to his
little farm two or three miles away.
The day was hot and the old man was
tired and thirsty and longcd for the
cool spring he left at home. II is Flor
ida friend pulled down the pole and the
bucket went down into a hole in the
ground a few feet deep and drew it up
full Of brackish, tepid water and said +:
" Now, Jim, just help yourself; drink
right out OF the bucket in the old
fashioned "ay;' and he did. 1t didn't
take him long to got enough and. ne
said: "l've got enough, Tom drink
the rest yourself, and when you come
to my house III heat some for YOU"
1t is q beautiful prospect to look from
Inc Trains AZ LnlS country now. Every
mile or two you see the truck farms in
"a Strut Of vegetation, and the straw ber-
ries especially attracted my attention.
dearly love to see them by the acre
and look upon the pink and carnation
col0rs that ming,c 80 prettily with the
green leaves. At almost every Station
the crates OF berries are piled up wait.
ing for the express trains 60 speed them
to market. They are now bringing S.
q crate at the producers station, and
there is money in the business. Chill
dren, white and black, are seen pick.
ing them. Little girls get 3 cents a
quart end little boys y cents for
the girls handle them moro carefully
and don't steal every big one they
find.
Then there are the new potatoes and
tomatoes and cabbages that are in full
harvest and bring good prices. AS to
cattle, you are hardly ever out OF sig ht
OF them. They are not great big fat
cattle, but our lamentad friend, Judge
Clark, said q Florida heifer in fair con:
ditiOn made the best and swectcst beef
steak in tho world and was more. like
yenison than beef. The lumbGf and
turpentine business down here Is on u
regular boom I,umbcr that 81 voar