The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-09-27
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Passing Away of Friends Causes
Barlow Man to Illuminate.
THREE GAVE UP LIFE ON SAME DAY
They Were Colonies Moore, Mynatt and
DIR. Gootchius-An Good Men.

Sometimes they soar to heaven or nes-
tie among the stars, but their home is
here among our people. our friends
and kindred and the concerns of our
daily life. Who has not wondered
how he came to be thinking of this
thing or that and traced it back to
something wholly irrelevant, but lead
ing 1t on by shadowy lines. But lit
tie while ago 1 was sadly thinking
| about the sudden death of three
more of my good friends-friends
whom L loved and everybody loved
who knew them. Mr.. Moore, of Au-
burn; Colonel Mynatt, of Atlanta, and
DR.. Goetchius, of Rome, left us on
the same day. They were good men
and the world was made better by
their presence.
was thinking especially about DR..
Goetchius, the preacher, whose jour
ney and destination was so suddenly
changed, for he had bought his ticket
for Tallulah Falls, there to spend his
vacation, and was to take the train at
o'clock. He rose from his bed at 2
and at he was dead and his spirit
soaring heavenward. Then I thought
| about Mrs. Barbauld's lines that fit so
we'll:
! Life! we have been long together
In pleasant and in cloudy weather;
'Tis hard to part when friends are dear,
Perhaps twill cost a sigh or tear.
Then steal away-give little warning;
Choose thine OWE time,
Say not goodnight, but in some brighter
| Bid me coed morning"
Then I ruminated about that won.
| derful woman. How she was the first
to write story books for the children
and hymns for the church and how her
life was spent in the schoolroom among
| the children that she loved. And then
1 recalled that beautiful hymn that she
wrote:
| Chow blest the righteous when he dies,
When sinks the weary soul to rest,
How mildly beam the closing eyes,
| How gently heayes the expiring breast"
And then l thought of the words OF
BALKAN, upon which that hymn was
founded, "Ohl may die the death of
the righteous and may my last end be
like His"
And this reminded me Of those other
words Of Balaam? "What hath God
wrought" That was the first mes.
sage sent over telegraph wire. 1t
was sent from Washington to Balti-
more by Miss Anna Ellsworth, the
daughter of the commissioner of pat
ents. She had been very kind to
Professor Morse and he had promised
that she should send the first mes
sage. This was sent on the oath day
Of May, 1914, and two days later the
second message was sent from Balti-
more to Washington, announcing that
James K. Polk had been nominated
for president.
L remember all this, for [ was in
college then. But still the people were
incredulous and waited for the mail
train to bring the news. Then I ru.
minated on the hard lot of great in
ventors, and how Morse spent all of
his small estate and received but little
encouragement, being so utterly poor
that he had to go without food at times
for twenty-four hours, and how he
pleaded with congress for three years
in vain for an appropriation to help
him perfect and build line to Balti-
more-and how at the very last, when
he was in despair and had given up all
hope, congress did at midnight, on the
last day of the session, pass the bill
or $50, 900, and Anna Ellsworth came
running to him in delighted haste and
told him the good news. What an
agonizing life he had led during all
these years, for he had been refused
help at home and had been to England
and to France in search of it and found
it not.
Now just think of it. After he had
built his first lines and his success
was established he offered his patents
to the United States for 100000 and
it was refused and he was constrained
to sell to private parties, an invention
that soon came to be worth one hun
bred millions. But he died full Of
years and full of honors, and even
France made him a donation of AGO.
900 francs. What a wonderful man
perhaps the greatest all around that
ever lived-for he was painter of dis
tinction and renown, the pupil and
TIE peer of Allston and West and the
city of Charleston was his best friend
and patron and has now his portraits
of Monroe and Lafayette. He was
sculptor, an architect, a philosopher
and poet, and would have reached
the top in all had Re not become so alb
sorbed in Harvesting the lightning. AS
matter of course he was kept in litiga-
ton several years and other parties
tried to steal his invention. but the
supreme court of the United States
did finally affirm everything that he
claimed. He died in 1872 in his eighty
first year.
Here my thoughts rested for awhile