The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-02-27
BILL ARP HELPS THE YOUNG
They Are Asking Questions and
He Takes the Place of Rocks

feel pleased and honorcd TO re-
ceivc letters every day from young
girls and boys over the South asking
Tor information on some subject or
for help in school debate or for a
start in compositon-just a start.
These young people are generally from
the country, where books are scarce
and their cagcrness for knowledge and
mental Improvement is very gratify-
ing. wish that was three or four
men SO that | could respond to all
their letters and comply with their
requests. | reply to as many as can,
but L cannot take time to write COM
positions, even if it was right to do so.
one boy bcgs me to write him a
speech, humorous speech, and winds
up by asking me please to write two,
SO that he may take choice.
We see that some of the good ladies
of the Atlanta Woman's Club are NOV
ing to supply the country schools with
small libraries of good books and the
Southern Railway has donated II at
book cases tor them. This, of course,
is for Fulton County, but it is move
IN the right direction and will, no
doubt, stimulate the ladies of other
towns TO do the same thing. 1t is the
very best thing have heard of wo-
mans club doing. The desire for
books to read is almost universal among
the young people of the rural dis.
tricts, and they should be encouraged.
looks are cheaper than ever before
known, and cheap bookcases can be
had for few dollars each. | am not
at all intimate with Mr.. Carnegie, but
if l was would whisper in his phlan-
thropic ear and suggest that he turn
his attention for awhile to the towns
and villages and let the big cities alone.
Our Gainesville Woman's Club is
struggling hard to keep up their little
library, but are not encouraged by the
men of the town. Their books are out
all the time, and arc lcad and rc-read
by many of the children whose fathers
do not give dollar to help maintain
the library. This may be thouehtlcss-
ness, and so | have suggested that the
ladies go around and see who will give
so cents or 25 cents, or even 10 cents
month to keep up the supply and pay
their room rent and incidental eXpen-
| oSS' vi SouiSC Viz Ciiul Vi
books must be thoroughly considered.
Nothing sectional or trashy or scnsa-
tional but only those that " point q
moral or adorm tale" Every public
school should have burning commit
tee, such as they have as Forsyth, Ga.
a bright boy from Alabama writes
that his name Is John Jones, and
wants TO know when and how he got
it says his father and grandfather had
the same name, hut they died without
telling where they got il. He says his
schoolmatc is named Will Higginboth.
am and he, too, wants to know where
his name came from. / admire their
eager curiosity, for our ue is our
signboard and every boy ought to
know who put it up and what it reads
OF course it is too big a thing TO tell
much about names IN a letter like this
but l must tell Jack and Bill about
theirs.
John is as old as the Christian era
and means " Whom Jehovah loves. q
| knew man very well who lived
near Rome, and his four sons were
named Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John, and his two daughters were
named Mary and Martha. These good
old-time people had great reverence fol
the Bible and Bible names. One of m,
fathers customers was named Shad
rack Began, and his three sons were
ShadracK, Meshack aid Abednego
: Another customer, David Allan, nam
ed his son AbsaloDl, and for wonde
he was good DOy and made goot
man, and his father, David, had n,
4 occasion to say "Oh, Absalom, m,
son, my son !"
Well in course Of time the people in
creased and multiplied 80 that thei
children had to have two names, so a
Q to distinguish them, and 80 Johns SOL
j was called Johnson in English, or j OH
= Johns in Welsh. After awhile it be
I came John Jones. The Joncses are a
: of Welsh origin. The Welsh were
brave, religious people, and fought th
n English for many centuries. The
e never did submit until they were prom
7, ised that no king should rule them, Q,
et cept one born OH their soil, and Il
should be called the prince of Vale
10 King Edwards son happened to
I'd born at beautiful little Welsh tow