The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-02-13

Sixty years ago there was some cX-
cusc for ignorance; VIC had but few
schools ia this Southern land and not
a dozen newspapers in the State.
There were not half as many reading
books in all our town as have now IL.
my small library Of 1919 volumes. In
our schools we hal blue back spell
ing book, SEilcy's arithmetic. Mur-
rays grammar, Smith S geography and
the English reader. TO master these
was considered a good old field cduca-
tion. | have on my shelf copy of
that same old English reader. Agood
lady sent it to me not long ago, and
l almost wcpt over its delightful
pages, for there is no school book now
published that has so choice q varied
selection Of reading both in prose and
poetry. -! have letter from an old
gentleman in Florida asking where he
will find little poem that his mother
taught him and some of which he has
forgotten. "It begins" he said,
"Pity the sorrows Of poor old man"
do not know where he will find it.,
except in the old English reader. 1t
was written in 1850 by Thomas Moss,
aud was quoted by DR.. Johnson and
Goldsmith Both loved the pathetic,
and nothing more pathetic was ever
written.
Pity the sOrrows of poor old man
Whose trembling limbs have born him
to your door,
Whose days arc dwindlcd to the short
est span;
=. All! give relief and Heaven will bless
your store.
These tattcrcd clothes my poverty be-
speak;
These hoary locks proclaim my length
cnca years,
And many n furrow in my grief worn
cheek
Has been the channel TO IL flood of
tears.
Oh, take me to your hospitablc home.
Keen blows the wind and piercing is
the cold;
Short is my passage to the friendly
tomb,
For am poor and miscrably old.
These are some of the verses, and
in another occurs the line often quot
ed:
"a pampcrcd mcnial drove me from
tho door,
This copy of Murray's English read
cr was printed in London two years be-
fore Queen Victoria was born. 1t was
the text book in most of the schools
when l was boy, and from it We got
our speeches and learned how to bow
and gesture and give accent and en-
phasis. This book, with the teacher s
aid, gave us an idea Of clocution and
how to read imprcssivcly. and wish
it was in all our schools to-day. We
have good scholars, but very few good
readers. 1t is rare to find Il preacher
who can emphasize his text on chap
ter or hymn. Every college, and
especially every theological seminary,
should have profcssorship of reading
and speaking. remember hearing an
eloquent divine preach sermon from
the text, "My sin is ever before ne,
and such was his uttcrancc Of that ID,
mcntation of David and such his pro
found and solemn rendering of the en-
during consequence of sin, thai al
his hearers were deeply impressed.
"My sin is ever before me" still rings
in our memories.
l said that sixty years ago there
was some excuse for ignorance, but
nevertheless, that age and those
schools produced many very notable
men. The young people were eager
for knowledge. a new book was q
treasure in the house, and there was
more time, more leisure, and Solo
mon says that "in leasure there is wis
dom
But now tho books arc almost in tn,
way. They crowd us and surround us
and "thc cry is still they come.
Young people read an average Of tw'
or three week, and forget the con
tents in month. There arc maga
zines in every household. and the.
contain our best litcrature-instruc
tive and entertaining; newspaper
flood the country by the millions. Th
New York World boasts that it pub
lished 240 million copies last year
Every County in our State has Coun
ty newspaper, and the editor of tn
Carrollton paper says that children
read great deal more ,han their faith
era did and keen nm with xyors On,