The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-03-06
BILL ARP WRITES VERSES.
His Troubles Began When He
Wrote Lines in School Girls
Album.

r i'ost 10 Tie sight bat to the memor
dear
Those lines are the beginning o
! some verses | wrote in a school girl
album lifty-four years ago. The littl,
Dook Is near me now. 1t is old an(
war-worn and it makes me sad to turn
ITS leaves and read the pretty verse.
. that adorn its pages. The author.
were her best friends and all are dead
but onc-thr one now writing tins
letter. & Friend after friend departs
who las not lost Il friend 20 This
album was captured during the uncivi
war and carried away TO Babylon and
kept prisoner in a strange land for
twenty. one years and then was return
ed through the mail 1t takes con
science long time to bring repen.
lance to some people. That school
girl is my wllc-she is now sitting by
her window sewing, making little
dress for grandchild. Will She never
stop making little garments =? | asked
Jessie last night how many garments
1T took for her little Caroline in
each and every year, and she count
Ell them up-elght little dresses, ten
pettlcoats, four pair day drawers, two
pair night drawers and one cloak-say
twenty-five garments for winter and rs
many more for summer, and she makes
most of them herself My wife has
done all this for ten children until they
were hftcon years old. Fifty times
ten makes 800, and 800 times l5 makes
| 900 garments and she still keeps
working on. But she is not worn out
nor thin nor pale nor hagoard nor is
her eye dimmcd when she has on her
gold-bound glasses. Oh, these good
old mothers. Mine did the same thing
for her flock and my wifc's mother the
same for hers and so do th.y alex
cept some. loved my mother dearly,
but 1t grlevcs me sometimes that did
| not love her better, for l did not re-
alizc how much she did for me and
how her very soul was wrapped up IN
her children Stop young man, stop
ana think, when you are far away from
nome rollicking and lrolicking with
your gay companions stop sometimes,
stop and think of your good mother
and write to her a loving letter. Hone
ful and sad she waits for every mail
and never dcspairs.
But about albums. a friend has
left his with me for pcrsual one of
lncsc Old Tune mental Photographic
alDumS with about twenty questions to
DC answered. L have seen them be-
lore ami was amused at the ans wers.
bul lhls one interested me for its pages
contain an autobiography Of many
noble and notable men. 1t tells con
denscd story of their emotional and
t,hnrof,tnr a
thought is asked to write an answer TO
a question he is both cautious and sim
cere. lie knows that he is making an
exhibit OF his inner life TO every one
who reads it,
This album begins with Alex Stcph-
ems III 1874 and then follows with
Robert Toombs, IIerschel V. Johnson,
General Kirby Smith, James II. Ran
dali, Richard Malcolm Johnson, IL. O.
{. Lamar, Richard II. Clark, John B.
Gordon, Thomas NJ. Norwood, Rev.
Is. Nj. Palmer, Henry 5. Foote, Logan
Il. Blecklcy, Robert j. Burdcttc, Paul
ii. laync, Joel Chandler Harris, Wal
lace l.. Reed, Mrs. Octavia Walton lie
Vert, Judge Hook, Richard a. Proctor,
the great astronomer, and others
Every name is noble and notable, and
their answers arc indexes to their cha
actcls. Stephens favoritc books are
Milton, Pope and Shakespeare, his
heroine Rebccca in "Ivanhoe;" his
hero Washington; his occupation read
ing, and farming; his best trait in man
is truth and in woman modesty.
IOombs' favoritcs are Shakespeare
and Tom Moore, Gibbons and Macau-
lay; his characters in fiction R,enzl,
in history Socrates; his favorite &C.
cupation building air castles best trait
in man justice, i'll woman charity; the
sum of human happiness is to make
others happy.
Governor Johnson likes Pope, Mil
ton and BY ron and Swed"nborg, knows
nothing OF romance; his best characters
Washington and Jefferson; his accupa-
ton reading and writing; the highest
traits truth and bcnevoicncc; his watch
word duty.
Kirby Smith likes Gray. Young and
Iennyson, Scott, Irving and Macau-
ley; his favorite characters Sir Gala
had and 81. Paul; his favorite occupa-
ton making love to my wife," his
best traits in man are truth AMI honesty,
the sum of happiness contentment.
James Il. Randall likes Shakespeare
and Byron, Bulwcr, Thackeray and
Macaulay; his favoritc character in
romance Is Warrington in "Pcndennis," :"
in history Fenelon; occupation reading
and writing; the highest trait in man
devotion to principles, III woman
modcsty; the sum of human happiness
is resignation.
II. M. Johnson liked Byron, Scott,
Keats and Mrs. IIcmans, Macaulcv,
Bulwcr and Goldsmith; historic char
actcr Aurelius; occupation scribblng;
sum of happiness consciousness of
Gods favor.
l.. q. e.. Lamar liked best Byron
and Burns, Macaulay, Bulwer and
Plutarch; best characters Greathcart
in Pilgrims Progress in history
Washington and TIampden, lis favo-
rite occupation teaching in college; the
sum of human happiness the love of
God.
Rev. B. M. Palmer preferred Shakes.
peare, Milton and Wordsworth, Bacon
Bulwcr, Scott and Goldsmith; best
characters William, prince of Orange
Washington and Lee; his favoritc oc.
cupation preaching the gospel; bes,
! trait truth; sum of human happiness q
/, good conscience