The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-06-20
Barlow Philosopher Has Reached Ills
18th Year.
And HE STOPS TO Mediate,
He Quotes Lines From a Poetess he
Says Was Old, if Not Fond OF Heart
Failure.

tui CONDITION tnaI We cali islS. II 10 =
ftting time for meditation, contempi%-
tion. ccgitatiOn and rum.naton. Al
aged poctesS played double with her
self and said:
Life. We've been long together.
Through pleasant and through
cloudy weather;
Say not goodnight" give little warn
ing,
And in some brighter cline bid me
good morning"
She ddn' care to linger and languiSn
or her last bed The doctors hadn't
invented or discovered heart failure
then, but that's the way she wished to
go.
| do not. l would have some little
time for the last loving words, AID
looks-some time for tears and sorrow
on the faces Of those who lave me. The
death of the aged is only a change-a
parting. a beginning OF another life. Il
is no calamity. TO horror 10 shock, no
unreasonable thing. 1t IS the law o:
our being and the old are not far ahead
of the young. How kind it is in prov
idence to reconcile us to it as We ne1"
the goal. remember when though:
it was an awful thing to die. dacci
not think OF it. much less to ponde" l.
and it seemed TO me that there wa
some possible escape from it and
might not surely die. But as we near
the allotted age and realize the sym2-
toms Of decay We become less reluc-
tant, less alarmed and like Job are
ready 10 exclaim, Il would not live a
ways; l ask not to stay"
But some how do not feel old-nGt
very old-not infirm. My eyes a:a
weak and my hearing impaired, and
when l stoop long at work in the gar
den or picking strawberries my Da1k
aches and my knee bones crack when |
straighten up, but | soon get over Il.
I love work-eaSy work-and it keeps
me in good health. but | don't like 10
work by the day or the job for some-
body else. | don't like to have ma2
ter of boss except my wife, who
wants me right now to transplant he:
peppers. l gently hinted that they
should be planted by 4, high tempered
woman TO do we'll, and she said sha
thought an impertenent man would do
as we'll and had better attend to II
right away. Sometimes thing have
worked enough for the poet says we
should crown
"A youth Of labor with an age Of
case
and so | like to work when | feel like
it and quit when | please. l have
never distressed myself about the work
that the toilers have TO do. Work has
its hardships and it's blessings. too. TIE
law of compensation governs every
trade or calling or condition in l.ia.
There is a good side and bad side.
There are lights and shadows. Wo:k
is natures law. "By the sweat Of the
brow sha;t thou earn bread, and 10
idle man is happy. The sleep of IL
boring man is sweet" saith Solomon,
and the doctor tells us that bodily eXer
else promotes good digestion. Work
brings conteltment. The wealthy who
don't work and don't have to are al
ways longing for something they
; haven't got Something that money
can't buy, for it will not buy good
health nor good children. nor make the
nome happy. The peace and graft
tude of the cotter's Saturday night is
unknown to the rich. The to:lers as
a class are the happiest people know.
They enjoy their food and their rest
the chances for happiness on earth ard
a home in heaven of the working man
than those OF the millionaire. Byron
says The many must always labor for
the few" and Cobe sayS The good
men in money" but the good book
Lord made poor men just to keep rich
says poor man can squeeze through
the eye Of a needle and a rich, man
can't" Cohe is a good confederate
veteran and enjoys his record and hia
religion and his tobacco. This is all
he has and is content
One of the greatest comforts CT CID
age is in contemplating the happiness
OF children 1t delights me TO set in
the shade OF my veranda and watch for
two little girls who are four and six
years old. coming up the avenue hand
in hand and waving a welcome and a
smile at me. 1t rejoiCeS me to watch
larger ones as they play croquet, on
the tennis court near by and to hear
their merry voicls and unconsciously l
breathe a prayer that they may always
be happy and no calamity or affliction
hafall them in the wears to come If [