The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-06-26
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Arp HIas Birthday.--FIas Reached His
75th e ear.
Aaanto Constitution. .


To-day is the seventy-fifth anniver-
sarv of my advent into this world-my
coming into this myster, ,ous, wonder
ful condition that we call life. tits a
fitting time for meditation, ,contempla-
ton, cogitation aud ,uminosion. An
AGED poetcss played double with her
self aud said:
Life! We've Dsen long together,
Through pleasant and through. cloudy
weather;
Saw not "goodp'gae," give little warning,
And in some brighter cline bid me "good
morning"
She dident ,are to linger and Ian
euish on her last bed. The doctors
hadent invented or discovered heart
failure then, but that's the way she
wished to 60.
l do not. I would have some little
time for the last loving words, and
some time for tears and sor-
row on the faces of those who love.me
The depth Of the aged is only change
"a parting, beginning Of another
life 1t is.no calamity, no horror, no
shock, no unreasonable thing. It is
the law of our being and the old are
not far ahead of the young. How
kind it is in providence to reconcile
us to it as we near the goal. Iromon-
bcr when I thought it was an awful
thing to die. I dared not think of it,
much less to ponder it, and it seemed
to me that there was some possible es-
cape from it and l might not surely
die. But as we near the allotted age
and realize the symptoms Of decay we
become less reluctant, less alarmed
and like, JOB are ready to exclaim, II
would not live always; ask not to
stay"
But some how I do not feel old-not
very old-not in6rm. My eyes are
weak and my hearing impaired, and
when | stoop long at work in the gar
den or picking strawberries my back
aches and my knee bones crack when
straighten up, but I sooA get over
it. l.'love work-easy work-and it
keeps me in good health, but I DON t
like to work by the day or the job for
somebody else. / don't like to have
master or a boss except my wife, who
wants me right now to transplant her
peppers. | gently limited that they
should be planted by high tempered
woman to do we'll, and she said she
thoughtlan impertinent man would do
as we'll and I ,ad better, attend TO it
right away. SO. uetimes I thinkI have
worked enough, or the poet says we,
should crown E
"a youth of labor with an age of ease.n
and SO I like to work when Ifeel like
it and quit when I please. I havo
never distressed myself about the
work that the toilers have to do.
Work has its hardships and it's bless
iugs, too. The law Of compensation
governs every trade or calling or con
dition in life. There is good side
and bad side. There are lights and
shadows. Work is NATURES law. nBy
the sweat of the brow shalt thou eat
bread and no idle man is happy.
The sleep Of the laboring man is
sweet saith Solomon, and the doctor
tells us that bodily exercise promotes
good digestion. Work brings content
ment. The wealthy who don't work
and don't have to are always, longing
Tor something they haven't got. Some
I thing that money cant buy, for it will
not buy good health nor good children
nor make the home happy. The peace
and gratitude Of the cotter's Saturday;
4 nights unknown to the rich. & The
tollers as aclass are the happiest peo-
q pie | know. They enjoy their food
and their rest and their Sundays. I
had rather take the chdhces for happi-
ness on earth and homo in heaven Of
the working man than those Of the
4 millionaire. Byron says ''The many.
must always labor for the few and
Cobe says "the good Lord made poor
q men just to Keep rich men in money!
but the good book says ga poor man
Sean squeeze through the eye of a
d needle and rich man cant. . Cobe
4 IS good Confederate veteran and en-
!cys his record aud his religion and
us tobacco. That is all. he has and
be is content.
One of the greatest comforts Of old
age is in contemplating the happiness
|os children. It delights me to set in
.ne shade OF my veranda and watch