Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1902-05-17
MISSISSIPPI MATTERS
By KATE MARKHAM POWER.
NOTES OF PAST AND CURRENT EVENTS

With this week Mississippi is again
honored by the arrival within her cap
Itals hospitable borders of one Of the
greatest religious bodies of the world
the General Assembly of the Presby-
Aerian Church, made up Of delegates
nom the Presbyteries all over the
South. Once before this great and
learned body met in Mississippi, and
Vickshur0 uoo ita hanas.eA- hadtnSo
On Thursday morning, the 18th inst,
the first service will be held in the
First Church, Jackson, and the COM
missioners-about three hundred-to-
gether with the missionaries, officers
Of the church, boards, etc., will be
the welcome guests of Jackson's hos
pitable homes for ten days. Every
thing is being done for the proper re-
ception and entertainment Of these
distinguished men-the very flower of
the church in the South, and so in
these United States-and their assem-
bly, in Jackson will be the source of
mutual pleasure and benefit. 1t will
be great shadow on the meeting Of
1902 that DR.. B. M. Palmer, the dearly
beloved of so many thousand hearts,
will be absent because of the cruel ac-
cident to his now fast-failing body,
at his home in New Orleans, last week,
when his leg was broken in two places
and other severe injuries were sus-
tanned This gifted preacher and
sanity man, who through his long life
has walked so close within the foot
steps Of the Master he, loves and
serves, has long been the central figure
at these great meetings of the South
ern Presbyterians, and his absence
will be severely felt. His splendid
head, with its Grown of glory" will
be missed in the varied scenes of the
assembly; his kindly greeting will not,
rs has been the custom, add sunshine
10 the day for his friends, nor will the
vast audience sit enthralled by the
music of the beautiful voice, the puri-
ty Of diction and the solemnity Of the
message that he delivered with such
eloquence and such love from his
Master But absent though he will be
In body, his influence will linger like
benediction over the men who have
labored so long and so lovingly be-
side him in this high court of the
church, and it will bless and brighten
their labors and uplift their hearts
just to take time for thought of DR..
Palmer.
The State of Mississippi, and the
medical profession in particular, lost
a bright and shining light when, at
his home in Oxford, on May 4, the life
of DR.. Thomas Dudley Isom went out
and he entered into the rest that re-
mains for the people of God" This
space is too restricted for a fitting
recital of the many splendid elements
and noble attributes that combined to
make of this great man one of ma
ture's nobleman, and a perfect type
Of the chivalrous, cultured Southern
gentleman. He was a soldier, too
not alone for the four years Of battle
when the eyes Of the world were upon
him, but during the more than four
score years of his life did he fight the
enemies within and without, seen and
unseen, and in these he came off vic
tor. Few men live to such great age
with their mental abilities unimpaired,
but such was the blessing given to
this beloved physician, and those of
his household and friends. Up to the
very last his great learning was a
source Of delight to all about him,
and even unto the end the beautiful
faith that had upheld him through
life's stern vicissitudes-a faith as
strong as martyrs and as simple as
a child's-illumined his soul and made
glorious its entry into that realm
where the pure in heart see God. To
his children and grandchildren the
people of the State extend their sym
pathy The State University and all
the schools of Oxford (colored as we'll
as white) closed in respect to his
memory.
If we should chronicle week by
week the signs of advancement in
Brookhaven, we would have to give
that town a special department in
Mississippi Matters" 1t has been
growing steadily for four or five years
now, and the best part of it is that
1t is being made into a city by home
men and largely by home capital. 1t
Is true-and "pity it's 'tis true"-the
town failed to vote for bond issue
for sewerage last week; but we are
confident there must have been some
very good reason for this seeming
backward step on the part Of town
so well along on the road of progress.
We notice from recent postofice re-
ports that there was an increase of
S14,172 in the business handled at the
Brookhaven postofflce during the past
year. If this rate of increase con-
tinues through this year that town will
be a second-class office and the post
master will find, his salary raised to
$4,000. All of which we hope and ex-
pect to be able to chronicle.
The trustees of the Deaf and Dumb
Institute have decided to build five
two-story cottages with dining hall,
pantrles, kitchen, ETC., separated, of
eight rooms each, during the summer,
80 as to have them in readiness for
the reception of pupils in the fall.
This is considered the best plan, as
the trustees hope to sell these cottages
(which will face President street)
when the new institution is ready for
occupancy, several years hence.