The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-09-05
BILL ARP'S LETTER
Barlow Philosopher Recalls Last
Words Of Great Men.
AS FOR HIMSELF he "STILL LIVES"
Last Remarks Of Daniel Webster,
When on His Death Bed, I'm.
presses William With
Great Force.
AS FOR HIMSELF he "STILL LIVES"

press me with peculiar force. On the
very confines Of eternity, on the brink
OF the everlasting change that he knew
was at hand, his great mind seemed to
be studying and waiting for the mo-
ment of his departure-waiting and
watching for the separation OF the
soul from the body, and wondering
how he would pass the crisis. There
was no fear no dread, as he calmly
whispered, Il still live" and immedl-
ately died, His body died, and what
was the next vision Of his great soul
the world would like to know, but it Is
forbidden. thought of all this not
long ago as I seemed to be drawing
near the end and approached the con-
fines of that undiscovered country
from whose bourne no traveller re-
turns. | was serious and solemn with
expectation, but was not alarmed for
my faith is that my Maker will take
care Of me and of all others who love
Him and try to do right. All that trou-
bled me was the separation from those
love and their grief at my departure.
Two months is a long time to be
child again without vital force enough
to walk alone. But have passed the
crisis, and though weak and nervous
am on the upgrade, and can walk
about the garden and carry the little
grandchild in my arms and give him
flowers and feast on his smiles and
caresses.
Well that Is enough on that line
You readers can find sermons and
prosy commentaries on sickness and
death on another page "Carpe diem. 3"
Let US enjoy the day and be thankful
that we still live. But to drop rever-
emily from the sublime to the ridicu-
lous recall that when I was young a
number Of us were quoting the last
words of great men such as Seneca
and Plato and Calvin and Luther, and
one said: well, you know what Dan
Tel Webster said?" No, we did not re-
member and he replied "Why, he
opened his great big eyes and looked
at his friends who were weeping
around him and whispered, Boys,
don't cry; I am not dead yet
Forty-one years ago last Sunday the
battle Of Manassas was fought 1t was
the first battle of the civil war and
made deeper impression upon those
engaged in it than any other Com
pared with the great battles that came
after it, it was almost insignificant, for
there were only four hundred nd seven
and seventeen confederates. The
federal account gives sixteen hun
dred Of their army as missing.
That is mistake, for by four
o'clock they were all missing Our cav
airy couldn't find them, though they
followed their trail Of discarged guns
and haversacks for miles and miles.
There never was such a rout and such
a panic during the war. We didn't
have enough wagons next day to gath
er up the scattered munitions Of war
and 1t took Mcdowell a month to call
in his army of twenty thousand
men and reorganize. But in the long
run they got even with US and a little
ahead. and the Grand Army is still
Dragging how four of them whipped
one of us in four years. That's all
right. We are satisfied with our rec
ord, and it grows brighter as the years
roll on Ammo domini will tell. Thu
other day my doctor said | must take
some exercise and he took his mother
and me up the river road for a few
miles to the ruins of the Cooper iror
works. 1t was a wild, weird, ghostly
place on the banks of the Etowah
where once were rolling mills anC
foundry and furnaces and flour mill!
and tan yards and hundreds of cot
tages. where happy laborers and me
chanics lived. But Sherman's arm!
burned and destroyed everything, ant
since then most of the crumbling walls
have fallen and the trees have grow
up in their midst and wild vines have
climbed the trees and nothing is visi
Bile but ruins and the sad spectacle o
a cruel and bitter war. But this is ont
burning that, according to the rule
and usages of war, was justified 70
these iron works were making cannon
for the confederacy. 1t was the lone
some chimneys of the poor all aloni
his line of march that marked his bru
tally and proved his assertion tina
WAR is hell
But no more Of this. While viewini
these ruins my memory went back Il