Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1902-09-10
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
The Philosopher Writes About the
Opening of the Schools.
THE9E is A GREAT OMMOTION
Children, Carrying their Books, Arc
Swarming on Their Way to Seek
Useful knowledge.

schools have opened the winter ses.
sion. Hundreds of children are going
70 and FRO and every family is excited
| tor their own. The books have been
hunted up, the faces washed and hair
| brushed. The boys have a new suit
and the girls new school dresses. and
IL looks like everything and every
BODY is working for the children.
merchants, mechanics. doctors. law
yers, preachers and farmers seem to
be busy in their trades and profes.
sions. but behind them all is the vel.
rare and happiness of their children.
we have but one scholar nova
sweet grandchild, who has risen to q
higher grade and has to strain her
young mind to solve the mazes and
mysteries of Latin and algebra, but
| she will do it. Our schools lave good
teachers. and with help at home the
willing pupil will keep up with the
foremost. Yes. help at home. | wish
tnat every child had It, In a grade OF
thirty or forty pupils it is impossible
Tor the teacher 10 give more than a
| lew minutes to each one. but | some
! times give an hour TO our little girl
at night. That is what an old
grandpa is good for. But it is hard
for even me to fall into line with new
DOCKS and master them. The first
Latin book read was a simple little
one called ''Historiae Sacra." and the
hrst line was Deus creavit caelam ct
terrain intra sex dies" God created
the heavens and the earth in six
days" | know the whole chapter
now. but that book is out of print and
l don't know the new ones. Just so
with algebra. Old jeremiah Day is
dead and now there is new book and
new rules, and they are harder to me-
How we old men do love to talk over
the good old ways of fifty and sixty
years ago.
Captain Calhoun was telling yester.
day how old Beman mauled knowl-
edge into the brain through the
shanks and posteriors of rebellious
| boys. | haven't forgotten some of the
lickinGs that good old John Norton
gave me. for | was full of mischief
Professor Ronald Johnston is here
now on n visit He taught here many
years and most all these young mar.
ried men carry his marks, for he is
Scotchman and has a Scotchm2ns
faith in Solomon and the road In
1861 he Joined the confederate army.
and when the war was over resumed
, his school and has now been teaching
over fifty years. He is fit successor
to Beman and Isham and Touchie. but
has gentled down a good deal and
loves TO pet his grandchildren.
l was Illuminating about these school
books and their cost Ii took Si to
buy four little books for the new
grade and | know it is too much. and
| rejoice to see that company has
been formed to publish southern
school books in a southern city and
keep our money at home. | rejoice
that DR.. |. William Jones has pub
lished school history of the United
States that is acceptable to our peo-
pie. He is a grand old gentleman with
out fear and without reproach and
has done more TO preserve our good
name and our record than any other
man. His biography of Jefferson Davis
and of Robert +. Lee should be in ev-
cry household. Even Teddy, who
claims To be a historian. ought to
read that of Mr.. Davis and repent and
retract and apologize before he is set
down as an arch calumniator of a
true patriot and a noble man. This re-
minds me of that brave girl, Laura
Talbert Gait. who refused to sing
Marching Through Georgia" in the
Louisville public school. Blessings on
her; she ought to be adopted as the
succc ssor to Winnie Davis, the Daugh-
friend. Joe Brown, has written
parody on that song, and the last l.nc
to every v5:Se is:
'''Aa we went thieving through Ger.
gig"
! have lost some of my respect fo-
the city of Louisville as southern
city since that infamous song is al
lowed TO be sung in their public !
schools
But / ON comforted every day with
letters Of inquiry about the roster
that Georgia is going to make an
about Judge Walter Clark's books anI
how to get them. Here Is a beautiful
Of the city of Highland Park, Ills lie |
Is 81 years old, but does not look II in |
his handsome photograph. He was |
born and reared in Tennessee and |
graduated at West Point in 1916. |
Stonewall Jackson was his room
mate; Generals d. r. Jones and Will |
liam Montgomery Gardner his class
mates. That Is getting pretty close |
to us, for ID. r. Jones was our briga.
der for q while. and Gardner WIGS our |
colonel. Mr.. Turnkey wants those |
books and w1sh to say here tMk the |
books must be ordered from NJ. .. |
Sheriff., state librarian. Raleigh. y. |
c. Send So and they will be sent by |
express. but not prepaid. And here is |
q letter from G. w. Nichols of Jesup. |
Ca. VINO also sends his interesting !
book, "a Soldiers Story OF the Lawton |
Gordon Evans Brigade" That's right |
IL we can find one man in every regi- |
ment who will writo its history we