Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-05-06
was put on hoaor and Joined a GLASS IN yir.

was put on hoaor and Joined a class In yir-
gil in the cabins. He brought no Latin
dictionary with him--said he did not need
| one-but he soon discovered that he had
use for it. The class discovered his
needs probably before he did, and as per
pre-arrangement told him that "Old
Boss" would lend him one for the asking;
SO this "know-all and reviewer" after
being instructed in pronunciation by the
class, went to the door of the school
house and In very loud voice yelled
out, "Mr. Kennedy, please lend me a
Latin vo.ca bu[ary." You can imagine
the result. IS
Mr., Kennedy was very bitter against
whiskey and drunkenness, and. one Mon
day morning he had very good reasons
to believe that some Of the boys had
been indulging too freely, and so pro-
ionged his morning services and gave
quite lecture On intemperance, and
closed by saying to the girls, "Girls,
don't you ever marry a drunken mani
One boy, who felt that he in particular
Was held under fire, and before the Sec
ond Thought could get control of him,
said, "Mr. Kennedy, won't they wait till
they are asked?"
AT the close of the civil war, poor
Confederate soldier in the neighborhood
aud his sweetheart, who had been true,
to him for four long years, concluded
that they would marry, but as the old
folks were opposed, they sought another
place than home for the happy event,
and decided to waylay Mr. Kennedy on
the way, and consequently met him near
his home in the public road and made
known their wishes Mr.. Kennedy was
willing and ready to make them man and
wife on the spot. The poor soldier asked
him what would be his charge for peffor.,
ming the ceremony. Mr.. Kennedy replied
That he made no charge, but usually in
such cases he got one dollac. The SOL
dier exclaimed, 81 haven't one cent?
The girl, without waiting for further
ceremonies, very much excited, DRIED
out, "Why, Mr.. Kennedy, / have a
quarter. Can't you marry us that muchp"
They were married in full, without price
and without money.
have told you something about Mr..
Kennedy and his schools, and regret to
state that to-day not one of the build
Quoted is standing. All have succumbed
to the ravages of time, and the teacher
has long since passed over the river.
Yet the man and the school liveth. The
influences of both abide with us by day
and by night. The humble home has
its portion; the bar, the bench, the print
ing press, the sanctum, the legislative
of learning, the battle-fields of our own
and foreign lands, the marts of trade
and business, and last but not least,
mothers. of the country, and the pulpit,
can backward turn with pride to John
Leland Kennedy and his school as in
spring the noblest sentiments of NOR
ality and integrity and as kindling the
first spark of ambition that led to honor,
fame and useful and Christian citizen
ship; yea, even Royalty has given ear
and homage to the tongue whose early
training was under these influences.
This is not only true of those whose
lives were under favorable star, guild
ing them onward and upward, but it is
also true of the less fortunate, whose
horoscopes shown brightest in the con-
stellation while at school. These infiu.
ences crop out in their daily life and in
their every word spoken, or line writteno
They cannot obliterate them from
memory or cancel them from public view.
Their dialect betrays them and tells
whence they came" Take the sad
story, either in pathetic verse or saddest
prose, of those who have fallen by the
wayside, faint and weak, and we see,
though through q thin, dusty coating,
John Leland Kennedy and his school.
May the young teachers of to-day be-
come inspired by your Efforts to make
teaching lifelong profession and not
nero make-shift for an avocation until
"something better turns up"
May the "old-field" school master long
live! It