Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-07-08
For a new Country"

~
whip-poor-Will again, and the wall
of the wild cayote, and his snake
ship was often prevalent among us,
"The rattlesnake did our children
dread, Oftines fearful mother said,
Some beast Of prey will take my
babe, In this new country. But
we lived in social harmony. We
drank the purling stream, No Doctor,
priest or lawyer there, was seldom
ever seen, Our health cen needed no
repair, No saint forgot his pious
prayer, And who should fee law
yer there, In the new country.
Those lines apply to the circum-
stances SO wildly that l cannot re-
frain from using them, but l must
hasten for ] wish to speak of my
school days and my tutors, some
whom you all know we'll My first
teacher was Miss Helen Eaton from
up north Of town, now the Widow
Wilcox, Lev Stone Of Delhi, Miss
Ursula Davis of Delhi, now Mrs.
James Ball of Delaware, and later
Lee Chapel of North Manchester,
l.. S. Gates, Miss Pheoba Ann Coon,
afterwards Mrs. Steve Edmunds, and
later still Stephen Edmmds.
Oh those halcyon days, 50 many
years ago. how sweet their memory
still, through the dimness of the
distant time, still gaze lingering
lingering,
There in Junes of childhood we
climbed the plant saplings for acid
oak balls. There following the
gurgling waters under the willows,
and around the ferny banks of
Spring Branch we rambled for pear
ly pebbles or strolled upward along
the slopes for strawberries and June
berries. There in sultly Augusts,
we found the coolest and quietest
shades, and there in now long gone
Septembers, at the oak tree roots,
and on the level MOSES of the rocks
we played merchant gathering the
frost fabrics for fanciful goods the
glossy crimson gum leaves for silks;
the brown hickory leaves for broad
cloths; and faded lilly blades for
ribbons rare; all nicely arranged on
shelves Of bark behind counters of
fallen timbers. These were our
treasures then, and that wealth gave
us exquisite pleasure. Never did
salesman in city trade more earnest
ly recommend his merchandise than
VIC "our best assorted" and --latest
styles" when we played keeping
store and our customers! | see
them now, the little ladies tripping
from their make believe houses be
meath score of neighboring wild
vine arbors, the miniature men
astride Of sticks for horses, gallop-
/ ing to our very store doors, and
there dismounting to examine oul
stock of soapstone plows, our poke
| berry paints, our harness Of plated
grass, our dock leaf leather our
hazelwood iron and our nails OF
broken twigs Of hawthorne bushes
And the money-ready pay, fol
much as we loved, we never trusted
in a financial sense, but in every
other always. Our money ever cur
rent, and never counterfeited, was
lneither silver nor gold but the pretty
round acorn shells, products Of oul
own beautiful western home, or the
tiny white pebbles, gathered from
the brook that bubbled down the
valley But here, this sultry after
noon as stand before you, the
scenes Of the past are blended, not
only as picture of summers gone
forever, but of many merry winters
between. The artist in my minds
eye gives the winter picture better
than can with my pen; and the
sports of the youngsters were none
the less enjoyable for cold or be.
cause Of the teachers eye
Summers and winters all, were
filled with royalist delights, and to.
day in my imagination l see the
dilapidated old log school house
standing near the cross roads, not
far from Farmer Dudley's old home.
stead, with its dark zebraish walls
so warped and weather. beaten, the
low roof cupped and curled by the
rains and suns of tedious years, the
sloping door sill SO often pressed by
little brown bare feet, that have long
since wandered a cold down into
the dark valley Of shadows. AL
these, as pictures, | see again.
see the grassy square in front of the
school house door, where hand in
hand, in happy circle, loved and
loving all around, we used to play
and sing. Many were the lessons
learned, within and without those
sombre walls Of log and clay. The
old school house on the green, where
everything was rude and plain, but
many Of Americas noted men have
gone out from those old tumble
down landmarks, to grapple with
the world, and make a name for them
selves, names that are an honor to
their country.
The tender recollections Of school
days even in that humble school
house and along its hallowed paths
around, are cherished for their pic
lures Of peace, and shall be more
beautiful with the added years, for
when this earth life is ended, the
| glorifed student shall look down
ward from Heaven and backward
afar along the shining pathway that
led him to the immortal heights. He
will remember the school, where
were such gentle friendships, the
first outside Of home, such foods of
light, such thrills of love, the
brightest joys on earth.
~ Those old "reminiscences of early
| times in Delaware Couutv ,yban tba