The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-13

Imiies south of Raleigh; Pleasant
| SrTlngs, about the same distance south
west, and Middle Creek, about twelve
miles southeast of Raleigh / attended
| all those churches in my boyhcod, and
many are the recolections that mention
lof them calls up, and many forms and
faces so well remembered are brought
| INTO being again But, they have all
passed over the river, and the shadowy
| forms | see, as l close my eyes and
think, are but the memories of other
days when they and life were very real
Mr. Holland was a good man and the
money he invested in the building of
churches was well spent. For a hundred
years the people near those churches
have enjoyed the gospel because he built
them houses to worship in. If ] could
call up the hundreds who have lived and
died since that old Englishman gave his
money, they would with one voice bless
This memory. What a pity that Mark
Hanna did not give a few hundred dol
| lars, out of the millions he could not
take with him, to some benevolent pur
lpose. 1t would have been an evergreen
to his memory.
Come to think of it, there is 10 pleas
ure in dying rich, for one has to leave
lit all; and. as Solomon said, one CANT
tell whether a wise man or TOOL is TO
Istop in and take what he must part
with in the death hour
| While that is true, men love money
so well they like to see 1t coming in until
death knocks at the door. \ very prom
inent man died in this State a few years
ago. who had an eye to business to the
last He had a pile of lumber in his yard
ard knowing that he must die in a few
days. he sent for a neighbor to come
over and take it off his hands. The neigh
!bor did not need the lumber, so did not
care to buy But the dying man insisted,
Isaying: Il am so anxious to get the
money; I'll take half the value of the
Humber for it, The trade was made and
the sinking man put the money under his
lpillow and died. The minister preached
his funeral, and the only good thing he
could say of the departed was that in his
young days, when he was a miller, he
could carry six bushels of wheat on his
shoulders up the steps into the mill;
while as a wrestler, no one, white or
black could throw him. That's about as
much as can be said of Mark Hanna. No
body, white or black could throw him.
How the mind leaps from one scene to
another. l never saw Mark Hanna, but
lsomehow, whenever / have seen his pic
ture another. whom | used to know,
would rise up before me. Hon. W. T.
Dortch was Speaker OF the House and
II was Reading Clerk. To my LETT, but
almost in front sat Col. John A Fagg.
whose form and face, as we'll as general
appearance, have always Flashed before
me when looking on Mark Hanna's pic
tura. He was the lieutenant colonel OF
the North Carolina Regiment that served
in the Mexican War, and when ] knew
him as member of the House of Com
rons from Buncombe county, he was as
olnrous as if he had been old Winfield
Scott himself, but a jolly good fellow, all
tue same. One day he rose and said in
| measured tones: Mr. Speaker, l ask
the privilege of offering a resolution"
{ Send forward the resolution the
Speaker replied. THE Clerk VIII read"
l looked at the writing, but to save
my life l could not make out single
word, and so stated to the Speaker
THE Clerk says he cannot read the
resolution. viii the gentleman from
Buncomba please come forward and read
it?'
} With an air that well befitted a lieu
! tenant colonel he strobe down the aisle,
anu SHdtCnluS tue paper IlOul my hcluu
gave me at the same time a whitening
! look, OF which contempt and pity were
about of equal proportion.
He looked at it, but did not read. He
adjusted his glasses and looked again.
but did not say a word. Members all
over the Hall began to guy him, by say
ing: Read louder! We can't hear you
over here! Put on some more specks.
O, he's about Tagged out.' The House
| was in an uproar. The Speaker raped
) ard said: col. Fagg, they don't seem
} to hear you; please read louder"
t I'm not reading at all, Mr.. Speaker.
E This is not my resolution. Some gentle
laar from over behind me asked me to
il tioduce it and without looking at it,
l did So" The Colonel was furious and
/ said, as he walked back to his seat, some
y thing about getting even with the rascal,
! but, if he did / never heard of it. He
was not half so consequential alter that
as he had been before. Especially was
| he very polite to the Reading Clerk.
| There was no writing on that paper
{ simply ''pot hooks and hens scratches,
so the Colonel said.
r. H. WHITAKER.