The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-07-11

like 1t used to be-" There's an 1T
oon't-look-like-the-s same old smile ap-
pearance about It that almost destroys
It's likeness to the "old Fourth OF my
early acQuaintance. 1t was grea'
gay then and the Fourth OF July par
than q foot washing or Masonic
burial. Sometimes the sick and the
amicted," for whom we pray extra.
were there and had their appetlte,s
sm ts than swoeased Seaae WIN
could never md the means to 60 to
meeting" Especially prayer uleeting)
were. there, fike Marbles poor kin,
smiles. shirt collar and ALL" tDid YOU YOU
some Of US devoted Christians lie
about why We didn't get to 'meeting?
AS general thing In not given 70
prevarication, but sometimes I'm AFRAID
that, In this matter, lie like COM
You must understand that / was
plessed above common mortals and FIRST
looked upon the world from South
Carolina. Even in my infancy / must
my first recollections of Fourth Of July
are tinged with a kind of bob-tailed
patriotism that didn't take In the whole
country. Jackson, you know. had put
a notion for awhile to teach him a les
son, but we thought better of it. We
believed In States rights and nuliif-
cation and secession, and a whole lot OF
Gaass things goGd Ou, mp Saohss,
and the Declaration Of Independence
savored little too much Of the Union
20 pc popular. 1t was after ! got to
Alabama that Independence Day be-
tree" General Jackson was bigger
fellow here than in his native State
ana JEFFERSON was considerable, though
Jefferson had the inside track on every
Gratis claimed them both.
.. Well. 1t was a day for everybody to
turn out" The beef and mutton and
KID and pork had been barbecued the
sh aay An before reor VITA hfd
room" for such as wanted to set" A
stand" for the orator of the day with
a wagon sheet over it. Two or three
fellows were appointed. on account of
orally got knocked down" because OF
an eclipse of prowess). The crack min
lister of the dominant party opened the
meetingn" with prayer; in duration
sons brook. We had no daily papers
then, and the good man seemed to
think 1t necessary to inform the Lord
Of everything that had happened in
heard round the world" to the latest
neighborhood gossip. and then he asked
for. one thing and another till every
body was too tired to enjoy 1t, There
has been some improvement in prayer
now never extends his remarks in pray
er beyond an hour or so. Then the
school-master took the stand" and
read the Declaration of Independence,
that is. II the Justice Of the Peace
teacher. 1t. will not be improper to
say that the school teacher in that
day didn't know very much, but he
didn't seem so internal proud of 1t as
MS later day successor. My recoliec-
ton is that the Justice of the Peace
in that day. was chosen on account OF
his many good qualities and general
ignorance Ga good old custom of the
fathers which, like the precedent, has
been handed down from generation to
type OF the judiciary. / never could
understand whether the Justice,
ignorance most fitted him for promo
tion in the judiciary, but 1t is true he
Immediately concluded. upon his en-
trance upon that once, that he was
Probate Judge. But he would have
scorned to buy II. In that day nc ss..-
tleman would think of buying an office
1t was not so much against the law as
changed about SO that it's against the
law to buy an office and man can be
a gentleman and be decent, too, II he
doesn't want an office. But, the school
master read the Declaration and the
Justice" latter a compromise) intro
duced the speaker. Nowadays. / be-
lieve. on great occasions we get up to
the point of the speaker through sap.
ping and mining process of gradual
great men now that they all have IA
take pull at 1t" like niger preachers
at big funeral, and they have to get
In Introducing one another. It's tire
some but interesting. It's funny for
daot the the esfsssois to ,ntro atro
the orator of the day to people who've
known him ever since the doctor went
theirs and wouldn't tell old Mrs Smith
what was the matter-but she knew.
1t is one of the vanities of recollec-
ton to attempt to follow the orator OF
was fervid fellow and from exordiun,
to peroration INDUCED in the hot and
never thought he had entirely covered
himself with glory Till his collar was
sweat.
All! those were good DAYS for orators,
CAB was at premium and leader
ship was firmly established as the
a lack Of common sense and informa-
tion. There NAV have been boy ora =
tors" In those DAYS that led us away
from the Declaration OF Independence
into secession. into war. into the loss
OF niggers. They could have done H.
After the "oration" and the dinner. the
watermelon man. the cider man. the
beer and ginger cake man and the
whiskey man had his innings Sport
ranked from marbles to Asst fights
Baseball and nistols were To come with
egeneracv-which thew did. Old man
Gresham had a monopoly of the water
melon business and my Youthful fancy
was that to ne Successful at raising
watermetnus 1t was necessary 70 he
ahnormallv hard favored This same
Gresham had astonished his rich en-
nlover IN raising general crops, After
overseeing for Lamar (whosa son is
famous divine) for several wears.
and and not given to the continuity Of the
village narson, wanted 10 change his
Mace, asked his empiover for n ~ecor-
mendation who readily comnlieh nv
writing ITO Whom 1t Nav Concern
TINS is to certify that Mr.. Gresham is
the best overseer for his looks I ever
saw, so helm me- Cod" II won't do "a
say THAI tn" HardsheIls have ell the
ugly folks for this successful farmer
and paragon Of upliness was turned
owl or the verv churnh that came out
q, RE Fardshells. He rot to seIltn Q
houor on the sly or mixing It With
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