The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-11-05
VISIT OF FORMER RESIDENT

He Writes Interestingly of Other
Days and is Pleased With Advance
mont Of City Suggests the Free
ton Of Anothoe Monument, Etc.
To an o.d tredericksburger, who
hnan' rrrn the dear Old town for TWEEN
ty.tarr,. or twenty iour years, recent
visit was "A revelation, and "a revelation
when WAS gratifying in the eX RENE.
The !; IAN block pavement 81 the ear.
riage way on Main ST, with the grhno.
lithic ri iewalks, in place OF the well re-
member dusty road way and the uneven
brick Blu, WalKs OF his younger days, was
the first agreeable surprise. Even the
old business houses seemed sprucer and
jauntier. and he sought IN vain i,r some
ui the old familiar signs such ~ IN
Aliens three sugar lOayes, and " IN. II.
Cunningham and T. Burr. Coniection-tr
I've always emphasized that last y liable
make u n rhyme with Burr, ana y.
Richards a Bro. All, me what sweet
recolections the name of Burr brought
up No mnlarsel tally or horse cakes
tasted ia later ME have ever seemed 30
good ~ Burrs. And the soda " ater he
drew from that old goose neck urn Oi his,
how pungent and delightful 10 the
boysh taste.
IL was gratiiyin however, to find
such old stands ~ JnO t. Halls sons
and JohnstOn's still occupied ~ drug
stores. though Marshall Hall and
fayette Johnston were gone. Their
names will long be held in fragrant
memory.
Another great surprise WAS To see the
fields adjacent TO my old home, Is "nmOre,
where | mad often seen corn in cultlva
tiOn, now built up with neat and attrac-
tive dwellings, and the splendid Boule
ward drive also bOrdered with comlOrta
ble homes.
The monuments, too, To Mary, the
mother Of Washington; the humhlestone
TO mark the spot where Gen CobO Tell. a
few hundred yards from the spot OF his
birth: the Confederate monument IN the
City Cemetery, and the yet greater mon
ument To Confederate vAlor, the National
Cemetery; the handsome shalt erected 10y
Gen. Butterw orth To his comrades OF
Marren's corps, who well deserve the
honor. for they were splendid lighters
All these testimonials u the glories Of
the past filled my bosom with pride
Yet there IA one other shalt which ought
10 be raised One afternoon of my visit
five of us drove down TO the neighbour
hood where Dr.. Rennolds used 10 live
and identified the spot where the freder
ericksburg Artillery was posted IN the
battle of Dec. 18th, lS62. an advanced
position right on the skifmlsh line where
Tor three hours or more II was -ublected
10 a whitening tire from the heavy bat
teries on the Stafford hills, from the aeld
batteries on the river road and the iuian
try Of Doubleday's division, three sep
crate charges Of whiOh these iso sied bat.
teries ~ or II guns alfogethef) re-
pulsed This spot should. by All means.
h- marked by "A shaft Ol granite.
A short walk and an hour 10 the City
Cemetery brought thrOnging men Dries,
sad Yet sweet. oi the loved friends II other
dave. old school mate-. sunday school
TEACHERS. beloved uei9hbOr-. oil com
rAdes. public spirited citiz n al ! many
charming women whose e. urtly presence
would have graced any proud II" march =
court One realz.s here ~ nov here else
that he il getting old ~ he finds
The names he loved % hear
Have been craven for many year
On the tomb.
But a return To the busy streets and a
look into the faces Of old friends still liv'
ing and their cOrnial hand.grasps soon
make him feel young again and hat he
Is not
The lsst leaf On the tree
By the way. speaking Of age, believe
there il no place on earth where people
grow old AZ slowly and as grac fully ar
fredericksburg There comes M ~ once
TO my mind annmb,r Of men ana women
of whom this WAS specially true TAX,
the liberty oi naming only a few: hos
I +. Knox and his charming wife, DIR Jas
/ Cooke. DR.. b. ; Herndon. Jas H. Brad
lev. whose widow still lives TO bless and
( brighten many home Of friend or lam
ily: Jno. ". Herndon, Jas McGure.
might name Others, but these will sui
fee They were old men when fret
/ knew them and yet seemed no older
twenty years later.
But fear ! am lspsing into the pro
| lexity Of age. cannot close, however
without giving expression to the great
qualification experienced in seeing the
evident commercial prosperity OF the old
town, of which the mills and manniac
tories along the road 10 Falmouth are
conclusive evidence. But with such a
waterpOwer ~ you beye (the same wa
ter turning the wheels OF two mails and
then having fall enough after leaving the
second TO turn two more, il necessary
with such waterpOwer a. this, l. X such
a pity there are not three times a. many
factories. This will come some day.
With silk mill in your Limits, why
NAV not the growth OF the silk " orm be
come a valuable industry for the girls
and women OF Spotsylvsnis, Caroline,
Stafford and adjacent cOunties They
might earn many dollar rs sort OF
SIDE industry without going into "mones
multicaulis" GRACE and devoting the
whole farm TO IT, To those seeking III
formation on this let me recommend an
article by DIR l.. o Howard in the Year
Book OF the Department of Agriculture
| for 1903. Your member OF Congress can
get it for you free Of charge.
A drive up the river road and around
by the splendid Fair Grounds gave an
other agreeable surprise 10 seeing the
ample expanse Of those grounds, and an
aesthetic " in the lovely sunset back OF
the western range of bills overlooking
the Rsppahsnnock's flow.
God bless old fredericksburg
c. b. f.
Lynchburg, Va Nov. LIST, 1904.
crNaTOp MARTIN TO ATTEND