The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-09-07


Erwin Morris. whose death was an-
hounced in The RECORD in the is
sue of the 18th instant, was nearly
thirtv-one years of age. Of his i'm
mediate family there remain his
Father, two sisters and an equal
number of brothers.
The funeral took place on the
18th and the place of burial was the
Lake City cemetery. The religious
services, which were held IN the
Methodist church, were conducted
by Rev j B Traywick, the pastor
Lake City Lodge of Woodmen took
charge of the body and buried
it. The officers who conducted the
cersmonies We're: Master 3f Cere-
monies A E Hill, Consul Com
mander Geo G. Watson, Captain
Alva Weaver, Adviser Lieutenant
JC McElveen, Banker W l. As.
klns. Clerk B Wallace Jones, Jr.,
Escort J f Hatchell, Waterman
EN- Rodgers and Sentry ) M
Brown. The following were the
pail bearers: n c Goodwin, W h
Carter. J L Thomas, G A Brown,
I'M Truluck and G A Ward. The
beautiful ceremony of the Woodmen
as they committed to its narrow bed
the body Of their first and only con-
sui commander WAS indeed impress
sive. The flight of the white dove,
that when liberated rose straight up
ward. was a beautiful symbol of the
flight of the soul and in this case
was peculiarly appropriate, for II
the soul of the pure rise upward the
spirit of this man scared aloft
straight as the flight of an arrow.
In speaking of MIR Morris there
are no great deeds, as the world
counts greatness, to tell. SO far as
his public career is concerned, his
life can be written in a very few
words. Among strangers he at
tracted but little attention; of So
ciety he was no leader: in public as
semblies he remained in the back
ground; in the business world ne
had no commercial rating; OF poll
tics he scarcely knew the name, and
vet l hardly think ever knew many
great as he.
what is here wri t e
is not VIZ item in spirit of full
some fat'ery, but impelled by de-
sire to pay just tribute to the mem
ory of this man, l would tell my es-
innate of him. l knew him for some
fifteen years and knew him as per-
haps did very few others, and what
is here written is not the platitudes
of a vain eulogist, but the words OF
a friend who Is constrained to put a
value, which he believes is not nc
titious, upon the life of this man
now dead and gone.
If there be beauty IN truth, the
character of Erwin Morris was falr
to look upon; if there be virtue IN
adherence to right, then was this
man virtuous; if there be any
thing commendable in purity of act
and deed, then was this life to be
admired. He regarded existence OF
more importance than to be worn
away iu the grinding acquisition OF
fortune, and in the future he saw
something more than the indolent
enjoyment Won by crushing the finer
instincts of nature. Devotion to
duty as he saw it was the leading
principle of his life. He may have
been mistaken in his ideals, others
being the Judges; but from those
ideals he did, not wander. The in
fuence Of his mother clung to him
as closely in his manhood as in the
oays spent at her knees. If profane,
indecent or unkind thoughts fitted
through his mind, his tongue gave
them no utteranee. Any word of
his M. !. hit be repeated with propriety
in the most refined presence. When
he could not praise, he was dumb.
He was steward in the Methc-
dist church, leader in the Sunday
school and mainstay in every good
work il his circle and community.
IT l. s.,tu,~,o,,&,l -, nv