Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-01-31
Interesting Letter from the o,d Roth State.

q . d +. .
/, Brevard, N. c., January 18.--Editors
Courier: Through the kindness OF my
brother. y. G. Hill, of Victoria, N. c., L
have the pleasure OF looking at the
familiar face of The Courier every week.
The Courier is the first newspaper
learned to read. think my father, s,
W. Hill, was one of the first subscribers;
away back in the early fifties is my first
recollection of it, aud it was always O
welcome visitor in my childhood home
as we'll as later years.
My father moved to the mountains
from the Cheohee Valley aud settled,
where he had the advantage of fine range
during the summer for stock OF ali
kinds, aud where the woods abounded in
game, such as deer, wild turkeys and
occasionally bear and panther; aud as
my father was fond of hunting we were
bountifuily supplied with venison. We
found the country almost a wilderness,
with only few settlers scattered about,
with no roads or churches or school
energy and industry, had house built
for q school house and church combined,
and my first school days were spent in
that little log house with an old man by
tho name of Rutledge,, from near Salem,
5. c., for our teacher. He did not spare
the rod; he kept hickory that would
reach across the backs of his pupils
without his leaving his seat. Our seats,
you must remember, had no backs, and
we were all very obedient'through fear
Of that long hickory. / was then in my
tenth year, and there were no books in
those days that we could get except the
old blue Back Speller," and we were
kept in that book the whole ten months
term, and you may rest assured we
learned it thoroughly. 1 could spell
close of the school. Writing paper was
80 hard to get that we did not take many
lessons in writing. That was the last
school evef attended, but was 80 fond
of books that took every opportunity
to learn, and such papers as The Courier
and Southern Christian Advocate were
weekly visitors. The first impression 1
remember being made on my youthful
mind was by the motto at the head of
The Courier, and now you can scarcely
find child that cares much about a
newspaper There are too many trashy
novels to admit of sober reading by the
young people.
AS the years went by my father built
and opened up boarding house Tor sum-
mer visitors, and although it brought
with it lot of hard work it was a great
help and stimulus to the children of the
familys for in that way we met many
nice people from South Carolina, among !
them the Hamptons and Haskells and
many others.
The war between the States came up, |
and the sufferings of our kindred and |
neighbor boys gave us all untold misery
in that quiet, out-ot-the-way place. 1 |
was then in my nineteenth year and spent |
a great portion of my time knitting
muffiers, gloves and even wool caps for |
the poor soldier boys. That time is past |
and gone, and we ought to be thankful
for peace and plenty, and that there is |
mo North, no South" but one united |
country, with brotheriy love to all.
But my main desire in this communi- |
cation was to speak of what my dear
father did for that mountain country. Il
think 1t is due to him that some one |
should speak through the paper of these |
things. Through his efforts the Metho-
dist circuit rider found us and we had
preaching at that little log school house
once month, and there was a church
organized with several members. NV
fathers house was the preachers home
and my dear mother always gave the best
our house afforded to the preacher Lest
l tire you and your many readers will
close, with best wishes for your con-
tinued success. If this misses the waste |
basket l may come again and tell you
something of our growing little town of
Brevard. s. L.. Norton.