Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1907-08-15

be- IS years old the sOth Of September,
Is one 81 the oldest printers IN The
country md be says that even 81 BIZ
age bis fingers are nimble enough "a
enable him 70 set from 'ix 70 eight
thousand ems Of hand composition q
day. Al the close Of the Civil war
Mr.. strother had charge Of the recon
struction printing department. =
Charleston. 5. G.. under General
Candy.
Mr.. Strother's "reminiscences are In
teresting. 10 speaking q his expert
ences be said:
Since my birth there has been per-
haps the most marked progress In
Inventions and discoveries thai has
ever occurred. The telegraph, the
telephone, steam boating and rail-
roading. together with the things ac'
campaigning and incident to the intro
duction Of such modes Of rapid trans
portstion. have come int use In my
day.
Within my time people would ride
horseback or travel in wagons to the
western frontier because there was no
speedler or better way Of travelling In
many sections.
In my native state, North Carolina
lin 1857. there were no state banks
aud no general paper currency. TAX.
ing North Carolina wildcat" money.
| had to pay discount to get South
Carolina money, and 50 one must lose
money when he went into another
state News ut that time from Europe
was considered fresh II 1t reached this
country in three months.
When | was q young man the most
common way Of taking your "best
girl" riding was on horseback. the
girl riding behind with her arms
around your waist. Buggies were
rough and scarce in those days and
used only by the rich. But We had
happy times in getting up the old
fashioned party. having 70 go from
six to twelve miles to round up
enough yonng people to form two
sets in which to "swing your part
ner, "etc, "A
The young men Of today ought to
feel thankful that they do not have
to contend with the hardships Of their
torefathers in splitting rails and fail
ing and grading wheat, for it was
hard work. No machinery then to
make work light and easy.
/ remember we'll tho first railroad.
1t was built from Harper's Ferry to
Baltimore. The cars ran on wooden
ra Is with hoop-iron nailed on top to
protect them. The cars were pulled
for time with oxen, but the people
were not satisfied with the speed and
mules we're substituted. Then the
people thought they were travelling
fast. But they tired Of the ''mule
trot" and then came the steam engine.
1t was a small Insignificant looking
thing, with one drive wheel on 6 side
and power enough to pull one small
passenger coach and two small freight
cars. From Raleigh to Weldon, n.
c., a distance Of ninety miles, re-
member well the first railroad Of the
foregoing mentioned kind. II wonld
take Two days to make the trip and
now the. same distance can be made
easily in ninety minutes.
In the printing business when
was boy pads or balls stuffed with
wool we're used to ink the type. A
hand press with q capacity Of only
printing half the forms at 3 time was
used. In other words, the press
would only take on two forms and 1t
would take two impressions TO get
full print. Then came the old glue
and molusses rollers. I have expert
enced the entire progress made In the
printing business, setting my first
type in 1885, and have bean identi-
fied with the printing business ever
since, and my fingers are now Bimble
enough to set from six to eight thOus-
aud ems q day II had TO. l had one
Of the largest establishments in the
South during the war and Yves the
first printer 70 install 9 cylinder
power press the Hoe lin the State
Of North CarolInA. During the war .
large number Of men found employ
ment in my Office. When Lee sur
rendered and shermsn'S army passed
through the city Of Raleigh my Ofaes
was completely destroyed.