The Columbus journal., 1908-04-15

0Om was the nOrSe-DlOch III sIfout VI
the crossroads store. n:the' rural
south age means wisdom. Merely. to
have seen the. seasons come and go
is knowledge: = and when. age tail not
only youth but middle age must be
content to- listen; Cultivation is mere
book learning hearsaE, the rumof OF
an unsubstantial truth as if the book
were not the experience: OF mans S:
mind. The .well-resd and travelled, IL
not. yet 0uf:from under the contempt
of "immature; years, must sit respect,
ful-duIfib while an old man who. may
never have crossed. the line of his
county consents 10 give an .. hour S
hopily upon. the affairs. of the world.
But WITH age there sometimes comes a
mellow. and a. sweet .ripening.' Of. that
half philosophical hhmor which nIusty
books bound :. in. the hide of some
ancient: farted caff:delightfully tell us is
almost :whoIly an AngleSaXon heritage.
= But. old Lin had been out of his
county. He had travelled into the
north. the. land where: every man was
for himself: In Chicago. he had
bdught. a. pair OF t.'gold-rimmed' spec
tacles which some. clergyman must
have lost and in a modest little trans
action. he had permitted a Michigan
fruit: farmer to pluck, off a patch of
his well-seasonsd skin: And while
these transactions were reckoned
among. his accomplishments. they
turned. Somewhat pale when compared
with the fact that he: could come near
or guessing. the weight Of a hog or the
height, of. a mule than any man in
North Carolina. 1t is on record thai
he was a. believer in the Book from
fkiyer TO kjver.,: and in his neighbor-
hood III is known that once he wal:
loI;ed :one of the. Harvey boys for tit,
te!ing. at "a, balfising: He furnished
fhe. oak slab that had been fashioned
info the ,mourner's bench at Sloan
meeting house. His wife gave TO the
circuit rider more: pairs of wool socks
than any other. woman in the COM.
munity: And the old man himself had
been known not indeed to shout dur
ing a camp meeting, but afterward 10
call hogs with more fervor than Was
his accustomed habit. Yet. nOtwith-
standing these Hnmistakable tokens OF
a pieus life. he gave TO game ROSTERS
devotion that srnacked of fanaticism.
Through the: wind howl of a winters
night through the icy thicket he
would shoulder his way: mile after
mile, TO be present AT a contest. be
IL mehted the. fate of the defeated. but
sloried over the victor But he never
~agered penny. That would have
been irreligious With. others: the
fighting of chickens was a : sport:
With him it was an emotion. So, with
lis moral establishment well known
and with his wisdom unquesuoned,
whenever of a Saturday afternoon he
took his seat ON the old horseback,
:: there was always an audience wait
ing, not out of respect for his. years,
hut. looking for amusement. 49,.
They have about settled the com
s ing election: said he- as he parted the
tails. of his brown jeans coat and sat
. down. Don't believe l ever saw an
election comm that want; already
settled And it would look like there
. wau'n't any use of havin but one side;
but. vet. somehow the other. side al
: ways does putty well when the votes
are counted. The man that under.
stands arithmetic. is bad in politics
He likes to .figger, and man that
an old: sayin' that figgers don't lie
and: that may be trlle. but. sometimes
they are found in: the wrong place. :
Both of the great political, parties
: the right man. And what a fine pres
ident he. would have made if he HAD
only. been elected. And the minute
the other. candidate is elected he
:. ceases; to be "a politician and becomes
a statesman. But death has made
omare statesmen than Office ever. did
In this life great reward is. offered
to .rascaiity.* and that's the reason
there are so nlany politicians. Enough
>. votes. would make any man great. but
. net enough wiH*turn the wisest mar
inte a .fiy-up-thecreek.. When d mar
that is docking: for an office. begins. Il
feline that he's a sincere. American
. believe him. Il: believe he, wants the
=. place. and in: this way. the lives el
.; some mon Illustrate. an eternal truth
> They eternalir want: something: Run
= ring for office is q hard .habit.te break
:. but: when. man. has heen beaten q
. time or two for. president he cool.
down nightly: Some OF OUT smarteSt
men have been defeated fog president
:: and among Them was. Henry Clay bu'
:. he oushtn:t 10 have expected the Of
flee when old Andy jackson and III,
4. Lord We're. against him. And it. i:
naturally ito be. supposed that .'sth'
Lord stili.has a. good deal of infinenc,
Isurin' election. time: bal it is "a; 4ues
ton whether Or. nor He always uses il
Ever since:I :. can recolfecf. tn,
country. has been. -goin' to ruin: I
seems that. the. cQnst4 ation was horI
:: ruined and: has been imposed: .upol
ever since. But it is a mighty hare
thing TO tear: 40 pieces: Bat. if III,
: right. man isn't, :ielected this: time: no
only the constitution but the: who'll
country will have to-; SO on clutches
Old. Uncle John Moss is the; oldes
:: man in The County, and he says tina
:tne world is "a: failure. and if. this. il
::+ffrie. America. nust"So along. in witt
:: the general no .accouptness Of it all
Elff r noticed that. last wear. my bot
:; omf:feld raised more corn To- the acr'
than COR several years past: and "a
',o,,r. as this continues, 10 be:tiie cas-,