The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-09-15
MEDAL FOR OLD SINGING MASTER
Cray-Haired Prof. Eichinson. Past 70.
Teaches Love Of Song.

and plains OF Texas, they came, men
and women. to attend an oidfash-
Toned singing school convention in
the little white frame school house
the shannon schoolhouse-i
Grayson county.
Old men, with the unmistakable
stamp of Texas and life close to the
soil on their rough-lined. but kindly
faces. young men. strong and tall
and women, young, middie-aged and
old, all with eye alight with eager
expectancy, filled the schoolhouse
to overflowing.
Teams and single nouns were
hitched up and down the road many
yards each way, and everybody
brought lunch and a singing book
Bill Bowiey Is field officer Of the
Sha0noH seh6e9souaa sly s5Ag, scpSoa
and tfoff'. Etchlnson., SIX |. Ter Fer. Plus,
thin. slender, with a patriarchai
beard of reddish gray and eyes stee
gray ana piercing, d ndn over ~
years old, is president.
$50 r tuffirisof. .nds taught sias,n.s, III
Grayson county for nearly a nalf
,-Ssaas. ~ rs ass z.Aa4,e- .th@ sev,,ls,
within a radius of many miles love
singing. With no organ, no piano,
.tlhsa ,schcallLouse for
many miles around, he has, never
music ard sss1rsss by Yfota Dat shis
xoar, while deep IN his labor of love.
he was surprised to find in his school
convention a delegate not on the
list, singing man from one Of the
big cities of Central Texas.
This visitor was Rowland D. Will
liams, director of church choir
who read an obscure item about the
rural singing school convention and
decided to go there instead of TAX
ing his vacation among the North
ern lake resorts.
With the paragraph pasted on a
card he went to the ticket Office and
found that he must go to Sherman,
SO miles by interurban. At Sherman
he made fruitless inquiries as to the
until he happened across livery
stable hostler,
Go east" the hostler directed,
about two laps, until you come to
a draw, which will take you to the
second road leading north. Cross
the railroad tracks and follow the
tracks along to the end of the
switch. Then keep on until someone
can direct you the rest of the way"
Williams secured rig. Six miles
northeast of sherman he came upon
a lonely house. He looked in at an
open doorway. A woman was rock
ing a cradle with one bare foot and
intently porting over an open song
book on the ironing board while at
the same time she diligently piled a
hot iron to child's garment
Williams asked to be directed to
| the shannon schoolhouse.
Lawse mel" the young woman
.--.st, -s4eas e-s ~, .-ss- S,s>s
of them singing folks, too?"
The professor preferred to con-
ceal his identity, and answered that
ne was not. The young woman then
directed him to a littie cross roads
store farther up the road. AT the
store a lank Texan shifted quid
of chewing tobacco from the talking
.-a.'s.as.s a ths -shSSSSs .-ss,se-af.A SS,e@th
and po.pted the way; @s-...,..
i lust YOU drive long IRataway a
PIE ce, an take the road to your left,
which will hiring you to. 3 draw,
Cross tde draw--'tafnt no ways deep
and the first house on your left
you can ind out where the school
is. Reckon You're Interested In sing
in'?."
Williams answered. that he was
and drove up to the house on
the left. The house was SO far back
from the road, with a pleasant grove
of trees in the yard. Williams spoke
to man driving . wagon through
a big gate. 81
Sure. stranger. but first onhitch
yer hoss,' said the driver. Turn
him loose in the pasture. You'll find
corn in the crib and oats in the bin
Make yourself at home I'm on my
way to town to get supplies. Go ur
to the house and tell my wife who
you be. My names Bill Bowly
What's yours? ~
Say, now, I'm mighty glad you
come, Take of your coat and collar
Roll up your sleeves and get some
tan on them arms. See that old man
comm youder? That's our Prof
Etchinson, greatest man that ever
lived in Grayson county. Taught
Singh school here for more than
the last 40 years, Why. he was on
the committee in ia as organized
the international Sunday school leaf
let. he was."
Williams denied that he was a
singing master. He told the profess
sor that he once went to singing
school with sweetheart and that
he wanted to go to another singing
school again just for old times sake,
The next day the singing school
convention opened