The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-08-31

ms AdNt Soiie ouC 10 DISSS tne world.
Ihere was about the hill a classical
atmosphere somewhat like that at a
college. 1t is gone now. A public
Is~chool-house stands on the hallowed
ground. it is true, but the old spirit
seems to have departed. A new ele-
ment has come into the community.
The old landlords. so wise in their
day. are dead. and their children are
scattered. Only a few of the fire old
homesteads of the past are inhabited
by h descendants of the original
owners.
There is one exception. Riverton
is still much as it was in the Older
Gay. The farms are smaller and much
more valuable, but they are still in
the hands of families that owned
them a century ago. The same gen
tility and rare hospitality, the love
of learning, the high sense of hon
or, the exaltation of purity and the
loyalty to religion that marked the
remnant that fled from Culloden still
abide.
Spring Hill Church is one OF our
landmarks. Esta blished in the early
years of the 10Th century by Daniel
White, a Scotch Baptist who came to
America impelied by the same spirit
that moved Paul to give the gospel
to his own people, he sowed the seed
in tears. They took deep root and
grew SLOWLY at nTSC DuC SCeaQllY A
Scotchman is hard to convince, but
once convinced, holds on with a death
grip to what he believes. Spring Hill
is one of the trophies won by White,
but there are others. The church was
never numerically strong, it has now
little more than a hundred members,
but it was never. perhaps, quite so
strong financially as it is today. Furth-
ermore it is doing the best work of
ire history ri0hf nnU cfon6ipu nnvf
to Wadesboro, in the whole associa-
ton, in it's gifts to benevolence. Since
the death of Rev. JOIN Monroe, until
last November. the pastors of the
church have lived out of the COM
munity, either at Iaurinburg, Red
Springs or MaXton. The brethren put
their heads together last fall and de-
cided to call a pastor for all his time
and settle him in the midst of his
lock. This they did, and Rev. Thorn
as G. Wood accepted the all. Mr..
Wood is a very accomplished nan a
Virginian by necessity but a North
Carolinian by choice. He is a preach
er of rare power and his people are
charmed with his strong and lucid
sermons. He is withal a man of
wide reading and excellent literary
taste. AS a pastor he is hardly sur
passed in the State. He has COM
pletely won the love of all his peo-
pie and his coming into their homes
is like a ray of sunlight. The church
responds nob1y to the leadership Of
this good man and the whole neigh
borhood, including the Presbyterian
brethren who are his dear friends, re-
jOice in his ministry.
To the writer a week spent on the
Lumber is golden. Here he is greeted
by the gray-haired boys and girls Of
other days who take him by the hand
--l ALL I:~a hy hSr :o~, IT,
is a source Of strength to walk along
the Dad that led to the schoo1house,
to listen to the familiar song of the
whippOOrWill and to allow the radiant
memory of childhood to surge over
the soul. No one place is quite so
dear as that where one first saw the
light. and I have in my heart only pity
for that man who has permitted the
cares and burdens of life to So crowd
out the iner things that he has no
relish for his old home.
The dearest object to me is one IN
whom the public have no special in
terest, and that is my mother. She
bends under a great burdens Of years,
but still smiles a welcome to her boys
and sits close by their sides, albeit
she hears but little of what they say.
It is a benediction to be in her pres
ence, and it is a profound pleasure to
acknowledge the blessed obligation
her children owe to her for what lit
tie Of good they may have accom-
plished.
Much has been written of River
ton, but only those who are so happy
as to be within the sacred circle Of her
owe know the pleasure, feel the rap
ture of a visit away down
AS the shadows grow
short and the sun climbs to the merid-
ian the tie that binds one to the home
of his childhood grows stronger and
sweeter. The older ones drop out year
by year. Only a little more than a
month ago they buried one of the
best and trueSt women who ever
blessed his section with the riches Of
a we'll spent life, but the children are
coming on, and they are as happy
and bright as they used to be- River