The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-01-28
"reminiscences.
Incidents OF By-6one Days of
Interest To the Present Resi-
dents of Rising Sun and
Vicinity.
BY "6RANDpOp."
NUMBER II.


1t might be interesting and refreshing
to the memories of some of the few older
readers of your valuable paper to take a
glance backward, sixty or seventy years
ago and recall the habits and some of the
customs of the country life, during those
earlier days of our old home boyhood
days.
One of the very pleasant and social
events foi the young folks, as well as the
older ones, male and female, during the
winter seasons were the debating societies.
They were organized in nearly every dis
trict in the county, and mostly held in the
country school house, and on Saturday
night. There were always crowded
houses. The first order of the business
was to elect president to preside, sec
Ietary to keep record of the proceeding.
Next, three of the brainest and level heads
of the old men were selected to act as the
judges. Usually there would be FIVE or
six debators on each side. First the leader
of the affirmative and then the leader of
the negative would lead off to give the
outlines of the case, for the other debators
to follow. Some of the old debators of
that day were as we see them Though
memory's eye, although three score and
ten years ago, as plainly as only one year
ago Eli Coulson, ST., Valentine Egan,
Hiram Hindman, George Howell, William
Cole, Granville Wier, John Brown, James
Coulson, Lloyd Balderston, VIM. Waring,
Jesse P. Howell, Eli Coulson, Jr., B. F.
Kirk, James c. Egan, Andrew Brickley,
and later on Alfred Kirk, John w. Cald-
well, John T. Sergeant, Oliver G. Kidd,
Penn Coulson, Stephen L. Armour. John
Haines Mccullough, Andrew ]. Brickley
and lots of other.
The old Franklin School House stood
near where the present school now stands
and Grandpop never passes by the old
foundation but he takes off his hat in
reverence and in recollection of the many
happy days that time or memory don't
deface.
One subject for debate that was ably
handled and brought out all the eloquence
of the day and generation was which
affords the greatest pleasure to mankind,
Pursuit or Possession ?" Some very
amusing points were made. One young
enthusiast brought down on his head in
terruptions and criticisms, by saying that
he had far more pleasure in counting his
wife than he had in possessing her as
wife. The women and girls, as they were
called in those day, did go for him with
out gloves.
The negative came to the rescue by one
saying when he was very hungry he was
much happier in the possession of good
dinner than hunting for it. Another said
he was much happier with his girl in his
arms sitting before the old fire place with
good supply of hickory wood, than out
driving in the cold night hunting her, and
not sure if he could find her. The staid
old Judges judicialiy gave the verdict in
favor of the negative.
On another occasion the subject was
(Which has the greater influence over.
man, Women or Wine 2" and this waxed
hot from both sides, and many strong
points were made by each side Some
would seem very funny if used at the
present day. To close this hard fought
debate, young man, graduate of the
old Franklin school. had the closing adj
dress, and Clay or Webster never held
their audience with more rapt attention
than did this young man in the defense of
woman. In closing he stepped up before
the staid old Judges "Your honors,
please go back fifty years when your hair
was black, but now white by the frost of
many winters, in your sparkling days,
when you were sitting in one of those
large one-story frame houses, perhaps
twenty or thirty feet square, all in one
room, as kitchen, dining room, sitting
room and bed chamber. Do you re-
member those nice sweet curtain bed
steads, back in each corner of the room,
where your sweet hearts father and
mother were wrapped in peaceful slumber,
while you, Sir, were counting their fair
daughter Then tell me, Sirs ! o, tell me,
Sirs of the influence and love of woman
His eloquence had the desired weight
with the honorable Judges, for they with
out much hesitation decided the hard
fought debate in favor of woman. God
bless the women