Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-02-09

etanu why, Wnen one traction was to be
multiplied by another fraction one must
multiply the numerators of the two
fractions together and the denomina-
tons of the two fractions together-the
first result being the numerator of the
answer and the second result the de-
nominator of the required fraction. No
reason was then given why when one
fraction was to be divided by another
you inverted the divisor and proceeded
as in multiplication of fractions.
The public road from Washington,
by Sperryville across the Blue Ridge to
Luray, passed through my great grand
fathers farm, my fathers farm and
my grandmother's farm. Our home
was called Mount Airy. My great
grandfather Browning's home was call
ed Greenfield and my grandmother
Strother's home was called Wakefield
There were three ideal homes owned bv
my Strother ancestors Only five hun
dred acres of all this land is now owned
by descendant of my grandfather,
John Strother. My father had only one
brother, who died when about TWENTY
five years of age. He was practicinp
law at Culpepper courthouse at the time
OF his death. He was named after his
father. My father was named after
the most famous of our Strothers. he
having represented Culpepper county
twenty-nine years. During the colonial
period Baptist minister was imprison-
ed because he would not take q pre-
scribed oath. French Strother, known
In history as the Fearless French
Strothe<" took his negro man to the
prison and made him change clothes
with the preacher, whom he took out of
the Jail, thus defying the then ruling
powers The son and the grandson of
French Strother during their lives rep
resented the Culpepper congressional
district for many years.
My aunts married and raised families.
all marrying men of prominence. Among
my fathers nephews were distinguish
ed lawyers, doctors and other promi-
nent men. James Pendleton was clerk
OF Smyth county for many years; Al
bert Pendleton was distinguished law
yer OF Giles county; John Strother Pen
dleton was when in Congress called the
Lone Star of Virginia. DR.. William
Ashby and DR.. Sam Buckner were dis
tinguished physicians; Judge Aylette
Hause Buckner was sixteen wears in
Congress. 1t has always been a source
OF pleasure to me to think l could num-
Der among my near kin so many Stroth-
ers, Ashbys, Pendletons, Buckners. Bar
bours and Brownings.
Now, Mr.. Editor, it gives me pleasure
to say am well preserved, happy old
man. live well, sleep we'll and never
lose an opportunity to do kind act.
We all joke here about everything and
think man ought to be ashamed of
himself If he gets angry. A little over
year ago l was at our postoffice and a
number of men were present. I said.
Gentlemen, will soon be So. never
used tobacco in any form and never
drank poison called whiskey, and can
whip any man here" Fortunately No
man responded. / then said: "Of course
1 mean somebody is to hold the fellow"
Well, Mr.. Editor, 1 hate to expose nv
ignorance, but to be honest, during the
hrst ten years of my life had never
seen "colored man," an Indian. a
Chinaman, Japanese or a Yankee. Il
mad never seen cooking stove, a lump
OF coal, railroad. did not know that
there was such a material as gas, cleo
tricity and many other things now in
common use. l thought there were only
TWO kinds of people-white and black
but even little child now knows better.
and some of them know that aulrite ia a
combination of the seven prismatic
coiors and that black is an absence of all
color, and yet we have colored people.
Well, 1 did know the name of nv
fathers race-horse, Guyon; l knew the
name of the dogs; knew the name of
the overseer; knew the name of the
Old negroes and the negro bows on INV
fathers farm. l was Solomon in the |
eyes OF the negro boys. dressed. in
their eyes, like city dandy. l had a |
hat, shoes and stockings and lived in a
big house. was happy and so were
they.
was never at theater but once in
my life. Though for many years an Odd
Fellow and also Mason, 1 never at
tended a banquet of either lodge. I
never was detailed to wait on a sick
brother, nor did ever have to ask any
attention from either lodge. Never did
hesitate in all my life to aid the un-
fortunate. Never during my sixty
years as member of the Presbyterian
church did / fail to respond to a call in
aid of the minister's salary or any I'M
dertaking of my own church or other
churches. In all public enterprises
have tried to do my duty. will men.
ton only one illustration-about three