The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-11-02

Decatur county, is writing a series OF
"reminiscences of the northeast part
of Decatur county, which are being
published in the Garden Grove Ex-
press. They will extend over period
of several weeks and will be most in
tersting reading. Parties who are
Interested in these "reminiscences
should subscribe for the Express,
which is only one dollar per year,
and thus be sure of getting the en-
tire series. We are publishing here
with the first installment which is
most interesting reading.-Editor
REPORTER
have been urged by number of
my friends to write other articles
for publication in the Express and l
wish to thank you for this express
sion of appreciation on your part
for my humble efforts, for after all
they are but the humble efforts of an
untutored mind. The subject l have
thought most appropriate is "Remin-
iscences'' and as my mind wanders in
the dim vista of the past such SEN
fences as these, from our favorite
poems, comes to me: "How dear to
my heart are the scenes of my child
hood when fond recollection presents
them to view" and that other, Far,
far in many lands I've wandered
sadly and lone, but the heart has
ever wandered towards the old folks
at home" In our Sunday school les
sons some time during the past year,
the fact was clearly brought out that
it mattered not that such and such a
one had died but how did he die. So
in relating events it fails to fix the
attention of the reader that in his
tory such and such an event took
place with the dates, but how did it
take place. Human interest must be
in the event to make a lasting i'm
preston on the mind, something to
express the soul of the actors in the
happening. You know that Shakes
peare puts it, zone touch of nature
makes the whole world kim"
One case in mind l will cite of
which, in the general history of the
United States, there is no account.
My father, Merwin Hoadley, lived to
be ninety-four years old. When he
was a young man he belonged to the
Ohio state Militia that was required
to meet every fall at Burton, Ohio,
on the Western Reserve. Here they
all over the state as training day and
on these occasions few old gray
headed Revolutionary soldiers were
present and of course they were ac-
corded place of honor and after the
maneuvers of the day were over it
was the custom for them to gather
around these old heroes and listen
to tales of revolutionary days. It
was from these old veterans that the
following incident was learned.
When the continental congress met
to select a commander in chief for
the army most of you no doubt have
read Of the speech Of that great
statesman and orator, John Quincy
Adams where he set forth with earn
estness and conviction the require
ments necessary for such a man. All
present including young Washington,
were listening intently. Washington
leaning forward in his seat to catch
every word, little knowing what was
coming, when at the close of Adams
address he exclaimed: 1.-THE man I
nominate is here present, George
Washington" Washington jumped
as though he had been struck by
lightning and sprang through the
door, leaving the room, SO great was
his modesty, and unassuming his
nature, together with the magnitude
of the undertaking.
1t is a fact that human nature is
SO constructed as to be vastly more
interested in the past than in the
future. Go with the strenuous bus
mess man of today as his guest at
dinner and he will show you his new
home with it's magnificent furnish
ings with infinitely less pride than he
will show you an old pewter mug
from great-grandmothe or a clock
that stood in the baronial hall of
some dead and forgotten ancestor or
a sword that some fighting forbear
swung on a battlefield who has long
since been buried in the dust of
time. And it is we'll it is so. There
is no better trait in man than his
reverence for the past and nothing
fascinates us more than relic If BY
gone time or the ruin of another civ
iliZation than our own or the ,evi-
dence of mans existence in an age
without civilization. In the lure OF
this old world fascination, thousands
and thousands cross the Atlantic
from this country every year to look
upon the ruins of the Acropolis at
Athens or to walk the streets of
Rome where Caesar wheeled his
chariot to a bloody death, or tread
with solemn step the sorrowful way
over which the Prince of Peace bore
the heavy cross on which they slew
him. No man is above the lure of
things like these. 1t was the fascin-
alton of this idea that led Napoleon
to chisel the names of soldiers on the
pillars of Pompey and to say to his
armies as they stood under the
shadows of the pyramids, "Soldiers
of France, fourteen generations look
down upon you this day." It is a
fascination easily explained. The
life of man is brief and knowing this
to be SO, he is overawed and mys-
titled by the knowledge that his pro-
totype in past ages and aeons strug-
gled onward toward a greater light
in the little hour that was his before