Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1912-06-26

foot boys of three score years and
ten, SO, 25, 10, S, and years and
l year. | do not mean to say that
all you fellows who are here bare
headed are bare-footed. l simply
mean to let you know this particular
kind Of animal has been growing
around here 10 these many years, and
the end is not in sight.
You will notice did not say all
the boys are with rs to-day. wish
| could; but If the roll was called
varied would be the notations. We
would find them scattered from the
Atlantic to the Pacific aud engaged
| in almost every honorable vocation
| Of life, and very few in their old
home community. You would also
find crepe has played its part, telling
| to the world that mother and sister
have stood by the open grave Of ano-
ther Richland boy. Crepe is on the
programme Of life for the rest and
may each ones ideal be to live well
| this life, so when our names are
erased here they will be enrolled
above, and | believe they will, for
about the worst thing they are guilty
Of doing is having left old Richland.
| This is grave enough within itself,
| but | do not find it in the catalog,
| W Sih' II uiu' 'SllSfS IliSs ht'fS
so thoroughly repented they are en-
! titled to forgiveness.
For years. without number to us,
| boys have rOamcd these old hills
| first the Indians, then our forefath
erS. Each were loved and cherished
by their mothers. One was taught
| to fish and hunt and the rudiments
Of war, to aid in pilfering and steal
| ing, that selfish greed might be sat
| isicd. The other was taught to love
| and labor, that no man liveth to him.
self, that God might be glorified. We
find one has acted his part and pass
ed without leaving the world any
better. We find the other still act
| ing well his part, and believe we
could truly chisel on the grave-stone
world better by having passed
through it"
This is in behalf Of those who are
dead. ] am not endorsing for we
| fellows who are alive, for we know
| too much about each other.
I'll tell you something about the
daGdies Of the Richland boys: They
were one time boys themselves, you
know, and most of them boys Of this
community. This older crowd surely
had 1t ground into them that Car
Isle, the Scotch writer, put it well
when he said: AN idle brain is the
devils Workshop" for they put their
boys to work early, either in the
school room. in the field or to cut
ting wood, while they rested, for
they believed if the devil caught
their boys idle he would put them to
work, furnish them with tools, and
before long pay them their wages.
dot
nothing, was the open grave Of the
living youth. They said: "Remem-
Der, boys, every day the sun comes
up affords an opportunity to improve
yourself, for every day people are
born, some die, some marry, some
hate, but more love-"
1t is just 141 years ago since two
tiny little baby boys were born. One
| fond mother nursed little toothless
| tot in Old Corsica, and the other
fond mother, at the same time, press
ed her little babe to her breast in
old ireland. Forty-siX years later
these two boys met around a farm
! house, each with large army under
| his command. The Corsica lad was
| the greatest general in the world be-
| fore the battle. After the fight he
had to take second place and go to
ST. Helena.
The military history Of the Rich
land boy is different from that Of
Napoleon, the Corsican lad. for so
years ago we find them on their way
to battle occupying second place, for
| they were not verSed in the rudi-
ments OF war but 46 years ago they
came home occupying first place; not
In so far as final results are recorded,
but IN the main. They went to the
front with true principles; they re-
| turned with them magnified. All
who went did not return. but those
who did brought back that true and
noble spirit that has always kept
Richland community in the forefront,
and it blossomed forth into churches
and schools. Peace and happiness was
restored; the commnnity was one;
| the two churches made the one
school; the one school sent the boys
| back to their respective churches to
love and labor, the churches sending
them forth into the world fully pre-
pared to help lift mankind higher
SO runs the tale until a few years
ago, when we find the death angel
| invading the camps. Since then its
visits have been thick and fast, until
most Of us have a tie in the cemc-
terry. While their bodies have been
consigned to mother earth. their no.
Bile principles still live and their
boys stand up to call them blessed.
| They were what you call sclf-made
boys; they relied on themselves.
fought their own battles. dug their
own potato patches and stood ready
to lend helping hand. They told
their boys the way to get first place
was by racing fair and square, and
| not by using ihcir daddinS' hacks az