The Oskaloosa herald., 1912-03-21
SOME MEN AND A BOY.

Il
by the force of actual occurrence Sc
want to speak of one MAINLAND q
very good man,-who made an i'm
preston on me, away back in those
great and epoch-making days. That
man was William NJ. Wells,-a drug
gist,-book-store MAINLAND one OF
the most Intelligent men then resi-
dent in the town. Put it down, young
men, that in that period there were
those living in the town who repre-
sented the old-time scholarship
keen, thorough, solid,-not given to
the sloppiness that marks so much OF
the modern stuffing called education,
which may be that and which may
be something else,-from lack of real
thoroughness. In that early day
there was something to talk about
and also to do,-on the question of
human slavery. The party in power
then was brutal in all its official rela-
tons with that question,-not only
brutal, but cowardly and to the de-
gree of boot-licking that is even dis
gushing just to think of it after all
these years. 1t happened that the
Wings, Free Soldiers" and Republi-
cans,-the latter were of recent birth,
were great readers of Horace Gree
ley's New York Tribune, which was
very difficult to get out of the post
Office to individual subscribers, for
party reasons, the opinion having
been officially advanced that most
copies Of the Tribune were incendi-
airy, calculated to create trouble, and
were therefore fit matter for confis-
cation. In many cases that was done,
and copies burned back of the post
Office in the early morning, or chuck
ed into the stove. So the club had
their papers all come in a great bun
dle,-and were brought by stage
from Burlington, outside of the mail
Mr.. Wells place became the distrib-
uting center,-on the west side of the
square, from a room on the south
side of the Street Block" or the
one beyond At all events that place
became a center of very active life,
once a week, when the old Tribune
came. The day became a market
day for many OF the anti-slavery farm
ers,-and the fires of liberty were set
alight anew on each occasion. Ii
was about that time | was permitted
to know Mr.. Wells. | did something
in connection with the discovery of
Lost hfln1ln nF ha Trih hut
that is another story,-and it COM
mended my ragged self to him Then
he took an interest in me on reading
lines,-and from him i received many
a feast that | have not forgotten to
this day. But with it all there was
kindliness-a sort of human inter
est shown,-that led to many things
VI that nature. From him | received
the loan,-for two days only,-of
Helpers Impending Crisis, "a book
about which there was an absolutely
awful uproar when published, and
which made one feel creepy. The
after time only proved that Helper
had written very mildly indeed. 1t
80 AoSN NLiaL manly llChr WIN " Clc
accused of having bought the book,
denied the faith,- and cringed in
fawning way to the old god of slav.
cry. Mr.. Wells did not do that, but
as he had bought the book with his
own money, - sure enough rag"
money OF the time,-he would read it
when and where his pleasure suited.
!elt that / was very highly honored
20 be deemed fit and responsible
enough to have that book for two
days,-and went through that book
in less time than that,-and read
most of it aloud. That book would be
good classic in the Library,-as an
index Of the temper of the time
and the truth of the prophetsi From
time to time | gathered further of
benefit from Mr.. Wells, in the way
that marked my after judgment. He
was MethOdist,-and the head of
the Bible class in what is now the
First church, and in its present loca-
ton. The Sunday school was a large
one, and | have a certificate signed
by Phillip Myers as Superintendent
that | was member thereof. | was
not "trotting" in the Bible class line,
but our class was near that of the
groWn-ups, and | gave more atten-
ton, | am afraid, to what heard
from Mr.. Wells than to the lady
teacher Of our class,-a woman of
blessed memory, long since gone to
her reward.
1t is pleasure to look back to the
days OF such good men,-and the old
town had more than the average
of those who we're of the
thinking class,-and independent in
doing of II. have never forgotten
them,-and never shall. They brought
into the new land of Iowa so many
eXcellencies OF character and heart
that an impress was made on the line
Of higher things. They inculcated a
spirit OF generosity, of neighborIi-
ness, OF mutual helpfulness, OF kind |
lest humanity that the state has /
ever known,-and which the years
following down to the present have
lot brought anything either it's equal
Or near matching it. Men and women |
hen had time to do things unselfish.
/ am proud to have known
10 many OF them, as