The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-07-14
REUNION OF old
SCHOOLMATES
Mr.. Frank Pfarr Returns From His
Old Ohio Home After Attend
inQ Funeral of Father.
REUNION OF OLD FRIENDS HELD

Friends Of Thirty Years Ago and Many
Relatives Gather TOR Reunion
Mr.. Pfarr Delivers Talk.
Mr.. Frank Pfarr returned home
from Pomeroy, O., on Friday of last
week, where he had he ~ called on &C
count of the illness and death of MS
father, Mr.. Phillip Pfarr. his woStt"
old gentleman was qu,.e we'll kno"r
in Denison, having visited his son.
Frank, on different occasions. At the
time of his death, which occurred on
June Goth, he was Sc years of age, and
death was due entirely to old age. His
wife, who is 76 years old, survives, to-
gether with the children. A. remark
able fact Is that this old couple have
resided on the same farm where Mrs.
Pfarr was born and reared all these
married years, and during this time,
SO far as memory serves, q doctor had
never been called to administer. Five
of the seven children were able to be
at the funeral, and were a source of
much comfort to the father before
death, as we'll as to the mother in her
greatest sorrow.
Mr.. Pfarr was a man who took much
pride in his family, although ruling
with an iron rod, and when death
came he was found ready. proud IN
the fact that he had lived to see all OF
the children in good health and pros
porous. He was of that staid German
birth, and had realized competency
that had enabled him to enjoy his last
years in comfort and rest
While at the old home Frank met
many of the old time friends whom he
had not seen for perhaps thirty years,
and upon visit to some former
schoolmates the occasion was turned
into an informal reunion. AT this
meeting all were inspired with the
memories of Olden times and the fol
lowing Is synopsis Of a most insplr'
ing and impromptu talk delivered by
MIR. Pfarr to his old friends and school
mates. Mr.. Pfarr does not lay claim
to the orators art, neither does he
seek notoriety through newspaper
publicity, and the little talk is pub
lished not at his request, but because
we feel that a copy of this paper may
perl,ups reach some of his old friends
who, having heard the talk, will wish
to preserve It. E.f
MY Dear Friends and Schoolmates:.
can hardly pass meeting like
this without expressing my In
tense feelings of pleasure and fond
recollections OF the first half Of my
life that i lived here in these gently
rolling hills and beautiful valleys. 1t
seems to me l feel just aS did thirty
~.kv Srs n sriOht1
Thirty from forty-eight is eighteen.
When began to notice the girls and
had an eye on you just like my
brother, Jake, over there. You don't
seem any older to me than you did
thirty years ago. While Father Time
has plowed burrows in your faces and
silvered your hair, yet the heart and
soul of you dear people seems just
the same to me.
Time has wrought wonderful chang
es as call the roll OF my schoOlmates
in my mind find some Of them are
dead, some of them have attained
high stations in life, which plcases me
more than anything else. Really.
folks. I have killed the evil germ Of
envy in my makeup years ago and it
does me more good to see you com
Portable and happy than anything else,
in lifelwealtli, power and fame not
excepted. Some Of you are handicap
ped and suffering from the ravages of
time. But take 1t from me, keep
smiling through the tears and clouds
and you will win out. Some Of them
are in Jail and some of them in far off
lands.
I'll tell you folks, you can make new
friends, new acquaintances in new
countries, but you can never have a
heart to heart talk with them. The
friends of your youth are different.
You have so much more in common
with them. So much more affinity or
soul mating, II you please.
| have not been here for seventeen
years, and let me tell you right here,
/ want to compliment you on the looks
of things around here. Your crops
arc better, your roads are better. the
carol of the birds is sweeter and so
many of then. It almost brought tears
to my eyes to hear the plaintive note
of he-Whip.pOor-will. which l haven't
heard all these past years. The sky
seems bluer and l dare say the peo-
ple are better for the simple reason
that the worst ones went west and left
the better ones. walk over the old
farm and see the old landmarks. the
trees, the rocks, the old rail fences
which helped to split, and you may
not believe 1t folks. have spent hours
with them; literally talking to them,
figuratively speaking. They bring
back messages of joy and sorrow, WV
id rcmembrances of childhood days
that are sacred to me- II
When look into the faces of these
patriarchs like Grandpa Frecker it
inspires me to do better things. r.
feel as though he were my second
father, when, remembering my faith.
cr's kind words of his old "crony,"
stood at the grave of my dear old faith
or this morning and my greatest wish
was that I might leave this world as
well as he. A legacy of his strict hon
or. sturdy support of his family, good
will and respect of his neighbors and
the benediction of God, "Well done,
thou good and faithful servant" u
think those things are more of a fac.