Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1919-04-11
CONGRATULATIONS
Louisville, KY, Mar. "a, 1919

edition, and wish to congratulate
you on this decided improvement in
the Old Mountain Advocate.
The name of this paper is music
to my ear, and | often wish that |
was once again its editor and man.
ager, but / am far removed from it
at the present time, as the Editor
and Manager of a much older and
wildly known journal | came to the
editorship and management Of the
Masonic Home Journal of September
st, 1918, and il has been so pleasant
the surroundings so cheerful and
those with whom am associated are
so genial, that it seems as but yes
terday since came here.
Knox county gave me my birth,
my father and my four sisters and
four brothers, living, were born and
reared in and near to the city Of Bar
bourville. spent nearly half CEN
fury in and near Barbourville, and of
course the happiest days of my life
passed by ME like the fleetest shadow.
My kinsmen, most part of them, live
there, on a little mound just south
east of the city my sainted father
and mother sleep and they are near
to me even though l am far away.
have many warm friends there,
those with whom | spent my boyhood
days that have not crossed into the
realms Of the blCst, are still there and
/ have been made to wonder if they
ever think of me as think of them.
Knox county is great county,
it has many things to be proud of.
Barbourville and Knox county have
sent forth to the world many noble
men and women. The county of
Knox has furnished Missouri a Gov
crnor. The United States Supreme
Court one Of it's b-ainiest and best
Judges. The American Congress
with four Of the best members ever
sent there. We have furnished the
world with them in every walk of
life. In the political world Barbour
vile has always been in the front
ranks. In the fraternal world, she
has had her share of the men and
women that held the highest position
in the gift of the societies. Barbour
vile has Past Grand Master of the
Great Masonic Fraternity, she has
the present Grand Master of the state
she has two past Great Sachems of
the Improved Order of Redmen, a
Past Grand High Priest of Kentucky
Royal Arch Masons, a Past Presi-
dent of the d. of R. and the Lord only
knows what all she has had, but she
has never had anything that she was
not entitled to.
In my dreams | can sometimes see
the old city nesting down among
the beautiful mountains on the banks
Of the Cumberland river, which wends
its way through the fertile green val
legs rejecting the sunbeams across
the vaulted skies as it goes on and on
until it becomes mighty stream
bearing on its bosom the burdens of
men and beasts.
Yes | can see The stalwart forms
OF the manly men, whose every beat
Of the pulse is love for his neighbOr,
and, for whom he is constantly doing
deeds of kindness. | can see the
faces of the many women upon its
stinted sidewalks on their daily
rounds of helping to make the city,
county and state a better place to
live in.
Methinks ] can near the MARBLE of
the birds in their native groves, the
humming of the bees as they hover
ever the clover blossoms to drain
them of their nectar. | can hear the
ringing of the old church bells that
to me is the sweetest music ever form
ed by the acute sounds of vibration.
The hum of the motors and the grind
ing of the wheels of the old street
car as it rounds the curves toward
the L.. & N depot as we'll as Uncle
likes" command, Get up Bob"
/ awake to find myself in busy
city of more than three hundred
thousand people rushing hither and
thither in their mad rush to keep
with progress and civilization.
/ again close my eyes and dream
another dream. / try in vain to dis
believe that dream; see the road
that leads to the community of my
boyhood days; | see the mud knee
deep to horse all the way, that
should have a good pike road / see
also a few of the things that are
found in every land and cline, in
every neighborhood-it is the human
parasite to civilization. That thing
made in the likeness and image of
Cod that is en- void of r,yin cinIa and