The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-19
M EN, w o M FEN
 A ND THIN G s

tHoA ~ yG0A dt5O d yO0hS Ah6 o from Atlanta came to Washington, Ga., where my father was born, and where was preaching, and initiated a few into "ye ancient and honorable game of golf"
 It was rather a difficult task to arouse enthusiasm to the point of form ing a club, but it was finally accom- plished. and my cousin, Frank Willis Barnett, kindly lent the club the use of beautiful meadow, through which wandered a sparkling stream.
 Having been what. is technically known as "jiner" all my life 1 was enc of the charter members, and among the first to procure the necessary in struments and the regulation costume, for, be it known, the more of an anna teur golfer is the greater his desire to at least dress the part.
 I'll never forget the day I got my clubs and balls out of the express of fee. 1 couldn't wait to drive out to the improvised links, but went out in the rear of the parsonage and teed up my ball. and, to use a baseball ex- pression, Init it on the nose" and away it went down the ravine, and from that day to this I have never seen it l only know my first was my longest drive.
 It is impossible for small club in town fn rIxy less 1t happens that it's the fad of a millionaire member, for the cost is pro- hibitive. The Washington club was , nine hole, amateurish affair, and the only person knowing anything even remotely about the game was the At lantian, who was in love with local belle, and as he soon married her and took her away we were without an instructor.
 never played enough to learn the names of the clubs and only got smat- tering of golfing terms, and had to quit before the habit had gotten the slightest hold upon me. was no moro of golfer than I would have been a baseball player had only taken a bah and bat and gone out on the field and knocked a few flies or sent out few grounders. It was the tiniest kind os a flyer" that I had taken into the fascinating game.
 Shortly after joining I resigned my pastorate at Washington to come to Firm In Q h am to adit +ba "A |, ho,..Mp,,. tist and thinking that I had put golf forever behind me, gave my clubs to my brother and went about my re- ligious work for more than 10 years without even so much as giving the game thought, although l built my home in an elbow of the links of the Country club, where I saw men at play without the slightest wish to join them.
 Then two varieties of poisonous mos quitoes bit me and I went down with double dose of malaria which came near removing me from this vale of tears; but my good doctor, when in delirium I was singing songs I had never sung before, quietly smiled and told the watchers by my bedside not to worry as I had a constitution which would stand by me and. that while I was very sick man I was sure to get we'll. I am glad that he was a trustworthy prophet.
 You ask, what have mosquitoes got to do with golf? Well, I'll tell you, for their bite was the indirect cause of my being bitten with the gad fly, which inocuiates a sensible man with the virus which makes him ready to walk himself to death chasing a little white ball over dale and hill with a mad desire to overtake it and get his re- venge for the chase by knocking it into tin cup. Looked at in cold blood, 1t Is a silly thing to do and yet 1t is really fascinating.
 Beginning to convalesces I was or dered to Tate Springs and any one ever having had real good dose of malaria IS aware that it takes all the pep out of a fellow and gives him great desire just to lounge around without even so much as bothering his mind with reading even light literature. But 1T you have had malaria there is no need In my wasting any time in trying to describe the feeling for you will know that it is just about as hope less condition as can befall one
 
 On my arrival at Tate Springs. books and even newspapers having palled on me, and being wholly without desire Tor social intercourse, I spent my time largely on the links watching the. goIc- CTS. Some friends tried to get me into the game, but somehow lacked the desire and the energy and so passed up the chance, to renew my acquain- tance with the game. I rather pridei myself on the fact that it had lost It's appeal, for l wanted to say that was the only reformed golfer in all the world
 After two weeks at the springs I went on to Johnson City to spend 10 days with some charming friends, IL was in the beautiful mountain city of east Tennessee that I had enjoyed my first pastorate and made some fife long friends. I found myself in a love- ly home. The days were glorious and soon the drives over the magnificent highways which threaced the valleys and climbed the hills put color into my checks and began once more to feel like human being.
 My host and hostess were both golf CTS and by degrees got me out on the links, and club into my hand, and for week I gave myself once more to golfing. Knew full well that if l didn't quit when bade them good by that l would fall for the game on my return home, as I lived in an att mosphere which reeked with go.fing terms, and it was ever before my eyes