The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-07-14
SOUTHLAND STORIES
BY LARRY CAN'T
TELLS OF THE MEN OF THE
OTHER DAYS.
Early Recollections
Joel Chandler Harris, Creator of "'Un-
Gle RemuS," Started on His Ca
reer as Printers Devil.

rise" he stated a truth that has been
demonstrated times. without num-
Der.
1t is rarely a case where brains or
eminent public service are inherent in
a family, for the sons and descend
ants of great men appear content to
live upon ancestral fame. Like unto
the potato, the best part is under
ground.
On the other hand, the intellect,
emlnence and leadership of every
country must go among the plain
people in the more obscure walk of
life, and in the Old World, often it's
peasantry. Trace all the great lead
,ers in Europe, for both good and
evil, from Martin Luther to Lenine
and Trotsky and you will find them
belonging to what is known as the
Clover Glass;" but in our Republic
as the 'plain people,
William the Conqueror was the il
legitimate son Of a washerwoman:
Catherine, who, after Peter tae Great,
created the Russian Empire, was the
lewd daughter of an ignorant Tartar
peasant, and Napoleon Bonaparte, a
Corsican adventurer, whose boast
was, 81 am my own ancestor!"
Then consider our own country.
Daniel Webster was the Son of a
poor New Er gland farmer, who did
not even ooast of descent from the
Pilgrim Fathers; Henry Clay was
known as the mill Boy Of the Slash
es;" Patrick Henry, born on small
Virginia farm and when an obscure
young lawyer, reaped fame and hon
ors in a day by his ''Give me liberty or
give me DEATH" John c. Calhoun des-
cended from a family of poor Irish
emigrants; the father of Jefferson
Davis was small bankrupt farmer of
Wilkes county, Georgia, who moved
his family in wagon to Kentucky a
couple of weeks before the president
of the Southern Confederacy was
born; Alexander H. Stephens belong
ed to poor but highly respected
family, his father and mothers fam
lily (Grier) being small farmers;
Nancy Hanks, the mother Of Abra-
ham Lincoln, was born and raised
near the Chimney Rock section OF
Rutherford county, North Carolina,
and Nancy was house servant for a
family named Enslow, and on ac-
count of the jealousy of her employ
er's wife she went to some kinspeople
in Kentucky where she met and mar
ried Lincoln.
Joe Chandler Harris ("Uncle Re-
mus'') journalist and author, whose
book has been translated into many
languages and whose name is revered
BY both old and young throughout the
reading world-a plain Southern
Democrat, whom Republican Pres1-
dent invited as his honored and es-
pecial guest to the White House
was a Door Georgia boy, born on
small, rocky farm in Jasper county.
I don't suppose any boy ever started
life under more trying or discourag-
ing circumstances. He had only the
rudimental smattering of an educa-
tion obtained at a small and antlqu-
ated country school, and so he had
to educate himself while earning
living.
An old man who made hats out OF
rabbit skins printed small paper on
his farm called the "Countryman."
He hired Joe Harris as a printers
devil, and he also learned the boxes
and how to stick type. In due time
the ssCountryman" suspended and
Joe Harris found work on other week
lies in that section, and started to set
up while at the case paragraphs for
the paper; and they were so pointed
and bright that he was encouraged
by the editor to continue the work.
Harris's squibs began to attract at
tention from the daily papers and
were extensively copied. They be-
came the leading feature in every
paper with which Harris was con-
nected.
It was during the Franco-Prussian
war. was young fellow working on
the Savannah Morning News, taking
NV initial training in daily journal
ism The editor Of the News was
co, w. T. Thompson, author of
humorous book of that day named
"Maior Jones's Courtship." J. H.
Estill was proprietor.
One night about II o'clock Mr.. Es-