The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1921-01-21
FOUNTAINS BANQUET
GUY W. STEELE TELLS SOME INTEREST
ING HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY
Rev. WARD, OF W. NJ. c., TO HELP
TEACHERS.

Carroll County sons and daughters
70 the number OF l2J menTbers of the
carroll County Society OF Baltimore
City held their annual banquet at the
emerson Hotel, Baltimore. Wednes-
day evening, and spent several pleas
ant hours renewing old frfedshins
and enjoying addresses devoted 10
home themes and II musical entertain-
ment
MIR Guy w Steele was the princi-
pal speaker of the evening. whose adj
dress viii be found in full below.
Mr.. Toastmastcr. Guests, and
members OF the Carroll County So
ciety OF Baltimore city:
y do not know which 10 admire
more. the consummate assurance Of
your toastmaster in my ability to in
form or entertain, evidenced By the
promising words in which be has pre-
sented me, or my temerity In attempt
ing to live up TO his prophecy II is
intensely gratifying and encouraging.
however, 10 realize that You men and
women Of worth, although you have
wandered from the good land from
which you drew your strength and
vigor. are still willing ard apparent
~ anxious TO hear words from hum
bile representative OF the folks back
home.
And in order that you may con
slider what | say ia the right light
you must keep In mind that my heart
is naturally filled with love for the
soil that nourished me. for the long,
low, log house near Eldersburg
through whose small paned windows
/ first saw light, where lives my
father to-day, was the home Of Steeles
long before Carroll County was es-
tablished. My roots go deep into the
ground, for my people helped clear
the land we still hold, and we right
fully love that which has supported
us for generations. With us Carroll
county Is always first for We have
faith in its greatness and the yirtueH
OF It's people, a faith similar 20 tie
faith OF the minister IN the Bible, H.
lustrated by the story told by the late
Henry W. Grady during the greet
speech he made az the annual dinner
OF the New England Society IN 1886
No doubt many OF you have heprd H.
but so well does II explain my feel
ings toward our county that ] must
take the risk OF being considered
prosaic by telling H. He said there
was an old preacher living az his
home in Atlanta who once told some
hoys OF the Bible lesson he was going
TO read In the morning The boys find
Ing the place glued together the CON
Meeting pages The next morning he
read on the bottom OF one page
when Noah was one hundred and
twenty years old he took unto him
self a wife who was. turning
the page--"one hundred and forty Gu
hits long. forty c,Ibits wide built Of
gopher wood. and covered with piich
ingide and out" He was naturally
nuszled at this. lie read II again and
yeriged Il, and then said. My friends
thts isit first time / ever met this
In the Bible. but accept II as an eyi-
dence OF the assertion that We are
fearfully and wonderfully made" "
was only assured you had such faith
in the virtues OF every thing coming
from Carroll County, could IN con
fdence proceed cheerfully with my ef-
fort to live up TO your toastmaster :
introductIon. in the absence pf such
assurance, can only haltlugly pro-
gregs, hampered by the fear of ina
bility TO please, and thus noi saying
enough, or. OF being carried away by
subject, and talking TOO much.
Three hundred years ago the land
OF our county was wilderness. ~ud
beasts lurked in its forests and INC
red man roamed IT'S hills and valleys
But soon the white man, pressing MS
way ever forward. began 70 move
down from the settlements IN Pennsyl-
vania and up from Southern Mary
land and Baltimore town FROM me
Marsh Creek Settlement near Get
tysburg, the Scoteh-irish spread into
Taneytown district, into Manchester
and Myers, came the Germans from
around Hanover holding fast 10 their
customs and their mother tongue; up
from the Older counties OF the state,
ST. Mary's, Anne Arundel and Prince
George, came the English and Irish,
Younger sons OF the large planters,
bringing with them their slaves. and
settled in Freedom district and the
Southern part OF the county They
were all a God fearing people. firm
in their religious beliefs, and In Man
chester was built the German Church,
near Union Bridge is the Old Quaker
Meeting House; at Sans Greek, Rob
ert StraWDrtdBe, pioneer Wesley az
minister. built the FIRST Methodist
church in America and rapidly fall
iny into decay and abandoned now a.
4 piace OF religious worship, at FL
dersburg, still stands old Trinity
a.piscopal Church ip which ! wa'
baptized and confirmed and whicf
was an old church when Cornwallii
surrendered at Yorktown.
ut was NOT an easy life these pion'
GERS and early settlers had in theil
new home. The land was hilly ant
tinibefed and could be cleared only
by great labor and, except in thos'
sections where It vas performed 3!
slaves, this work was done by oul
forefathers. which made hardy peo
bic. being far from the marts OF trad
the settlers depended for support up
ON their own efforts, thus producint
4 self-reliant and frugal people
for tho only public business apparent
ly carried on was tanning and mill
lne. That there was danger still from
the red man, IL evidenced by III
pierced sides for port holes, still Z