Pocahontas star herald., 1924-06-27

CAPTAIN Miles Ponder, father of Hon.
Harry L. Ponder. Grandfather saw
| this.
In the years before the great conflict
imagine our forefathers clearing up
little patches of the boundless forest
and building thereon log cabin, where
they reared their families, most of
which were large enough ones under
very trying circumstances. Yet they
reared their noble sons and daughters
whom we fear would have measured
higher in the standard Of true man
hood and wOmanhOOd than many OF
our children today. We have condi-
tions today that are truly trying on
our seuls. but imagine us going out to
start a home and community in when
to live, with no material things to start
with. except the unbroken wilderness,
a few crude homemade tools, and the
simple proposition of root hog or die
| l can almost hear the hum of our
grandmother's old loom and spinning
wheel as she made the cloth to cover
| the bodies of her brood, while grand
father and the children assisted in
making other articles of wearing APP
parel. This seems queer TO us but do
you suppose there are many Of we
present day boys that are anything
like as proud of our up-tO-date tailor
ed suits as the boys of that day were
when they dOnned their homespun
made by mother? I'll wager we aren't.
could name many other difficulties
that confronted the early settlers but
all was not bad. Can't we remember
hearing about the happy times they
had in those days. A few years after
the opening up of the settements times
grew some better. Better homes were
built, churches and schools were estab-
/ lished
Many whose heads are frosted by
many winters, look back over the years
gone by and remember with joy the old
time log r0llings. houseraisings, husk-
ing bees and many other forms Of pas
time, which were both profitable and
amusing.
Also the church was one Of the great
est helps to the community besides the
spiritual influence it had over n com
munity il served to gather the settlers
together for their own mutual adyan-
tages and help change the daily routine
of duties.
But those times are past and gone.
Little is left but memory. Here and
there an old pioneer still survives but
ere many years he shall pass out Of
this world to new home, already
made, which unlike his frontier abode
will not be made by him.
After his departure naught will be
left but here and there an old vine
covered cottage that was once the
happy abode of our fathers, where once
gleeful children spent many joyful
hours who have since grown up and
fulfilled their duties in life. Also here
its walls once echoed to the tread of
the Blue of the Gray who gathered
here to drink health to Lincoln or
Davis. And Blue and Gray too had
trod the paths of the garden and pluck |
ed its flowers and fruits in times that
tried mems souls.
When the pyramids Of the Pharoahs
shall have crumbled; when Imperial
Rome shall have faded into a mockery |
of memory; when the Lion of Lucerne
shall sleep in dust; when eternity IT.
self shall have showed its years upon
us and the white winter of the world
has come, still, in memory we shall
know, honor and reverence those noble |
old fOrerunners OF civilization and |
founders of our fair land.
Lawrence Dalton,
Da,un ri