The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-05-01
LOOKING BACKWARD
Philadelphia, Pa.

Ewing Brothers,
Rising Sun, Md.
Editors:
l have read with much interest the
story Of I" Pompey's Luck" as print
ed in your Midland Journal.
1t is all true to life in old Cecil
+. County and many other districts
where the negro of that long ago
period had to forage early by day.
and sometimes late by night, for
enough to eat, and very little to
wear.
When the day arrives and the
historian for Cecil County is born,
he will probably find more history
clustered around that old Log School
House than any other Common
School in the county. The old
Loves Run School is good second.
The people of the Eighth and Sixth
Districts were not rich in worldly
goods, but the poorest Of them were
generally after an education, and the
county paid for all who were not
able to pay for themselves. Those
were the days before the arrival OF
the Public Free School System.
rhe country school houses for de-
batting societies and the cross road
villages for Town Meetings were the
important centres in the early his
tory of our American country. We
are speaking now of more than half
way back to the Declaration Of In
dependence, and and in some cases
lar past the other half.
The writer lived in the Sixth dis
trict, but belonged to the Log Cabin
Debating Club in the Eighth.
Joseph Hanna was, believe, the
leading spirit. He was a lifelong
school teacher and was then up in
years. His two daughters, Matte"
and "Sallie" were well known teach
ers, one a brunette and the other a
olonde-black and golden hair.
passed through the three RS under
their instructions, at the old Loves
Run School in the Sixth district.
am keeping postal card from
Matte" written the year she died,
1921, in her -S3rd year, addressed to
My dear, School boy" You knew
her as Mrs. Martha Jane Saunders,
widow of Robert Saunders. Matte"
died within sight Of a country school
house at Liberty Grove. She and a
young blonde daughter of her sis
ter Sallie talked to me about debat-
ing societies only three years ago.
The habits of life of course are
strong, but those are the people
who make this old world OF ours
better by reason Of their living in it.
Now come back to the Log Cabin
debates. Thomas r. Preston was a
good second to the leader, Joseph
Hanna. / was young, white haired
and hopeful, scared to death" when
on my feet facing an audience. l
can remember my head soaring like
it was mile high until I got started
and my nerve came to me. Albert
w. Preston, also school teacher,
was an active member; Merritt
McNamee, another school teacher.
Alpheus Crothers, an excellent citi-
to debating. He had eight sons,
gen, rather modest and did not take
all were young in these days, but in
years were prominent citizens. The
youngest one, Austin, became Gov
ernor of his native State. Patrick
Ewing was prominent citizen living
in the Sth District on the border line
of the 9Th, quite distance from the
Log Cabin School. remember the
sons, Edwin and Pinkey, who
were scholarly men and encouraged
the educational spirit in their COM
munity. OF those who never said
lfail," the real lights who stood up
and said something" were Wash.
lsrIill, John Bennett, Randall Moore,
Eben Pennock, ben" McVeagh and
others l cannot recall.
The fun in the debate was when
I..Wash" Hill or John Bennett, the
real rural orators, after talking long
and loud would pause to take a sip
of water and with little hesitation
Esay: "Mr. Chairman which side OF
this question an l on? The presid-
ing officer would start him ON the
RICH track. This may be called a
parallel case to the track foreman's
brief report of wrecked car: "On
again, on again, gone again,
Flanagan
Yours very truly,