Milford chronicle., 1934-09-21
A PHILOSOPHER OF
THE BIG HILLS
BY j. y. JONES

good food. The moon rose over IN
Great Northern Mountain. Acros
the way was a swell out-of-doOr
swimming pool that was fed from
mineral spring. A few miles ava,
was the Blue Ridge and the Shenan
dOah Valley. Beyond North Noun
tain were the Alleghanies.
There was a rustic of excitemen
at the announcement: THE mail i
in" LaVinge, number one investi
gator for the Government, looked III
from the newspaper he had started
to read: Anniversary memorial ser
vice for ex-President Coolidge ha:
been held in Plymouth, Massachn'
setts. Hum! He was born in 1872
So was |. Grant was President then
Victoria was Queen Of England, and
Germany had just won a war with
France" He got that out OF the
paper.
Oak, skilled in the meat packing
industry added Coming through
from 1872, is a long pull. LaVinge.
When you were a child people ate
rotten meat, everywhere; after that
the packers began to put things in
tin, glass jars and use lots of ice"
so Grant was President In 1872;
and the man with his heart in his
hand. Jim Fisk was shot in Wall
Street, and what they called the
greatest panic was brewing. PeO-
pie were going nutty, just like 1928.
and then the balloon went up. News
papers were all hand-set. Press as
soCiations and syndicates were of no
consequence. The people were just
beginning to wake up and realize
how fast they were going. Even then
they were preparing for the Phila-
delphia Centennial, to show off how
far they had come up TO date
Excuse me" interrupted Lyss,
our friend Jones is interested in
newspapers and he tells us how
things are all different from the old
days. There were no jobs like his
until the reorganization of publish
ing a few years ago. LaVinge has
new styled job with Uncle Sam,
and Oak is proud of his lamb chops
and hams. Our folk here in the
mountains used to raise their own
liiEdl anu uO NAlGil Wv II bhANACA al o
We still manufacture our own liquor
in what We call them thar hills and
our women folks have il all over
the bakers with their homemade
bread, cakes and pies"
Things haven't changed much
round here on your mountain side,
Lyss. since ~. have they?" chipped
in the number one man from Wash
ingtOn.
well, maybe you don't see it,"
answered Lyss-he of original Amer
lean heritage. But" he went on,
my father was born near here and
so was his pappy; and the Indians
used to camp in this valley. George
Washington surveyed all this border
section of Virginia and West Vir-
ginia. My people farmed. hunted.
tished and lived somehow. Union
and Confederate soldiers got in here
in Civil War days. The State built
the Governors mansion that you see
over there cross the way, which
now is the water -bOttling plant. and
the Governors all came from Rich
mOnd and lived swell. West Vir-
ginia finally got this section OF coun-
try. Daniel Webster and most of
the Senators and diplomats of his
days and latter times, came over
North Mountain in stages and car
riages and hundreds of the greatest
men and women from Washington
and the bic cities lived here in our
great hotels. They had plenty to !
Fat and drink and there were POO |
fine riding horses, lots of dancing.
manly sports. aid aristocratic living !
and"
who led the band" interrupted Oak. |
Il did" acclaimed Lyss. proudly. |
You just asked me TO see what / |
would say.
Il helped get a lot of new settlers |
started around here too" the pioneer |
'and | built some of the !
first roads and bridges. and also the
railroad. Steam made |
changes in our noun |
aims, but this section doomed until |
he automobile spoiled the business |
about 1910. and then we had the |
great fire when the hotel burned
But we have good schools and
And the same kerosene lamps"
.hilded Oak. 1
We'll you sleep in a soft bed, here;
here's running water. and modern
and | never have charged
'Ou for listening to my radio. and
lsing my telephone. Maybe an air
,lane will be sailing through the
light of the moon while we are gass-
ng. You city fellows know lot
bout progress since Coolidge was
,orn in 1872. But you'll know lot
more if you think about the stuff
hat is unloaded from the trucks
hat come in to these mountains
ranges from Florida, sugar from
'uba, tires from Ohio, automobile
'arts from Detroit, bottled goods
rom everywhere. Different isn't it,
rom stage coach times?"
Il was born the same year that
coolidge was" Oak said.
strange, but it must be that birds
# feather are not the only crea-
ures that flock together, since also
ave been coming through since
S72,'" said the newspaper man.
Lyss was born that same year-he
as told me so. We are all city
Olks except Lyss, and he has some
hings we never can have. Lyss has
he traditional background of Amer
ca in his bones. body and soul"
hen, with hesitation he concluded
Fellows, we all follow different
rays of life-that shows how The
iarch of Progress keeps going on"
THE fly in our ointment seems to
e that we are all older than the
eW Presidents since Coolidga