Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1939-09-21

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son farm where my grandmother
was buried II years ago Brother
! Benjamin had not been there in
about go years. Can you imagine
| how changed it was? l was happy
to stop with Flora Newburn, a rela-
tive, and to see Kit McElfresh
whose fathers funeral / attended
40 years ago with vivid recollec-
tion of the accident by which
buggy overturned just ahead of us
as we went around the Rosseau hill
The old cabin, estimated to be from
100 to 125 years old, on the Bill
James farm where I was born 62
years ago and where James Harris
was born rs years ago is standing
very well, but two log houses on the
same farm disappeared before my
recollection. / suppose they were
the first ever built there.
| was happy to speak at Penns-
vile, Wolf Creek and McConnels-
vile, where / have been speaking
for over 40 years and also at Old
Baptist, Hopewell, and Chaneyville.
1t is about So years since / started
to school at this place and as I walk
ed from Ed Rainey's over the old
trail, l remembered distinctly the
experience of playing in the brook
with Will Manly one day till the
Sheridan girls came along with my
dinner pail in the evening saying
"School is out" and we didn't even
know the noon hour had passed.
All the landmarks except the land
itself was gone. The Jimmie McEl-
fresh house has been taken down
and with some loose bricks and idle
timbers, / set up a marker. Won
der if III ever seen it again.
Morgan county seems a good
health resort. Some of the TB
patients of 20 years ago are still
living; Ross Milton is away up in
90; George Best will soon be 97:I
and Ida Thompson is SO. These
are still all able to travel on their
own steam, but what an experience
they have had. l would have been
glad also to see Mrs McElfresh, but
one can't see everybody in short
visit to the hills and bottoms of old
Morgan where my heart turns ever
and anon. The gathering of some
of our family at Embree park was
enjoyable and my brother, Clarence,
made five trips to Pennsville in
connection with the visit-but
haven't those good roads moved
Pennsville lot closer to the county
seat? I was struck with the little
time required to get anywhere.
O'Daniel would have
wanted about two hours to drive a
soft horse from the pasture into
McConnelsville.
The visit also included Coshoc-
ton county, Wheeling (spoke four
times on Sunday, Bethany, Nc
Mechen, Shadyside, Marietta, Park
ersburg, Huntington, Winchester,
and Lexington, with about 800.
miles of night driving. Bethany,
some will know, is the old home Of
a rather important character, Alex
ander Campbell, who much over 100
years ago was advocating a COM
plete return in religion to the faith
and practice of the apostles and the
early church much as Barton w.
Stone had advocated the same thing
in Kentucky several years earlier,
and as was done by various parties
in other places about the same time
and on both sides of the sea. The
is being restored and
century-old pines which he planted
have so long dropped their needles
in the yard that there is a peculiar
sponginess as one walks beneath
their branches. Here were enter
tanned Robert E. Lee, Henry Clav,
James A. Garfield, Jefferson Davis
and many others. Mr.. Campbell be-
gan Buffaloe Seminary in 1918 and
now Bethany college occupies an ex-
tensive campus on hill above the
village.
Some driving experiences in the
Mountains are not desired again,
out as the moons wax and wane,
he writer will be longin' to get
pack to enjoy the hospitality Of
he north once more. In the mean
ime, it is important that all of us
,e aware Of another journey we are
making and select the right destina-
ion and the infallible way of get
ing there by the grace and gospel
If the Lord Jesus Christ.-Don Car
os James, 1046 Dudley avenue,
louisville, Ky.