Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1940-07-04

pOrt.s DIR. NaylOr admitted that ne
was Ralph Marlowe in everything |
except marrying the boss's daugh-
ter =, ~
The drug salesman who called at
this store always offered cigars to
the men. gave. chewing gum to the
children and wore carnation IN
his buttonhole. In the novel his
name is Leonidas Walingford Cri-
der. salesman for the Badly Drug
company Of GAINESVILLE.
1t does not take much guessing
to decide the true identity of the
travelling man with the carnation in
his huttonhole. Outside the pages
of the novel he is known to the speo-
pie of GAINESVILLE as Ernest B.
Schneider
Many of DR.. MAYORS poems de-.
scribe the taste and color of life in
the Muskingum valley In "The
Old National Road" he pays tribute
to the emigrants who came west
ward along that. pioneer highway.
"Our best blood today is the
red blood that flowed
In the veins of the Man of
the National Road
The first poem he ever published
was called ''The Muskingum Val
county fair When DR.. Naylor ask
ed bis wife for the date Of the poem,
she replied: "Why, it was in 1889,
right after we were married, Dad
dy. 1 made you enter the contest
l said you would, you said you
wouldn't, then l said again you
| would, and you did,.
| For his information about GUS
toms of this part of Ohio, DR.. Nay
| lor could draw upon his own rich
experiences. Born in a one-room
cabin of unhewn logs on October 4,
/ 1860, in Penn township, Morgan
county, he knew at first hand the
| trials of farm life during and after
the Civil war.
In his volume of rambling Rem
iniscences,' he recalled that roasted
corn and sweet potatoes served as
of bread and milk: but when there
was no milk, he frequently ate a
bowl of bread and water sweetened
with molasses.
School terms We're short in the
1860's, only, four months in winter
and two months in summer. II at
tended school," said Dr. Naylor,
''but at that time it hadn't done
ime much HARM
One winter he slept in the loft OF
cabin which had weather-warped
clapboards for roof. Almost ev-
cry morning he awoke with a half
barrel or more of snow upon the
covers.
Life in these circumstances bred
strong muscle and quick wit DR..
Naylor had a native wit which was
sharpened to fine point. In describ-
ing the plain conditions of his
youth, he said: "Tire troubles were
few; and the crossroads blacksmith
looked after them. Spark plugs
had to be cleaned; but the boys did
it with curry combs"
To illustrate the boisterous man
ners of the times, DR.. Naylor de.
scribes temperance meeting al
Stockport he attended in his youth
An "eXperience'' talk was given by
Fred Hayward who described the
drinking habit of the crew of the
steamboat Ida of which he was
pilot.
Said Hayward: "The Ida drew
fourteen inches of water-and sev-
enteen inches of whisky There -.
toore steam in the officers thar
there was in the boiler: md y
blew off twice to the boilers once
Although DR.. MAYORS salty hu.
NOR came partly from native eifi
and environment, he must have in
heritcd part of it from his ancesto,
Tohn f'ailer of Robin Hoods band
John was called Little John because
he was the biggest man in Robins
band.
Tracing the family out of legend
into history, we find James Nay
lour serving under General Lam
bert in the Cromwellian wars il
England. This Naylour tried Fox's
sect of Cual.ers and found then
wanting, so he started a sect of his
own. People who objected to hi.
teachings tied him to the tail of {
cart, whipped him, and burned &
hole in his tongue.
Three sons of this James Nayloul
came to Pennsylvania, and the Nay
lors in America are descended fron
them and are mostly Quakers
The originality and independence
} inherited from his English ancestors
started Naylor on the road to writ
ing while he was in Newton Ridef
school "As boy" he said, ri got
!; licked for writing. l wrote comic
poems, passed them around and go
pupils to laughing. Then came the
t0ly inn 1ox 4,
err
After setting Newton Ridge school,
a-titter with his verse for several
years, DR.. Naylor spent several
months at Stockport ungraded high
school. His general education was
completed with five months at Ma.
retta Academy, where he earned
money for his tuition by tutoring
Rufus Dawes, who became president
Of A Century of Progress and life
long friend of DR.. Naylor'
Speaking of this friendship Dr.
Naylor said: Il want you to know
what Ruff did for me a few years
ago. All my books were out OF
print because of fire and bank
ruptcy of the publishers. My in
come was cut off and my days of
writing were over when he came to
my rescue"
The doctor related that he was
in Chicago several years ago on a
visit when his old friend said, "Jim,
why don't you. get out collected
edition of your poems, SO we can
have them all 'together?"
DR.. Naylor replied that he could
not afford it, whereupon. his old
| friend declared: "Well, / made
| NOR r,onov fhon TMrhad th;. x,aor