Year: 1878

Mr.. EDITOR 1t seems to me
that l have an irresistible scrib.
bling itch. l am constantly seeing
and hearing things that ought to
find place in your paper, but the
fear that something might steal its
way in that ought to be left out Of
ten deters me. If you were to go
on long trip to George Shorts as
l did you would see and enjoy
enough to fill two or three columns
of your paper. Especially is this
true if you were to have for your
travelling companions Bro. Craig~--
wisely called by VIII DuBose "Un-
Gle Jack, the preachers friend''-
and his elegant daughter Miss Min
ME. At Bro. Shorts my heart grew
sad. Shades of bereavement and
deep grief recalled to my mind the
fact that my worthy and lamented
yoke-fsllow, Fielding F. Pagan had
kissed his faithful, patient and low
ing wife goodbye, pronounced his
dying benediction upon two sweet
little babes, and gone up to join his
Master and his mother. As / looked
into the melancholy face of his wife
and children / mused: "In this pic
ture before me l may be beholding
what must soon take place in my
own house. These fatherless ones,
so young, so dependent, may soon
find sad companionship In my own
dear children" These thoughts
filed my heart to overfowing al
most, and 1 would find myself in
voluntarily calculating, "God bless
and keep the widow and children of
my cherished friend from all harm"
| am so glad that these unfortunate
ones have found home in the
house of our dear Bro. Short. God
has a blessing in store for those
whose religion leads them to visit
substantially the widow and orphan
in their affections.


"No radiant pearl that crested fortune wears,
No gem that twinkling hangs from beauty's


ears,


Nor the bright stars that nights blue arch


adorn,


Nor rising sun that gilds the eternal morn,
Shine with such luster as the tears which


break


For others woe down virtues manly cheek" !"


/ knew Fielding well. No men,
tion of him in the press that l have
seen has brought out to my salts
faction the true characteristics OF
the man. An invalid for years, he
pressed his way through an timer
ant life as accomplishing as his
healthful coadjutors. Whatever
might have been his opinion of the
rightness or the wrongness of the
edicts of "the cabinet" he was al
ways prompt in going to and filing
his appointments. Among young
people he was magnet. He could
in all probability induce as many
young men to engage in active
church work as any other man in
the Tennessee Conference. l have
always attributed much of his fidel
ity to his work and success in it To
one single event-the death of his
mother. From that ante-chamber
of Heaven, her death bed, he caught
an inspiration of hallowed fire. 1t
was more than a decade ago and in
my humble home that the parting
took place. The solemn fact had
been presented to her that she must
pass away. Her husband, with
bleeding heart, brimful eye, and
great fervor of spirit, had imprinted
upon her lips, then chilling in
death, burning kisses of love, ex-
claiming, "My precious one, I'll
meet you in the Kingdom" 1t was
then that her heart turned lovingly
to her only boy-the subject of a
thousand prayers and tears. She
gave him many little keepsakes, the
gatherings of an itinerant life, then
placing her lean hand upon his
youthful head she delivered this
charge to him: go, my son. and
preach the gospel as long as you
live" No wonder the dying boy
had 8 glimpse of her while spanning
the chasm between time aud eter-
nifty.


Our people are delighted at the
prospect of DIR. Rivers being identi-
fed with the college IN the future;
and earnestly hope that they may
show their appreciation of his valu-
able labors in a substantial way.
With DIR. Rivers and his matchless
magnetism and management his
able and worthy faculty, and espe-
cially our Miss Lizzie Alternately in
the Art Department, surely Martin
College has claims upon us. and /
hope that September may bring