Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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MEMORIES OF HOME Why They Linger and When Thiey Linger Longest Fresh and Sweet. N'ot many days ago a number of old friends chanced to meet together. They formed a ,;omewhat noteworthy group, for. in one way or aaiher. all had won more than the ordinary measure of success. They had all been born and bred in Georgia. and all had kno-wi' one another in boy hood. The most of them came from :he samie county,. and three had at xended the same school. In the group 'zhere was a successful civil engineer., a r'aiway manager. a prosperous tar rner ;nd a business man. It seems that an opportunity had come to each to revisit the scenes of his child hood, and each was taking advantage of it. These old friends all met in At lania in the most casual way and they accepted the fact as a piece of good fortune. for it enabled them to deal generously in reminiscences while they looked about the town: viewing the improvements that seem ed so wonderful to them. They were amazed at the growth of Atlanta. and proud of it. but their amazement was not strong enough to'smother their reminiscences. Their chief talk was of home, not the new homes they had built in different parts -oi the country. but the home of their -childhood. Curiously enough. the man who had the shabbiest home when a; boy was more persistent in his re niniscences, and dwelt fondly on the memories he was able to coniure up: Sil some of the others. who were fa miliar with the shabby home of his2 youth agreed very heartily with all that he said, and . indeed, helped him out with his reminisce'nces when his own memory seemed to be faulty. This home that was so glorified in . the memory of the man was shabby only in appearance. It consisted of a modest three-room cottage, devoid of paint and free from all the comforts that seem to be a necessity of modern lome-builders. Inside and out every thing was severely plain. There were -no carpets on the floor, and none ot the accessories that are no.wadays 'found in the humblest home.- It was -apparent at a. glance that the home was under the pressure' -of poverty. All this, however. seemed to have been forgotten by 'the man who had been raised' there as well- as by those who had been familiaNi with it. How. then. -could a home so bare and poverty-stricken-so devoid of -comforts-app'eal 'so fondly to the zmemories of th'ost whp were familiar; -with it? There. is on'e simple ex planation that we desire to call to the :attentiop of every mother and father in the land. namely, that a house and its surroundings. its - furnishings, or irs- lack thereof, do not represent a home, A dwelling may be as fine as money can mak~e it. or as poor as pov erty itself, and still it may fai.1 to be a home in the true sense and meaning of the word. On the other hand., whether fine or common, it may re present the very essence of home. -The little house that the man and' his friends remembered so well and' talked of with so much delight had 'been swept away by time, and another more in .keepin~g with guir modern! ideas ~had takien its plac6: but that fact made not th'e least difference' in~ the w.orld to those who had been fa mniliar 'with' it, for they were glad to .admit that it had been the ideal home. -and their ,memories played about it constantly. It had been transfigured in their minds. .and occuipied a place "by itself. What a happy wvorld this would be ifwe could order a home as we do a ton of coal! How many, stuffy pro blems of humanity would be solved~ if it were p'ossible to have' a home 'made by merely leaving an order with -''the architect or contractor! And 'what a liberal, what an uplifting art 'that would be which could guarantee 'a home with every dwvelling erected! Not for long would the millenuium be delagred; not for long would our many. and various reformers be com pelled to wander up and down the world hunting for remedies.for social and political evils. But conditions being what they are, we are obliged to make the most of them and to shuffle along as best we may. They are not so bad that we are left no choice -in the matter, for sve are still free to make our dwelling places the centers of joy and happiness, to be long remembered by our children and our friends with emotions the most ,lam;ng or we may utilize them merely as places in which to eat and sleep-a resort for us when all other doors are closed. A hune that wili be long renem bered by those who have bathed in its a'.miosphere and partaken of its spirit is not dependent on considera uions of luxury, nor on any of the acces1ries of wealh: nor on rich ap po)intnents and furnishings, nor on the ostentatious display of prosper-. ity. These things are frequently only a painful exhibition of lack of taste and re:inement. for where pride or purse taints the atmosphere. the hut lest pers in n tle worl,l has all the advantage. \\hat is the secret of hoine-mak ing? It is not to be published to the wcrld. nor is it to be whispered to your neighbors. What are the char actrstics which. taken together. go t- the making of a home? The mind n mar. can hardly compass thtm. such is their elusivehess. It is well known that our thoughts are cap able of iying out of reach of human speech. and so there are elements of character. postive. and yet so ether ial that th.ey have never been pinned to a name or a quality. We say that a certain person is charming. or has a strong character. or a marked in dividuality: and we . feel that the terms we employ are not in the least descriptive of the qualities we have mentioned. We have merely given hints and vague intimations. So it is with the characteristics of a home. We cannot describe them in words that are fit and apt. So few of these characteristics are ma terial :hat we are at a loss; the things 4n which the nnger may be placed are material, and so do~ not count. The real characteristics are psychologi cal in their nature and effect. It is an experience common. to us all to enter a house and be chilled by some influence, we know not what, or. on the other hand, to be warmed into a glow of enthusiasm quite unexplain able at the time. It is impossible to mistake the spirit and atmosphere of home. We recognize it by some sense or instinct that is superior to reason and baffling to logic. Every man and every woman owe it to their children. to their friends and acquantaintances. and to them selves. to so order their households that -the very memory therof shall give pleasure in the years to come. The child is born with an instinctive love of home as a place of refuge, and it is the duty of the parents to see that this instinct is not shocked and destroyed when the child comes to the age when it can reason out matters fi(r itself. We do not discredit hospitality, but give it a new importance. when we say that the home should be or dered for the pleasure and conven ience of the children. subject to such retraints as will naturally suggest themselves. In such a home the moth er has no need even to inquire in, the words of the song. "Where is my wandering boy. tonight?" for she will know, and in that knowledge will re-2 side her pride, her pleasure and her consent.- - Igow Louisinna Became Ours. Southern Lutheran. Before this number of the Southern Lutheran reiches. our young people, the great Exposition at St. Louis will have been opened, in commemoration of one of the most important events in the history of the United States. That event was the acquisition of the great Louisiana country.by purchase. This territory extended from the Mis sissippi river on the east to the Rocky Mountains on the west, and from the Gulf of Mexico and the Red river on the south- to the Domin ion of Canada on the north, and in cluded also the island of New Or leans. It' had been part of that ex tensive country which wvas named and taken possession of in the name of and for the king of France by .La Salle in 1682, stretching from the Alleghany to the Rocky mountains and southward from Can 'ada and the Great Lakes to the gulf. In 1755 there commenced in Europe a wvar, which Thomas Carlyle de scribes as "a tornado springing doubt less from the regions called infernal: and darkening the upper world from north to south, from east to west, for seven years long, such a strife as the civilized world had not seen since the Thirty Years war." In it were involved Germany and England, France and Spain and Portugal and other nations. The Seven Years war termitd with the Peace of Paris in 1762, and one of the results was the ceding by France of the Louisiana country east of the Mississippi, ex cept New Orleans, to Great Britain; and west of the Mississippi, with New Orleans, to Spain. That part of it cast of the Missis sippi of course became ours through the Revolutionary war and the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain in 1783. During the war for independence settlers in great numbers had crossed the mountains into Kentucky and Tennessee. At once it became a ques tion h,w these people could find an avenue of commerce with the outer world. The natural way was by the Mississippi ri.-er. The east bank of the river as far south as Florida, (which then included parts of what are now the states of 'Mississippi, Ala bama and Georgia) was the property of the United States: but the west bank of the river with the island of New Orleans and Florida on the east bel>nging to Spain. So the people of the United States could not reach the Gulf of Mexico without going through Spanish territory. This the Spaniards would not let them do unless they paid heavily for the privilege. You may be sure that the settlers would not submt to this willingly, and conse quently all sorts, of trouble arose, The story is too long to be told here, but every American boy should study for himself the history of these thril lingly interestitig years from 1785 to i8oo. Had,- Spain continued the owner of Louisiana war with the United States must have resulted but in i8o1 the territory was receded by Spain to France. Thomas Jefferson had becqme the president of the United States. He saw that the change of owners of the Louisiana territory did not and could not relieve the situation. On April i8th, 18o2, he wrote .to our minister in Paris, Mr. Livingston "This cession completely reverses all the political relations of the United States, and will form a new epoch in our political course........There is on the globe one single spot, the pos sessor of which is our natural and habitual enemy." Mr. James Monroe was sent over to Paris to join Mr. Livingston in an effort to persuade France to sell us that spot, which was the island of New Orleans. But Napoleon was now the ruler ot France, dreaming dreams of a new France in America, and seeing vis ions of his own power extending not only over all Europe but over. the estern continent as well. To carry out his ambitious designs, he planned to send an army of 25,000 men into Louisiana and a war fleet to the Gulf of Mexico to guard the coast. But you know what often hap pens to the best laid plans'of mice and men. England and France seemed about to be engaged in war. The sol diers he intended to send to Amer ica were in San Domingo, and had been so weakened by war and sick ness that on the day that had been ac tually fixed for the movement to Louisiana, not a man was able to go. So Napoleon suddenly changed his mind, sent for Mr. Monroe and Mr. Livingston and offered to sell them not only New Orleans but also the whole Louisiana territory. There was no cable or wireless telegraph in those days, and there was no time to write to Mr. Jeffer son for his advice, so Monroe and Livingston took the matter in their own hands and signed the contract whereby Louisiana was transferred to the United States for a considera tion of $t5,ooo,ooo For a history of the great constitu tional questions involved, and resulting therefrom, our older readers are refer ed to Judge Cooley's "The Acquisition of Louisiana" (Indiana Hist. Soc. Pamphlets. No. 3.) Ex-Senator .\ason of Illinois was seated with a party of friends in a Washington cafe one evening, when the circle was joined by the son of a big western capitalist, whose main aim in life seemed to be a continuous jubilee. He was of that class inele gantly known as "butters in", and it was soon evident that his presence was distasteful to the senator. "My old man doesn't put up a cent for me," said the young man displaying a fat roll of greenbacks. "I'm on my own rescources." How do you manage it?" asked one of the party. "You musthave some sort of 'snap.' " "This is my 'snap' " said the gay spendthrift, impressingly touching his head. "And there's not a softer 'snap' in the world" assented Senator Mnan. *RUBBERSTAMPS Are my long suit. I make any kind * + except bad ones. I furnish a new * + stamp and an indellible pad for mark- * + ing linen for 40 cents. I have some other good things. J.WILSONGIBBES, + Typewriters', Office Supplies, etc. + 1334 Main Street, Columbia. S. C. HUDGENS BROS., LAURENS, S. C. Foundry, Machine Shops and Hay Presses. We are selling agents for the Rapid Fill Hay Press, which has proven to be the best press on the market at the price. These Presses can be seen at Mr. G. M. B. Epting's cotton platform. arw F'ma.-rna. We now employ one of the best Architects in the South, and are prepared to furnish Plans and Specifi cations to any who contemplate building. Full line of Castingsandsupplies kept in stock.. The mail puts you next door to us. HUDGENS BROS........... LAURENS, S. C. * STOP AND READ: : Wanted purchasers at our store for the cheapest line of new + and up-to-date furniture and hQuse- furnishing goods ever * opened in this city. Room suits; Beds, Dressers, stoves, pipe + * and all kinds'of stoveware, Crockety, Glassware, Lamps, * Window glass from 8xio to 36 inches.' Don't fail to see our stock of wall paper, feather beds and feather pillows. We will + sell you these goods cheaper than any one in Newberry. SShelley, Dean & Summer, : Newberry Hardware Co's. Old Stand, Main St. 04h,YMN On, AW&******-AM We Desire To remind our friends that we carry the very best flour e l ean be bought.. Loose Buckwheat. Raisins. Nu Figs. Dates. Grated Cocoanuts, Cranberries Mince Meats, etc. DAVENPORT & CAVENAUGH Phone 1 10. Main Street. . . . MILLINERY ... We beg to call your attention to the:$ *fact that we have just opened u-p a new + + line of Millinery. + DRESS GOODS. SOur line of Dress Goods is complete* + In every respect. * We are "Up-to-date" on Notions,* i*Novelties, Etc. +We invite the public to call and in-* * spect our line of goods before buying. MRS. S. W. CALMES, I. PROSPERiTY, S. C.t