| Show J 4 A TRUE PATRIARCH A Study from Life f I BY TH EODORE DR ElSER On of a certain moderate I sized county seat in may br ba seen a true patrIarch Tall TaIl whit Whitt haired stout in body and mind bE roams among his neighbors dispensing I sympathy and goodness through leisure of his d day y Orb might take him to be the genial Watt Whitman of oC 1 whom he is the living counterpart or see in the clear e eye e high forehead and thick honorable white hair a I similarity to Bryant 86 n he appeared in I his later years Mans allo ed term on onearth onearth earth he has already seen and yet et he is still sUll strong in the he councils of his pea peo people and rIch liCh In the th accumulated inter interests cots ests of a lifetime At the present time h b Is most eating for the eccentricities yeats Yeata of stalwart independence have hae I o d but these are lovable and only irow roUt remarkable se ac seI I by t th of the theand I and his increasing sin The loud though pleasant ant voice and strong fiery declamatory manners manner ua aro remnants of the days when his fellow tello e citizens were wholly holly swayed by Ute the magnificence of his orations Charm simple In manner he stilt with It that old courtesy WhIch made every stranger er his hlf guest het moved by righteous indignation crops out the daring and Insistence of one who ho has ha always alws fot fol F the right and knows its power 2 Even today If there is any tepid i worthy of lon and his fellow citi ji tens zens are in danger of wrong lie i becomes a harangUing prophet in the I community Every gat har hm hir I h he stops on his rounds in front of end c calling the Inhabitant out pours forth such a volume of fact and r mE mont nt as would remove all do doubt bt of r what he at least considers right AU All f this he Invariably jr by magnificence of gesture worthy of a great orator At such times his mind Is wholly en engrossed grossed with these matters and I have It from his dau daughter that he may be kI seen coming down clown his private lawn and Even the public streets shaking his he head d gesticulating sometimes sweep lug up upward rd with his arms as If ad dressing his fellow citi citizens ens in assem blage He had pushed his big hat bat welt eU bak k kupon upon his forehead she saia on one oc atlon and forgetful of the bitter old had taken off his overcoat and carried It on n his arms Occasionally he stop quite still as a if he Wore ad a companion and With s sweep lug gestures illustrate some I oo or others other Then planting his big bi cne forcibly with each step as though to compel acceptance he came forward and entered the house The same suggestion of mental con concentration concentration maYbe may be seen in everything that he does and I have seen him lead lug Ing a pet Jersey cow home for milking with the same dignity of bearing and forcefulness of manner with which he addressed his fellow at t a Dub mib tie ik meeting He bag ha ho he sense of differ difference nce ence from or superiority over his fel ind only th the keenest sympathy with all hI thingS hUman Every man Is his brother human being honest When a purse puree is lost out of overy ery fifty men mei 1 will return It withoUt t thought of if y you u can believe In the little town where he has bas lived Jived Sn many years he know knowe every flying from eattle upward rd an and d has Jl 1 their Interests at heart Tb ma sick I 1 poor Door th the widows End the I 4 his hig special care very ery Sunday art for years it baa haa been tom to go the rounds of the Indigent frequently A basket baket f hIs hs gord od wife This he wo would ld dI dis J tribute along with con consolation and ad advice vice ke Occasionally he would return I home of a winters day Very much en engrossed engrossed grossed with a discovery of some Im hn Important Instance of distress resa Ozi en these T very s sid id his daughter he would as he nearly al always always ways does talk to himself on the way as if he be were d Yu Yeu co td hever heer tell teft what he was c mIng for or 1 Mother be y Ive found sUch a poor family Tn This s was delivered In most mont dramatic style after he had bad in p Sm something Import ImportAnt nt by throw ing his en the Oed bed and stand standIng Ing his cane ir 11 the corner They have hae moved Ino the old saloon You know S ho how oPen that f Is Tb Thre tg a man and several children The moth f is dead The ey were on their wa to Kansas but It sot got s so caM celd ve stopped h he e until the winter is broken There without food almost aIn t no clothing Cant We find something for them l With his own labor he wo ld help mother seek out the he odds and eThOs that I could be spared and So n armed annea would return by tb the way its as if an er errand errand rand of oC mercy were the thing ha contemplated l I Always of Jf e C reverent turn of mind he took considerable le Interest in Iou ministration though he be steadily P r refused In his la later ter tera years a to SO go to One ODe f the most I touching anecdotes representative of 1 th this wes Wag r related Hed to me by his da gh ter who WIO said Mr Kent a poor man of the town was vas sick for to his death nd my fath father used to o often sometimes dally daily to visit him He would spend perhaps a few minutes perhaps an hour with him singing 2 praying and to h his spiritual wan wants ts Upon one ir fr Kent ex ax expressed pressed a de desire to hear a certain 3 song ry Iy fAther was as not net very with It but to his hla request came home borne and nd asked me ie tf If t I wOUld get geta et eta a friend nd of mine min and Eo with him and I ring ping the song for foe him lwe W mite r d the tf Jo io m lit b lead leading hug ing us by th hand Mt Kents lace face at and father said mid to him Mr Kent I told you tit morning I nt sing inc the eon ori y sei for but these girls know It a and have ve come cents cometo to sing It for you Then wa waving his band gently to ard us hiP h said I SIng sine t t tWe We did and when w we I hd he knelt and offered a pra net t for forthe forthe the poor mans recovery but that he might put his trust In the Lord a d meet death oat fear I 1 have never been more deeply deply DOr or felt more ent In the r death f r the tan died soon aft after scathed into perfect pe ce I On one occasion he cas sitting with some frienda frieDda in front of the co court rt 4 house talking and sunning himself when a neighbor came running up In great excitement calling caIling Mr White Mr White e come me right quick Mrs SUdler wants you I He explained that the woman in I question was d dying and had asked the bystanders to run for him her old ac The old patriarch was without a coat but of that lie hastened after Mr Wh White ite Sh she e ex iy It upi e lIm r I want a t you i u to pray Lh t I don hrant irn Im net nat to die but I do dont t want to die Ii I 4 1 1 I i P Zi Zid f Down ne Aisle He Le d His Chae that way twant you ou t offer a pra prayer er for me that I may be saved from that Im so fraid Have no more fear Mrs he exclaimed solemnly You wont I will ask the Lord for you and this evil will not come upon you You Yiu need not have haye any fear Kneel down you ou he exclaimed turning upon the assembled neIghbors al a relatives while he pushed his te hair back from his 1115 forehead L Let t us pray that this be al 01 to poss pass away in peace fly By dint of phraseology nd his pro faith h ht succeeded in inducing a feeling of peace and quiet in aU all of his hearers and the sick woman list listel el ering Slink sank into a 8 restful stUpor from which all agony of mind had wholly disappeared When the physical at atmo atmosphere mo phere of the room had been thus r reorganized he ceased and retired In Ina a few moments a slight commotion in inthe Inthe the sick chamber denoted that the end had come Several neighbors came caine out and one said Well WeB it is all ail over tr White She is de deed 6 She strangle did she 1 he exclaimed with great assurance No said the o othe the Lord granted her re request est I 1 knew she he replied Prayer is always answered The poor the b blind the insane and I sufferers rs are keenest t sympathies EVidences of it hashes heB out at the most unexpected mo rou rough h exclamations which however contain tl a note so i tender and suggestive ive as to tra trans ts II One day In hi passing the loc bOut t po poOr r tarm larm h he cam cath Upon a utan beating a poor idiot with a whip It was beside a woodpile nd the demented one was I crying In a moment Mr White had I ut of his conveyance leaped over the fence and confronted the amazed mazed attendant with an n uplifted arm Not another lick he fairly shouted What do you ou mean by striking an idiot Why the attendant I Want him to in the wood and he Wont do It It is not his place to bring In the H put here for that Hes put bere to be taken care of Ill see about this The man endeavored to explain that some work must be done by the in inmates Inmates mates and that this one was as refractory try tory The only way he had of making him understand was by whipping him Not another word the old man blustered overawing the country hire hireling ling Hug who knew w him vell urn Ill See ee to this and after scaring the nan man so badly adly that whips were there thereafter fter care concealed he proceeded to the court hoUse Court Was not in anti only the present when he came tramping down the aisle and stood Meed before the latter with his bis right hand uplifted in the position ot of one about t to make oath The clerk knew wen well enough the re remarkable e characteristics of his guest whose actions were only too often otten In Inexplicable Inexplicable explicable from the ground point of policy polle and conventiOn conventi n Without ado b he got out ink and paper and Mr White began beganI I saw he said teIn In th yard or of the county farM a poor helpless Idiot put in that institution by this county to be cared for bein being beaten booten with a hide by Mark t el wm wh s an at attendant attendant there because he did cUd not un understand enough to carry In whiCh the people are hired to db Think of It he be went on quite for foret et was for dl dictation And golD going off of into t most se searching r ar ral of tile entire system in which h brt could occur T e clerk ng hs hIs in the qUietly followed In a defer deferential way putt putting down such features feature as he had time to When he be was through he be ventured to lift his voice volee 1 In protest You know Mr White lie be saId is a member of our party and was appoint by us Of coUrse tOW sow Its too t bad t this thing should have hae happened a and d he ought to be dropped bat It ft are to make a pUblic matter ot of It In this way it may hurt u itt the election next month The old gazed gated at him al alm almost m most with without t ion of so a view he that got to do with it Do you want the Democratic p party to starve the poor and beat the insane The opposition was rather flattened by the and left the old gentle gentleman 1 man to storm out He had purIfied the al as it If Uy by i t thU U following the of offending tending fending attendant with was dropped Politics however have long known b his nce ir in a very similar way as a time when he was the I chief political al figure fluCe In the county and possessed ed th the gift of oratory beyond all his Men CAme mileS ani to toh h hear him a and nd h he tOok occasion tov to il ilIda ie I Ida on very t Issue J tt dSt Ma d to itt t hid ts I own expense a few lew placards I Ing his comIng which he himself would carry to the tot town selected and person personally any ally nI up When the hour came the crowd was never flOver PersonallY t never knew how tower lug Ing his figure had stood In the past until I drifted in upon a lone bachelor who occupied a hut some fifteen mUes from the patriarchs present home and who is rather noted in the community for his love tove of seclusion and indifference tt toJ current events He had not visited the nearest neighboring Village tn In some something something thing like five years and had not been to the county seat In ten teh Naturally he treasured d memories of his youn younger er days and nd more varied activity r I dont know he said to me one day ay ayin in discussing modern statesmen and political fame getting up 1 in 1 is a queer game I cant understand It Men Ien that think ought to get u tip dont seem to It seem to be bereal bereal real greatness that helps helS em along What Vh t keS you OU gay ny that t I asked Yell Well there to be a man over here at Danville that I las always thought would get up and yet he He ivas vas the finest ora orator tor I ever heard Who was h I asked Arch White lie he said quietly He was vas really a 8 great grea t man He was a good hian Why the tIme Ive driven en fifteen miles to 10 heat hear him I used to like to o Into int iut for flint reason H He used to b be t and sometimes hed t taut lR a little H He could stir a fellow up fY alone wont make malte a states statesman statesman man 1 ventured muM to dra draw hiM out than to object Oh I know he But he was a good maiL The plainest spoken fellow I ever heard He seemed to be beable beable able to tell us just Wh t was 15 the mat matter ter us Ive seen SeCh 2000 eople up at High Hill HUl hollerin Over ver hat he was isas saying until roU oU could hear them miles Why he get up do you sup slip pOse I dunno he answered Guess he was too honest He was a tie de determined man and one that would talk out In convention Whenever they sot got sotto gotto to twisting things and doing what just horest I suppose hed out Gut Anyhow he get up and Ive always wondered at it itIn itIn In Danville one hears other stories wholly be hearing out this latt r n Thus a long enduring political quarrel Was once generated b by n Incident more for wh what t it reye revealed l 6 of the th than n t r its d tie tails A certain man well known to tb him came to Danville one day and either r drank up or gambled away a certaIn taIn tam sum of money to hIm by I q ut for in n tn t manner He was not too drunk whOn the day was all 11 oV r to realize reaUze that h he was as In a rather serious pre predicament and so 50 riding out ot of town fown travel d a little way and then ret returned hUd complaIning t that at he be had been set by the wayside beaten and finally robbed His clothes were in a fine fihe state of dilapidation and even ven his body bore bote marks which amply seconded hIS bis pro protestation It was In the slush glush and rhin or of the dark village street that he was picked u up by the county tre Who h knowing the generosity of White and the tact fact that his door was alWays open to those in distress even as for his own children hl dren took the young oung m mn n by th the arm rm and accompanying hIm led hUrt hIM to 10 the patriarchs door where he per personally applIed In n a few it was opened by this shaggy In p n h held a l laMp fn v r hIS head hend and peered outward Into the darkness Mr Mf said ltd the treasurer Its me rye got young oung rs here who needs your aid and attention Has Hes been be beaten ten fid robbed out here on oil the thero ro rodd d Who asked the patriarch stepping out and holding the hirt 1 down so 50 as asto asto to get a good lo k Into tile the newcomers fa face e Billy explained the tr urr Can Oan you give him shelter The old gentleman gave no heed after his One ne searching look N Morton MaCton he exclaimed In his In inVariably vaIl Variably bly strong declamatory style Ill not take this man into thy my house I knoW knos him Hes a drunkard and a liar No one has robbed him This Is aU all a pret pretense nse and I want tou oU to take him away from here Put him in the hotel Ill pay his expense for the night but buthe buthe he come In l re The tre fell teU d at this onslaught but recovered sufficient sufficiently ly y to declare that his friend was no Christian and that true relIgion com corn He even went so sf far as to |
