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THE YOUNG SOUTHERNER
WHICH ARE YOU?
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
There are two kinds of people on earth to-day;
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the sinner and saint, for it’s well understood,
The good are half bad and the bad are half good.
Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man’s
wealth,
You must first know the state of his conscience and
health.
Not the humble and proud, for in life’s little span,
Who puts on vain airs is not counted a man.
Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.
No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift and the people who lean.
Wherever you go, you will find the earth's masses
Are always divided in just these two classes.
And, oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,
There’s only one lifter to twenty who lean.
In which class are you? Are you easing the load
Os overtaxed lifters who toil down the road?
Or are you a leaner, who lets others share
Your portion of labor and worry and care?
The first duty of a good soldier is to leant to obey
orders. It is
“His not to make reply,
His not to reason why.”
Unquestioning, prompt obedience to the command
ing officer is imperative.
Sometimes the human commander makes mistakes
and calamity follows, as in the case of the “six hun
dred.”
But the soldier in the Christian warfare knows
that his Captain never blunders. He sees every
perilous position and knows exactly the right move
to make. Therefore, whether the order is “go for
ward” or “fall back” the Christian soldier, undis
mayed, should with equal confidence obey.
With Correspondents.
Dear Editor:—You wished the writers for the
Young Southerner to tell of some of the great men
and women of the different states. As I am a na
tive Georgian I will tell you something of one of the
great sons of my own state. But Georgia has pro
duced so many great men that I hope other boys and
girls will write of some of the others.
Alexander Hamilton Stephens was born near
Crawfordsville. He was educated in private
schools and at the University of Georgia. He was a
man of brilliant intellect but was physically very
frail and small of stature. In spite of his small
body he was brave and courageous. “His career
was a wonderful illustration of the power of the
mind over the body.”
Mr. Stephens served in the State Legislature and
also in Congress. In 1861 he was elected vice
president of the Confederate States. He also engag
ed in literary work. He wrote several histories and
at one time established a newspaper. In 1874 he
was elected to the United States Senate and he was
governor of Georgia when he died in 1883.
He loved country life and his home was called
“Liberty Hall.”
An incident is told which illustrates the small
ness of Mr. Stephen’s size.
He was attending a political convention as one
of the principal delegates, and one evening he was
lying on a bench in the porch of the hotel and sev-
Conducted by Louilse Threete Hodges.
oral prominent gentlemen were standing around
him. The hotel keeper came out and saw the gen
tlemen standing and a boy, as he supposed, lying on
the bench. He hustled up and said, “Get up, my
son, and let these gentlemen be seated.” Mr. Steph
ens at once arose and his friends burst out laughing.
When the hotel keeper found out his mistake he
made many apologies.
Sincerely yours,
Robert Mason McLance.
Dear Editor:—l am visiting my aunt and she
takes the Golden Age. I enjoy reading the letters
and want to see one from myself published.
My auntie is very good and says she wants me
to have a pleasant visit. She hasn’t any children
and that is why she is so glad to have me visit her.
She has a beautiful orchard and I can have all the
fruit I want.
Auntie and I take long walks and she tells me so
many beautiful stories about people and birds and
flowers and animals. We saw some lovely pigs and
some sheep in a pasture. The cows and all the ani
mals look so happy and contented.
My auntie is going to give me a lot of flower
seed and when I go home I am going to plant them
and have a great many flowers next summer.
I love flowers and birds. I have a canary at
home and he sings a great deal. Mamma is taking
care of him while I am away.
I have two dear friends at home and I have
written to both of them since I have been here. I
hope they will see this letter, and then I think they
will write to you.
Auntie says I must not make my letter too long
so I will close.
Your true friend,
Elicia Woodson.
Dear Mrs. Hodges:—Will you allow me space to
thank your readers for ordering my little book,
“Seventeen Years in a Mattress Grave”? Quite
a number sent for the book and I am truly grateful
and tender my profound thanks to all.
To avoid confusion I will explain that as a new
edition was necessary I have changed the title to
“Twenty,” instead of “Seventeen” years. Also
the price is increased to 20c. I trust the book will
be a help to all of my young readers as I feel such
a longing to do some good before T leave this old
world. It has brought me nothing hut sorrow and
suffering yet if I could do anything to make it bet
ter I would gladly do it. God has a work for ns
all no matter how insignificant we may he. It
seems to be His will for me just to “stand and
wait” and I am trying to do it patiently. It is
hard to lie in one position all the time as I have
done for twenty years, but if mv condition serves
to make others more contented with their lot in life
I am not living in vain. I often think that if I
cannot do anything else I can at least smile and
laugh. Those who can do that should never des
pair. It is hard to smile when things go wrong, but
do it any way. Form the habit of smiling and
laughing even over your troubles and see how quick
ly they will take wings and fly away.
Our editor was kind enough to allow me to speik
of my first book, possibly she will permit me to men
tion my other two. One is “Ideas of an Invalid,”
price 30c. This one tells of my mother’s peaceful
death. When she died I was left helpless and alone
in the world but God has been with me in my strug
gles to live an independent life. My other hook
“His Mysterious Way,” is an illustrated story,
price 50c.
The Golden Age is a splendid paper and helps me
to pass away many hours here on my hack.
Pray for me. friends. I hope to meet you all in
a better world.
Most cordially yours,
Thos. F. Lockhart.
Wellington, Mo.
The Golden Age for August 23, 1906.
Trust in God.
The fishermen of Brittany, so we are told, are
wont to utter this simple prayer when they launch
their boats upon the deep: “Keep me, my God;
my boat is so small and Thy ocean is so wide.”
How touchingly beautiful the words and the
’thought! How wise and appropriate the prayer!
Might not the same petition well be uttered with
the same directness by us every day of our lives?
“Keep me, my God, my boat is so small”—l am
so weak, so helpless, so easily carried by the winds
and tossed by the waves.
“And Thy ocean is so wide”—the perils are so
many, the rocks are so frequent, the currents of
temptation are so resistless, the tides of evil are so
treacherous, the icy mountains of disaster are so
threatening that except Thou, the Lord, dost keep
me, I must utterly perish.—Rev. G. B. F. Hallock,
D.D.
The times are ripe for a general revival of Biible
study in all of our churches. This is not to be ac
complished by an elaborate system, or joining a
widely extended society, but by actually studying
the Bible ourselves, and leading others to do the
same. A pastor or a Sunday school superintendent
has it within his power to arouse interest in this
great work in his own church or school; he would
more wisely do that before he launches larger
plans upon the already overburdened religious pub
lic.—The Watchman.
She Got the Candy.—lt was a Chicago child, not
yet three years old, who, having been punished by
her mother, called up her father on the telephone
for sympathy. “Papa,” was the call that his steno
grapher heard on answering the ring.
“Why, it’s the baby,” she said to her employer.
The startled man, with visions of disaster in his
mind, caught the receiver and said:
“What is it, baby?”
“Mamma panked me,” came the reply.
“What do you want me to do about it?” asked
the relieved and amused parent.
“Come right home and bring me a pound of
candy,” said the child.
Half and Half.—Smart Aleck: “On ce upon a
time there were three little children. Half of them
were boys an’—”
Dumb Delia: “Why, Aleck! How could there
be one and a half girls?”
Smart Aleck: “There weren’t. The other half
was boys, too.”—London Tit-Bits.
The Worm at Home.—Didactic Mamma: “Now,
then, Charlie, don’t you admire my new silk dress?”
Charlie (with emphasis). “Yes, mamma.”
Didactic Mamma: “And, Charlie, all the silk is
provided for us by a poor worm.”
Charlie: “Do you mean dad?”—lllustrated
Bits, London. '
Give spicy blooms where flowers never grow;
Give food where starving hearts fight fate’s de
cree ;
Give rest where tir.d hands and feet drag slow;
Give sight to eyes too full of tea's to see;
Give music where sweet trnmpe's never blow;
Give happiness, and joy shall garment thee.
—Emma C. Dowd.
Study—ln Words.
She (indignantly)—Stop, sir! You shall not kiss
me again! How rude you are! Don’t you know
any better?
He (cheerily)—l haven’t kissed every girl in
town, it is true, but as far as I have gone I cer
tainly don’t know any better.—Watson’s Maga
zine.