Newspaper Page Text
INSPIRATION AMONG THE HILLS
A scholar’s library far out in “the beautiful,
blessed country’’—a great store house of knowledge
suddenly and unexpectedly found—the “Pierian
Fount,” lonely, sweet and pure—springing up in
the Gaza path and flowing in sparkling beauty amid
the rolling, rural hills—this is what the tired body
and the thirsty soul of the writer, surprised and
delighted, came upon without note of warning, thir
teen long miles from the railroad in beautiful
Northeast Georgia.
It was the home of George Garnett Strange, the
c. .. mt " AElttr
j\. ‘ ■■ X-/’-
■ JhXX ■ .«
' ■ ,U • .
PROFESSOR G. G. STRANGE,
Commissioner of Schools, Banks County, Georgia.
“young bachelor” commissioner of education in
the good old county of Banks.
' Rig’ht along about the days of Oglethorpe, his an
cestors from the Fatherland obtained this grant
of land from the Indians themselves, and the dear
old homestead has never for a day been outside
the House of Strange.
Garnett Strange, as he is familiarly called, might
come to the crowded marts of trade and take his
place amid the shades of culture and the leaders of
finance for which his talents and his education fit
him, but he wisely stays at the home of his child
hood and labors for the intellectual and spiritual
uplift of the noble people of his native hills.
Superintendent of the Sunday school, “mudsill”
in the church and general leader in every good word
and work, his influence in that section is far-reach
ing and deathless.
And how the people love him! It were worth
while to live, to labor—and if need be, to suffer
and to die—just to be conscious of such love from
so many people who are daily climbing upward
through the influence of one brave, true life!
It was first the urgent word of his splendid broth
er, Winfield Strange, who is a similar power in the
growing town of A\ Ingham, that first turned my
heart and eyes toward historic Nail’s Creek Church.
I found three hundred members in that great coun
try church, and after one week of happy fellowship
and service with the beloved pastor, Henry Ayers,
who, himself, is a consecrated “scholar and a gen
tleman,” we left nearly three hundred and fifty
members, more than forty being baptized, with
others to follow.
Now, that enterprising country church is pre
paring to have preaching every Sunday instead of
once a month, many family altars have been estab
lished, many have determined to give at least “one
tenth” to the Master’s cause, and everybody is
happy!
The Golden Age for September 20, 1006.
By WM. D. UPSHAW.
Banks County Oratorical Contest.
A sunny day, a great crowd, under the trees in the
pretty little town of Homer, Garnett Strange, mas
ter of ceremonies—for this annual oratorical con
test is the child of his own brain and heart—and
the valiant representatives of twenty schools
from all over the county, “learning how to learn
how,” and inspiring hundreds while they try—
that was the beautiful picture. The band played
Dixie, and the crowd sang “America.” Here are
the speakers and here are the pictures of the vic
tors of the day:
The Contestants.
Hickory Level School—Miss Margie Adams:
“You Put No Flowers on My Papa’s Grave.”
Salem—Miss Bessie Eubanks: “The Boy Hero.”
Maysville—Miss Nellie Stephens: “Sandy’s Ro
mance.”
Bushnell—Miss Eula Owen: “The Surrender.”
Arp—Thales Pendergrass: “Bonaparte.”
Hickory Flat—Miss Lula Parks: “The Three
Bidders. ”
Carnot—Miss Jessie Greer: “Little Jim.”
Grove Level—Miss Hester Dill: “The Polish
Boy. ’ ’
Leatherwood—Miss Sadie Davis: “Kate Shelly.”
Homer—Miss Ruth Turk: “Becalmed.”
Corinth—Miss Viola Word: “Papa’s Letter.”
Silver Shoals—Henry Furr: “Building.”
Griffin—Miss Magnolia Haynes: “My Angel
Mother.”
Grove Creek—Miss Beulah Smelly: “The Ob
structive Hat.”
Grady’s Academy—Miss Lizzie Durham: “Tom
my’s Prayer.”
Mt. Bethel—Miss Marie Eberhart: “The Teach
er’s Diadem.”
Henderson—Frank Waters: “Success in Life.”
Ridgeway—Willie Ray: “Deathbed of Benedict
Arnold.”
Mt. Pleasant—Miss Lee Brawner: “How He
Saved St. Michael’s.”
Mt. Olivet—Grover Pool: “There is a God.”
The judges on recitation were: Prof. J. K. Gil
lespie, Homer, Ga.; Miss Bunnie Love, Baldwin, Ga.;
and Miss Lula Cook, College Park, Ga.
riW ’ ■ ' i
WILLIE RAY, RUTH TURK,
Winner of Declamation Winner of Elocution
Medal. Medal.
On declamation the judges were as follows: Prof.
W. A. Woodruff, Lula, Ga.; Miss Cora Neal, Com
merce, Ga.; and Mrs. Jennie Kettrell Eberhart,
Maysville, Ga.
The medals were delivered by Prof. D. A. Wood
ing, of Maysville, who, for so many years, poured
out his life for the children of Banks county when
he was superintendent of schools. He is a lofty
type of the “old-time Southern gentleman,” and
his address was beautiful in sentiment, rich in
thought, and impressive in delivery.
He and his queenly consort take the children to
their hearts and keep young by drinking at the
“fountain of youth.”
There were rounds of applause when he announc
ed the names of the winners—among the girls. Miss
Ruth Turk, of Homer, a bright little maiden of
barely ten years, whose charming naturalness of
expression Avon her the victory in recitation, and
Master Willie Ray, of Ridgeway, whose rendition
of “The Deathbed of Benedict Arnold,” revealed
the orator’s conception and showed plainly an em
bryonic speaker of power.
Mr. C. A. Meeks, the genial editor of the'' Banks
County Journal, who has done so much to encour
age the school work of the county, was beaming
benediction on everybody. Hot as the weather was,
the big audience managed to live through a speech
on education by the editor of The Golden Age, and
teachers and pupils went away determined to make
better schools than ever, and come back next year
for another day of inspiration under the trees.
The Temperance Marseillaise —A Parody
Dedicated to Sam P. Jones by The Sage of Golden Gate.
Ye friends of Temperance, wake to glory;
Hark! hark! what myriads bid you rise;
Your children, wives and grandsires hoary—
Behold their tears, and hear their cries;
Behold their tears, and hear their cries;
Shall hateful saloons, mischief breeding,
With selfish clerks, a hireling band,
Debauch and brutalize the land,
While peace and home-love lie a-bleeding?
Arise! Arise! Be bold!
The conquering votes unfold—
March on, inarch on, all hearts resolved
On victory! Be bold!
Press on ! Press on ! On victory be bold !
Oh! Prohibition, we must win thee,
Once having felt thy gracious flame;
Can whiskey bars or bears restrain thee,
Or hostile votes thy cause outclaim?
Or hostile votes thy cause outclaim?
Too long the world has wept, bewailing
The murderous craze that whiskey wields,
But voting is our sword and shield,
And all their arts are unavailing.
Arise! Arise! Be bold!
The conquering votes unfold
March on, march on, all hearts resolved
On victory! Be bold!
Press on! Press on! On victory be bold!
Jokes and Jokesmithing.
(Continued from page 12.)
numbers of people, possibly the last time being a
well rounded article by Mr. Tudor Jenks in the Cen
tury Magazine of some seven years ago. The writer
of this a: ticle t! i ’ks it is nearly as good °s M”.
Jc k’s article, and has some reason for that belief
rs most of this is “11 ted” from the article in ques
tion. T’ere are two kinds of burglaries in this day
and time. The real burglar with a mask on secures
recess to the valuables he covets by the use of a bur
glar’s implement called a “jimmy.” Literary bur
glaries are brought about in almost the same way.
So it is that a writer is said to use his “James”;
this being more dignified than the other. Still, in
justice to himself the writer must say that he has
not used his “James” to a blamable degree.
Scientists have discovered that the memory is
stronger in summer than in winter. Among: the
C CT
worst foes of memory are too much food, too much
physical exercise, and, strangely enough, too much
education.
Please change my address from Haralson, Ga., to
Emory College, Oxford, Ga. I cannot do without
The Golden Age. M. L. Foster.
13