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lady in Tuscaloosa. Night and storm overtook him,
and he found refuge in an old church, after fas
tening his horse under a large, moss-draped live oak.
He fell asleep and awoke about midnight with the
feeling that he was not alone. The rain had ceased
and by the light of a half-clouded moon he saw a
slender figure in white standing in the gallery of
the choir, leaning over the rail. He had noticed
the rickety condition of the gallery stairs when he
lit a match to inspect the interior of the church on
first entering it. He could not believe that any
mortal woman would have ventured up the unsafe
stairway and the paleness of the face and the
closed eyes, as shown by the moonlight, bore
out his idea. He had a pistol with him,
of course; but he never for an instant enter
tained the thought of firing at the beautiful appari
tion. He gazed at the figure with feelings of rever
ent awe and when it knelt, he, too, knelt for the first
time in many years. When he rose from his knees
he silently left the church and went on his way.
He never fought another duel, though. Afterwards
the mystery of the apparition was solved, when he
learned that a young lady, the daughter of a farmer
living near the church, had become affected with a
nervous malady (through the shock of losing her
lover), one phase of which was somnambulism, or
sleep walking. She would rise from her bed in the
middle of the night, and with her eyes closed, make
her way to the old church to pray.
I once heard a lady, an intelligent teacher in one
of our public schools, say that one who did not
believe in the return to earth of the spirits of those
who had died, could not be a believer in the Bible.
There is much truth in her saying. The presence
of spirits is mentioned again and again in the Bible.
Job, in chapter 14, says that he saw a spirit before
him, but could not discern its form. That God put
a soul or spirit into man after he was made goes
to show that a spirit can exist, independent of matter.
The spirits of Moses and Elias appeared to Christ
and his disciples in the mountain, and after His
resurrection, Jesus bade his amazed and doubting
followers convince themselves, by touching Him, that
He was not a spirit, since a spirit would not have
flesh and blood. There are other instances in the
sacred Scriptures, while history tells of more than
one occasion where the appearance of a spirit gave
warning or encouragement on the eve of a battle
or some other momentous event.
Ivy, Alabama. B. J. IVY.
BECAUSE SHE WAS SO PRETTY.
When Marie was a fair young girl,
With cheeks a-blow and hair a-curl,
She set the young men's hearts a-whirl,
Because she was so pretty.
They watched for her upon the street,
They bowed in heart before her feet,
They thought no other girl so sweet,
Because she was so pretty.
True lovers followed in her train,
But she refused each gallant swain;
Her silly heart was proud and vain,
Because she was so pretty.
She thought a prince, from some far scene,
Os boundless wealth and noble mien,
Would come to claim her for his queen,
Because she was so pretty.
’Twas but a dream, when all is said,
And she is now grown old and staid;
She’ll live and die a lone old maid,
Because she was so pretty.
—Margaret A. Richard.
I?
HER HOME IN THE MOUNTAINS.
Since the editor has kindly published my last
letter, 1 am encouraged to write again and tell you
about my home. We live in a lovely north Georgia
valley, and the greater part of our farm is fertile
bottom land. We raise almost everything produced
on a farm and we have a very good orchard that is
now giving us an abundance of peaches. If some
of my Household friends would visit me I could treat
them to several kinds of fruit.
We live near Mount Lynch, on which a tower
has been erected that is used as an observatory.
Near the mount lies Nacoochee valley, famed for its
picturesque scenery. There is a very good school
in* the valley and also at Hiawassee, where several
When writing advertisers please mention The Golden Age
of my brothers have been pupils. The state is now
proposing to establish an agricultural school near
Clarkesville this fall. One of my brothers will attend
it. I think these agricultural schools are excellent.
They teach all the up-to-date, progressive ways of
farming, and have attached to them experimental
farms to illustrate their new methods.
I have been to school very little. I could not be
spared at home. My father is a preacher of the
Gospel, who has labored all his life for very little
pay. Besides, the nearest school is two and one-half
miles from us. I earnestly desire to have a good
education. I have heard that one can learn a great
deal by reading the right kind of books, but I have
had access to but few books. I have read “Grace
Trueman,” a religious story; “Christ in Camp,”
“Christ's Cadets,” and several other books on the
same line; also have read the excellent books written
by our Household member, “Thomas Lockhart,” and
think them very interesting. Brave, gifted afflicted
spirits such as his have my admiration and sym
pathy.
Ben Ivy writes very interestingly. He must have
a lady-love living near Tallulah Falls, he writes so
complimcntarily about the Tallulah girls. He sug
gests that the girls tell the Household about their
gardens. Well, my flower garden is not anything to
boast of, but we have had an excellent kitchen
garden this summer, supplying the table with every
kind of vegetable—onions, beets, beans, English
peas, etc. I hope some of the other girls will tell
us about their flowers and vegetables.
Clarkesville, Ga. JULIA H.
HER FATHER.
(This touching incident occurred at night meeting,
during a series of religious services.)
I looked on a scene one evening,
Time can never efface, 1 know.
A girl at an altar bent over
A father with locks of snow.
A slave to drink was her father,
“God save him,” she prayed, “tonight
From a drunkard's fate. Oh, save him.
That our home may once more be bright!”
“Father, ’tis borne in upon me
Thai this night will seal your fate.
Oh, summon your will power, my father,
And your faith ere it be too late!
Your sin has brought you deep sorrow,
And your children have drank of the rue;
But hope will come back to us radiant,
If you ask God tonight to help you.
“You think that to break off may kill you,
I feel God wills not that you die.
He will let you redeem the past, father,
Believe it, my dear one, and try.
You stand on the brink of perdition.
Oh, feel all the horror of this!
Give up old companions and habits,
And let Jesus claim you for his.”
Her sweet voice broke with emotion,
Yet still in a whisper she plead
Such prayer as it seemed would have power
To quicken the heart of the dead.
MAE MATTISON.
EVERY DAY WISDOM FOR THE HOME.
(With the Children.)
Children certainly enjoy a room of their very
own. Give them one if possible. Let it be light and
well ventilated, cheerful and simple. It is better to
have the walls kalsomined a soft, pretty tint, than
to paper them. It is more hygienic and shows pic
tures to better advantage. Let there be plenty of
bright, interesting pictures, landscapes, having cat
tle, streams and hills; pictures of birds and animals
and flowers. For the fireplace in summer have a
screen, a frame, covered with cheap, stout cloth, on
which are pasted pictures, coated with varnish. Our
children have a small blackboard hanging on the
wall, on which they draw pictures, write golden texts
and work little problems in figures.
Scrap books are very convenient. There is always
a demand for recitations and by clipping every suit
able piece and pasting it in a classified scrap book,
under its proper head, it will save trouble in hunting
up recitations when needed. I have found such scrap
books more serviceable than the recitation books
one can buy.
The Golden Age for August 13, 1908.
Always remember a child’s birthday and recall it
to the minds ot the child's sisters and brothers, en
couraging them to provide some simple little surprise
for the occasion. An inexpensive party to which
the child may have the delight of inviting his
friends may be given occasionally.
A mother, whose children declare that home is
the “best place,” says, “Put away the supper dishes
to be washed with the breakfast ones is my motto.
Just after supper is the children’s hour. It is more
important that they should have it than that every
thing should be done in order. Try to find some
interesting short story or piece and let them take
turns in reading it aloud. If an older sister can
play, have them gather around the piano and sing
some song they have learned. There are many dif
ferent ways of amusing children. They are easily
made happy when love is the rule in the home.
•J
AMATEUR JOURNALISTS.
Some time ago, The Golden Age Household had an
interesting letter from James Larkin Pearson, who
is at the head of the association of amateur writers
in the South. Since he wrote that letter, Mr. Pearson
has opened a printing establishment for publishing
amateur papers and booklets at a low price and
mailing the papers to subscribers, free of cost to the
editors. This is an excellent opportunity for young
beginners in journalism and authorcraft to get in
touch with kindred spirits and co-workers. Pearson
is bright and conscientious and a hard worker. He
is doing a great deal of good work for amateurs that
will encourage them and develop their talents more
effectualy than “correspondence bureaus” can do.
I am one of M. E. B.'s scattered flock of Sunny
South Householders, and I am delighted to see so
many familiar names in the Household of The Golden
Age. I hone to be welcomed among you and to
have some pleasant chats with old and new friends in
The Golden Age circle.
North Carolina. SMILING JONAS.
A UNIQUE HEALTH RESORT.
Keeping boarders, carrying on a railroad eating
establishment and making a home for one’s family
“all to once,” as the chidren say, is calculated to
pull down the strength of a woman, particularly in
sunny Florida. My “gude mon” insisted that I go to
Panacea, on the Gulf, to build up. It is the quaintest
place imaginable. It. is away out in the wilderness,
ten miles from a railroad. You are carried there in
an old tram car, drawn by two big mules along a
wooden track. There are thirteen springs, each one
impregnated, it is said, by different minerals. They
are situated close to the edge of the Gulf of Mexico
and the bath house is convenient both to the salt
water and the fine mineral bathing pool. The fishing
is good, the water wonderfully invigorating. I “built
up” rapidly and returned from my outing, feeling like
a new woman. MAUD RUSSELL.
Metcalfe, Ga.
THE TWO MOONS.
The young moon is a maiden,
A vision pure and bright,
In robe of radiant loveliness
She walks the halls of Night,
And all men are her lovers,
No matter what the place
Or time, who feel her magic spell
And look upon her face.
The old moon is a woman,
By grief and knowledge worn,
Who has seen her youthful hopes go by,
Her early glories shorn.
No more do tender lovers
Watch her at twilight hour;
But the poet and the saint awake
To feel her mystic power.
Oh, maiden young, remember,
Age must take place of youth!
And keep your pure light shining
With rays of love and truth,
That time may give your features
A finer, nobler grace,
To win the sons of thought with love
To look upon your face.
Brattleboro, Vermont.
ARTHUR GOODENOUGH.
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