Erskine College - Arrow Yearbook (Due West, SC)

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26 THE NAUGHTY-SIX CALYX has settled for the practice of his profession in Fayetteville, Tenn., and a day I spent in his home. I found that his Youthful dreams of rain-bow gleams had really come to pass, for by his side and in full sympathy with his work, was none other than his old college girl. I11 company with Dan I drove out to the Female College to visit Sam Rahb. It was a genuine pleasure to shake his hand again and call him Old Lady, a 11a1ne he had not heard for years. His early fondness for college girls had led him to establish a female college where he has labored for years as president. I found that his early views on the social problems were slightly changed, for ttSoirees we1'e a rarity and callers XV61'6 not admitted except ence a month and then only with special permission from the young lady's papa. Associated with him in this work, I found Miss Katherine Flenniken, as teacher of Mathematics and Astronomy. She had always a fondness for Mathematics and was well versed in the laws of Astronomy, and this tendency had led her to reject. her numerous suitors and give her life to this work. She made me acquainted with the where-ahouts of Miss Margaret Flenniken. For two years after leaving college she was a typical t'School Marmf' but she was not long permitted to revel in the quietude of a country school-house, for she was one of the parties to a case of love at first sight and now she lives in tlharleston, S. C., where her husband is a doctor. I was also let into the secret of Miss Bessie Jackson 's passing from a state of single to that of double hlessedness. It came about i11 this way. She taught for a year or so, and tigured in a pretty little romance as follows: IVhile in the full performance of her duties as teacher, she had one day occasion to punish rather severely one of the little girls: Next morning this same little girl's father, who hy the way was a young widower, came with her to the school room to have it out with whom he called, t'That imprudent new teacher. But when he heheld the new teacher in her pretty pink dress, his anger cooled at once. It was a plain case and very evident that this school would soon need a still newer teacher. ln course of time they were duly married, and you may even now, find their happy home at I046 Tenth Avenue, Asheville, N. C. On my way to Columbia, I stopped over in Atlanta, Ga., where I hecame suddenly vexed with a severe tooth-ache. I started up town in search of a dentist, and soon I was confronted hy the sign H-I. It. Devlin, Dentist. I hurried up stairs to assure myself if it was that same Roddy Devlin, whom I hod known. It was, and after dislocating my jaw and wrenching my neck in his frantic attempts to extricate my tooth, we sat down for a long talk of our old college days. In the afternoon we went around to see Kirkpatrick, the director of a large conservatory of music. Kirk had developed his musical talent hy an extended course in Germany. Among his compositions is a new song entitled, I can't' 'forget you, dedicated to his college girl who thought him gone, and married while he was in ttermany. In company with these two friends, I went' that night to the Grand Opera to hear the famous hnmorist lecturer, IV. A. lNlcAulay. 'l'he house was crowded to the limits of comfort. After the exercises were over we stayed to speak to Billy, XYIIOII in college, his tendency seemed toward the ministry, hut judging from his success on the stage, he had evidently not missed his calling very far. After a pleasant trip, I landed late in the afternoon in the city of tiolumhia. S. F. I lere I was entertained hy IV. I . tlaldwell. Italie had not heen idle since I had seen him, for here he has huilt up a tine law practice, and at this time is

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THE NAUGHTY-SIX CALYX 25 At last my plans we1'e realized and the pleasures ol' a trip to my old class friends loomed up before me in inammoth proportions. With surprising' ease and er-lerity all preparations were made, and, rising' early in the morning, I boarded an out-going' train for the North. My first stop was in Richmond, Ya., where I found .l. ll. Simpson f'1ig'z1g'r-fl in the drug business. A commodious building' on Broad street bore the modest sign- UJ. D. Simpson, Drngg'ist.'l A few days I spent in his hospitable home, presided over by a. noble daughter of the famous old ll. IV. F. t'. The home, however, betrayed a tinge of sadness occasioned by the recent. departure ol' their only daughter who was attending' school at Due WH-st. Bidding' farewell to these l'riends, I went next to VVashington. Here I was met by Hazel Ilharr, who, after completing' a law course in the Columbia University, had settled for the practice of his chosen prot'ession in this city. Wliile here I also met R. L. Jenkins. I found him engaged in the V. S. Survey. He had, like myself, been away from the South and consequently knew very little of our old class. He told me, however, that he had occasionally seen Mason Stevenson, who was an active rail road man. When the seemingly impossible project of The New York to Paris Rail Road was first introduced, he had entered the enterprise with his usual enthusiasm, and when the missing links of the road were finished in 1915, it was he who conducted the first train through from New York to Paris. The world read with amazing' wonder of the initial trip-leaving' the metropolis the train sped Westward to Seattle and thence northward to tl1e Behring' Strait under which a tunnel 38 miles long' had been constructed. Once on the Asiatic continent, the way was clear for Paris, which place was reached in fifteen days after leaving' New York. While here I had missed seeing' still another, R. L. Patrick, who had passed through a few days before on his way to New York to take, in connection with his vacation, a special course in Hebrew. He has for several years been the acceptable pastor of the First A. R. P. Church in Itill'llllllt.L'lll'lH1, Ala. Leaving' IVashing'ton, I turned my face to tl1e west. I landed at last in Memphis, Tennessee. I found that Moffatt Pressly had, like most. other wanderers, settled near the old home at last. I went up to Troy, about forty miles from Memphis. to see him, and found that he had taken his t'ather's place as leading' physician in those parts. His early shyness for the feminine sex had evidently worn off with the study of medicine, for I found l1im not alone. Here also I found Rev. IV. M. McFerrin, the pastor of Troy A. li. IJ. tlhurch. Ile was the same Mae I had known in college, and I found him very pleasantly situated but for one thing: The only trouble between him and the people lay in the l'aet that he had for some time urged the building' of an annex to the parsonage, a thing' which the people were unwilling' to do. From these I learned the where-abonts ol' llalph Robinson. They told me that he had for several years after leaving' college taught in Tennessee and then, with a heavy heart, occasioned by a serious disappointment in a love affair, retired to a quiet little home in the l'oot-hills ot' the l'iedmont section of his native State where he devoted his entire time to writing. llis works on fiction were classed as among the best. He had also recently published a volume ol' poems entitled, Robinsons Love Lyrics. But I must hurry on with my story. On my way to Nashville. I was greeted hy a hustling' little man whom I soon recognized as IVill llandridee. l t'onnd that he was on his way home from a meeting of the International Medical Assoeiation. Ile

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THE NAUMGLHTY-SIX CALYX 27 Attorney General for the State. He, like many others, started at the bottom and has earned his reputation by hard work. But I met here still another of my class- mates, Martin. If he ever had any tendency toward politics when in college, he had never told a11y one, and naturally I was not a little surprised to see him here. He had, as I found, carried Abbeville County by a large majority on the prohibition ticket, and had for years represented his county in the legislature. To go further into the futuie, it is by no means improbable that he will some day represent his State in the United States Senate. On the train out from t'olumbia, I had as my traveling companion, K. H. Patrick. Killough had evidently displayed his Patrick blood' for I found that he had managed to gather up no small amount of the good things of this world. He is a banker in his native town, and also owns and operates a large farm in connection with his other business. At a little station not far from Charlotte, N. C., two clerical looking men boarded the train, whom I soon recognized as Pearson and Carson. They had been, as they told me, to a meeting of Presbytcry and 11ow were returning to their homes in North Ca1'olina. They each presided over a church in his native State, and were far from being idle. Landing at last i11 the City of Charlotte, N. C., I started up town in search of my old friend Julian Miller. I found that his taste for journalism had led him to strive for fame in that direction, and now he was styled as the Chief Editor of the Charlotte Observer. Two days I spent in his hospitable home in the outskirts of the city. Jute had taken seriously that good old saying, It is not good that man should be alone and soon after leaving college had married a Wife. They are soon to celebrate their silver wedding. Leaving this place, I went next to Gastonia, where I stopped for the day. The leading wholesale hardware house in this thriving little city is styled, The Edgar Long Hardware Co. Tommy was born in Gastonia, has lived all his life in Gastonia, and will no doubt die in that same Gastonia. He is doing well and his prospects are bright. Seeing so many of my classmates made me determine to revisit again the scenes of my schooldaysg so I set out for Due West. Stopping over in Greenville, S. C., between trains, I had a most pleasant chat with Mason Young, who is a druggist in that place. He had always had a good head for chemistry, and I was not very much surprised to ind him in this business. Soon the hour for leaving for Due West came and I was again on my way. A strange feeling came over me when I realized that I was again so near the old place where I had enjoyed so many pleasant days. Here I was to spend a few days with Haddon. He was the only one who had come back to the old place to live. For a number of years he has been Professor of Greek and German in Erskine. Of all the boys, he had surely not missed his calling. But then there were four whom I could not hope to see on this trip. They were McDill, McCain, R. A. Young and Henry Pressly. These had cast their lot in the foreign held among a strange people. McCain and Pressly took tirst a medical course and were engaged as Medical Missionaries in India and Mexico respectively. A large field in Mexico is now Worked by Mcllill. He always took a great interest in this kind of work while in College, and was consequently well prepared for the duties. Young entered the Foreign Y. M. C. A. work and has labored successfully for many years in Calcutta, India. Wliait record has the class of 1906 made? The question answers itself. NVe have a right to be proud of the record. Of the 30 who stood up on June the 5th, 1906. McCain Library Erskine College Due West. SC 29639