Meditations by B. C. Money

How swiftly the years roll by. If we are permitted to see July 16th, we will have lived our allotted three score and ten year, years that should have been full of service and devotion to man and God, turning stumbling blocks in stepping stones for better things instead of being so self-conscious, expecting man to lead us instead of being led by the spirit of God. And as the poet asks, “Must I go on empty handed? Must I face my Saviour with not one soul with which to greet Him? Must I, empty handed go?”

It seems but yesterday, but in reality it has been 50 years ago that we mustered up courage enough to write a letter of the local happenings and send it to the then, very young Yadkin Ripple, and the good Editor published it, and as the years rolled on we had a great ambition to be a good writer that we might be able to say something that would help some one to be better, as we believe the “Pen is mightier than the Sword.” Our three months school was inadequate to meet the task, but where we wish to say that the meager education we have was acquired at Sunday School, thanks to a mother who took her boy to Sunday School early in life, and in our heart was instilled a love of the Sunday School, which remains to this day. Our greatest joy today is in the Sunday School and singing. We have just been only an occasional contributor to our locate paper over this period of 50 years. In those years we have seen the paper change hands several times. It has been under the management of H. B. Nelson, Eliha Stanford, Rev. C. M. Warden, Atty. S. Carter Williams, and the present Editor, W. E. Rutledge.

In our earlier experience as a local writer we were able to write all the happenings under one heading, such as, births, marriages, social, and when a good neighbor passed away, we could write his obituary and all would be published over our signature. Today it is different. There is a column for news, one for society, sports, and the death list, which does make it more convenient for the busy reader to find. Yes, time brings changes in many ways. Back in the closing years of the Eighteenth Century, our mail was served to us one to three times a week from the Republic Post Office located in the village of Bovender Town, where the late W. E. (Uncle Bill) Bovender owned and operated an extensive business, consisting of saw mill, finishing mill and grist mill. Farming and manufacturing tobacco in the summer time, giving employment to many people.