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Excerpts from Francis C. Waid's Third Souvenir Submitted by David M. Waid |
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March 18--GOLDEN WEDDING or MR. AND MRS. LABAN SMITH, BLOOMING VALLEY.--Let us always
look on the bright side. The record of the year 1891, as far as it has gone, is heightened in interest, in this community, by two
"golden wedding" celebrations [It is worthy of remark that within less than a year three golden weddings--the two here
spoken of and that of Mr. and Mrs. John Braymer, near Blooming Valley, last fall while I was absent in
the West--have been celebrated. Healthy, indeed, must be Blooming Valley and vicinity, for quite a number of couples can now be
counted here who have passed their fiftieth wedding anniversary]--the first one, on February 9, being that of Mr. and Mrs. John Roudebush, and the second, to-day, that of Mr. and Mrs. Laban Smith
[Laban Smith had many friends when he was married, a large number of whom were present at the banquet, and even more at the golden
wedding; notwithstanding many had died, the number of his friends had increased: A generous man retains his friends], the former of
whom is a son of the late Joseph Smith, whose home was within a stone's throw of my father's door--my home both then and
now. Laban's mother is yet living, and is still our nearest neighbor. About 150 people--friends and relatives--were assembled
in Blooming Valley, to do honor to the worthy couple and the interesting occasion, and among the guests from a distance I might
mention Mrs. Smith's brother, Mr. James Shouts, of Faribault, Minn., and her daughter,
Armitta (Mrs. John Proud) and her two sons, of Aberdeen, Dak.
Fifty years ago, to-day, Mr. and Mrs. Smith were happy on the threshold of joint life, simply the commencement of what they now experience. Then they had the beginning, representing the sunshine of life farther on, the reality of which they have now reached; in 1841 they formed the bud; later on, the blossom; to-day, the fruit--fifty years of married life to thank the Lord for, and the presence in their old home, this day, of four sons and four daughters [Mr. and Mrs. Laban Smith have nine children living--five sons and four daughters--all of whom were present at the wedding, except one son, who was unable to attend on account of sickness], and many other relatives, in all representing four generations, besides hosts of friends, all of whom were met to pour out their greetings and congratulations. On my way to this golden wedding I called on Laban's aged mother (who was unable to attend), and afterward I held in my arms her great-great-grandchild, the two representing the alpha and the omega of five generations! Many of the ancestors lived to very advanced ages, some of them to nearly a hundred years. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have twenty-four grandchildren (though not all present at the celebration) and two great-grandchildren. "When the bride and bridegroom were married I was only about eight years of age, yet I remember them very well as they then were half a century ago, and I may safely say we have been pretty close friends ever since. I do not think all the blessings of life are past. True friendship should at all times be cultivated, for it will bring lasting happiness to us, more durable than monuments of stone or iron. Laban Smith I look upon and respect as a man of generous heart and hospitable, in which virtues he is worthy of any and every one's consideration and imitation. But he has had help, and the quality of that help will be found described in brief yet potent language in Proverbs xviii: 22: [Whosoever findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord] and I think that whilst giving due credit to our esteemed friend, Mr. Smith, we should not forget that noble, Christian woman, his faithful, honored wife, who has been so well helping him for the past fifty years! O, how much in this life have we to be thankful for! We are prone to forget the inestimable blessings the Lord pours out to us, and neglect to give Him due credit. Do you know what makes us rich? The blessing of the Lord maketh rich; and He addeth no sorrow with it. If we were to remove or set aside the blessings given us, what have we left? What have we that we did not receive from above? It is right that we should rejoice and be glad on such occasions as this, when we ought to remember the goodness of the Lord toward us, and ever be thankful to do His will, and so finally meet Him in peace" [That portion of my account of the Golden Wedding, contained within the quotation marks, is in substance part of my address to the host and hostess and the assembled guests on the occasion referred to]. The lovely day, the happy guests, the pleasant surroundings, the music by the Blooming Valley Band, the excellent repast provided by the ladies for the occasion, the addresses--in short, every detail connected with this social entertainment, bringing unqualified enjoyment to all present, made the event of this golden wedding anniversary one of lasting remembrance in the community. Numerous gifts were presented to the bride and bridegroom as souvenirs of the happy event. Long life to this good Christian wife and her husband, and may blessings be multiplied to them! March 19.--I received to-day ten letters from parties asking for copies of my SOUVENIR. Requests come now from abroad, the outcome, perhaps, of items, criticisms or other remarks which have appeared in newspapers. We sometimes hear of ourselves as others see us, and it ought to do us good. You and I, kind reader, love the man who loves his enemies as well as his friends. It is Christlike, and he who can not do good to all men, be they friends or be they foes, is lacking in Christianity. I know I have learned from those who have not always spoken well of me, or complimented me; and I am specially indebted to those who have pointed out my faults, my wrong-doings, my mistakes--errors of the head, not of the heart. Whether such adverse criticisms come from some friend, or from the other man who may not like me, I know not; but of this I am conscious--come they from friend or come they from foe, there is no reason why I should not love the individual and thank him for his advice and his teaching. I will always be found willing to learn whenever and wherever comes the opportunity, for I am confirmed in the belief that there are people in this world, with whom we come in contact in every day life, who can and do influence us in the pathway of virtue or its opposite; their appearance, their words, or looks or character (over which we ourselves have no control) are educating us. He who can gather the good and leave the bad is a wise man. Nevertheless we should thank our teacher for the lesson thus learned, and, mayhap, by our love toward him, and by doing him some favor when we can, we may win him to the cross for God and humanity. Yes, I respect the Press for all truth printed, knowing well, as remarked in the Preface to my FIRST SOUVENIR, that it is much easier to be critical than to be correct. In my boyhood, whenever I went into the woods to gather chestnuts, I invariably left the chestnut burrs behind, as I had no use for them. I would here say to those persons who have written to me from a distance, asking for copies of my SECOND SOUVENIR, that; I wish to supply them, and, as far as the remaining copies of 700 published will go, I will do so. I have the names and addresses of the several parties, and hope before very long to be enabled to grant their requests; for where an earnest wish (one not suggested by any idle curiosity) to possess a copy is made known, I take great pleasure in gratifying it. I would that all mankind could know how desirous I am to do good and benefit my fellowmen, in fact; all humanity within my reach. I realize that the single leaf of a tree is as nothing when compared to the vastness of a forest, and that a grain of sand is a mere microbe on the shores of the Atlantic or on the Arabian Desert; yet each exists, the leaf and the grain of sand, and each has its place in the economy of nature and its use in creation as much as either you or I, dear reader; and we should remember that, as reasoning creatures, we are either for or against truth and righteousness, for or against God and humanity! Sunday, March 22.--Never will tongue or pen be able to express all the real pleasure and happiness that came to me this day, all confirmatory evidence of God's goodness to me, even beyond what I can think or ask. It is true His goodness and mercy are immeasurable and past comprehension to us in this world, even in His sanctuary here below and in His word with His people. In the forenoon, in company with my friend, J. W. Thompson, who had come to me on a visit last Friday, and of whom mention has already been made in this SOUVENIR, I went to Park Avenue Congregational Church, in Meadville, where Rev. Sutherland delivered all interesting and helpful discourse from Luke xix: 13: Occupy till I come. In the afternoon Mr. Thompson and I proceeded to Greendale Cemetery to look on the graves of dear ones departed, among them being the last resting place of Mr. Thompson's father and mother, marked by a monument on which is inscribed the following: ELIZABETH, WIFE OF JAMES THOMPSON, DIED JANY. 1, 1877, AGED 69 YEARS
JAMES THOMPSON, DIED OCT. 5, 1878, AGED 80 YEARS. As we spent some time in walking about the streets of this City of the Dead, I seized the opportunity to copy in my diary some of the inscriptions that met my eye: Dr. L. A. Garver, Born Jany. 14, 1845, Died Oct. 12, 1887
Arthur Cullum Born 1816, Died 1874
Adelaide Cullum Born 1821, Died 1887
To My Husband Robert McMullen. Born 1811, Died 1883
John McMullen Born 1841, Died 1885 His Wife, Lois, Born 1846, Died 1875 In the evening we attended the First M. E. Church, where we heard Dr. T. C. Beach preach in his usual eloquent manner from the text, Psalm li: 10: Create in me a clean heart, 0 God, and renew a right spirit within me. The hearing of this grand sermon was to me sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb, truly a blessed ending to this day's march toward the Celestial City, with our thoughts dwelling on Home and Heaven, and of the getting ready for the great change, by having our hearts cleansed and a right spirit renewed within us. March 25.--Not only a beautiful day, but the anniversary of a memorable one in my life: for on this day, thirty-eight years ago, was decided an important question, one influencing my future destiny. It is not for me here to ask whether the young men of to-day have such thoughts as I had in those days of long ago, and ask questions similar to the one I propounded about that time; it suffices me to know that I did, when a young man, and have never regretted it. We sometimes count the milestones on life's highway, halting, as it were, for an instant, to enquire how far we have traveled, where we may be, and how we are getting along. This day is another milestone for me, and in retrospect I find that just thirty-eight years ago, when I was not yet twenty years of age, I asked Eliza C. Masiker if she loved me well enough to marry me, and her answer is told when I state that we were married about thirteen months afterward. In the Christian life I have been wonderfully blessed, and I thank the Lord for it, and for sparing me to see this day. March 27.--Wintry weather again, snow lying three inches deep on the ground. I was present, to-day, at the funeral of Leroy Smith, a child of one year and fourteen days, only son of Mr. and Mrs. L. Smith, who live on the Pitcher Farm in our neighborhood. The now happy spirit of the little fellow was wanted to fill a place in the Heavenly choir, and, being called, on angel wings peacefully took its flight. The interment took place in the Smith Cemetery. Robert Teasdale conducted the services, and being asked by him to say a few words on the occasion, I did so. "Tender Shepherd, Thou hast stilled Now Thy little lamb's brief weeping; Ah, how peaceful, pale and mild In its narrow bed 'tis sleeping! And no sigh of anguish sore Heaves that little bosom more. "All, Lord Jesus, grant that we Where it lives may soon be living, And the lovely pastures see That its Heavenly food are giving; Then the gain of death we prove, Tho' Thou take what most we love." |
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