October 9, 1903

We have noted the demise of many good men from Milton, and the query went forth at the time: “How is the community going to get along without them?” When Caleb Morris, of happy memory, was called away, the question arose, “How can the church survive the death of Mr. Morris? There is no other man who can take his place as a local agent and exhorted.” But the church moved on, and is still moving. When William A. Hazzard died, a cry arose from the weak-in-the-faith that the M. E. Church was doomed, as Mr. Hazzard was, with the exception of another, its chief financial supporter. But Mr. Hazzard has been dead for several years and the church which he represented in Milton still lives and is in a good condition as ever. It is no use saying one man does everything in the world. Huxley, in one of his works, compares man to a cork pushed into a pool of water. While it is there it displaces so much water, but put it out and the water closed the vacuum. So it is with man; while he is around he occupies a position, but when he is gone some other person takes his place; and does as well, perhaps, even better than the other. No man can do all; there must be “hewers of wood and drawers of water.” Yet they all fulfill a certain purpose, and accomplish the ends for which they were created. We find this true in all animated nature. The organic world lives upon itself. The cattle draw their support from the vegetation, and man lives upon the cattle with the vegetation. No one lives for himself alone, neither is the community, church nor state beholden to any one man. Andrew Carnegie has done much good by his charitable munificence, but if Andrew Carnegie was to die someone world take his place and do as much good as Mr. Carnegie. This country has had millionaires galore, who have achieved wonderful results by their liberality; and as long as we exist as a nation, and on right principle, we shall have many more. When one steps out another will step in; and so it will be to the end of time. We give due credit to all persons endowed with philanthropic principles, whether they have means to express their endowments by their liberality or not. It is the disposition to do that makes the “man, the want of it the fellow.” We need not be uneasy that the church will go into a state of decadence for want of support; for when one influential man steps out, another will be raised up to step in.

Miss Lida Veasey, of Box Elder, Wyo., is visiting her parents and sisters; and last week Miss Hattie Veasey gave a social in her honor. It was a highly appreciated affair, as anyone may know by reading the following names of those in attendance: Misses Alice Robbins, Mary Robbins, Letitia Black[i], Sallie Polk, Lizzie King, Laura Conner, Ava King, Lizzie Conner, Estella Davidson, Ollie Veasey, Mamie Conner, Josephine Messick and Lizzie Black[ii]; Messrs. Walter Atkins, Ernest Conwell, Porter Morgan, Robert Palmer, Charles Vent, Joseph Lank, Isaac Nailor, Alfred White, Amos Merritt, Louis Clendaniel, all of Milton; Charles Davis, of Baltimore; James Tar and Harry Davidson, of Harbeson.

On Wednesday evening Walter Crouch[iii] was elected by Town Council, mayor of Milton, vice S. J. Martin. This is not as lucrative an office as the mayoralty of Philadelphia or New York, but there is lots of honor attended to it.

Miss Maggie Bailey, of Philadelphia, is visiting her parents.

Miss Hattie J. Conner is in Philadelphia attending the National Council, Daughters of America, as representative of Virtue Council No. 2, Milton, Del.

Dr. R. B. Hopkins, agent for the Kent County Mutual Insurance Company, has been visiting the several summer kitchens and smoke houses about town. And where the stove pipes are run through the wall of the building he has ordered the practice stopped, and where it is run through the roof, or where the chimney goes from the upper floor to the roof, he has given notice that the practice must be discontinued, and the chimneys run from the ground. The insurance is already invalidated in cases like the above mentioned, and a failure to comply with the order of the agent will cause a cancellation of the policy.

There are some mischievous boys who are cutting the bark and skinning it off some of the young trees in front of town residences. Thomas Ingram’s is the latest.

James Palmer, of the Ponder House, is having a pavement put in front of his property on Federal Street.

The remains of Thomas Coleman, expressman on the Queen Anne’s & Kent Railroad, who fell dead at Townsend on Thursday of last week, were brought to Lewes on Monday, where funeral services were held at the M. E. Church and the body exhumed [sic] in the Presbyterian Cemetery. S. J. Wilson & Son, of Milton, conducted the funeral.

Cornelius J. Steele, aged 7 years, 8 months and 9 days, died Friday at Coolspring of croup. Funeral services on Sunday were held at Coolspring Presbyterian Church and interment made in that Cemetery. S. J. Wilson & Son undertakers.

The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered at the M. E. Church on Sunday morning, and six probationers were admitted into full membership with the church.

Mr. Hartman and wife, of Baltimore, [were] the guests of their son, the junior partner of the “Big Store,” on Saturday and Sunday.

There are a few cases in court which call a part of the citizens of town and vicinity to the county seat this week.

The Public Schools commenced on Monday with Prof. Willard F. Deputy as principal, and Miss Mary Megee, of Milton, Mrs. Estella Bacon, of Lincoln, Miss Lizzie Register, of Lewes, and Miss Ethel Hugg, of Milford, as assistants. It is noteworthy that there is but one Milton teacher in this corps. Milton lady teachers having quit the business, and there being but one candidate, it could not have been different.

Miss Adele C. Neal, a graduate of Hampton, Va., who has had charge if the colored school of this town for the last two terms, opened for the third term on Monday.

The past week has been the season of the “Harvest Moon.” “And what is the harvest moon?” we have been asked. Webster defines it as follows: “The moon near the full at the time of harvest in England, or about the autumnal equinox, when, by reason of the small angle of the ecliptic and moon’s orbit with the horizon, it rises neatly at the same hour for several days.”

State Detective Ratledge was in town on Tuesday morning summoning witnesses to appear at Georgetown to testify in a State case.

C. A. Conner has removed one of his store houses a short distance,

George Atkins is off again this week on a business tour. Mr. Atkins was compelled to stay at home last week to assist in filling the large orders he secured the previous week in Virginia.

Israel Parnell, colored, whom contemporaries say is 93 years of age, died on Sunday of old age. He resided on a small place owned by himself near town and was, until confined to his home, about four weeks ago, sprightly and active for his age. The funeral services were held at the AZ. M. E. Church on Tuesday morning and the remains deposited ion the A. M. E. Cemetery, near town, with the honors of the Masonery of which order he was a member. J. R. Atkins conducted the funeral.

We are requested by a citizen to suggest the query: “When is a cover going to be put on that ‘thing’ at the lower end of Federal Street?”

T. R. Wilson, Isaac Nailor, and C. H. Atkins, delegates, are attending the session of the Grand Lodge, A. F. & A. M., that convened at Wilmington on Wednesday.

On Tuesday Captain John H. Atkins, of Georgetown, paid Milton a visit. Then was presented the extraordinary spectacle of four brothers in one town. Three of whom were over eighty and one over ninety years of age. Capt. J. C. Atkins, aged 91 years; Thomas Atkins, aged 83; Capt. John S. Atkins, aged 84, and Prof. P. Page Atkins, aged 82 years. This is certainly a family noted for longevity.

On Saturday, at Dover, a charter was granted to the “Milton Steamboat Company,” for the purpose of running a boat and carrying freight and passengers between Milton and Philadelphia.

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[i] Letitia Black (1884 – 1952) was the sister of Lydia Ann Black Cannon, who purchased and donated the old Milton M. P. Church (later Grace Church) to the Milton Historical society.

[ii] Elizabeth Black Lingo (1885 – 1949) was Lydia B. Cannon’s cousin

[iii] Walter Crouch was a printer for the Milton Times; after David A. Conner’s death in 1919, Walter Crouch would take over writing the Milton News letter for more than 40 years.