1921- Sarah Bryan Heard "THE OLD HOMESTEAD"

 

At the recent reunion of the Bryan family held at Kathleen, and during which time many interesting talks and speeches were made by the various members present, the following tribute to “The Old Homestead” was given by Mrs. O. M. Heard of this city.

I have seen the grandeur of the Swiss Alps in beautiful Switzerland, where all around you is so lovely; sun capped and green, a spot on earth that must be God’s footstool and where one seems to be filled with adoration to the Most High—for no man on earth can make anything so beautiful where you feel like falling on the ground and worshiping our Maker; I have seen the glorious forest and mountainous landscapes of England, France, Belgium and Italy, the wonderful Mt. Vesuvius crossed the majestic Atlantic in some of the most gorgeous ships in the world, the Cunnard liners Mauretania, the North German Lloyd, George Washington, the one that our beloved president Wilson chose to sail on. The life and greatness of our American Metropolis, New York City, on several different occasions. The Golden West with its fields of golden grain, luscious fruits and beautiful mountains, among them Pike’s Peak, covered in snow and which we ascended. The grand Yosemite Valley with its gigantic trees sixteen feet in diameter and El Capitan, Yellowstone Park with its geysers shooting up their boiling waters to hundreds of feet in the air. The mountains of British Columbia, the sun capped Canadian Rockies, which equal the Alps, and again where you wish every living soul that could help you devour their grandeur and feel the inspiration that fills your soul. The beautiful cities and architectures and arts of all these countries. The lovely scenery of North Carolina and Tennessee with their mountains. The cattle grazing on a thousand hills, the fine paved roads the beautiful flowers, and orange groves of Florida and may I say the Oriental country of Cuba, with its fields of sugar cane, the Mantilla dressed Spanish and Cuban women, the pretty places of North Georgia. I am not bosting- far be it from me. It has just been my good fortune to behold these beautiful things and places of parts of this, our world, and they have made a more devout and appreciative person of me and a wish in my heart that everyone who can, will at sometime of their lives, see the same scenes and things that I have seen. Yet, after all these, there is a spot on this earth, and that spot is right here, where we are this day, that is perhaps prettier and dearer to me than any spot on earth. I have a beautiful home in Cordele. I am very proud of it and appreciate it from the depths of my heart, and many good times and a few sad times have I had in it. It was built for me just like I wanted it, in a style of architecture that will last forever when the new bungalows and other modern styles of architecture have been grown tired of- the oldmtime Southern spirit of home and hospitality will stand out bold as in the days of Southern Democracy- the old colonial. But here is where I first saw the light of the world, here is where I used to play as a child, here is where I knew my mother and father, sister and brother. Sat at my mother's knee and listened to her instructions, where I grew up, where I knew no other teacher save my mother, until the dark day came and she went away, and then my sweet, good father. Here is where I knew my first sorrow, a little girl of only fourteen years.

We left the old home then but would make visits back now and then, and all things would come back to our minds. There was one who used to come back and who loved the old homestead more perhaps than he knew. But we know he loved it; he has gone away. We miss him and will always miss him. Every part of this old place is as familiar as it was then and speaks to me and others. I venture to say words and thoughts, and sentences are silent, yet vividly expressive. It is here that we all love to come together to be with each other, and to know each other better, some of us who we have never seen, and enjoy a family reunion and to commemorate the memory of those who have gone before us and be glad that the spot they used to tread on and the old house they built and lived in is still here and bids each and every one of us welcome! as one family, and where we hope to come again and enjoy talking over old times and being in each others presence.