Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 201, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1910 — Page 3

Tour Throgh Mexican Forests

MttlCM . MTER CMWR. EVER the thought of El Desierto conjures a vision of lofty forest Isles and mysterious depths “where old Enchantment piles her shuttle' of lost days and dreams.” Where monks of .old wandered In peaceful meditation today the wild deer brouses and the prowlersof dim forests glide. The barefooted Carmelites are gone, and the gray convent on the mountain, with its ndble domes, and towers and cloisters, and arched corridors is silent and pathetic, with that peculiar pathos Jhat broods over a solitude where man has once ruled*. Nature has been busy here, as is her wont, recovering the conquest of man; but those monks of old built so pobly that their work still resists effacement and sees to dominate the wilderness. Beauty envelopes like a garment the grass-grown cloisters and crumbling walls and domes of faded color; and the breeze that rustles the tall heavyheaded grass and clinging vines seems to bring down the river of Time, from that island of long ago, odor of Incense, tones of long silent bells, orisons and chants. Such is El Desierto today; and one cannot do better than to quote, as others have, the old chronicler Thomas Gage, an Dominican monk who was smuggled Into Mexico. He wrote about 260 years'ago. "It is the pleasantest place,” he says, “of any about Mexico; called by some La Soledad and by other El Desierto, the solitary or desert place or wilderness. Were all wildernesses like it, to live In a wilderness would be better than to live in a city. “This hath been a device of poor Fryers, named discalced or barefooted Carmelites, who to make show of their hypocritical and apparent godliness, and whileßt „ they would be thought to live like Eremites, retired from the world, they may draw the world to them; they have built there * stately cloister, which being upon a hill and among rocks makes it to be more admired. £ “About the cloister they have fashioned out many holes and caves in, under and among the rocks, like Eremite lodgings, with a room to lie in, an oratory to pray in, with pictures and images, and rare devices for mortification as disciplines of wyar, rods of* iron, haircloth girdles with sharp wyar points to girdle about their bare flesh, and many such toys, which hang about their oratories to make people admire their mortified and holy lives. "All these Eremitical holes and caves (which are ten in number) are within the bounds and compass of the cloister and among orchards and gar- . dens of fruit and flowers, which may take up two miles in compass; and here among the rocks are many springs of water, which, with the shade of plantins and other trees, are moßt cool and pleasant to the Eremites; they have also the sweet smell of rose and jasmin, which is a little flower, but the sweetest of all others; there is not any flower to be found that is rare and exquisite in that country which is pot in that wilderness to delight the senses of these mortified Eremites.” Racial bias and rivalry of order, though not saintly attributes, might find entrance and be harbored unawares in the soul of even a good monk. And since we remember that Father Gage was Epglish and Dominican. may we not Justly soften * his caustic presentation of his “Eremites” while we thank him for his chronicle? To see El Desierto as we saw it, you must first get lost. On the smooth white road up over the rolling hills from the desolate little puebla of Santa Fe our horses loped briskly in the early morning. This old white ribbon of road is ah automobile thoroughfare, in these twentieth-century days, from the City of Mexico pver the mountains to the Valley of Toluca, where nestles the city that is the capital of the State of Mexico. But on this fair day no twentieth-century devices of people came to strike the discordant note. We met only the descendants of many generations of those who had walked that way. Men, barefooted or shod in that peculiar sandal called guarache, wearing gracefully their gay serapes or red blankets, and the picturesque broadbrimmed, high-peaked sombreros, walked beside their burros that were packed with towering loads of coarse baskets. Women, also

wearing sombreros, sat upon the littie burros between huge baskets, carrying beautiful brown babies in their arms, while larger brown babies clung on behind. We illustrated the old fable of the hare and the snrjl, we and a brightlooking peon of the best type, whose burro kept steadily on In its lightfooted little trot while we varied our progress between galloping and walking. In onq of the passings, after the courteous salutation, w er entered into conversation about the road to El Desierto; and remarking that the way was long, he proceeded to describe a much nearer way by trail, a cut-off that left the main road some miles before the El Desierto road did. The wooded mountains across the deep ravine appealed to us, and when we came to the trail It also looked, tempting, so we took our wayfarer’s advice and left the beaten track, soon to find ourselves scrambling down a precipitous way leading our horses. Atfer crossing a stream at the bottom of the canon, we mounted and foh lowed the bank, entering a pine forest through which we rod§. mil 6 after mile, momentarily expecting to see the trail up the mountain we sought. We did find an ascending trail and climbed a mountain to see, when at the top, only far-reaching forests and more mountains. Down jre went Into Another canon, losing our trail many times to find It again. On the steep mountainside, between us and the sudden drop Into the canon (down which we looked upon the tops of tall trees, and to the bottom of which sight could not penetrate,) we saw a fragment of moss-covered masonry, and farther on another, and another, and still farther on the fragments lengthened into a crumbling wall, and we were on a stone-paved way. When It reached the sharp ridge of the mountain, which It followed, there was a low stone wall on each side of a narrow paved way, mossy and banked with dead leaves; walla covered with plaster or cement that moss and lichen and weather stain had mellowed into harmony with the surroundings. Never was road like this one! Through a wilderness apparently primeval, but for it it seemed to lie dreaming In a potent forest silence that trembled on the edge of a sound, as the pale light that sifted, through the trees upon it trembled between shade and sunshine. A strange spell broods here that woos one to linger and see visions of that olden time. At last we were on the top of the mountain and riding beside the high convent wall, the entranoe being on the opposite side from our approach. Within the patio, like the deserted guardian of the deserted place, stands on a high pedestal a marred stone statue of some unrecognizable saint, mutely eloquent We pass It, and walk the lonely corridors, stand under the lofty dome, climb tbe worn stairs to the belfry, descend Into underground chambers, and loiter In cloisters and In the walled' gardens and orchards of old that Father Gage tells us of; where the fragrant flowera bloomed and the luscious fruit ripened on jUBt such air and sunshine as bathes the mountain top today. But the “spirit of the hive,” where la It? In front of the great arched entrance Is an open space with a few maple trees, and a small detached ruin of brown adobe. Steps lead down from one of these eld rooms, and though the Bpace is filled with debris It appears to be an underground passage to the.convent. Standing there, one looks into a forest such as Dure? painted; vistas between the bodies es giant trees, dim beguiling, satyr* haunted depths. The shadows were deepening there, for the day was perceptibly waning; and we of short span of days mutt hasten to leave a ruin that was old before we had being, and that will long outlast us. ELEANOR EVANB,

ABOUT WOMEN-BY A MAN

The —unconventional woman needs Ho chaperon. No woman ever acquired virtue or had it thrust upon her. To a sick man every trained nurse under forty is a thing of beauty and a Joy forever. Every woman resents in her heart the man who respects her for her character alone. The length of time it takes to get aroiind a girl’s waist Is not always In proportion to its size. It would be impossible for me to respect any woman who did not have the capacity to make me suffer. a I never stood well in chemistry. That is 'why I derive no enjoyment from making up to a made-up woman. It has been said that women never provide for the future. To this Eve sthuds as a permanent contradiction. The woman who stands in front of her door and looks up and down the street Is not always looking for her husband. I have often thought I would like to try the experiment of loving the same woman twice—but ,1 have never dared to give up the time to it. You can always tell that moment when girlhood has departed and womanhood has begun. It is at this point that she never has anything to wear. I spent yesterday with the cleverest girl in the world. It has taken me all the time since then to recover* from the conviction of my own Importance. When, without consulting a woman, a man can order a dinner at a restaurant with which she fs perfectly satisfied, he has arrived at the fullness of his power; there Is nothing more for him to achieve.

WITH THE SAGES.

Man has no lordship to command the conscience.—Milton. Any truth faithfully faced Is strength In Itself.—Richter. Life Is too short for Its possessors to wear long faces.—Farrar. Give and receive; If we would have> first we must give.—Whittier. Mirth bars a thousand harms and lengthens life.—Shakespeare. Before enterprise and Industry avery barrier mast yield.—Plait Whoever Is sensible of his own faults carps not at another’s fallings. ' What is too hard for the head to do is seldom too hard for the heart.— Norman. . Those who are greedy of praise prove that they are poor in merit Plutarch, No man tastes pleasure truly who ! does not earn It by previous business. —Chesterfield. The poorest education that' teaches self-control Is better than the best that neglects it—Sterling. I take him to be the only rich man that lives upon what he has, owes nothing and is contented.—Howe. To the formation of a good character It is of the highest importance that you have a commanding object in view and that your aim In life be elevated.—Joel Hawes.

JUST GIRLS.

Girls Uke freckles—on their rivaFs thee. We’ve known cooking-school girls who didn’t pan out well. Girls who carry watches in the belts are guilty of walstlng their time. A girl with coral lips generally finds •ome fellow eager to corral them. Some girl can stand a man who Is dissipated If his fortune Isn’t. A girl who has a large circle of friends naturally runs around a good deal When a girl objects to being kissed It’s a sure sign thatthe wrong fellow to trying.—Boston Transcript,

LIFE.

A man is most cruel when he j A woman when she fears. The sphool of experience to an In duatriap institution that haa no vacoi ; tlons. The modern fool rushes to glory and fame where the savant stands hesitating on his dignity. A woman who pretends to laugh at love is like the child who sings at night because he Is afraid.—Smart Set.

SAY, DO YOU KNOW

That now is the only time in world to do things? That if we believe tombstone% there are few people in hell? ~ \ That alcohol Is a good thing to clean silver—out of your pocket? That a clcse friend la one who will not lend you money. __ V That If crossed In love, I wood not pine away, but spruce up? » That all things come to him who waits, but hustle while you wait? _ That a pessimist is one who is always looking for a hair In the but'ter? That a poor pianist has both his music and his listeners on the rack? That some men have such a poetic imagination that they .imagine they are poets? That the man who yells “Fire!” the loudest doesn’t always carry the most buckets? That you should do what you know you should do, without asking what people will say? > That diplomacy Is the art of conducting an international quarrel without either party getting angry? That opportunity knocks at every man’s 4oor but once, and be sure that you are not in a bar room when he knocks?—The Clinic.

SUNDAY MUSINGS

Trials weaken only those who flee from them. ■ v Hoping for the best from a man helps him toward it. Love lays down Its own life; zeal quenches that of others. It is better to seem green than to have got beyond growing. The easiest way to lose your soul is to “sit and sing” It away. It never brings heaven nearer to stand on your neighbor’s corns. Some men would disown their faith rather than send It out to work. Some people think that heaven’s Judgments never go beyond the cravat. It takes more religion to make an honest merchant than a holy monk. It takes more than Imported eloquence to give ‘the heavenly message. Some men are sure they have new hearts because they have lost their heads. Many preachers think they have a burning message because It has a bitter taste:

THE GENTLE CYNIC

No man is really a fool unless he can be fooled the same way twice. The girl who marries for money may discover that a rich ldver makes a mighty poor husband. A burned child dreads the fire, which doesn’t Indicate that one good burn deserves another. Never threaten to kiss a girl unless you make good. Moat girls hate a bluffer. Some fellows can dodge an automobile almost as adroitly as they can a creditor. \ Don’t despise an humble beginning. To master the violin it to necessary to play second fiddle first. A good motto for the fellow 1 who tries to pick the winners Is, If at first you don’t succeed, don’t try again. ! The world wouldn’t be so full of kickers if we all had wooden legs. One half the world la quite satisfied that the other half doesn’t know how h Uvea. The woman who isn’t afraid of a mouse win have some difficulty In getting a husband.

IT MAY BE

Tin* there Is a girl somewhere who •fter you hare kissed her on one cheek I WUI turn the other to you, but she Is not easy to find; That the wise man meets trouble with a smiling face, but even at that It is hardly necessary to Invite Mm In to meet your wife and children; That speech Is sliver, but It Is Just as well after all when you are making a speech to a hostile crowd to have a few coppers in the hall to maintain order; That Caesar’s last words w@te “Et To, Brute," but it is a pretty safe bet that he Interpolated an “Owch" or two In Its Latin equivalent before giving np the ghost;

A Corner in Ancestors

The Gilberts must be content with the limited orthograph. Glllbert is perhaps the only variation at the present day. Gillbart was an ancient form, also Gilburd, Gylbert, Ghilberd and Gildebert. The name, according to some authorities, is an Anglo-Saxon derivation, from gild or gold, and bfert meaning bright—bright as gold. There is a mineral, bright as gold, called gilbertite. Another theory advanced has to do with a Norman derivation, and according to this, the family of Gilbert Was Introduced into Great Britain along with the Norman conquest, as gislebertus;- gisle is another form of gill, or ghil, a word meaning a narrow rivulet in a ravine—a bright rivulet,

or a sparkling stream may therefore be the original meaning, of gilbert. From gislebertus, or gillbertus, or gbilbertus also come the names Gill, Gilks, Gilkison, Gilpin, Galpin, Gibbs! Gybbes, Gibbard, Gibardson, Gibbins and Gilbertson. A certain John Davies Giddy, by royal license, changed his Gilbert. We find the Gilberts In Devon, Cornwall Derby, Sussex, Leicester, Norfolk, Hereford, London and Scotland. In Lullington,. there is an estate, or a -town called “Gilbert’s Place. The family is an old pne in Devon, where they bear the ■ arms shown in the illustration. Among pioneers and founders of towns, in the United States, are John Gilbert, born at Bridgewater, Somerset, and in 1630, living at Dorchester,

Langeford, Langforde and LanckTord are perhaps the only variations of this name. Langford Is the name of parishes In Bedford and Cornwall, and other counties In England. The Cornish family' of Langfords descend from Roger de Langford, sheriff of Cornwall, 1225. He took his name from the estate of Langford, In the parish of Marham Church. The Langfords of Langford Hill, Cornwall, have always been prominent in affairs. The family has also been seated for centuries at Somerset, Wiltshire, Derby, Shropshire, Devonshire, Leicester, Nottingham and London. Baron or Lord Langford, traces his line back to the time of Edward 11. The pilgrim of the family—-or one —was Richard Langford, or Lanckford, as the name appears in the records. His name is given In the tax roll of Plymouth colony, and his tax was 9sh. Od.; date, January 2, 1632. The name has never been a common one in New Englandr John Langford was a resident of Salem, Mass., or was helping to found the town in 1645, he was a freeman. Thomas Langford, a resident of Rhode Island about 1670, may have been a descendant of Richard or John, but it is not -stated definitely. About the end of the seventeenth century, Thomas and John Langford, who are called sons of Thomas, were liv-' ing In Newport, R. I. John’s wife “was probably Alida or Alleda,” and they had five children. He was a merchant and accumulated property. One of his sons was Richard, baptized at Trinity church, Newport. Thomas married Comfort, whose last name is left to the imagination, and removed to East Greenwich, where he owned property and was a freeman, 1699. His second wife was Sarah. Thomas died 1709; and his property was valued at £482, 7sh, lld„ a goodly sum for those days of simple living—plain living and high thinking. Thomas had seven children. His widow became the wife of Immanuel Rouse. Thomas, called son of Thomas the second, was born in Newport, but after his marriage to Hannah, removed to North Kingston, R. I. In January, 1756, he and his son Holdebe were living In Dutchess county, New York. In 1776 Holdebe (don't you wonder where he got this name?) “was allowed 18sh. 3d. for measuring salt." The Langfords have been freemen all along the line. John of East Greenwich is a splendid ancestor to have on your family chart, for he was for many years member of the town oouncil. and Justice of the peace. He

By ELEANOR LEXINGTON

Gilbert Family (Copyright by McClure Syndicate)

Mass., and Capt. Nathaniel Gilbert, born in Cornwall, who was living at Middletown, Conn., In 1776. ' By the middle of the seventeenth century, there were five pioneers of the name of Gilbert, living In, or near Hartford: John and Jonathan at Hartford; Josiah at Wethersfield; Obadtah at Fairfleldf Thomas at Windsor. They were from Devon, and possibly brothers. The bright particular star of the Gilbert family is Sir Humphrey, who, according to Hackuyt, was “the flrßt of our nation that caused the people to erect an habitation and government in these countryes.” Instead of seeking to discover mines and to amask wealth, as others who preceded him had done, “he sought only to prosecute effectually the full possession of these, so ample and pleasant tries for the crown, and people of EngJ land.” Sir Humphrey was the son of Otho Gilbert, and by his mother's side, he was half-brother lo Sir Walter Ra-> leigh. At court Sir Humphrey obtained! the special favor of Queen ElizabetbJ who granted him a patent to colonize) North America. He married a daughter of John Aucher, and through bis wife became possessed of estates in Kent. In Virginia and North and South Carolina, the Gilberts have lived probably since the founding of those states, and among the marriage connections are the Lewises, Taylors and Hickmans, of Virginia, all of whom, have war records. The Balengers of South Carolina are kin, and the Grahams of North Carolina—Gen. George Graham, of revolutionary fame, and William Graham, signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. We find theThmlly an Import aft one in New York state, where a town is named for the founder of the family there—Abijab Gilbert, who was born' in England, and crossed the sea about 1787.. He purchased land, and is down in the records as “gentleman.” Many places bear the name of the family r there is Gilberts peak of the Rocky mountains, and _ Gilbert islands in the Pacific ocean. The illustrated coat-of-arms is blazoned: Argent, on a chevron, gules, three roses of the field, (I. argent or eilver.) Crest: A squirrel cracking a nut, proper. Motto: Mellem Meri quam mutare —I prefer death to change. This Is the coat-armor ascribed to Capt. Nathaniel" of Middletown.

Langford Family

married Barbara Rice of Warwick, R. I- and they had six children; one daughter, Ellen, married Abraham Greene; another daughter, Barbara, married Stutely Wicks of Warwick. The Langfords are related to the line of which Gen. Nathanael Greene was the distinguished member. The Greenes, like the Langfordß, were ofnoble ancestry—“of royal and noble ancestry” Is the way It is down In the books. The Greenes trace to Egbert, king of England, and Lady Redbiyga, his queen. \ There Is another marriage conneo tlon with the Greenes. John Lang-

ford, born 1740, married Ruth Greene of Warwick. His first wife was Desire, daughter of Benjamin fucker of Newport Jonathan and Benjamin were sons of John, just named, and married the ‘‘Spencer girls,” perhaps sisters —Rachel and Ruth. Jonathan Langford, also of the Thomas Langford line, born 1708, married Ann Clappe Freeman of Warwick. They had two children. Thomas the fourth of the name, born 1731, married Sarah, widow of Capt. Joseph Weaver. Another Thomas, born 1829, married Elizabeth Cornel, and bad three children. One son Joseph, “was probably a soldier In Elliott's regiment, 1776.” Besides Langfords of New England, and of New York, there Is a record of a family of the name living In Antigua, West Indies, 1759, of English descent The coat-of-arms illustrated Is blazoned: paly of six, argent and gules: over all a bend of the first (1.. e„ the first color named above—argent, or silver), charged with three eagles displayed of the second (gules, red). Crest: In a row of partridge feathers of divers colors, three chebales. or and argent No motto Is given. 'Military strength and fortitude are symbolized by this coat-armor; also willing obedience and serenity—the heraldic meaning of feathers.