Hunt Co., TX - Letter To Editor from Dr. W. Harrison Baker
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Letter To Editor
    The following letter was received from Dr. W. Harrison Baker by Mrs. Ruby
Jo Warren:

2805 Bourland Street
Greenville, Texas
November 10, 1967

My Dear Friend:
    I am ashamed and apologize for not sending you the information about the
ideas of an article for The Courier.
    It was fifty-two years ago that I came to Celeste to be pastor of the
Celeste Circuit with five churches, Antioch, Hogeye, Kiser, and White Rock; and
one year later, Lane was added.  Now Antioch, Hogeye, and Kiser and Lane are
all gone as have the schools at each place.  I am sure Celeste had more people
then than now, but it was because of families with plenty of children.  Then we
had doctors Cannon, Norris, Williams, Harris, and Neal.  Five doctors and all
of them good ones.  Their chief pastime was delivering babies.  Many more
colored people lived here then than now, and Negroes seem to have more children
than do white people and if the trend keeps on they will out-number us.
    My idea of the story was:  CHANGE.  This is the word for the day and
everywhere we see it.  Change and decay all around I see is in the song "Abide
With Me."  For instance, the churches that I served with twice the members they
have now have paid half what they are paying now.  My salary for the four
churches in 1915 was $376.00.  Not per month, but per year--next it was $500.00
a year and I bought a car that year and paid $810.00 and borrowed the money
from Mr. Granberry.
    You can talk to a lot of the old timers and get a good story and you might
ask them if they can't get a doctor now about as quickly as they did in 1915.
Time marches on.
    Don't you and Lem ever forget that old friends are the best.
        W. Harrison Baker
        (November 17, 1967, The Celeste Courier)