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n J Established 1891. LAND OF THE D0N8. Fort Mill Kan Tells of Things He Saw in Spain. "Drop the average American down in the Pyrenees mountains of Spain, where 1 spent 15 months j a few years ago in the employ of 1 a New York engineering concern ' that had the contract for huihf- 1 ing a large electric plant near j the French border, and lie will ' * imagine that time lias bc?-n tamed back 500 years or more," said a night or two ago .lolut li. Jones of Fort Mill in telling a party of his friends of some of the conditions and customs he observed in that country. "I am not surprised," lie continued, "to learn that the Moors , are getting the.best of the Spaniards in their fight and that the Spanish government is seeking army recruits in the United States. My observations led me to believe that the average Spaniard?1 mean the class from which the private soldiers must be recruited?is wholly lacking iu courage and that the government is doing the natural thing iu calling upon other countries for soldiers. Indeed, there appeared to be little patriotism ctmoiig the working classes in "Spain, and that not without reason. The government does next to nothing to improve the hard conditions in which these people live, hut is continually adding to their burdens by imposing fresh | taxes upon them. "There were hundreds of day i laborers employed in building the j damn, canal and power houses where 1 was and 1 can testify to their general worthlessuess. llere in the South we sometimes complain that the nero does not do his work as well as he should, but the average Southern negro will do more work iu one day than is to be expected of the uv erage Spaniard iu four days. To get any work at all out 'of the Spanish laborer one must treat him like a spoiled child, for they will strike on the slightest provV* ovation, and when there is no provocation they frequently manage to trump up. an excuse to quit work. Strikes and holidays are the rule among the laboring j classes iu Spain. **There is a large floating pop- ; illation of <iav laborers in Spain, | many of th<nn men past middle life. These men have no homes and move about from plaee to place wherever they can get work, carrying with them only the blankets in which they sleep, more frequently on the ground than in a building. The weather is muuh more severe iu the Pyre- j noes mountains of Spain in winter than it is in this section, bid notwithstanding the cold. 1 have many times seen Spaniards after finishing their day's work wrap themselves in their blankets and lie down on the ground ami up parently sleep in comfort until almost time to go to work again. They are paid from 20 to lit) cents a day for their labor and of | course nave lit tit* with which to buy the comforts of life. "Spain is one of the most be- ; uighted of all the European countries. One would not suspect that the country stood out a fi w hundred years ago as a lead- j er among the nations of the curth. 'The glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Home' do not abide in Spain. A very large per cent of the people can neither read nor write and there is a great deal of poverty and suffering among the lower classes. Hut whether of the better or lower classes the Spaniards are strong for sports and what they consider a 'good time.' Sunday is the principal day of the week for pleasure over there. There is no Christian Sabbath in Spain as we observe the day in this country. On the other hand, the day is given over to dancing, wine drinking, bull fighting und other forms of amusement. "Bull fighting is the principal I national sport. 1 have seen a few bull fights in Barcelona, and I am glad we have nothing so brutal in this country. Thousands flock to see the fights in which some well known toreador is to take part and so excited do tint rHE f BOOKS FOR LITTLE FOLK. Fort Mill Graded School Session Now Under Way. Tuesday morning was an important time in the lives of most of the little folk of Fort Mill, for then the regular fall and winter session of the loeal graded school opened. Despite the fact that the session \vas begun without the services of a regularly elected su- ! perintemlent. the work started j off smoothly under the direction of ('apt. F. M. Mack, high school principal, who will act as superintendent until the hoard elects | a successor to ('. C. Stewart of Pendleton, chosen for the plaee some months ago, hilt who recent ly, resigned on account of ill health. At the opening exercises the : auditorium was comfortably fill- j ed with pupils and friends of the school. Complete reports of the first day's enrollment are not yet obtainable, hut in the first five grades there were 271) pupils, in- | dicating that by the beginning of the second week the enrollment will have exceeded 500 and will, if that figure is reached, be larger than that of last year. The various grades are in charge of the following teachers. First i Misses Minnie tiarrison. Marie I Maunie and Kdua Loft is; second. I Misses Agnes Link and Julia I Armstrong; third, Misses Zelma j Phillips and Ksther Meacham; I fourth. Misses Berniee Mills and Florence Lawrence; fifth. Miss' Carrie Spencer. Dcpurtmeu.ul i work will be done in the sixth. ! seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth grades. Miss Dorothy Bergstrom being in charge of the sixth and Miss Clnrolenc Carothers the seventh grades, while the studies in the higher grades will be directed by Capt. Mack and MisH Bdua Ti tidal. The session begins with only ;\\o teachers new in the Fort Mill selinul. Misses Berniee Mills and J Florence Lawrence. Source of Ford's Idea. Henry Ford is coining in for u great amount of praise ami publicity because he took the Dayton. Toledo & Ironton railroad and made a paying proposition out of it. says the Chester News, lliis man Ford hasn't done a thing \(bieh surpasses p Chester county railroad. The Lancaster & Chester railway is a paying j proposition because Col. Leroy I Springs ships all of his freight J for his various enterprises over it j and that is exactly what Henry Ford is doing with the 1)., T. & ' I. As a matter of fact, we ex- I peet Henry got his idea from the I Lancaster & Chester railway. ? people become in their wild rush for choice scitts when the event is j about to begin that one must, be careful or ho will be trampled to death. Usually the toreador is1 mounted fm an pld grey horse too wellnigh exhausted from lack of ti\ AOOUAA ti??? . . . .. \r< w 11 VI n IV |?t I lie rushes of tin* frenzied hull, gouded to desperation by spear prodding and the flaunting of red flags. As a consequence Ihe horse is nearly always quickly disemboweled by the bull, but if it is able to stand up it is taken from the arena, sewed tip and then brought back into the arena to undergo further punishment by the bull. It seldom happens that the bull kills or injures the toreador. "Farming conditions are as backward in Spain as one could imagine. There they plow with a crooked stiek as they did thousands of years ago ami there is no modern farm machinery in use. Living conditions around the homes of the farmers are the most primitive. "I was interested in the antiq inly of many different tilings to be seen in Spain. There many houses, always of stone, hundreds of years old are a oommou sight, in the town of Lerida. 50 miles north of Barcelona, is to be seen a stone marker which bears the date 16 B. ('. In going to and from my work I passed over the road hewn out of the solid rock in the Pyrenees mountains by Caesar's legions before the time of Christ." t * ORT ] . FORT MILL, S. C? THUBE! BOLL WEEVIL DI FARMS Of Fort Mill Party Sees Havoc Wro South of Columbia?Chan astro us Experience of | , The following detailed account of the boll weevil tour last week to the lower section of South Carolina by farmers and business men of the Fort Mill community, which was promoted by the First National bank of Fort Mill, was I net. nv ? * ? nxuri-u uy iiu* i lines reporter and may prove of interest to the paper's readers: The party, leaving Fort Mill shortly after G o'elock last Tuesday morning, passed through lioek Hill. Chester. Winnsboro. and on to ^Columbia, having been joined at Rock Hill and Chester by tourists from other sections of York county, and Chester county. Most of the party reached Columbia before noon, where a stop was made for lunch, and then proceeded by way of Swansea and North to Bluekville. A stop was made a few miles north of Bluekville, where the party was met by tile county agent of Barnwell county and conducted to the farm of Chester Matthews, reaching the' farm about 4:20 in the afternoon. Mr. Matthews is considered one of the best farmers in Barnwell county. He welcomed the party with the facetious remark that he used to ride in Franklins ami Overlands. but now was wearing overalls and was walking since the arrival of the boll weevil. He showed the party a drove of about 200 hogs of various si/.es with which he hopes to ease to some extent the situation, and his fields of corn covered with velvet beans and stacks of Spanish peanuts in the fields, lie will make an effort to raise cattle and will devyte more time to vegetables, especially asparagus, cucumbers and beans, with the usual watermelon and cantaloupe crops. These, he considers, will ordinarily be profitabe. but of course much depends on getting these articles early on the market in order to obtain good prices. The Coker Seed company of llartsville had supplied Mr. Matthews wi'h seven varieties of long staple cotton ami had furnisln d the necessary fertilizer with the idea of an experiment to see which variety might mature early enough ti? beat the boll weevil. The cotton was planted in one field, two rows of each variety side bv side across the field. The whole production of the field probably would not be more than 10 per cent of an ordinarv eron. and tin* large* part of thin was (outuined in four rows of a variety called "Lightning Express." The weevils hud praetieally ruined the entire field. Mr. Matthews stated that about lf>.lH)() bales ordinarily were weighed in Blackville. and that the estimate for this year was not over 1,500 bales, or one-tenth. Proceeding to Blackville. tinpart\j divided for the night: some going on to Barnwell and others o Denmark and Williston. A few of the party turned hack from BLckville. but most of them took i In road Wednesday morning for Allendale. Here the reports of boll weevil damage were even worse, it being stated by some of the prominent farmers that no effort would be made to gather eiiv of the cotton from the fields. Some of tin* piirly'urocowli'd to Fairfax and examined a field which had bet ti partly under govcriuucnt supervision, in order to '.est the efficiency of poison represented by arsenate of lead. In this field a section had been wired off and this section had been regularly sprayed or powdered with the poison, but it was noted that the appearance of the crop was appreciably no better than that which had not been treated: so it was gathered that there was no use in putting any dependence in the proposition of poisoning the weevil. Leaving 'Allendale, the route of tile party was to Bamberg, where (Continued on page 3.) WILL' PAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1921. iVASTATES LOW-COUNTRY light by Cotton Pest in Counties ce to Profit in York by DisOther South Carolinians. NEWS OP YORK COUNTY. Current Items of Interest Found in the Yorkville Enaninr. Methodists from many comiuu- | 11 ities around gathered at Sharon Sunday morning on account of the first services held in the new Sharon Methodist church building. Pews for the new church have not yet arrived, but benches and chairs were borrowed for the accommodation of the audience, which was so large that all could not be accommodated, more than 50 people necessarily having to remain outside. Charged with abandonment of his family, Thos. P. McGrady, I white, was arrested iu Camden Monday and the understanding is that he will be brought back to Vorkville for trial, the warrant having been sworn out before Magistrate Fred C. Black by his wife, who, with her three children, has been making her home at the residence of Miss Sallie Adickes on East Liberty street, Yorkville, v for a number of months. McGrady worked for the Yorkville Cotton Oil company and it is alleged that he abandoned his family here in last July. All ?tii t nrr\riuik !? ? ?? /, ?? ?? '?" *?i* i/iiici |/t IOU nidi pi uiiiiom | much for the farmers of this sec- I tion has just been launched at Rock Hill by two York county Cleinsou graduates under the name of the Garrison-Faris Seed company. The firm consists of K. 11. Garrison, Jr., and Karl G. Faris, the former of Ebenexer and the latter of Gold llill, and both young men of sterling character and excellent repute. Both having been ruined on furms uud both having made a special study of I setds at Clemson, they believe ' that one of the greatest needs of York county farmers is a reliable* J seed house conducted by men who are in a positiou to understand loeal needs, and they propose to ! devote themselves to the task of . making themselves especially useful ui)d helpful ulong this line. So sudden uud marked has been the deterioration in the condition of eottou throughout this section during the past week that there is a pretty general belief thatan! other condition report this month would show a decline of 10 or 12 per cent additional, us compared with August. The deterioration I of the pust week is commonly attributed to the hot, dry weather under which fresh, greou cotton j leaves have wilted atuf shriveled up us if scalded. The vigorous growin nas been suddely chucked and in addition to that there in ! a four that with tho migration of tho recently hutched boll weevils late squares und small bolls will be destroyed to a disastrous extent. J. S. Brice, Esq., who hus been confined to his bed in his home hi Yorkville for nearly a month, ' is steadily improving. During j more than two weeks of his illi ness he seemed to hover between life and death to an extent that made his friends fearful to ask | about him after an interval of a few hours but for the past week lie has been showing signs of slow but steady improvement. One evening last week he recalled that it was the night some of the children were to go to the picture show and instructed according, and Monday he told Dr. McDowell that he was going to Hit up in a few days. The doctor, however, was not yet ready to make any positive promise along that line. There seems to be every reason to hope that within another week at least the patient ought to be able to be up and about his hotne. I Monroe Merritt of Little Rock, I Ark., recent'y spent a few days in Fort Milt witi. uncle, A. 11. Merritt, on the first visit he had made to this section in nine years. , Another recent guest of Mr. Mer' ritt's was his son, Elijah Merritt. 1 Time< % RAPS FORT BOLL. Firs Prevention Officer Criticises 1 Local Conditions. S. W. Lowe, fire prevention officer of the State insurance tie- t partiueut, who visited Fort Mill a < few weeks ago in a tour of 22 i cities and towns of the State in- t spotting conditions, says in his 1 report to the department that he < found rotten rcyofs and danger- t ous flues in many of the towns 1 he visited. In some instances, he < ! says, the town authorities prom- 1 I ised to have corrections made and t to take action in other instau- 1 ces to have old fire-tran build ings toru down as the law requires. In Fort Mill, according to Mr. Lowe's report, he was surprised at the amount of rubbish ullowcd to accumulate within the fire zone and especially condemned an old shingle-roofed building at the head of Main street, which lie said ought to be condemned'and removed. | He was pleased with eondi-! itous in a number of other towns, including Kock Hill. Kershaw was clean but has little fire-fighting apparatus. Lancaster is clean ( ot rubbish, but lias too many rot- ; ten shingle roofs. The fire tie- ' part men t was reported good. 1 lie found similar conditions in York. J Chester has the worst fire department equipment of any town of like size in the State; merely an old time fire wagOn drawn by horses that ftill down. The town also has a generous supply of rubbish. GROCERY STORE BURNED. J Business of B. M. Bradford Destroyed Monday Morning. 1 A prosperous grocery business * that wus started in Kurt Mill only a few months ago went up I in smoke at 1 :30 o'clock Monday 1 morning when fire of unknown ' origin destroyed the stock of 1 goods and new building occupied ' by B. M. Bradford on Tom ilull J1 street. Insurance on the goods and building is said to have been ' sufficient to cover about half the [' loss. I > Two young men passing the j t store discovered the blaze and,1 quickly gave the alarm, but be-(< fore the fire department got into 1 action, in an incredibly short ] time considering the leugth of , ' the run and the fact that the I members live in various sections * of the town, the building was en- 1 veloped in flames and a few min- j utes later had burned to the ? ground. Practically nothing was J saved from the stock, but Mr. 1 Bradford succeeded in getting!* his books out of the building. | i The fire department did good work in saving two nearby resi- ; i deuces which caught fire a nuin- ; ^ ber of times. ' ' Moving Dye House Machinery, i Work of moving the machin- \ cry from the old dye house at i mill No. 1 of the Fort Mill Manu- i factoring company to the new j i building recently erected by the ?. company tor a dye house is now under way, but several days will s elapse before the transfer iscom-lt pleied and the machinery is again 4 in operation. Meanwhile, how j > ever, there will be no delay in l anv of the other dunurt iii.iiik i. ? - - " * the mill, as a stock of dyed cot- jt ton sufficient to meet the needs of >. the mill for several weeks is on t hand. The new dye house was erected at a cost ot many thous- j amis ot dollars and is said to he j one of the most modern dye ' i plants owned hv any mill in the | Piedmont section of the Caroli '?. nas. .J. F. Oates, who recently t tnoved with his family to Fort j Mill from New Bedford, Mass., is jt boss dyer for the Fort Mill Man- j ufacturing company. | i The Lytic drug store, now oe- 1J copying the Anlery building on h Main street, is preparing to move ' \ across the street to the Stewart ! t building, until recently used by the Fort Mill Candy Kitchen. The j Stewart building will be thor- 11 oughly renovated before the new , tenants move in the latter part of ( the month and a new set of fixtures will be installed by the drug store. # j s 5. 11.50 Per Tear. WHERE STATE QUIT UNION. Story of Secession Convention in Charleston. in December of the year 1SU0 the Democratic State convention jf South Carolina, after its first meeting in the Kirst Baptist jhurch in Columbia, adjourned to Charleston. The sessions in Charleston were held in St. Anlrew's hall on Broad street. The tmilding belonged to the St. Anlrew's society, an organization founded in 1729, principally for ihiiritnM" ' v VJIl IH'i't 111l)or 20, the famous Ordinance of 1 Secession was passed liv I lit e i mention. Gen. 1). K. .lamieson of itarnwell presiding. At 1 :30 o'clock a member of lie convention stood up and read . the ordinance, drafted by Chantellor F. H. Wardluw of the State ?niversity% The resolution was t ? he effect that the people of the !Ommonwealth of South Carolina, through their accredited reprelentatives. repealetl the former >rdiuance which the State had idopted on May 23. 17SS. The ordinance was adopted by inanimous vote of the 109 ntem>ers t?f the convention, two of ivhom. Col. A. It. Springs and 'ol. Leonidas Spratt. were from Fort Mill township, the former H'itig the father of Col. Leroy springs and the latter the graml incle of Col. T. It. Spratt and f)r. .1. Li. Spratt. As the result of he vote was declared, a tumult iroke forth which extended to hrongs on the outside of the \9 ouming. .Many si rove lor * 11ranee anil the liall not being sot' ficiently lurgo to accommodate hern, it was resolved by tin* runvolition to ailjonrn to a larger mil for tho ratification of the orlinanoo. At G o'clock on tho sumo day, Docombor 20. 18G0, tho oonvon lion moved in procession to tho Imilding soloctod. Institute hall, dii Mooting street, a building isod at tho time by tho State for he promotion of industrial arts. After pravor by tho Uov. l>?\ lachman of tho Lutheran ohuroli ho ordinance was signed by each neiuber of the convention in urn. When the last signature vas written, tho president of the invention lifted the document from the table and holding it in view of the audience, announced ts ratification, at the same time trocluiming the State of South Carolina "an independent com lion wealth." Following the announcement, as in eyewitness relates, "the whole ludience rose and gave vent to heir enthusiasm by prolonged beers, accompanied by tie? wav ng of hats and handkerchiefs. Pllt* nlmroli luwrun /? iMlitr Hid tlu* State flag was everywhere displayed. In the evening there was a general cclebration >f the event. The whole city was illuminated, bonfires were Iniilt. while hurrahing processions, carrying banners of various lescriplions and headed by bends of uusic, paraded the principal itreets. In the great fire of l^til which iwept over Charleston with disasrous results, both St. Andrew's udl and Institute hall were deit royed, but some of tli* < fleets from each building were saved. Huong otln rs the historic (aide >11 which the Ordinance of S.-.-fs>ion was signed, tit) years ago on lie 20th of December last. Hears McLendon Preach. S. II. Sutton, K. F. I), carrier. oute Port Mill, returned to lis home a few days ago after ipeuding several days with relaives at Spyncer, N. ('.Y where last Sunday he heard the Kev. I.ax er Me^eudon, well known evangelist who conducted a meeting n Fort Mill some years ago. ?reaeh to an audienee estimated if 11),1)00. Mr. Sutton says Mr. MeLendon had a good deal to say 11 his sermon shout conditions in he American home and that he riticised unsparingly the styles or women's dress now in vogue, racing much of the wave of ininoralitv now sweeping over the ountry to this source. Spot cotton sold in Anderson yesterday for 231-2 cents.