The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, November 04, 1897, Image 6
"THE COUNTYRECORD'
KIH?9ra^7 S. c. J
LOUIS J. BR13TOW, RL & Prop'r,
?^iCV
THE Ml mm Of GIIIES.
GILDED VICE. j
Bo of Oood Courasre. end let us Play the Men |
for Our People and for the Cities j
of Our God, 2 8am. 10:12,
The phenomenal fact of our modern
world is the marv elous growth of cities.
Whitier in one of his poems pictures
the smoke curling over the cabin of the
" ** flf
pioneer ana iiKens me mvuiuw,, ?
immigration to the incomming tide?
"the first lo\v wash where soon will
roll a human sea.'' Weil many now
living have seen the tide come in. j
There are squares in most of our great
cities which were once the playground I
and even happy hunting grounds of j
men still living. Some look upon this
fact, the growth of great cities, as j
alarming. Thomas Jefferson always i
feared the effect of large cities on a
democratic form of government. He
called them the "plague spots" of civilization.
A book ran 'through this
country like red fire not long since
sounding the old note of alarm?the
danger and menace of cities. 1 can
not regard such fear as a sound and I
wholesome view of the matter. The ,
growth of cities is in reality a step of i
progress in the evolution of human so- I
ciety. True enough it indicates a sig- j
nificant change in the mode of human j
life and action, but the outcome will
be' better human conditions. The fall
of the Roman Empire seemed like the
end of the world; and it was in a sense
an end of one world, but the beginning j
of a new world. The Crusade was a I
world movement that failed of its im- I
mediate quest but fulfilled a larger pur- |
pose. So It will be with the movement j
toward cities. Science has made cities j
places of safety, of comfort and of j
power. In many respects life at its j
highest and best is to be found th?-i*e i
B All feel its attraction.
All changes, however, bring new and
subtle forms of temptation,
great change in circumstance brings
new tests character. Just as every
new chemical substance added to a
mixture effects in some form the character
of the whole. In this fact we
find the pathetic interest that centers
In Hovenden's great picture breaking
home ties. What will be the effect of
this new life on the soul of the boy?
The setting of the text is one of trial.
The words are the courageous and |
hopeful words of David. He looked upx
'on life not as a losing struggle but as
an opportunity to win great victories.
80 Christians in every generation are
to look upon the world as something to
6e subdued and' subordinated to the
will and glory of God. As a preparai
tion for victory a recognition of dangers
will be helpful.
I[,- One subtle form of temptation which
assails character in cities end from
whkh rural life is comparatively free I
jK. . ti the secrecy possible there.
There is no solitude, not even that
of the desert or the wilderness, like
Ht that df a great city. Whil surn unded
re? by va^t multitudes that flow by one
K like a great ocean current one seems :
fi detached and strangely alone. Life is j
reduced to a time table. We touch for |
the most part in a business way and :
y that means that human interest is for j
3$ the mast part eliminated. Of course '
*? ? * ? 2_ ??,
we sain In time ireeaom anu mucl
a pendence. But the danger is that a
certain sense of responsibility may also
'v pass away with the change. The very
moment one allows the sense of per>?
sonal responsibility to weaken within
klm, that moment he begins to morally
3;' deteriorate. Certa'n old castles used
to have dark, secret passages, where
(deeds of violence and shame could be
carried on out of sight and public
knowledge. Well, a city is full of just
such hidden, underground ways, where
an evil life may be hidden for a time
from view. A certain degree of public
knowledge and sentiment is wholesome
and hraclng to every one. It is a sort
.of outside conscience. When that is
for the most part removed one is
thrown altogether on the conscience
within for hit moral power and fiber.
Many a temptation finds its last and
successful argument in the whisper
"What is the difference? Who will
know anything about it?" When one
yields to the delusion that wrong can
be successfully concealed or Its consequences
of shame and pain avoided.
i- It la but a short step to the deed Itself.
I "That way madness lies." The moral
quality of Action and of life is the one
thing that can not be concealed. The
night shineth as the day to him with
whom we have to do.
There., is a mora! danger in the very
presence of a multitude. That old prohibition
"Thou shalt not follow a multitude
to do oil" was aimed at a
k weak point in our human nature. It Is
so eagy to go with the multitude, to
keep Step and march under flaring ban
!! ners. i
"What everybody-says must be true." |
Is thai the abiding test of truth to you? t
**Whe? at Rome do as Romans do," so
runs the maxim. The world will love
Its own?those Who are obedient and
conform. Society 'certainly has a do- .
mgln of authority over the individual, i
Certain laws, regulations and customs
are not only wholesome, but even necessary
If we are to live together harmoniously
and helpfully, but there Is a
limit to its dominion. The highest life ;
must be self-determined. Some ques- i
tions must not be put to a popular vote.
A true and noble selfhood must be
maintained at any cost.
There Is danger also In the splendid I
' materialism Of the city. Ore Is apt to
be dazzled by the magnificence of all ;
thai he sees about him. A voice seems
to say these things are real and abid- j
tag. They are the only prizes of life. !
_ And so the glorious realities of mind j
Mil spirit fade out of mind and heart, j
Before one Is aware of it he Is follow- I
tag in the mad rush for mere earthly
good, drawn Into the whirl of the pres- j
?nt world as Lot was drawn into Sod- {
(om. The Bills wii?re ADranam pucnea j
lite tent seemed high and cold and bare, ,
but 8odom was full of life, activity
and Interest. The world has its use. )
Its activities of trade, its splendor of |
achievement, its power, its discipline, j
but it also has its abuse, it may over- j
whelm the soul with its semblances.
But the mcst subtle clanger cf all is
In the form of gilded sins
One does r.ot admire a caterpillar a?
be does a butterfly, but the difference
Is not great. The butterfly has wings ;
bright and beautiful. The repulsive- j
ness of the worm is forgotten under j
the flashing lights of the brilliant and
many colored wings. It is so with sin. j
In cities its repulsiveness is lost in '
gilded forms. Many forms and clar- j
ing instances of evil doing are excused
passed over, tolerated, heoavs? of tbft
position. v<-alth or power of the offender.
GPding covers a multitude of
sins, and <.-bs?rves everlasting <"i=tinc?
tlons.
Yet v.ithnt. in cities the -? t-n
of herloc Uing ar.d cf so5?:: '
v v. quest are to *>c- found. The *t!vneed
of our time, the distinct Cm-istlar
duty of this generation is f >r t>ie :e|Ieinpt)t/n
cf cities.
P* f y IfAPHTALI LT--CCCK. !
-|p ; ? m*
SSTOittt!
1 AMERICAN I
I F0UNC
The pearl booui is the latest sue- j
cessor of Klondike and its attendant
excitements. For several weeks the
people of Arkansas Lave have been
worked up over the discovery of pearls j
in some of the lakes and rivers of that
State, and in some places half the I
population Lave been industriously
digging mussels in the hope of sudden
wealth, while the rest of the country
has been agitating itself on the subject
of dollar wheat. A New York di-'
4f ?f
SCENES A
amond broker recently exhibited a
very large pearl which had been sent
to him from the Arkansas field, just j
what part of it he refused to say.
The stone is one of the finest speci- i
mens of the "sweetwater" variety ever
seen in .New lorfc. it is pertectiy i
formed, slightly oval in shape, of a
pure white, and weighs thirty-five
grains. It is valued at S800. Auoth- |
er broker recently received a consignment
of Arkansas pearls, which included
a pink pearl, weighing twenty-sis
grains. It is worth not more than
$100, however, on account of a slight
blemish on one side. Many smaller j
pearls have come from this same region j
during the past week, and there is :
talk of a New York company to work ;
some of the Arkansas pearl Jakes. It (
is possible, however, that they will be '
late in the field, as a Memphis company
has already leased one of the
most promising lakes for a term of five
years for $4500, and individual speculators
have obtained control of several
others.
The Klondike excitement io not to be l
compared with the enthusiasm in ;
Northern Arkansas over the recent j
finds of pearl*. At Helena and Little !
Bock family parties are going out to '
camp along the river and hunt for
pearls. Most of these parties have
found only small stones, but one woman
picked up a pink pearl worth $50,
and two small boys who were looking
for clams and not for pearls found two |
stones which they sold for $25 apiece.
Most of the valuable finds, however,
have been made in the lakes and
ponds, which are controlled by private
individuals or by companies. In some
places the owners have had to stand
guard with shotguns to keep off the
enthusiastic pearl seekers, who have
been accustomed to hunt clams wher- ,
ever they wished, and who think that;
the mere fact that the shells may contain
gems worth $100 or so ought not
to make any difference in this right. |
The Arkansas pearl fisheries are
recommended as a good substitute for
Alaska for those who are in search of
hardship and adventure. There is
not so much frost and snow, but there
is plenty of malaria, which is apt to
carry off the unacclimated visitor, aad
the swamps and forests which one has
to traverse in order to reach the lakes
where the treasures lie will supply the
adventurer with as many unpleasant
experiences as Chilcoot Pass. Besides
the malaria that hangs round the lakes
and swamps, they coniain sulphur and
iron, which give the water a decidedly
unpleasant yellowish tinge. The
places in which pearls have thus far
been discovered are Murphy and,
Walker Lakes, Cross Lake, Sulphur |
and Four-Mile Ponds and the creeks
flowing into them. These are all in
the Bald Kuob country southwest of '
Memphis. % j
(?&
3FA$3 S M
i IN PLENTY. |
3GP0M0&Q|
Several Memphis citizens have in- j
vested money in leases in White Coun- '
ty, and the concern already referred j
to will make an. organized effort to |
develop the industry in the lakes and
ponds which it controls. This com- j
pany has'already taken out several bun- j
tired dollars' worth of pearls, but so :
far the work has all been done by col- i
ored diggers and divers, who are paid |
?2 r>er dav for their services. On ac- !
count of the color of the water they j
n i. ... - .i ? y
'H
ShMh
^ taBr
^ Slp^
MI '||k> ,MI
J Vfsa ', 'v/p ;('
kbxW'WJp
XD INCIDENTS OF AMERICAN FEARL FI
, have
to feci for the clams, which are
buried in the mud, with their hands ;
or bare feet, and so can work effective- j
ly only in shallow places. As soon as !
machinery can bo % put in, however. !
the bottom of the lakes, including the j
deeper parts, will be thoroughly.
dredged, and it is expected that more :
satisfactory results will be obtained. ;
It is the theory of the Memphis men
who are backing the enterprise that
mussels occasionally shed their pearls,
and that others that have died still
contain the^gems, and will be found
buried deep down in the mud at the
bottom of the lakes.
It is possible, too, that the manufacture
of mother of pearl will be
started to utilize the shells, as is done
in Lower California, from whence most
of the pearl used for buttons for our
waist-coats and dresses now come from.
Mother of pearl, it may be explained,
is simply the smooth inside lining of
the shell, which is cut out and used
for buttons an.l ornaments.
Instances of rich finds are reported
every few days from Bald Knob or the
adjoining country. A few days ago a
colored man, who gave his name as j
Harris, walked into a Memphis jewelry
store and exhibited a small bag of
pearls. Most of the stones were small
and worth not more than $1 or S5 each,
but there were a few of la'rger size, ineluding
one or two pink pearls of very
good quality. An offer of $100 was
made for the lot. The colored man
held out for more, and finally accepted
$150. He said that he had worked
for a month and had opened thousands
of shells to get the stones. He acmBfS*
THE WORLD'S L
knowledged that he was from "down J
White County way," but refused to j
tell where he had found the gems, as j
he said that there were more in the j
same place, and ho was going back
after them.
A man named -Deale, in Bald Knob,
sent a dozen pearls to New York, and
*
i
fh^ar tZUBffi "
A JtiG tr&aBk .-v-'v..'-' - >
i>: iW has
received an offer of $100. He
found them all in the course of a week.
Many of the natives in White County
have in their possession pearls of more
or less value taken from the ponds before
the excitement set in. Many of
them decline to say anything about
their finds, as they don't wish to eu- ,
courage a rush to the spot.
WORLD'S LARCEST OXEN.
Welch 7300 Ponn<l?? Yokes Seven Fcot ;
Lot 3?.Have Hauled 11,031 Pounds. j
The greatest yoke of cattle ever !
seen in this country is owned by J. j
D. Avery, of Buckland, Mass. They !
are named Jco and Jerry. Their age I
is eight years and they measure ten 1
feet in girth. They stand seventeen j
Lands high, and their measurement i
from tip to tip is fifteen feet eleven I
inches. There is not a diSerence of j
tea pounds in weight between them, ;
-1
I
I
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' S
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cc%^ !
C I
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V c
' j
0oc? ;
? 0 O O tJ C O
SIIERIES. |
- |
and the two together tip the scales at :
7300 pounds. They hold the world's 1
record for one pull, having drawn ;
11,061 pounds of stone, loaded on a !
dray, on a level, just eight feet in one j
draw. They are models of symmetry i
in. build, are extremely kind and do- I
cile and beautifully colored. The j
best of care is devoted to them, one i
man spending several hours every day
in grooming and cleaning them. They ;
have beea on exhibition at all of the
principal agricultural fairs in the
country.
T" "noAJn/r r\t Via VamlanmA Tnkft
JLU v* m*w j ?
of oxen Mr. Aver- said: "The oxen
have not by any maans reached their
limit; they have gained in weight
some seven hundred pounds the past
year and are capable of carrying an- Jj
other thousand pounds. Unlike other
large cattle, their flesh is distributed
very evenly, which adds very much to
their looks, and they stand on their
limbs as straight as a pair of calves.
"They are remarkably intelligent
and well trained, as you can judge
from the position which they take in
the photograph. They are very active
and can easily walk a mile in thirty
minutes. They are colored, like all
pure Holsteins, black and white.
There coats are as fine and glossy as a
thoroughbred racer's. They are still
worked moderately when at home.
Their yoke was made to order/ and
probabiy is the largest yoke ever worn
by any team. It is seven feet in
length and weighs 200 pounds.
"Their crowning glory is their magnificent
set of highly polished horns.
For size, quality, mating, and beauty
M %, !
iABGEST OXEN*.
combined their equal does not exist
in the world. It may be of interest to
know that their food consists of eight to
twelve quarts of corn and oats ground
together, two quarts of flax meal, and
from six to eight quarts of bran each
day, with an occasional change to i
suit their appetites." '
. -r A tl. - . > ^ -l , >i , _
BARON NORDEN3KIOLD. {
Career of the Great Explorer?One of
Sweden's Most Widely Known Men. ,
Baron Adolf Erik Xordenskiold is
the most widely known of Sweden's
great men. Although d;sting:.'shed
for his family and high social stand
BABON NOBDENSEIOBD.
ing, tlie baron has won for himself a j
great name in science. His family (
had long been eminent in scientific 1
pursuits, and he began his studies
with his father, Nils Gtvstaf, who was ,
the chief of the Finland mining de- i
partment. He entered the Univer- j
sity of Helsingfors in 184D, and spent :
his vacation in the study of mineral- j
ogy. Of that science he soon became |
an eminent expositor. He was forced !
from his native country of Finland by
the Hnssian Government, and chose
Sweden to live in. He traveled to (
Spitzbergen, and on his return to !
Stockholm was appointed director of j
the mineralogical department. In |
1868 he made his first great polar ;
voyage and attained a latitude of |
eighty-one degrees and forty-two min- ;
utes. In 1872 he decided to make j
another trip to northward, and it was
on this voyage that he made the first
attempt to penetrate the inland ice
in the interior. His researches on j
this voyage were of vast importance j
to science. Kordenskiolu now turned |
his attention to Siberian exploration i
? 1. _
ana accompusueu mucu ui uiatuu?- I
tion. Backed by the .Swedish King,
the doctor made an effort for the discovery
of the northeast passage in
1878. His vessel was the Vega, and
she reached Japan one year after sailing.
On his return he was made a
baron and appointed a commander t>f
the Order of the North Star. Baroa j
Nordenskiold has written voluminously
on scientific subjects.
Proilnction of rsanot Oil.
The production of peanut oil in this
country has hitherto been carried on
in a desultory way, and it has not
been much known as a commercial
article. However, as the chemical
composition of the peanut has become
better known, attention has been
called to the food value of the peanut
meal and the peanut grits. It has j
been found that they are richer in i
nitrogenous principles then any of the j
vegetable seed cakes, and a demand i
has sprung up for them. So the e^- j
pression of the oil has now been un- j
dertaken on a larger scale and with ;
more suitably designed presses. The !
cold-pressed oil is of a pale yellow
color, and of pleasant flavor and odor.
A very slight refining produces a very
agreeable table oil for salads and gen
* -? ? ?tlTU ati rvn oo I
erai cuiiiiar v purposes. >? ucu
freed from the free acid found in the
raw state, it does not tend to become
rancid as readily as olive oil.
Queerest of All Egg*.
In an attempt to eolipse the efforts
of others of her kind an Okawvilla j
(111.) hen has produced an egg which I
A FREAK EGO.
for peculiarity of shape and color is
not equalled in the annals of the barn- j
yard. Grocer Charles F. Meyersick, }
of St Louis, owns this remarkable j
egg, and if it were a nugget from the
"vlondike he could not value the strange
*-eak more than he does. In appear- I
ince the egg locks like a mock orange j
or a gourd. It weighs about half a 1
pound.
Cheap Living.
Paraguay, in South America, is a J
cheap place to live iu. A house ser- i
vant there costs only $-.43 a month; ;
and ordinary ones not so well trained j
only $1.64 a month. A e >ok cau be i
inreu ror aoou: a we . ior a gouu. ;
one, though a fair one ,jan be Lired
for $3.20 a month. '
Water That Petrifies. 7<?;
Extraordinary qualities are possessed
bv the Kiver Tinto, in Spain.
It hardens and petrifies the sand of
its bed, and if a stone falls in the
streara :..nd alights npon another, in a
few r onths they unite and become one
stone. Fish cannot live in its waters.
A Minnesota farmer has raised.
enough corn on ten acres to heat his j
house and feed two horses and ft cow J
through the winter.
COOD ROADS NOTES. g
Thinks the South Ahead.
"Ill the matter of building good
roads," says the Helena (Montana) In- JJ
dependent, "it is said that the Soulh
is now ahead of the North, and that JS
North Carolina leads the South. Under
the law of that State, petty misdemeanants
are employed at making &
public roads, and convicts are employed
in the same way. Under the - *
operation of this law the State roads e ''
are being changed from mud to mao- _ " h.
adam. Tramps are included as misdemeanants,
and, when caught, they
are set to work on the roads.
Pennsylvania's Road Law.
The Hamilton Road law, which will
not become operative until a futurs
ln/vialnfl1t?A aVtnll o nvvw/Nnwi aIa mill.
.t-Qinmiuic oumi ftI/'l;iut'li0lc wuw iii?Hion
dollars for tlie purpose, provides
that every township shall elect three
supervisors, who shall levy a road tax j$j
of not more than ten mills on the dollar,
unless au increase shall be ordered
by the court, not to exceed ten
oiills more. In addition to the mileage ^
tax, the supervisors shall assess one J
dollar upon every taxable resident, of s
which not less iiian one-fourth nor V
more than one-half shall be exacted in ': jj
money, as the remainder may be paid
in work. An abatement of five per $
cent, will be made on all taxes paid ;'v?j
before June 1.
The township shall be divided into
districts with not less than five miles
of road in each, under a roadmaster,
who shall work thereon or hire la
borers, ne an rney getting wages per
hour, fixed by the supervisors, but the ,J
work may be given out under contract* ' JS
Supervisors may join with like official#
of one or more other townships or . J
borough authorities in the same conn- *
ty for purchasing implements and machines.
The Treasurer of the Board
of Supervisors is to receive snch compensation
as the members may allow, J3
uot exceeding five per cent, of all"
money received and distributed bJ*
him. All the Boards shall make re- *
ports annually to the Secretary of
Agriculture.
Provision is made, through viewer#,
for the laying out of private roa ls,under
or over the surface, or partly over ]
and partly under the surface of inter- &
vening land or lands, to reach bitnminous
coal, iron ore or fire clay underlying
adjacent land.?L. A. W. Bulle- * 5
tin. .J
In the Interest of Good Roads.
The farmer should be particularly
interested in having good roads, first,
because he is usually taxed heavily to
maintain them?as real estate cannot.
escape taxation?and secondly, for the 9
reason that he has occasion to as* -'[.A
them to a greater or less extent in the
prosecution of his basin ess. And the
last may often outweigh the first in ^39
dollars and cents, when it is taken
into consideration the moving of heavy ?
J loads for a considerable distance over
poor roads. 'jt
Here is a view of the case that should )
not be lost sight of. Jt is not those
alone who drive for pleasure or business
over our highways that should
ask for or demand their improved condition.
This is for their interest and
convenience, it is true, and rightly,
too, bnt the farmer who has to move Jan
his produce to market or place of
shipment, or in the daily prosecution (
of his work needs to use the road, ?
gains or loses in this direction in aocordance
with their good or bad con- .
dition.
Good roads in such cases mean the ?jfei
saving of time, the greater durability *" yy
of vehicles and the wear of teams.
Good drainage for roads should be : ?,
sought for, as this is of the first im* M
portance. The ditches should be ^ j
placed well back from the roadbed, so
as to prevent undermining or gully- ^
ing.
Hills should be carefully looked af- ter
and the grade made as easy as pos- ^
sible. The surface of the road should 4
be somewhat rounded, so that the . i.
water may readily pass off at the sides, vJ
rather than run along on the wheel *
tracks, washing away the dirt and
forming holes and gullies. The sur- ^
face should also be kept clear of small JyC
stones that are always so troublesome.
Passing over the roads once a month V ;
for this purpose should be more generally
practiced.
Small repairs should always be at- ''^j
tended to iu season, as in this way
large expense can often be saved.
It will pay to go two miles, if it cannot
be obtained nearer, to get gravel' 1
with which to fill bad places in roads. . &(
Tn "?! *? nf th<? <*rmiitrv where stone
is scarce and gravel can be had, good *jk
roads can be made by using this ma- ,
terial plentifully on the surface. Of
course this means that the road-bed is
first put in good condition for tho
gravel. This method is used to somo 1
extent at the West, and even here' in i
the East where stone abounds, gravel,
where it can be conveniently obtained,
is much prized.
It is possible that in the future portable
stone-crushing machines will bo
largely used in road making in tho
country, by means of which this plentiful
material can be pat to some useful
purposes.
Above all things, it should be tire
purpose to get the best men possible < * {
for the work of road supervision, and
having obtained them keep them until *y
others equally godd or better con bo
found to take their places.
In this way, going slowly it may be
but surely forward iu the right direction,
the time will not be far distant
when a great improvement in our ,
highways will be apparent all over our land.?E.
R. Towle, in Farm, Field
and Fireside.
' ./; ?
P Published After Fifty Years.
Christina Rossetti left the MSS. of
a story for girls, which is shortly to
be published under the title of 3
"Maud." The story was written
nearly fifty years ago, and its history j
is given in preface by W. M. Rossetti.
A*
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