University of South Carolina Libraries
jr' - ^ VOL. XLIII. WINNSBOKO, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1887. NO. ii. ? ? : ???? . M? SOUTHERN" EDUCATION. THE PROGRESS OF OUR PEOPLK IN THIS ALL-IMPORTANT MATTEK. A Careful Review of the Condition ol j Schools as Learned by Interviews With Leading People in this Section. From the Baltimore Sun.) The Rev. William F. Slocum, of the ! First Congregational Church, returned j on Saturday night from an extended trip of several weeks' duration into the Southern States, where he was engaged vn i ri iroo+i <ro frn or t no /wnr1>+jnns r>f firlnca tion, particularly colored schools. Among the places visited wore Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Flu., Xew Orleans, Jackson, Miss., and Talladega, Ala. Besides visiting the public schools from lowest to highest grade, and the various colleges, an interview was had wi?. the -Governor of Mississippi, various city authorities, State education com- { missioners and others. Mr. Slocum. j said: "I found everywhere a strong feel- j ing that the colored people mnst be ed- j > seated. The New South has no doubts on this question. In most cases primary ^ education of colored people is conducted by the State, Georgia and Mississippi particularly granting large sums; but higher instruction in the ordinary English branches is usually afforded by the church schools supported by philanthrot)ic contributions. The work of these schools is of greatest importance for training colored teachers of high character. It is a striking fact that religion, as taught by the ordinary colored preacher in the South, is not elevating the moral tone of the colored race. Of course there are strikin g exceptions, hut the improved moral tone of the race j comes through the training in these: higher church schools and colleges. I found a prevailing sentiment everywhere that industrial education must be push- j ed. This amounts to a decided move-1 ment and some of* the colleges do first- ! rate -work. Another striking fact th2t i shows improved moral conditions is that the color line is growing more distinct; that is, there are more black children and fewer mulsttoes, which indicates a i healthier separation of whites and blacks, i No one who has not stood face to face j with the tremendous problem in the j South can rightly appreciate its many j difficulties, and yet there are elements of ; hope, strong hope, and the outlook is j n<5t wholly discouraging. "In Charleston the "Morris street j school is the best for colored children, j and contains about 1,300 pupils. Its j principal, ?ir. a. jjqij, an exegans i Southern gentleman, was an officer in : the South Carolina army. It is a signified fact that it was he "who loaded the first gun that fired upon the ship advancing to the aid of Port Sumter in 1S61* The school is prevaded with the spirit' of military .^scipiine, and the utmost neatness of dress is required. There are 24 teachers, but only primary } branches are taught "In Savannah colored teachers are employed in the colored schools, as is - ^throughout the South except in Charleston. Here, as everywhere else, the sentiment that the colored people must be educated prevails. " "In Florida not so much has been done as elsewhere. The colored population is not so great there as in some of the other States. It is significant that the new college for whites, the Winter Park College, at "Winter Park, Fla., though only two years old, has taken a very high stand among Southern educa tional institutions. "In New Orleans the educational I movement for both races is strong, and Wj it is spreading into the counties of the State in an excellent system of county ^ free schools. The Straight University, Ak in New Orleans, is the best institution [ for the training of colored students in I LUC iliUlC ttUYrttfWOVi MXAUUXX^o* jlu uwo vv/v j in attendance, and supplies numerous H teachers to the country schools thrcughjg out the South. Eighty per cent, of the graduates become teachers. Theuniver-i B sity has white teachers, and includes a j H law and a theological department. Its i [ funds come largely from the American ! P^^Missionary Association, and it is doing _ Jfc^rk of great valtje. Some of the ne1 groeS^^ut New Orleans are becoming quite w&5Eiy as plantation owners, and one owns a large interest in one of the railroad? that runs into the city. "Mississippi appropriates $1,000,000 annually for educational purposes, and the amount is divided per capita among the white and the black schools. The Governor of the State is a man of ad^ mirabie shrewdness, who believes thor-1 4 oughly that the safety of the country j depends upon the education of the col- j ored people. 'We feel very kindly to- j ward the colored people,' said the Gov- j ernor, and added rather significantly, 'I j D61I6V6 Xiiiii' Lliv vx W * ~I- VV/AV4VU race have been underrated.' The best school for the education of colored students in Mississippi is at Tougaloo, near j Jackson. It is upon a large plantation j of 500 acres,- has 200 students, and is I upon the industrial plan. It has the j active support of the State, from which ! it receives ?3,000 a year. All of the j boys work on the iarni for one hour each j day, which has two valuable results: I First, it teaches them how to care for stock, dec., and second, how to improve womout lands, a necessary process in the agricultural development of the . South. Blacksmithing. carpentry and tinning are taught. A student," if he chooses, may become a regular apprentice. A most interesting experiment is j being tried by the president of the col- j lege at Tougaloo. He purchased a tract! of 2,000 acres of land, which he divided j into tracts of 2l> and 30 acres, and is sell-; ing to colored families. It is found that .^^igjandholder immediately becomes con;jP^K5rvative and more strenuous for higher \ education. This school is doing a most important work, and every cent received from contributions is well expended. "Another school of similar excellence is that at Talladega, in Alabama. It is upon the industrial plan, is supported by the American Missionary Association, and receives help from the Slater j fund, so wisely administered by Dr. j fn-rm&rW of Oxford. Ga. Sew- J - Jttaygow, j ing and cooking are among the branches ! taught to girls. "An excellent feature is that a small! tuition fee everywhere is paid. In day schools it is never less than $1 per month, and in boarding schools $12 per month. It has been found disastrous to give an education to any one free of _ charge, for it is not appreciated. Many of the colored people make great sacnj hoes to keep their children at school. I The spirit of devotion among the teachI ers in the college, who are usually perI sons of thorough training at the Aorth, ft and who usually receive very meagre 1 salaries, is one of the hopeful signs of tf our times. Indeed, the whole problem. , | though sad, is not without hope. Dr. r Oliver Wendell Holmes has said: 'Anv H patient can be cured if only the doctor K is called in time, but the trouble is in [ many cases that the doctor should have ; been called two or three hundred years ] before the patient was born.' There is ! I a strong sentiment in the South that the ; colored v^ople must go cnto the soil, i There is something in this. They seem I not unfitted for it, and may become a kind of strong conservative yeomanry in the South. But their occupations need not be limited to this sphere,* and many other occupations. Colored lawyers practice in the country districts, and in certain cases colored physicians have been called in consultation with white physicians. The fact must be kept in mind that this is a question of elevating a race, and not merely of raising a few individuals in this generation. The church schools are having a strong and elevating moral influence. The spirit of genuine religious devotion is often profound. Each college needs to be specially endowed so as to cariy out an independent policy adapted to the community in which it is placed. These schools are necessary because they make the elements of moral and religious character, and this character can be brought into the race only by the special training of individuals -who shall become intelligent and upright leaders. The same may be ^aid of the pupils in these schools as Dr. Thomas Aruold said of the boys of England, 'We must seek to raise up great leaders.'" A BLIND INVENTOR. Constructing a Magazine Gun and Other Things "Without the Aid of Sight. (English Letter from Vienni.) I have had the opportunity of meeting the inventor of a new rifle, Herr Franz Fortelka, a former lieutenant in the Austrian army, who, during the first campaign in Bcsina, received a shot in his right eye, which destroyed the optic nerve, and, indirectly, so affected the left eye that the poor officer, now only 28 years old, has been for the last nine Years totally blind. But without the use of his eyesight this ingenious man has invented during these years not only a. new magazine gun, but also two machines for the anti-oxidation of iron, steel and other metals at a cost which must be called ridiculously small; further, an apparatus for automatical napping, a new micrometer, a new sort of gunpowder, not to speak of smaller inventions which found their way into the lesser industrial establishments of Vienna and saved the inventor from starvation, as his great discoveries, far from bringing him money as yet, necessitate an outlay which he can aftord only by extreme personal privations. "My rifle," complained the unfortunate inventor, "would have long been in the hands of the British government had the advanced money which I had obtained from a private person in London been more than ?20, which did not suffice for the wages of one workman, who assists me, and the necessary material. "Now at last it is finished, and though I may fall into the fault of all inventors, I consider it the best rifle existing, being without the disadvantages oi other machine rides, and with many advantages over them. I can prove by ray Austrian and German patents of some live years ago that the straight pull system which . distinguishes every modem r fie, and in itself, without the machine, secures the double effect, has been my invention. Upon this and upon other appropria- : tions in the line by different successful inventors I do not lay any stress. There is my new rifie, whicn, in short, has the following advantages: It can be used as a single loader even with an attached magazine; cartridges are not thrown into the magazine in a loose form, but lie one above the other, without the possibility of placing them wrongly; the magazinecan be attached or not at will; all parts are solid, no spiral spring exists in the ' rifie; the price of my weapon with royalty and everything else will be under ?2. Every old system, with the exception of Werdl's, can be used for trans- . formation into my rifie at a cost of 8 or 10 shillings?less in the case of Gras, . Mauser, Berdan or Beaumont, and : something more in the case' of Henry Martini." "And how can you make any inven- 1 tion, especially such a complicated one oc q riflo nrJ+.Tinnf. able to see the separate parts, and how are vour devices carried out by the workmen?" "I see with my fingers. And not in one single case have they deceived me. It's really curious that when great and minute measurements are in question, those who see with their eyes are wrong, and I, with the use of my fingers, am right. The models for my machines against oxidation of metals were entirely made bv myself from carved wood, with the help of a' string, wire and bread crumbs. I am now devising a very complicated electric apparatus." ^ .John Sherman's Second Choice. It now seems m.re tiian probable that Senator Hawley had a double purpose in attending the Loyal Legion reunion and banquet. He was, of course, delighte'd to meet with his old comrades, and, besides that, it was a good chance to give the people a chance to boom Ha*.vley for President, Vice-President or something of that kind. Thursday, after the banquet, he was escorted to the Lincoln Club, where he met several of the most prominent Republicans in the city, all, by the way, friends of Senator Sherman. A gentleman in the party sain the Enonirer: "The ticket to win i is Sherman and Hawley, and, mind what i teil you, that's -what it's going to be. If by any mischance Sherman cannot make it, then he will want Hawley for first place and some live Western man, like Major McKinley, of Canton, or Robertson, cf Indiana,"for Vice-President." ?Cincinnati Enquirer. Fatally Stung by a Centipede. Cooke county comes to the front with the horrible death of a young man named Charles Allison. Several years ago his brother William went to Texas to engage in the cattle-raising business. He came back last week on a visit. Last Sunday morning the two brothers were preparing to go to church, when Charles put on a coat which his brother had brought from Texas with him. In a few minutes he experienced a burning sensation on the arm. He took off the coat ; and tore open the sleeve, when a deadly centipede :rom the plains of Texas was j see1.: crawling siowiy up his arm, stinging i as went. Medical assistance was has- j w:ron!f.:;.'iL biK v.'hen the doctors' i arrived Lis arm had swollen to twice its natural size and in a few hours burst along the poisoned track of the insect. The young man died in most horrible agony about nightfall and was buried the next day.?Nashville American. America's Pride. True American men and women, by reason of their strong constitutions, beautiful forms, rich complexions and characteristic energy, are envied by ail nations. It is the general use of Dr. Harters Iron Tonic "which brings about i these results. * WOMEN* AT THE POLLS. I How th?- Fair Ones of Washington Territory C:ist Tlieir IJallots. t " | Walla-Walla, May 24.?Although a tenderfoot and acquainted with few in our vicinity, I was appointed a judge of election in Mica precinct. A struggle was in prrgress betwixt rival towns ioi the county seat, and runners had -been through the precincts urging everybody to bring out the votes of the ladies. In this chivalrous region our women have equal prerogatives with men, although they view the ballot with an indifference agonizing to all advocates of suffrage. I went early to the polls, a small, log school house in the hills, shadowed by lofty pines. A rough wagon road ran by the school house, wherein deer tracks were quite as common as hoof-prints of horses. The ladies were not early at the polls. A little before noon came a femily party, a man wife and three children. Soon after, from every direction, as if by preconcerted arrangement, wagons drove up containing similar households. Xot only were all the little ones brought along, but enormous jugs of milk and baskets of lunch. The bachelors scat tered timidly and the ladies swarmed in upon us, moved the benches around the fire, Wockaded the doorway, and took entire possession of the premises. They were farmers' wives, buxom, sensible and energetic. A more domestic scene one seldom sees. Here a mother nursing her baby, there a fond father troling his infant daughter, yonder a knot of women exchanging recipes for mixed pickles, and again an eager group setting out lunch and passing pie and sliced pork to their friends. I could not at first understand this invasion, until I learned thaf the school hous9 was the one public resort for social purposes. Dances, parties, singing schools, preaching and political meetings all were held here. A gathering at the school house was the signal for a general assemblage of friends, and the women had evidently given more thought to this fact than to the original motive of the occasion. Still they came. By noon the building was fairly packed, and the picnic appearance increased with every arrival. "If vou iron ginghams and calicoes on the wrong side they look"? "His very best cow. The snow was deep, and all the poor thing got to eat was moss"? "They say her vituals taste of pine orixn half the time. Dtods from the pitch rafters"? "I pulled the poor child's tooth myself, so"? "Who shall you vote for, Sue?" "Me? I don't know. Jack ain't here yet." "Marama, give me some pie, too." "Oh, Eliza, at the polls after all?" "Yes. Didn't-want to come a bit. Bill is Republican and I told him I'd vote Democratic sure if he made me come. : But he said no matter, so loDg as we both ' vote for Spokane Falls." "Pooh! I guess we're every bit as sharp 1 as the men folks." ; . . "Don't vote for Spicer. They say he treats his wife perfectly awful." "I tell you, times has changed!" com- . mented a man in blouse and overalls leaning against a pine. "When I was a : boy, to home ill Indianny, I recollect hearin' maw and paw talk' this votin' ' business over. '1 tell ye,' says the old man to her, 'I wouldn't have ye go to the polls nohow. You'd have to walk : up to the box through a crowd of loaf- ] ers, all smokin' pipes and starin' at ye, ' and you'd sink through the floor.' He ; orto'be here now." But at last, after lunch was eaten and ' put away, and the babies had had their 1 naps and the ladies had exhausted all the . gossip, a general movement "was made toward departure. It wa? a long way ' home, and the cows to milk, and water ' to draw, and supper to get, and the breakfast dishes to wash at the heels of ' all. After such a festival one might sup- ! pose the ladies would vote cheerily, but this was not the case. It had been post- 1 poned as long as possible and now that ' Lt must actually be done they went at it ! spitefully. Here was a husband handing rival tickets to his wife and saying for the public ear, "You can vote whichever . you like," at the same time gripping his own ballot with a resolute air and a jaw of such outline as made one hope his spouse would vote as he did, in the in- , terests of domestic peace. There a dame ' was imperatively thrusting on her husband the prohibition ticket. These prohibition ladies were earnest ; and intelligent. They advanced firmly to the polls and gave in their ballots with an air of satisfaction. Beyond these few who had a definite personal purpose the voting was perfunctory and done with manifest dislike. The ladies each handed their ballot to the inspector hesitatingly, watched curiously as he put it in the box and turned away with a toss of the head. "There! It's the first time I ever voted, and it'll be the last!" "I hope Spokane Falls gets the county seat so we can stay home next time." "Young men must be growing weakminded when you drag an old lady like me out to vote. I'm 70 years old. Old enough to know better!" And with contemptuous air the dames retired to the wagons. Alas! The perversity of nature! While many of their sisters in the east sigh for suffrage those who have it hold it in disdain. Now came young Tyndall and his wife on horseback, and there was quite a stir among the ladies who still in the wagons and the 4 'baches" around the trees. Tyndall had purchased the oldest and largest ranch in the precinct and had brought a bride from San Francisco several months before. Few had seen her, for she was very retired and aristocratic. A young woman, with peachy girlish face, a wealth of blonde hair and round, bright blue eyes, attired in an elegant riding habit of dark green velvet, with a long plume on her dainty cap. "She looks very young!" said the inspector as the couple drew near. "Do you think she's old enough to vote'?" "No, I don4t," 'replied one of the judges. "Then she ought not to be allowed." "iou'li have to ask her age," said another ox the judges. Tne burly inspector looked concerned and nervous. More nervous yet as the bride came iu, glanced about and blushed to find herself the cnlv woman present. Tyndall, whose dress and bearing j showed early culture, nodded to the | officials, took his wife's arm and escorted i her forward. He picked out his tickets from tire table, folded one and handed to her, folded the other and held it between his fingers. Mrs. Tyndall presented herself before the ballot box aad raided her ticket, uncertain what came next. Her innocent blue eves rested on the inspector with a pretty look of wonder and inquiry. Xhe'inspector dropped her ballot into the box. No doubt a barb rankles in his conscience to this day. , Mrs. Tyndall stood looking on an in- J i stant, without moving. "Is that all?" she cried at last, astonished. "That's all. You've voted, Stella," said her husband, offering his vote in turn, and the bride laughed merrily. She took her husband's arm and peeped all about her with great amusement, and went off in high spirits. It had been a very funny episode for her. Woodruff Clarke. TTIIE FIGHT L\ 'EIGHTY-EIGHT. How the Chances for Democratic Victory Look lo One Observer. The New York World thinks that the talk of Democrats from the South and the West who have recently visited Washington does not bear out ex-Secretary Manning's theory that those important section would force Mr. Cleveland's renomination upon the New York Democracy whether the latter should like it or not. Many of Mr. Cleveland's strongest friends from those sections are j said to have stated frankly that his re-1 nomination would depend upon his ability to get the support of his own State delegation. They are said to have expressed their satisfaction, in advance, with that candidate who should prove to be i the choice of ZSTo vr York. They say that the battle-ground is to be New York, just as it was in 1884, and that it would be extremely foolish to noirinf.te any candidate who should not have the backing of the majority of the New York Democracy. Mr. Cleveland is believed to have been1 making a high bid for Massachusetts and several of the New England States, but it is not thought that he expects to be' renominated or re-elected without the* vote of his Own State. "Mr. Cleveland," said a .New Yorker the other day, "may get the New York delegates in the National Convention, but unless he has a majority (two-thirds)* of them at his back iiis boom will falL'. The whole foundation of the Cleveland boom in the South and West is due to, the claim made by the President's friend^ in the East of his great popularity in hii: own State; that he is the only man wild, can carry New York, Arc. The moment Mr. Cleveland fails to demonstrate his popularity at home, his Western ad- ' mirers will'drop him immediately. Ne* York will decide the candidate for the; Democracy and the election." There.are said to be several weak points'in ^Cleveland's hold upon the^ Western arid'the Southern Democracy!. AIiia *vn fYiaf if. to lvrr TYi^anti certain that the delegation from that State will throw up their hats for Cleveland. Men of the Thnrman type and members of the old-time Democracy say that they have been overlooked by the President until they are in no mood to become his enthusiastic followers, ?ii Michigan there are four Democrats, exCongressmen, who charge their retirement to the Administration?May bury of Detroit, Carleton of Port Huronj.. Comstock of Grand Rapids, and Eldridge; of Adrian. It- is said that "there will be trouble in delivering the delegation over to Mr. Cleveland.' $ Indiana is said to be in open revolt Voorhees and McDonald are known to be unfriendly to Mr. Cleveland's renomicatiOD, and the old friends of the late Vice-President Hendricks are decbvgsL, to be in s^Tjipssiky-wifcJi. -iluird, 'Senator Vocrhees's sod, a delegate to Congress from Wyoming Territory, recently made a violent attack upon Mr. Cleveland, which was published, it is said, with the Senator's knowledge and with his entire approval. In Virginia and Louisiana, it is said, many leading Democrats are openly opposed to Mr. Cleveland. The endorsement of the Administration by the State Democratic Convention of Kentucky is not considered to have been especially strong either in its language or its spirit. "It is highly improbable," said a Western official recently, "that the Democracy of the country will attempt to force any candidate down the throats of the New York Democrats against their will I do not believe Mr. Cleveland would ac cept a renomination coming in that way, as it would mean almost certain defeat." Cleveland and Lee. It is probable that instead of spending the month of June at Bed Top, the President and Mrs. Cleveland, will go to Fauquier White Sulphur Springs, Ya. Colonel Maddux, the leading hotel man at tliis place, has extended an invitation to them and has prepared a cottage expressly for them. He is now in Washington, and arrangements have been made for the President and Mrs. Cleveland to go to the springs about the first week in June for a day, as a sort of trial trip. If everything is satisfactory the invitation will be accepted. Colonel Maddux was in Baltimore a few days ago getting up a party of Baltimoreans to accompany the President and his wife and to make other necessary arrangements. Among those who will accompany them are General Sheridan and Colonel Kellogg, of his staff; Senator A. P. Gorman and a number of Balti moreans and General Fitzhugh Lee. They will leave here in the private car of the president of the Virginia Midland railroad. Colonel Maddux has been in Washington .several days and has recommended the water to the President as being the finest in the world for overworked brains, which will, no doubt, induce him to give it a trial. It is opined, too, that the little trip may not be without certain political significance. The fact that Governor Lee is to be in the party is regarded here as another evidence that Virginians are determined, if possible, to tack him on to the tail of the next Presidential kite with Cleveland.?Baltimore American. Twenty Years in a C'anal-Uoat Cabin. "See that woman," said a man, pointing to a canal-boat moving along the Erie. A head hidden in a checked calico sun-bonnet protruded from the cabin hatchway. "That woman, sir, hasn't Viaati nnt nf tTmt r?.abin in twentv Years. Fact. So stout she can't get no thin' but her head out. Last time she come up on deck was when Grant was inaugurated. The captain and the mate and the two mule-drivers helped. Had an awful time. Then they got her back again and she hasn't been out since. Last fall a dime museum man came down here and offered her big pay to exhibit herself, but when he learned that he'd have to take the canal-boat and ail he refused to iign a contract."?Albany Express. * TUe biougb of Despondency.'? In which you are wallowing, on account of some of those diseases peculiar to you, madame, and which have robbed you of the ro?y liue of health, and made life a burden to you, you can easily get out of. Dr. Piorr-o'a "P-i-L-ArifA "Pri>srrinti<Yr" Trill tree you from all such troubles, and soon recall the rose-tint of health to your cheek and the elasticity to your step. It is a most perfect specific for all the weaknesses and irregularities peculiar to your sex. It cures ulceration, displacements, "internal fever," j bearing down sensations, removes the ten-1 dency to cancerous sllections and corrects all unnatural discharges. By druggists. I PROGRESS IN THE SOUTH. SECRETARY LAMAR FEARS ALL THE REPORTS ARE NOT TRUE. The Apparent Prosperity to be Found Only in the Cities?The Secretary is Inclined to Think That Much of it is Speculative. (Interview in the Hartford, Conn., Times.) I found Secretary Lamar at ins place in the department the other day, his table well covered -with papers, transacting the routine business as methodically as though he had been an executive oil Iiiq lifo bnf if. cAAmprl f.n lip p. relief fy him to turn from them ' for a little while, walk with me into his private room and talk on other subjects. "Our conversation was about journalism, its wonderful growth, its change of character and its future, and upon other ' topics, but I shall not now repeat what he had to say, except on one subject? the industrial condition of the Sonth.* :'d that I do^wiuh "Has consent. "The apparent prosperity of the South," said Secretary Lamar, "is to be found in the cities, and not all of them share "it. Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville, Xnoxville, Birmingham and other cities that are the centres of mineral development already made or anticipated are growing rapidly in population and apparently in wealth. Towns, also, that are sitoatedupon the new railroads that have been Built during the past few years are larger and more thriving than they were, but their growth has been largely at the expense of less fortunate towns that have either stood still or have actually deteriorated. This circumstance, I think, is likely to give an erroneous impression to the stranger passing through the South on the milways. He sees the towns at the various stations apparently thriving, the centres of new commercial enterprises, and he naturally concludes that the South is making very rapid progress; but he doesn't know that the man who has opened a new store at one of these places has probably removed there from some town distant from the railroad where he closed up his former business, or the man who is building a new house is possibly a fanner who has become discouraged in the vain effort to make a living planting cotton, and has sold out and come to town hoping to do better, or, perhaps, to have better opportunities for the education of his-children. "I am inclined to think, also, that the present prosperity of the cities which are the centres of industry in the mineral region or .whose growth has been stimulated by their proximity to or interest in it, is, to a great extent, speculative?based in some measure, at least, upon anticipated, developments rather than -upon those already made. Of course, I kbow that a good deal of capital hag ^een invested there a ad that much of has gone from the North-and that maayJSortnern people ?re settling there, aridX-don't wish to be understood as doubting the future prosperity of the region. I only say that the returns have not yet been realized. I ought to say that I have very lit$? personal knowledge of .< anaiiTs m tncse sections of tuo ? which I have been speaking. The ; 'boom' has come since 1 have been there to remain long at a time, and my opinions are formed from what I have read ; in th#* newspapers and heard from per- < sons who have been there. I think you will find, too, that such cities as Charleston, Savannah, Mobile and New Orleans are not showing evidences of prosperity. Let us see," said he, taking down a com- ; pendium of the last census, "how much these cities increased in population between 1870 and 1880. Charleston gained in population in that decade 1,028, or < at the rate of about 11-5 per cent.; Savannah gained 1,474, or about of per cent.; Mobile actually lost 2,902 in pop illation, and New Orleans gained or about 13 per cent. If you remember that the average increase of population throughout the whole country during the same ten years averaged 30 per cent., you will see that there is nothing encouraging in these figures." "Howdo you account for the apparent stagnation in what were formerly the great commercial centres of the South?" I asked. "By the depression of the planting interest, of which I have already spoken," was the reply. "They are dependent < upon the agriculture of the country for their trade." "Haven't the crops been good?" "Yes, that of last year was the largest ever made with one or two exceptions. : But the crop to-day is not proportionally as great as it was .before the war. It must be remembered that the popula- : tion of the South increased nearly fifty percent, between 1860 and 1SS0. As agriculture is almost our only industry, and as cotton is our principal product, if : we only held our own we ought, in 1880, to have marketed fifty per cent, more cotton than we did before the war. But the truth is that the large crop of last year -was only twenty-live per cent, greater than that of 1SG0. In other words, our population increased during that twenty years just about twice as fast as our ability to feed and clothe it. You wouldn't look for prosperity under such circumstances, and you will not think it strange that the cities which are dependent upon agriculture for their trade should languish." "I have not been South in several years," I said; "are there outward sigus in the country of this depression of which you speak?" "Yes, especially when one goes away from the railroads. Improvements are not kept up and there is a general air oi poverty, want of thrift and the allowing of things to go to decay." "To what cause do you attribute it?" "I don't know. Probably it is due to a variety of causes. If I did not know how little influence legislation e^ially has upon industry I should say that the tariff was the chief cause; but l ciont know that it is." "The price of cotton averaged very low last year," I said; "has that had anything to do with it?" "Of course, that cuts do wa the income from the crop for last year, but the depression I speak of did not begin recently and the price of cotton has been good as anile." "One cause is probably the wearing out of our lands. You know that ail agricultural lands produce less and less except they are constantly renewed by fertilizers, and our people are too poor to buy those. The increased aggregate crop is due to increased acreage, but we have not been able to increase the former in the same proportion that we have increased the latter and the amount of labor expended. We work over more ground and more hands are employed, but it costs more to make a bale of cotton now than it formerly did. "Another reason. I think, whv we do not raise as much cotton to an acre as we formerly did is that we don't get what we call as good a 'stand' as we used to. The importance of this is not likely to be appreciated by one who has never lived where cotton is raised. If there are many long, vacant spaces in the rows of cotton plants, they may grow very thrifty, and the field, as one looks over it, may appear to bear a great crop, and yet, when the cotton comes to be pick it will turn out light. Now, in order to secure a good 'stand,' that is, to have the ground ail occupied, the closest care and attention are necessary at a certain critical period. In former times, when the planter had complete control of the labor, he could enforce this care and attention as he cannot do now. The cotton lands of the South are now mostly rented to the negroes, and if the owner retains an interest in the crop he has no voice in the manner in which it shall be worked. If he should interfere the negroes would resent it. There is a great deal of careless farming in the South." CU1JKENT i'Alirrl TOPICS. Hoeinjj Corn. (R. J. Redding in Southern Cultivator.) Corn, properly planted on well preI pared land, should rarely need the hoe in the early stages if the jawing be skillfnJ-.y d'-ii-s. TTliile our personal experience docs not approve the general practice of planting in the water furrow (as advocated by Dr. Jones), we have found it very helpful in the way of subsequent cultivation Jo plant in very wide deep furrows ancle covering very shallow, so that the plants*will be below the general surface. Thg^first flowing should be done with an implement that throws but little dirt to the4 cork,""yet enough to cofer well the step between the hills or plants; The thinniti* (ii needed) should be done ahead of the plowing, and the latter should be done only by conscientiously (?) careful laborers. The plowman should be required to stop and uncover plants, or cover or pull out weeds or grass with foot or hand as he goes. He should be impressed with the idea that the work of cleaning the young plants must be done by the work of his plow, or his hands and feet?no hoe to follow. It is not & bad idea to furnish each plowman with a small short-handled, one-hand hoe, to be carried with his plow and used as occa sion may require. It will be found that he will be much more careful to do good work with his pl>,w if he is given to understand that careless work will not be endured and left for the hoes to remedy. Of course it will often occur that tlie ia.nu is siuacieutij biuuuiii i<j ttu.uu.ij ui thorough -work by the plow, exceptaround trees and stumps; but it mil not pay to go over a field, row by row, in order to clean around such obstacles. Better make a job of ir, early in the cultivation, going from one to another without regard to the intervening rows. It sometimes pays well to go over the corn crop with the hoes about laying-by time, each hand taking two or more rows at a time, and destroy scattering bunches of grass and cleaning around stumps and trees. This will depend upon whether the hands can be spared from the more exacting cotton crop. "Chopping" Cqfton. ( IJytlie Same Writer.) The characteristic work on a cotton farm during the month of May is cotton-chopping. Among the .many machines that hava^geen invented to-ffio ; Wlio ^ ably received or generally adopted by farmers. The operation is one?like eotton-picking?that seems to demand an ever-changing motion a: d the exer oist; ox itxj. ever-uuuiig juuyiiiC' t wiugii cannot be materialized into a machine. Such a machine, however, is probably within the possibilities of human invention. The cotton harvester is an undisputed necessity; but it is not so clear tnat a machine for chopping, or merely "blocking out" cotton?reducing the continuous row of plants to bunches?is exactly what is needed. Why sow the seed so as to secure a continuous row of plants, and then at the first operation proceed to destroy tho continuity? On poor, unfertilized land, -which requires that the plants should stand very close in order to make a maximum crop, such a continuous row is perhaps necessary; but it seems an unnecessary waste of seed and labor on land which will bear the stalks IS inches to two or three feet apart. Why not plant the seed on such land in bills or steps?already chopped? The writer planted his entire crop two successive years in hills 3x2 J, feet with the most satisfactory results. Hut it is too late now to discuss the policy of hill or step-planting. The crop is nearly all planted and much of it will soon be ready loi the first operation. If the soil has been impacted from the effect of one or more rains after planting, it is of the first importance to break the crust and let in the light and -air. The condition of the land in this respect, and the necessities of the corn cxoo, will determine whether it "will be better to chop before or after plowing. When the ground is in good, mellow condition, ana comparatively tree from grass, we have often found it b.tter to put the hoes to work in advance of plowing and as soon as the seed-leaf of the plaut is fully developed. If ;his plan is adopted the work of chopping out should and may be very rapidly done, the aim being to get over Lhe crop in a week or ten days or less. It does not pay to consume the time that would be required to thin out to a given number of plants, or to leave each bunch in a perfect condition. If ike crop has been well and smoothly planted and the ground is mellow and free from obstructions, such as clods and stones, a hand should go in a kind of half walk, rarely giving more than a stroke for each bunch of plants left. We have seen expert hoe-hands go over in this way two acres per hand per day, and even more. Kememoer, that this plan-hoeing, or "blocking out" ahead of the plows, requires and assumes that the cotton should be plowed within a few days. Generally the cotton crop needs to be "gone over" with plows or hoes as rapidly as it was planted. It sometimes occurs that the whole crop comes up together, however planted. At sucn a juncture it is more important to get over quickly tlian to do the work (hoe-worK) perfectly. The aim should be to make eve-y stroke of the hoe do its utmost, rarely striking "twice in the same place," thus getting over the crop rapidly and quickly?on the same principle ^hat would govern a rescuing party ia relieving the hunger and thirst of a famishing ship's crew or a starving garrison. The plows should follow this hoeing as quickly as possible and go a*< rapidly. The second hoeing should commence in a few days alter the intervening plowing, and should be done with more care, the plants now being put to a final stand, which .-an be done with comparative safety. If this hoeing and the consequent plowings be skillfully done there will be little, if any, LLLUX U iltrcu Ui LULU 1IUC3. jJJLUJLC UC^AAVAO ! on the age and physical strength of him who holds the plow than is generally j supposed. As a rule boys and girls are j not strong enough or careful enough to j guide the plow property in cultivating J cotton in the earlier stages; i*- should j only be intrusted to older anu stronger j and steadier h:ids. TIIE NATIONAL DRILL. The Three Important Days of the Great Military Event of the Present Year. Washington, May 24.?The competitive drill began at 10 o'clock this morning. Company A, First Minnesota Begiment, was the first company to enter. They drilled well. The second company was the Eighth separate company of Rochester, N. Y. These two companies drilled in the south of the grounds too far from the grand stand to be seen to advantage. Next followed the Muscatine Eiiies of Iowa. They marched to the front of the grand stand, saluted the judges and began to drill. They handled their pieces weil, but were a little weak in foot movements. They were liberally applauded. Then followed the Grand Rapids Guards, Company A, First Battalion Virginia (colored) Volunteers, Southrons, Vicksburg; Company A, First Virginia Begiment. Popular demonstrations indicated that the Vicksburg men and Company A, First Virginia Regiment, had won the greatest favor of the day. The competing companies were limited in numbers to twenty-foul men each, with their, three oiiicers and two guides. The program of manoeuvres was de- J livered to each company's commander one hour before the time'allotted for the. corps' appearance, and the men were thereby kept in ignorance of the manoeuvres they were to execute till the orders were actually given. In general terms, they were to exercise iirst in the school of the soldier (that is- without arms) then in the manual' at arms, and lastly, in the school of .the company. Thirty minutes were* allotted to each company to complete its program. A furious thunder and wind storm came up about fouf o'clock and put an end to the proceeding. '^^Che crowds scattered at once. The-roof was blown off a large part of the grand stand and the canvass, rocks, forts and war vessels, and lighthouse of the "Pyorama" -were tipped over and scattered. The order for dress parade at 5 p. m. was rescinded. For the proposed dress parade commands have been organized in provisional battalions, in which the troops of the respective -1.1 ? i_1_ l 2 x sections 01 me country are groupeu together as fax as possible. Kentucky, Ohio and District of Columbia men each form one battalion; Texas, Mississippi and Missouri form one; the Governor's Guard of North Carolina are with Michigan and Minnesota men; the Virginia troops constitute a separate brigade, already completely organized under Gen. C. J. Anderson. The total number of men in camp is about 2,800, in seventy organizations. One-third of the total are Virginians. Three-quarters of the commands have entered the competition for infantry prizes, one of which is colored. Four colored companies are in camp, iwo from Virginia and two from the District of Columbia. Washington, May 25.?The parade of troops to-day for review by the President has afforded the first opportunity for seeing at once the entire body of ; those forming the encampment, and was an unqualified success. The weather was perfect, Washington looked its best, and the greater part of the population seemed to be on ^.line of march. The arrangements fox the parade were seasonably completed, and" were "carried ont almost to the allotted- second, and withpromptly at 12 o'clock and reached the stand erected for the President and in- ? vited guests ten minutes later. This , snand bad seats for nearly 300 persons, and was well filled, without crowding. Vvritb the President were Mrs. Cleveland, Mrs. Welsh and Mrs. Marsey, and Colo- " nel and Mrs. Lamont. General Sheridan and several members of his staff in full uniform were their escort Among the ( gue jis of the drill Were Governor Lee, of i Virginia, and stafi', Governor McGill, of , Minnesota, and staff, and the stafi' of , Governor Gray, of Indiana, (the Gov- , ernor himself having been detained at the last moment), Secretary Endicott, Senators Sherman and Gorman, the Mexican and Japanese Ministers and the . ladies cf their families, and a liberal 1 sprinkling of other legation and army ; people. The troops looked and marched J like veterans, and were encouraged with liberal applause. In one respect the j programme was departed from. The Yicksburg Southrons, with their band ! and the 3Iemphis Zouaves, brought up j the rear with quite an interval between , them and their predecessors. They ' formed in fact a little column by them- ' - -i mi J L. A : I -L lit;J UUAA UCtJU JL^CU IU fJUZxtions respectively in the fourth and ninth provisional battalions, but dropped ( out of line because, as their officers ex- , plained, they were plaecd immediately : behind the colored organizations. ; Washington, May 26.?The Richmond 1 Greys broke camp this morning and left ; tor "home. They came here with the ] understanding that they would not remain after they had taken part in the competitive infantry drill. Company A, Third North Carolina Regiment, also re- ' turned home torday. The reason is that | many of the members are engaged in business, and they were unable to obtain leave of absence beyond to-day. The weather was superb to-day. The , day was industriously devoted to com petitive drilling ana the authorities, profiting by experience and criticism, are making the work very interesting. Seven or eight thousand spectators were i cm the grand stand. The competing infantry companies were the Governor's Guards, of Raleigh, X. C.; the Louisiana Rifles; the Sars- < lield Guards, of New Haven, Conn.; i 'nmnon-c C. first. X .T fVimrwwiir R Washington Lignt Infantry Corps; , Toledo, Ohio, Cadets, and Company A, i Washington, D. C.. Cadets (colored). ( Three of the companies are worthy o: special mention: The Louisiana Eiiies, the Washington Light Infantry (Wash- . ington's crack corps) and the Toledo Cadets, the Toledo men probably carrying oif the palm. The competition for the artillery prizes was narrowed to two companies and the 1 contest consequently was for the first : prize of ?1,500. The Petersburg, Va., company had withdrawn from the contest. Had there been a third contestant a second pi -e of ?1,000 would have been awarded. One company from Indianapolis and one from Milwaukee drilled to-day. The guns, horses and drivers, and also the judges oi' the contest, were furnished by the Third (regular) Artillery. Two guns and caissons were manned by the visitin? militia and were drilled by their own captains. Both acquitted themselves well. The riiia competition also came o:T. Xinety-eight entered, but only thirtyeight reported. The highest score of the day was that of Lieutenant Pollard, of the \Yashington Light Infantry. Pollard was a member of the International Rille team which went to Wimbledon a few years ago. Eighty-three was scored by ?ieutenant Bell and Private Johnstone, of the Continentals, of Washington, D. C., Private Grossman, Second Iowa, and Private St ever, Second Maryland. Many companies will leave tonight and to-morrow. ! ESSAYS oy "BOY." | An Interesting Anim:il Faithfully Described. The teacher in one of our intermediate schools one day iast week had a lesson in language, giving for the subject the word "Boy/' the scholars to write what they could about the subject, and this without assistance and without any time for preparation. Following are two specimens of the "compositions," written l,r two small boys, one 9 and one 10 years of age, and they showed a good idea of punctuation and the spelling excellent, but two or three words in caeh being spelled wrong, and those the shorter lind more .comartm vrnivlc A boy's a biped animal, one to three feot high. Some boys are wise, iiitelli- . gent, dull, bad, good, kind, gentle, cross, unkind, stupid, etc. Some boys are very kind to their brothers and sisters. My brother is very kind to me. Some boys grow up to be great men. some mayors 01 cities and som^ own great mills and stores. Boys who study when they arc small become the greatest men. Some boys who do not study when they are young grow men, are poor and have to go out with a pick-ax and shoyel. shoveling out the gutters aridistreets. Holidays some boys sell lemonade and ice-cream, and some such things as I have mentioned,, and earn lets of money. Last Fourth, of July I had a lemonade and ice-cream stand, and earned some money. Some boys learn how to swim, aud some save lives. Some boys steal things and get arrested, and their parents have to bail them out. Some boys are cruel to animals. Some boys come to school with cmaoc onrl cf-/"?/"?Inr?rrc 4-V? CiiVW UUU iJbVVAiUgO VU AUU bUVU, hair uncombed, and are not neat The teacher does not like this, so she makes, them look neat. Some boys stay home and take care of the garden and the baby, and some boys run away and get into mischief. Some get hurt Oncein the week's vacation I went with Sylvester Bennett to play in some sand. It was in winter. We came in his yard and there was ice on the ground, and he took an ax and began chopping it I went to pick it and he struck me in the eye with the back of the ax.._ This was an accident Ke cried and I did. Once I was coming home from school I jumped on a milk-wagon. When I jumped I lost my balance and fell flat in a mud-hole. Boys are not so good, kind, gentle and stupid as girls are. A boy is a small biped, not very large, but they are large enough to be in mischief. In summer most of the boys steal ;.il the fruit they can, and chew tobacco and smoke it, and fight and swear, and curse, and tell lies, and are lazy and e?n <-? rr /-} enll-rr onri v>r/*nrl Tn ouulj auu auu ^ivuu* JLU school they whisper and play and do ? not like io study when the teacher is not looking; and most of them come with dirty hands and faces, and they dirty up the yard and building and run away. The boys play ball, polo, shinny, racing-, flying kites, horse, switch, bull-in-thering, hide-and-go-seek, tag, chasing, trapping, jumping, running, swimming. At home some boys sauce their mother and don't wan't to do any errands for their mother. I hare seen some boys ask their mother for a cent, and if they wili not give them one they will begin to sing and laugh and jump. In winter x&c*. ! foj hart- r jV, A >?* .. , *?wn_ asked me lor a match to iignt nis pipe, :ind I toid him his match was on the state farm. Boys are always mto mis3hief.?Providence Journal. CAKL DUNDEE'S RECIPE. Wblch Was Obligingly Fnrnished by Hll Son Jake. t "Well, what's the matter this time?" Af fVlfl WAA/?_ ^UUHCU. OCi^U JJuiiUUi, Wi W4J.W ttvtv/w bridge Street Station, as Carl Dunder entered the place yesterday with a baniage over one eye and his lips and nose swelled to double siae. "My boy Shake." "What's Jake been up to?" "Veil. I haf to keep some sweet cider in my saloon you know. He gets hardt in a few days una nobody likes him 3.ny more. Shake hears me say dot, unci he buys a recipe to keep him sweet all der time. Der oder day I gifs him feefty cents, und he buys some stuff in x bottle, und we put him in a new barrel of cider. I doan' open him till last safning, und so soon as he was open Shake-says he guess he shall go down init-Springwells to stay mit his uncle safer'night" "Well?" "Vhell, more ash twenty fellers vhaa 3n handt for cider, und I do a great, peesncss for half an hour, Den somepody calls out dot he vhas sea-sick, und somepody else says he vhas poisoned^ and two fellers fall down und kick und roll oudt 'murder' like somepody vhas kiliing 'em." "Were theviokin<r?" "0, no?not much?Sooch sickness tou nefor saw, und two doctors come in and saidt it vhas all in dot cider. Shake puts something in him." "Of course. Did anybody die?" "Nopody but me. Two mans pitch into me uiid knock me down und walk on me, und leaf me so deadt dot I doan't wake up for half an hour. You see how I vhas killed!" "You got it bad Mr. Dunder." "It vhas shust like I hadt a brize fight mit Sullivan und vhas kicked oiidt Sergeant, I likes to find Shake. I oxpect him home, but .he doan' come. Shake vhas great on recipes, but I haf one I like to try on him." 'Til keep an eye out for him." "Do so. Tell him I vhas all right, only 1 haf a boss recipe. It vhas how to keep a boy sweet, und it vhas mostly composed of rawhide. If he comes I nr-if it to him mitout charge, und I warant lie vhas made almost like an angel." ?Detroit Free Fress. y ?= ^ Aronsinjj Kis Ambition. "The boy is .all right," said the doctor, "but you want io talk to him and arouse his ambition. Promise him that you will take him somewhere when he recovers sufficiently to go out; talk to him about playing tag with the boys; ;h<;re arc lots of ways in which you can interest him." Then the doctor addressed the boy, who was just recovering from a fever, vaying: "Come Mickey, cheer up, my boy; you like to go and play tag w: 1: your playmates?" A smile stole over the boy's face, out: was all. "biop. sir," said the father, "I'll :.roi:-o aim. Soe here, .Mickey," he asked, addressing the boy, "wouldn't yez tike to go out and trow a rock through a Chineyman's windy." The boy immediately sat up in bed and asked for his trousers. I that Tn<l fett>h 'im.*' the father'with a proud smile, "he's all right, doctor dear." O- fr ' Trousers arc to be worn larger at the knees, for which change we are thankful, as the old style always bags there, unless the wearer dues his praying standing up.?Toroiito Globe.