Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VOL. LIL ^ '' WINNSBORO, S.C., WEDNE*S6A3T, DECEMBER 29, 1897. ' ^ NO. 21. TESTIMONY OF BOCKS RE.V. Dr, TALMAGE ON THE GEOLOGY OFTHESiBLE. A Seimon oi Ioterrst to AV, Showlrg That Geology Coifirra3 Vh? Truth ?>? Iho Woid ol God?The Seek of A2-.a. Washington, dec. 19 ?the thrones ^ ? comic g to dr. ta:mage's piesching * services at the first presbyterian church are a1' the time increasing and far bejocd the capacity of his church p&p?$t to bcid. in this s'rrrcn be discusses f a subject inheres tire- to aj2?viz "the geology of the bible; or, god among the bceks." the t x>: is ii samuel yi, 6,7: '"and when tbpv came to nachcr.'s threshing floor uzzah put forth bis base to the srk of god and took held of it; for the oxen shock it. and the angfr of the lo?d "was kindled asr&inst u2zth, asc; gcd smote hi in there for his error, and there he died by the ark of gk d." a band of music is coming down the road, cornels blo^, timbrels struck, harps thrummed and cymbals clapped, all led on by david, v?ho tvss him fteif a musician. they are ahead of a dragon on v/hieh is the sirred box called the ark. the joke cf oxen rir?wir>cr thf? ccat'r.'n imnptivri 'ft Some critics f-ay that the oxen kicked, being siruck by the drivers goad, bat! m 7 knowledge of cx?n 2eads ice to say I that if on a bet day they see a shad j dow of a tree wali, they are apt to ! suddenly shy (to get the ccclnew of the shadow. I thij.k these oxen so! suddenly turned that the sscrtd box seemed about to upset and be thrown to the ground. Uzzah rushed forward arid laid hold of the ark to keep ii upright. But he had no right to do so. A specisi command had been given by the i^crd that noose save the priest under any circumstances should touch that box. NVrvcus and excited and irreverect, Uzzah disobeyed when re took hold of rhe ark, and he died as a consequence. In all ages, and never ii I mure su iuaul m uur uwn u?y, tacro $ are good people all the time afraid that the Holy Bible, which is the sa cred ark of our time, will be upset, and they have been a iocjr while afraid that science, and esp*cial:y geology, would overthrow it. While we are not forbidden to touch the holy book and, on the contrary, are urged to fondle and study it, any one- who is afraid of the overthrow of the book is greatly offending the Lord with his unbelief. The oxen have not yet been yoked which can upset that ark of the world's salvation. Written by the Lord Almighty, he is going: to protect it until its mission is fulfilled and there shall be 20 more need of a Bible because all its prophecies will have been fulfilled and the human rsce will have exchanged worlds. A trumpet and a violin are very different instruments, but they may be I played in perfect sccord. SotheBi " tjisnscwraht of the creation of the world and the sreciozical account are different?one sior j written on parch ment and the ether on the rocks acd ,y lln perfect and eternal scccrd. Tie ' word ' day," repeated in the firstchapter of Genesis, has thrown into psrox k y sms of criticism many exegesis. The Wfiebrew word "yora" of the 'Bible Wr means sometimes what we call a day, and sometimes it means ages. It may mean 2i houis or 100,000,000 years. The order of creation as written in the bock cf Genesis is the order of creation discovered by geologists' crowbar. So many Uzzahs~) sve been nervously rushing about for fear the strong oxen of scientific discovery wculd upset the Bible that I went somewhat apprehensively to look into the matter, when I found tnat the Bible andgeol ogy agree in saying that first were built the rocks, then the plants green edthe earth, then mariee creatures! tzraro Ytv-yyi yyiir:nr-.-rr? +<-> -opViqIo - then the wings and threats of aerial j choirs were colored and tnncd, ana k the quadrupeds began to bleat aid bellow and reign. "What is all this fuss that has been filling the churcn and the world cci csrnin? a fi^ht between Moses and Ag?ss:z\ There is no fight at all. But is not the geolog-1 ical impression that the world ^as millions of years building antagonistic to the theory of oce week's creation in Genesis? No. A great house is to -e built- A- takes jears to draw gg^ to the spot the foundation siOEe and 8ft the heavy limbers. The house is about dene, bui it is not finished fcr com- j [^fcrtable residence. Suddenly the; owner calls in upholsters, plumbers, j &as fitters, paper fiangers, and in one 1 ffjjgfepek it is reaciy for occupancy. Hftow, it re quires no stretch of imagBkion to realize that God cculd ba^e Hp taiiiicns of years for tfce bringHLf the rocks and the timbers of He oria tcge-her, yet only one week make it inhabitable and to burnish it for human residence. Re member also that all u. and do^n the Bible the language of the times was used?common parlance?and it was* not al^ aj s to be taken litteraiJy. Just as we say every day that the world is round when it is not round. It is sphercdai?flattened at the poles and protuberant at the equator. Professor Snell, wi;h his chain of triangles, and Professor Varic, with the shortened TPTirSii !?ir> of his r!k fr.nnd it wax! net round. But we do no b<K:Gm*critical of ar,y one who says the world is iound. Let us deal as fairly -with iiosesor Job as v;6 do with each other. Bat for years good people fearec geology, and without any impioration ^^^c-n their par; apprehended thai the v*ccks and mcuutains would fail on ^^them until Bujrh Miik-r, the elder of t>t. John's Presbjterian church in Edinburgh ai.d parishioner of Dr. L Guthrie, came ferlh and told the ^ world lihat tbcre was no contradiction between the mountains and the church, ^ and O. ii. MiteneiJ, a cnUiani lectur * er before he became brigadier general, dying at Beaufort, S. U., during our ^civil war, took the platform snti spread his. m?jp of the strata of reek in tie presence of great audiences, and i Pxolessor Alexander W incliell of Michigan universvtv and Professor Taylor L?r?is ol Union college showed that tos "without form and void" of the E hrst chanter of Genesis was the verv I ciacs out. of silica the wcria 'was for | moisted, the hanCs cf God packicg together the Ja<\d aud ;ossii;g up the mountains into great heights and Hinging dcwn the seas iaio tiieir great tiepi^s. Before God gets througn R .-with this world there wiil narajy beu S& bock of lie Bible ikat v-ill not find SBi confirmation tither in archaeology or A gecicgy. Jfxtmrced Babylon, ?iii.e R val>, Jerusa^ra, Tjie aad Egjpii&a nierogh p'vlcs tse trying out in the HA ears ox lie vie rid: "Xne Bible is H righ:! Ail n^m! Everi^liuglj H right!" Gkolc^y i? sa^in? tie &a.uic ??! this?, rot cnlj cod firming the truth [ ' IB -4 ; about the origin si creation, but con| nrming so many passives o* the Scripj tures that I can only slightly refer io i them. ( But you do sot r?a!Jy believe that | story of the deluge and the sin kip ? of .* the mountains under 1,he ^ave? T*ll ! us something: vre can belive. 4'Bei lieve that/' sajs geoioey, "for how do I jou account for these sessheils and | seawetds and skeletons cf sea animals i mi thfl ton of so: of the i highest mount-aics? If the voters i did net sometimes rise about the j mountains, how did these s-eas'aells j and seaweeds and skeletons of animals 'get there? Did you pit them there?" j But, now, you do not really believe j thai atory' about the storm of [ fire and brimstone whelming Sod; cm and Gomorrah, sr.d enwr^pj pinjj Lot's wife in such saline incrus t^tjons that she baited, a s?>ck of J salt? For the confirmation of that | story the geologist gees to th*t region, iarsd after trying in vsin to Uke a | swim in the lake, so thick with salt he ! cannot swim it?the iake beneath 1 which Sodom and Gomorrah 3ie buried | one drop of the water so full of sulS phurand brimstone that it stings your | tongue, and for hours you cannot get j rid of the nauseating drop?the soi?z! tist then diggisg ao?rn and findicg j sulphur on top of sulphur, brimstone I ?]! rftlisd . \JLX y\JlJ VI ? - ? [ there are jets and era.?s asa pe-iks of ! salt, and if one of them did not he [ ccme the sareopbagst of Lot's wi^'e, | they show jcu how s, human fctirsI might in that tempest have been balttd land packet into a white morumtntJ | that would defy the agjs. | But, now. you do not really believe j ' that New Tea tamest 3tc?y about the ] ! earthquake at the tirae Chris: was j crucified, do ycu? Geology di^.s dowo j | into Mount Calvary and finds the j rocks ruptured and aslant, j?howk;j ; ! the work of an especial earti quake i for that mountain, and an earthquake j which did not touch the surrounding j rp&inn fio and look for vou2S3lf. and i see there a dip and cleavage of rocks j ss nowhere else oa the planet, geology ; thus announcingan especiale&rtfcquake j for the greatest tragedy of all the cm j turies?the assassination of the Sen of | Gcd. But you do not really believe that! story or the burning of our v?orld at the last day ? Geology digs down and finds that'the world is already on fire sad that the center o? this globe is incandescent, molten, volcanic, a j burning coal, burning out to^a^d the j surface, and the infernal fires have so i far reached the outside rim that I do j not sea how the world is to keep from j complete conflagration until the prophecies concerning it are fulfilled The lava poured forth from the mouths of Vesuvius, Mount Etna and Cotopaxi and Kilauea is only the regurgitation frnm ?n Awfnl inflammation thous mds of miles deep. There are mines in Pennsylvania and in several parts { of ihe world that have been on fire for many years. These coal mines burning down and the internal firas ofihe earth burningup, -i.'ter awhile these two fires, the descending and the j ascending, will mset. and then will j occur the universal conflagration of which the Bible speaks when it says, ! "The elements shall melt with fervent j beat, the earth also, and tbe works j that are therein snail be burned up." Instead of disbelieving tbe Bible story about the final conflagration, since I have looked a little into geo > -C - J Al < J*,. t it'g*, ?llaUS sn aim the line of confirmation cf tbat prophecv, I wonder how this oM cr%ft of a world can keep sailing on much j longer. It is like a ship on fire at sea, j the fact that the ha'.chesare kept down j tha only reason that it does not ba come one complete blaze?masts on fire, ratlins on fire, cverthing from cutwater to taffrail on fire. After geology has told us how near the internal fires have already burned their j way toward the surface, it ought no: j to be a surprise to us at any time to i hear the riDging of the fire bells of a ! universal conflagration. Ob, I am so I glad that geology has beed born! As [ tronomy is grand because it tells us j about other worlds. But I must say | that I am mere interested in cur world j than in any otter wcr d, ana geology \ tells as all about what it was, its cradle and what will be its grave. Asd .this glorious geology is proving itrelf more and more the friena cf theology. Thank God for the testimony of the rocks, the Ten Commandments an nounced among the split rocks of Sicai, the greatest sermon of C-iris* preached on the basaltic roc??s of the mount of beatitudes, the Saviour cy icg on the rccis of Golgotha asd buried amid the limestone rocks of Joseph's sepuicher, the last cay to be ushered in with a reading of rocks j and our blessed Lord suggestively en titled the "Sock of Ages/' 1 this day proclaim the bancs of a marriage bo tween geology and theology, the rug ged bridegroom and the fairest o: brides. Le: them join their hands, and "whom God hath jointd together let not man put asunder." If anything ia the history or condition of the earth seems for the time VJUllj \SL aaj Xju. ^wiw^jf. joumust remember thai fe-eology Lall the time correcting iisiif and more and more coming 10 harmonization witn the great book. In ihe last cea tury the French Scientific association printed a list of 80 theories of gsoiogj which had been adopted ana after ward rejected. Lyeii, the scieniis' announctd 50 theories of geology tha! had been believed in and afterward thrown overboard. Meanwhile tee story of the Bible has not changed ai all, and if geology has cast out between : 100 and 200 theories which it c/cct considered established we can afford to wait until the last theory of geology antagonizing divine revelation shall have bten ?iven up. Now, in this discourse upon the geology of the Bible, or Gcd among the rocks, I charge ail agitated ana affrighted Uzzahs to calm their pulses about the upsetting of the scriptures. Let me see! For several ^huudred i i i ? u: jears me oxen cave otea jer-su^g iUc ] ark this way and that and puiiiaj; it | over rough places and trying to stick it in tne muc of derision and kicking | with all ths po^er oc their hooit j against the sharp goads and trjing to puJl it into the cos< siiade away from tte heats ->f retribution from a God "who wiil by no cleans clear the guilty." Ytt have jou Lot noticed that tne book has never been upset? Tae only changes made in it were by its learned friends m tae revision of the Scriptures. Tae book oi Genesis has betn thundered against by the mightiest batteries, jei caai.ct tcdaj had in all the earth a copy of tae Biolr which h&s Tint the 50 r?h*7uer< rsf f.ni I first cop,> of ihe bouk of Grenesis ever oricted, smarting with the vrords '"In ice beginning: God" snd closing witn I Joseph's ccffin. Fierce attack on tie i " r book of Exodus has been made be rause they said it was cruel to drown Phar^-ch and the sto^v of Mount Sinai ^ss improbable. But the book of Exodus remains intact, and not one or u.s. considerate the cruelties which be would ?avfi continued among the brick ki-'S of E?jpt, ^ouM have thrown Pharaoh a plank if we hid ?een him drowning-. And Mount Sinsi is todav a ;i;e of tossed ard tumbled basalt, recalling thecjitaclyi-m of that mountain when the law vras civec. And, as to those Ten Com mancimenis, an -Komau jaw, i tnaa law ali English, law, all American Is.77 77orth anything1 are c-quare'y founded on them. So mightv ?ssau:t for cenlurijs has been madron the j bock cf Joshua. It was s?.:d th*t the story of the detained sun and moon is an insult to modern astronomy, but that book of Joshua may be found to d*y in the chapel o? evtry university in America, in iefiacce of any telescope projected from ihe roof of lhat university. The book of Jonah has been the target of ridicule for the small wit of aees, but tkero it stand?, with iis four chapters inviolate, while ecology puis up in i'-s museums remains of ifed monsters capable cf do in? more than tse cue wh'.eh swalb //ed the rwreant prophet. There s;z-.nd the 1.089 chapters of the Bisle notwithstanding all the attacks of ates. a*.iU there they will staad until chey shrivrlup in the final fire.?. which f'trdoe is lists s?y ? re aires dy kinulec*+.A linOa,. fill riROSR ni an oce?xi steamer as it pats oat from j Xe=v York Narrow for Ham burg or I Southampton. I should ret wondsr if f:om the crypt of ancient cities tae inspired manuscript of Matthew, Mark. Luke, and John, in th.?ir own chirography, would b? taken and the epistles which P-oil dictated to his amanuensis as well as the one in tbe apcsties own baud writing. At the same ration of arckai^logical and geological confirmation of the Scriptures the time will come when the: truth of the Bible will no more be ! doubled than the common almanac, which tells you the days and the months of the year, and the unbe levers ^ill be accounted harmless lunatics. Forward the telescope and the spectroscope, and the chemical batierifs and critically examine the ostra coids of the ocean depths and t'~e bones of the great mammals on the gra?ely hilltops! And the mightier, I arid the grander, and tne deeper, ana j I She higher the exolorations the better | : for our cause. As sure as the thun jderbolls of the Almighty are stronger than the sled pens cf agnostic?, the I ark of God will ride on unhurt ana Uzzah need not fear any disasters upsetting. The apocalyptic angel flying through the midst of heaven, proclaiming to all nations and kindred and people and tongues the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ are migntkr than the shyiag off of a joke of oxen. The geology of the Bible shoves that cur religion is not a nam by para by, nerveless, dilettantish religion.* It was projected and has b:en protected by the God of the mcks. Religion a oalm? Oa, yes. R iligion a soothing power? Oh, ves. Religion a beautiful santiment? Oh, yes. Bat we must have a God of- the rocks, a migfcty God to dfcfend, an omnipotent God to ! achieve, a force able to overcome all otLer forces in the universe. Rosa of Sharon and Lily of the Valley is he, combination of all gentleness and tenderness and sweetness? Oh, yes. But if the mighty forces no^7 arrayed for the destruction cf the nations are*o be met and cosquercd. we must have a God of the rocks. The "Lion of Ju dah's tribe," as well as the lamb that svas slain." One hundred and thirty times does the Bible speak of the rock us defense, a3 armament, as refuge, as overpowering strength. Dj.vid, the \ psalmist, lived among the rocks, and j they reminded him or the Almighty, J akd ha ejaculates, "The Lord liveth; blessed hi my rock." "L^ad me to the rock that is higher than I." Asa then as if his prajer had been answered, he feels the strength come into his soul, and he cries out, 'The Lord is my rcck.:' "He shall set me up upon l a reek." Would the Bible prSssnt a sublime j picture of moiherly desperation in defense of her children, it shows us Rizpah on ihs rock for three months ! with disheveled hair and wild screams ogbting back vultures a-^d jackals from the corpses of her sons. Would the Bible set forth the hardness of the heart asd the power of gospel to overcome r, it tells us of the "hammer that breaketh the rocks in pieces." Would cur Lord represent the durability of bis caurcn against all assault hs tsys, "Upon this reek I will build my church and the gates of hell shalJ act orevail aeainst it." Would be clcsa his sermon on the mount with a peroration that would resound through centuries, star;ding on a rock so high that it overlooks L-ke Galilee to the right and on a clear day overlooks the Mediterranean to the left, I rear him stamp his foot on the rock beneath him as he cries to the surging multitudes at the base ef thatioc.u, ' Whosoever heareta these savings of mice atd doeih thtm I will iisen nirn uato a wis-r man, whica bail: his house upon a rock, and the raia des eended, ar.d the floods c.une, ai.d the wmds blew axid beat upon that house, itd it feil not, lor it was founded upon a rock." Ah, mr frieod?, we want a swartbv, sulw&rt, a brawny religion. We have a great many pc-o i>;e wiio can sit ana genuy rocx me i cradle of tiieir infantile hopes, aid cin faintly smild when good is accomplished, and walk softiv tkrougna sickroom, a^c Jive inoffensive lives, and manage to tread 0:1 no ones pre j nd'ces, az:d their religion is at the best wi>ea tse wind is from the sorta west and the ihei'inomei-r at 70 degress F., and they have their spheres, anci tu?y G~d prosper the a. Bit we want in this greac battle for God against the aliiei forces oi perdition some John J?aoxes,some Martin Lathers?men oi nerve and faith and prowess, like tie Huguenots, aad the pii crim fathers, and the Duich at Leyaen keeping b=ck the enemy until the tides of ihe sea came in. Lord, God of the rocks ne-p us iu ihis awful struggle, in whica aeaven or hcii is bounu. to beat. T7-tj7 Vr.yfih the rocks have had to do with iLe cause of God in all a^e-! lu the wilderness G-od's Israei vere ltd with honey oat of the rock. How tile rock of Horeb paid Ml-sss back in pushing, rippling,sparkling water for the t*:o fetcut strokes with. whicd he struck it. And there stands the reek mill r.amfc?I guess the ioDg?:st word in tie Bibit?atJa hi3iEaaiiiekoih,and it was worthy of a rcSoatGing, ses quipcdaiian nomenclature, for at that rosJj Saul was campeiisd ;o quit his r pursuit of Divid and go heme lock after the Piiilistiaes, who Wrai msking a llank movement. There! w?re the rocks of Bczez and S&neh, between ^?bich Jonathan climbed up ar.d sent flying; in retreat the garrison of the uncircumeised. And yonder see David ard bis men hidden in the rock o? Adullam and Eng;.di. Bat while I go on with my studv of j the geology cf the Bibl--, or Godj amosg tb<* rocks, I get a more intoili- j ?ent and helpful idea of divi?je dehb-: era;ion. These ?oeks, the growth of Shcu>&nds of t ears, aud geology says, | of millions of years.ought to show the i proJosg&tioa of God's plats and care I -.itiai-M Woikp t.V>irfr?s are not 1 ; UUi v.; done ia short crde*. Men without : sseineit becomft ciitical of tiia Almighty and think. Why doc-s he not do this ar.d do that and do it right away? We feel sometimes as if we could sot wait. WeU, I guess we will have to wait. God is never in a hurry except about two things. His plans, sweeping through eternity, are beyond our comprehension. They have such v?ice circle, such vastness of revolution, such infinitude that we cajanot comp?.3s them. Indeed he would not be much of a C-od whom we could thoroughly understand. Thiit would | not ce much of a father who had no thoughts or plans larger than his babe o? oiia year could compass. If God i?.ke3 millions of years to make one rock. do not let us become critical if h? takes 20 years or a century or several centuries to do that which we -=*culd like to nave done immediately. Do not repeat the felly of those who conclude there is no God or thut he is not in sympathy wi:h the right and the good because he does not do cer- j t*An things in the lima we sec anart i for their performance. Do not let us I hold up cur little watch, with its tiny j hour band acd minute hanc!, and cy { it try to correct ihe clock of the uni* { v~rse. its pendulum taking 500 years j to swing this way and 500 years to! swing that way. Do not let us set up I our little spinning wheel beside the locrn in which God weaves sunrises j and sunsets ar.d auroras. We have \ the best of authority for saying that "one day with the Lord is as a thous j ana years and a thousand years as one d^y." Do not exptci that Uzzah's oxen, even if they do not sby off, but ] go straight ahead, can keep up wilh j Dbe are shod lightnings. Bat that was not a slip of the tongue when I said that God is never in s hurry except in two things. These two things are when he goes to save i a repentant sinner and comfort a I praying mourner. The one divine hur- j ry was set forth in the parable of the j or;r> uchpn jr. eA-cs father! ran." He was old, and I suppose had | as much as he could do to walk, but j the siyht of his bad ho7 comings home limbered the stiff knees and! lengthened the short' ned pace of the j old man in an athlette stride. "The ] father ran f' Pat it into your crato- j rios. Scund it with full orchestra, j Repeat it though all heaveas, "The father ran!'' 0 soul farthest cff, come back, and God, your Father, will come cut to meet you at full run ! The other time when God is in a hur- j ry 13 when a trouble soul calls for J comfort Thea the Bible represents! the divine gait and swing and velocity | by the reindeer, saying, "Be thou, like 3 a roa or a youn^ hart on the inoun- j /it ? T'ha'f r\a rArs thesis T S VV*iUi3 V4 AU - W VukaMWar- ? ( put in thinking: that there may fcel some repentant sinner who wants to j find pardon or some mourning soulj vrho reads comfort, and therefore II mention the toothings about which? God is in a great hurry. Bat concerning all the va^t things of God's government of the universe, be patient with the carrying out of plans beyond our measurement. Na { turalists tell us that there are insects I that are born and die within an hour j and that there are several generations j of them ia one day, and if one of those j July insects of an hour should say: s 'How slow everything gee:-! I wasi told in the chrysalis state by a won j drous instinct that I would find in ibis j world seasons of the year?spring,j: cnirmftn siiinmn an/T Winter 73:lt 1 where are the autumnal forests up-J bolstered in fire, and whirs are the j, glorious sprngtimes, with orchards wavirg their censers of perfume before I the altdis of the morning? I do not J: belisvs tbere are any autmns cr spring' ( times." If, then, a golden eaeie, mauy jezra old, in a cage nearby, . be^rd the bum of that complaining ins:ct, it mi^ht well answer k,0 summer ksect of an hour, though your life is so short you cannot see the : magnificent turn of the seasons, I can testify as to their reality, for I ha^e J seen them roll. When I was young, and before I wus imprisoned in this cage, I brushed their gorgeous leafage i and their frsgraut blossoms with m? , own wing. Ycu live an hour. I have iivpd thirty years. But in one < of my flights high up, the gate of < ? n/vni *--* rA "i rt r\* Q Iie<&Vc;u yo-U iut a. suu: \j J jcu in vi C4. seraph to come oat, I htard the choirs chanting, 'From everlasting to everlasting thou art God I' And it was an ant-phonal in which all heaven re spoaded, 'From everlasting to ever casting thcu art God,' O man! 0 vvoxa^! So far as your earthly exis istence is concerned. only the ins-ct of *n hoar, be not impatient with the workises of the Omnipotent ana the Eterna1," And cot, for jour solace and your safety, I ask you to come under th<sheiier, and into tiie d~ p cleats, and the almighty defense of a rock ihit is higher than jcu, higher than any GibralUr, higher than the Himalayas ?IL-e Rock of Ages?that will shelter you from the &torn3; that will hide sou f otn your enemies; tias will stand when tae earthquake, of the last day tet thsir pry unuer the moun tains and hurl them into seas boiling with the iires which are airta y burning their way oat irom redact centers toward the surfaces which are already here and there spoutiag with are smirl ;h* mislrirurof ;h-i mountains under Lok and loueii of niui cf wqooi u ij s^id in the suoliiresi sentence ever written: ''He io^kstn upcn the mouatains, and they tremble, He luLcie;h tae bills and ihry sm^ke." Hie you one and aii to tLe R^ck of Ages. And no-?? as before this sermon oju ihe rocks I gave out the tignificaii aappropriate hymn "How firra a foundation ye sain'.s of the L.>r<r'I I wi'i gsve out after this sermon cn the xo^ks ihe a^niiieani aid appropriate bymn: iiock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee! XTOlLLLemiarj Ths penitentiary Thursday sold 1, j 022 bales of oo:toa to R. J- McCirley I & Cx The lot vas divided into itto ninety six and nine hundred and j twent.v-eir biies. Tns successful firm j 07 ctsais fcr the :arger and 5 5-16 j ^^Rsmaller. j ; V * \ \ \ C EAT H OF M R. CC 0 PER. Governor'd Private Secrstaiy Succcrabs to * an Operation. M.? J. M. Ccep?<*, nrivate secretary to tfce governor difd Wednesday at tee Columbia hospital. He bad Ions: been a suffererTrom. appesdiciiif, and recently decided on th'5 suvice of his 1 paysician, Dr. Taylor to have s.n operation "performed. He had not been . iagocci health otherwise and postcc-ntd the operation until he could get in nhrsifiil Rnnailion tra stand ths ol eration. To all apnevrasces he was in such condition Wet-necd^y when I he wectto the hospital, . There the operation w'ss perforn-ed in the presence c' the members of the .hospital board or physicians, ana the patient stood it well, and to all appearances, would recover from the shock. The pbyfioians; felt confident that Mr. Cooper would stand the shock all right and so announced. He gradually began to decline, however, and, although everything known to medical sciesc* was done for him, death came after midday. Mr. Cooper appreciated the seriousness cf the operator, and Jiad talked to his friends about i:. ne" re&lizad that he might die. ana made his will, it beirj-^ne&s^i By Mr. W. W. Ear ris, Mr. Rigin. chief clerk of the secretary ct state's office and Mr. W. H. Newbold. He also gave explicit di 1 rtclions as to what was to be done about his funet-i arrangements, and made out a detatved statement of what * -- ? it.. easiness remiiiiieti in uie cmoo unau- j leaded to and zave it to Mr. Harris. Mr. Cooper \zzs about thirty years old and has bees, a resident cf Columbia for six years. Before coming 1 here he was a student cf the South Carolina college, but never graduated, ha Tins: left in his junior jear to return 1 to Sumter county to engage in business. Ha cwn*d a farm about eight miles above AL-yes^ilie, and operated that umii he ca:r.e to Columbia as clerk ' in the l?nd d^pur'm^nt of the secretary of Statt's ciSct:. Tsi3 position he filled acceptably, and v?hen GovSracr EQerbe <?as inaugurated, he was appointed private secretary, over many applicants. He was a son of Mr. Eli Cooper, cf Sumter, and has several brothers and sisters. One cf rhe latter is a student at Winthrop, and Mr. Cooper, with filial affection, r*as paying her cx pauses at the college. The remains wpta taken to Mavesville Wednesday afturnoon ai>d will be interred there j Thursday. It is, of course, impossible to say just yet who will be bis successor, bat is is understood that Mr. Harris will succeed him. Ha is thoroughly familiar with the duties of the position and would immediately take charge. It is stated that among the provisions o? the wi]l Mr. Cooper made a bequest to a young lady .to whom he had been engaged for several y ears .?Columbia Regis;er. Warned cf Dtialh. One of the most peculiar fore warnings o? death on record is told by Mrs. John Howard of Bostwick, Morgan county, Ga, whose husband died I Sunday last. Mr. Howard was of ex cellent health, \~iid was in comfortable circumstances. s On the Monday night preceding his death, he dreamed : that he would die en the folio wing Sunday night. Not being a believer : in dreams, he dismissed the subject from his mind. On Tuesday night he had the same dream. This worried him a great deal, and Mrs. Hocard tried to divert bis mind and partially . succeeded. Bat on Wednesday night |. Mr. Howard had the same dreams] again. This time no manner of persuasion could make him believe other i than that the dream would come true. Ee visited his relatives and told i them he was calling en them for the last time. Satnrcay he purchased a j bicycle for his little boy, saying at the i time: "I will be with my little boy ] but a few hours longer, and before I 1 so I want to grant his fondest wish." i Sunday he visited his mother anajj told her it would be the last time she J i would see him alive. Ha bade her an J j affectionate zood bye, 2nd returned to his home. Sunday night all the family were gathered together. He gave them *11 a farewell talk, kissed them ten- . darly and then, kneeling-, offered a ' most beautiful and touciiiDg prayer, commending his loved ones to th? Grod of the widow and the fatherless . lo Mrs. Howard he said: "1 will not J live until 12 o'clock tonight. My time , is come." He was then in his usual , gfood health. Between 11 and 12 J VT1. TTriwnrH hppftthed his list. . IS UwVA f? ? J A. r&ociel Dicament. North Carolina has soma original 1 justices of the peace. One of tnem, who is called *'a reform justice," is re ' sponsible for the following unique J documents: ''stale of North carlina ' wL'Kes county * ' 'on this Djy Personly apired ! and Did Depose and stfair that one 1 (bldak) Did strrK him with ahoe on ' taeBiKaof tha tied and NcKed him ' down tnis September the 19 1897 this < Bein A gainst the peas and Diety oJ of the state and Law of North Caroli- ' na I (blanK) D^w taair lore iahew my ' warn: fertile same given under my : hand "this September 19 1897' The warrant reads as foiiows: "to the Constable oreny other Loful ; officer of wilKes County gretiU3 youe air Com&nded to arrest one (olaiK) and have him Before me or some otiie juste* cf the pens of wilkes County io anc-;r io this warni herin fall Not ai. yores peril with the Dale and maner 1 of survis this 19 D^y of September j 1897." | C- csea by Ili iX-mtii. Miss Leila Herbert, daughter cf ex Secretary cf tee Navy Herbert, or Alabama, committed suicide in Washington Wednesday meming by throwing herself' Lorn taethird story of rer heme on. N3W Hampshire avenue, i:i the most fashionable part of the citj, just off Dapcnt circie. The sudden death and tragic features surrounding it -were a great shock to the great circle o! friends she had ma*e in the course of her life in Washington as tie daughter of a popular represents tives il. congress from the south, ana Jaier ?S one of the cabiaet circle of ladies when she presided ever her father's household during the four jeara be was secretary 01 the navy ur, per the last Cleveland administration. i&tai Firedamp, Au explosion of firedamp lock place Thursday at the KaisersiuhJz ffie pi1; wiih terrible results. Eiga; corpus have b;en bioaghs ;o the surface, and Eevea living bat s^-erely injured. Tnere are still fi re m:ss:rg. ; IV,n Thousand Dollars SJariDg. The Columbia Register says some; employe of the Southern Express com- j pan j in that city is being watched because he hgs a ten thousand dollar package of money on his person, or hidden scmeT?herf, which the ccmpar.y wculd like very much to have. Sunerjrttender.it Sadler and Route Agent Richardson both positively refused to make any statement in regard to the affair. As a fact, however, it may be stated that the money disappeared Sunday night, so far as the o?- i ficialknovv. The less wr.3 discovered some9Fhere about 7:40 o'clock Monday . morning, xns mgnt xorcs ez press ignorance as to the whereabouts of the 1 misiir-g money, and the express of- s ficials stated that they had no inrorma- : tion about it, so far as the public is : concerned. In fact, they will give < no information further than to admit 1 that a sum cf money was stolen, o^ lost, and that they were investigating the matter. None of the force, neither day or night, had been discharged early in the evening. It was learn- < ed, however, that the officials had en- 1 ?aged Pinkerton detectives to ferret out the matter for them. There are a ; good many stories. afloat about the case, but as the officials refuse to talk, 1 nothing definite can be stated. It was < said by some persons that the money i had come from the north, and by others from the upper part of the state, and that it had been delivered to an employ of the office, but about this nothing definite is known. While ihe officials say for publication that i they have the most implicit confidence in ail their employes, it is ^ncwn that they were wacc'-ing each one and pes sitvely knew who the guilty man was, , but they se' mea to think it would do the company incalculable injury to say anything about it. Superintend sat Sadler came to the city Monday 1 morning and immediately began an investigation. All agents and local employes were questioned, but what was found out is not known. At a late hour last night it was announced that no am:N had beeen made, but thai one would be.tcday. Aa to L'qaai Shipmeuis, The Atlantic Coast Line has issued a circular ia regard to the shipmeat of liquors. Among the requirements are some of the following: Agents are required to notify ship pers that all shipments of alcoholic liquors to points within this state will be at the owner's risk of seizure by the authorities of the State acting under the dispensary law, Agents of the road within the State are instructed not to accept for shipment from their stations to points in or beyond the State of South Carolina any intoxicating liquors unless accompanied by the formal certificate of the State Commissioner attached to each and every package as-required by sections 3 and 15 of the dispensary law. All agents are strictly enjoined not, on any account to aid or abst, knowingly, any person in the salecf intoxicating liquors or in procuring the same for sale in violation of the law. The following classification of alcoholic liquora apply from the data of the circular, December 20. No. 1. Whiskey, in glass packed in barrels is classeu if relaasad, 2. No. 2. Whiskey, in glass, packed in boxes or baskets, each package vreifc-fcing less than 20 pounds, class 1; if reless-id, class 2. No. 3. Whiskey, in glass or stone, pacKsd in boxes or baskets, weighing less than 20 pounds, ia carloads, min- ; imum 10,000 pounds, accepted only if released, is classified 112. No. 4. Sirne in less than carloads i is not taken. No. 5, Whiskey, in glass or stone, in bulk, carload cr less is net taken. ] Under this circular it certainly looks j as if the original package establish ] cnents along the Atlantic Co;st Line] reads will Had their freight bills pret-1 ;y high. The wagon trade may in-1 ] urease and water routes be used; but j my way this circular is a blow to the! illicit and tolerated traffic in liquor j ilong the Coast Line. K^eop Your Temper. Almost all parsons die of disappoint ' nen:, personal, mental or bodily toil Dr aeciden*, says the New York Ledg- ' ;r. The passions kill men sometimes 1 jven suddenly. The common expres- ; sionv ''choked with rage," has little 1 ?x aeration in it, for even though , ^ot suddenly fatai, strong passions ; >horten life. Strong-bcdied men often [ iie young, weak men live ionger than ] :ne siron^, for the strong uso their strength ana the weak have none to ise?the latter take 'care of themselves \ ;'ae former do not. As tt is with the 1 sody, so it is with the mind and the : .emper; the strong are apt to break, or ' like the car.die, run; the weak burn ' rat. The inferior animals which live ! :emperate lives have generally their 1 prescribed term of years. Thus the j aorse lives twenty five years, ;he ox ; fifteen or twenty, the lion about twen cy, the hc-g ten or twelve, the rabbit : sight, the ^uioea pi^ s^x or seven, ^ha numbers all bear proportion to the time the animsl takes to grow in full size. But mar, of ail animal, is one that seldom comes up to the .average, 1 Hs ought to live 100 years, according to the physiological law, for five times t Tentv are 100; but instead of that he scarcely reaches an average of four times the growing period. The reason is obvious?man is not only the rues': irregular and mc.it intemperate, bun the most laborious and ha>*d working of all animals. He is always the most irritable, aaa there is reason to believe though we cannot tell what an acirnal 5'. ccetiy feels, that, more, th&n any cih'jr animal, man cherishes wrath to keep it warm, and consumes himself with the fire of bis o.vn rtfleedors. ?-?TT -.mi ? n HC nuYf-riii;;, iu.sas , mjo, ' P*-esident E. Benjamin Andrews of Brown university, caa ceen denounced by the speakers at a Pawluckei, G. A. H campfire for declaring that trie iate rebel general, Robert E. Lee, was the ablest commander deveicped by ihe war. At this distance such discussions are productive c? .ao good result, though it msy bs siid in pass isg that President Andrews is not alone in his belief. General Lie unquestionably was a znarvelGusiy giftep master cf ihe art of war, ai.d only succumbed to numbers at s time when his troops were hungry, b&re'oot and ragged. To give deserved credit to those who merit it by no m^ans detracts from the honor due their great antagonists. It General Grant were Hvinor he vronld ha amcu? ihet first to honor the great Confederate com J mancier. Tin Pavriueket patriots | ' hcTild keep their shirts on." THE COTTON GROWERS. PROCEEDINGS OF THEIR MEETING IN MEMPHIS, TENN. A Series eS Kf sol allocs Is Adopted Settisg Forth the Objects or the Organization and GiScars at the A?sedation are fleeted. The American Cotton Growers Protective Association was called to order at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning at Memphis, Tenn, by President Hector D. Lane, of Athens, Ala. Many delegates were present, in eluding prominent planters from Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi. Imrr ediatbly after tbe delegates were called to order President Line delivered an address, in which he explained why the convention had been called. "Cotton today is selling at less than five cents," he said, "and this means the insignificant sum of ten cents a day for the labor of the man who isdistinctly the cotton grower. I make ihis statement deliberately and defy ? successful contradiction." Continuing, Mr. Lane said: "Under prevailing conditions the product of our itoil is no longer adequate to our subsistence- Prevailing prices are below the cost of production. With a surplus of several millions annually, which is an able coadjutor of the cot<.? ?> 5 i ~e 1_ LUU m? law ot auujjiv auu \jujmand has been, displaced and in its stead interposes the result attained by litis commercial fakir and flim-flam artist Statistics show that there has h^ra a great failing cff ia speculative gambling in cotton futures in the last several year?, consequent upon t&e small crops, for as the visible supply diminishes the power o? manipulation decreases. President Lane made a strong plea for a reduction of the cotton acreage, saying that over production fosters manipulation. By destroying the annual surplns the law of supply and demand will prevail; competition will intervene and the cost of the production of this commodity, which is a fair standard of its value, will be the basis of its pric9 mark. After the president had delivered bis aidress the csual committees were appointed and tae morning session was devoted to the reception of delegates ana 10 organization. Among the more prominent delegates present were the following: Governor Eagle, of Arkansas; J.. W. Pratt, Huntersvilie, Ala.; Cant. L 77. Lsvesque, Arkansas; Cap t. Jerome Hill, St Louis; CoL W. W. Stone, ex-auditor of Mississippi; CoL Chas. Scott, Mississippi, and McNeil Bond, Tennessee. The sessions of the convention aft being held in the convention ball of the Peabody House. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather,. this vicinity having been visited by a severe sleet storm, which later turned into a cold rain, the attendance was a representative one. After President Lane's address had been discussed the following permanent officers were elected: Chairman, Hector D. Lane, of Alabama; secretary, J. Cheatham, Tennessee; assistant secretary, Sol Cohen, Mississippi. A cnrrtTfihipa an resolutions, consist ing of two delegates from each. State, was appointed. Dr. D. M. Crossen, delegate from the recent Convention of Cotton Growers which was held in Atlanta was introduced, and addressed the meeting, after which an adjournment was taken until 8 o'clock. When the delegates was called to order at the night session the committee on resolutions presented the following report, which was adopted: ' Believing that the best thing this meeting can accomplish will be a permanent organization of American catton growers, your committee respectfully report as follows: First, we reaffirm the principles announced by the Association at its meeting in Memphis in January, 1896. Second, we respectfully submit the the following constitution and declarations of principles, and urge their adoption as the basis of a permanent organization, to be extended Lo all of the States and counties in the jotton ccuutry: Article 1. The name of this Associa don shall be tha American Cotton I 3-rovers' Protective Association. Article 2. The object of this Association shall be to educate cotton growers 31 America as to their rights and du;ies, and to devise ways and means for the improvement of their condition. Article 3. We adopt tha principles announced by the Association at its meeting at Jackson, Miss., January 9 md 10. 1S95, and G?empais, Tenn , in January, 1896. In order to carry them Dut we shall strive by the thorough organization of all the cotton growing States, counties and districts to unite all cotton growers in an earnest effort to reduce the acreage of cotton each year i j iuua a puiu.!< ? w m msuxo c fair average price to every grower. This organization shall take no part in aationa.1, State or local politics, and will permit no persons to use it for personal advancement of purely political purposes. This Association shall aia. above all to teach American cotton growers, first, to reduce the cDst of the production of cotton. Second, to practice the principles of thrift and econmy, which shall enable him to escape debt and make his cotton a real "money crop." Third, to make all his own supplies at home, to the end that the crop when produced may be all his own. Fourth, to hold nis croo each year until hs can sell it to the best advantage. Fifth, to build factories for manufacturing cotton goods near the cottou fields, that hs may receive the largest returns from each annual crop, and that the home markets may be built up for all other farm products. AvtmJft X Th:s Association shali elect a vice president from each of the cotton States, who shall bs the president for his Stale. It shall be the duty of the Sixts presides ? to effect a thorough organization of all cotton growers in their States, counties and districts. To this end the State prtsi-1 den!s shall call to their assistance the commissioners of agriculture, professors of agriculture arid the directors of the agricultural experiment stations, and tneir respective States, using as far as possible exiting organizations of farmers whose aims are not antagonistic to this Association. ' Articie 5. The presiuents of tfce State associatons shall constitute the ? V G Vi LUIO . lion, of which the president of ibis Ass-cia'icn shall 03 ex officio chairman. It shall D8 the duty of said committee to assist the president in promoting the work and objects of the Association, to advise the State presidents with regard to the work in their State and to direct the operations of lhe secretary cf the Association. This committee shall also prepara the constitutions and by-laws of the State, to be submitted to it at its next regular meeting, and it is authorized to prepare, publish and disseminate literature in nf thft fibiects of the Association. In order to do this the executive committee is authorized to raise by subscription or otherwise, as it may deem best, sufficient funds to pay the expenses of this publication and distribution and a reasonable salary to tbe secretary of the Association. Vacancies on said com- . 1 mittee shall ba filled by the president and his appointees shall be acting presidents for their respective States until the next meeting of the Association. Article 6. The secretary of the National Association shall be secretary -4 - * . x: -ix .L.ll ?^..l. ox me e^ecuuve commmw, nimn ww*. under its direction and receive such. compensation as it allows. He shall be elected by the executive committee and shall hold office for one year. Article 7. The executive committee is sufhgrized to elcct a treasurer, to hold qJNa for one year, and to report to through it to the Association. Article 8. There shall be no initiation fees from the members of the Association and no officer except its secretary shall receive a salary. The State Associaton shall decide as to the compensation to be paid their own officers and shall determine the means ? -4#$^ irU ue useu hi rAiauig iuuua. j-jlllo ?iasociation suggests tothem the advisability of making a levy of one cent for each acre of cotton put in each rMmm year by each member, the funds so raised to be expended for promoting the objects of the Association written each State or county where it is raised as shall be determined by the local As- . scciation. After further endorsing the anti-option bill introduced in Congress by Representative Stokes, of South Carolina, a resolution was passed sugges| ting that the farmers in every county j in each State meet on the first Monday l in February and proceed to ozjnuraew I Tho fnTlnonn<r nffiiviMl vnm AlAftbtdf President, Hectors D. Lane, of Ala- bama; secretary, Richard Cheatham, editor of the Cotton Planters' Journal, : ? of Memphis. The Convention then adjourned sine die, subject to the call of the president. > A VERY CLOSE CALL. live P?xsoaa la Mob tzomery Were Carried to Their Gnn During Panic* The most remarkable feature of the | recent yellow fever epidemic in the south was the number of narrow e? capes xxom Demg uuricu tuivo. j-u Montgomery Ala'., there was more than one instance of a live person being carried in a coffin to the cemetery. One of these experiences is graphically related by George W. Ar berry, a motorman, in that city. "I was in a house," he said, "away off to itself and my family and myself were entirely cut off from communication with the outside world* I was-very sick for severat days, and for most of the time unconscious. My wife had exhausted herself in minister^ . ing to my wants, as she was only aided dj a faithful negro nurse. One nighafter dark I was in one of those unconscious, comatose conditions, said 10 oe usual m yeuovr lever, waw my wife was taking a much, needed rest. The negro who had been nursing me had been away for some time, and when returning he was joined by a friend who was anxious to know my condition. When they reached the I room where I was, they called me re- ? $ Ipeatedly, and receiving no response g. - 5i decided that I was dead. The friend j&i .. ? hastened off and so reported. Prepara- ^ tions were made at'once for my buriaL A box was prepared and I was dumped into it and my body placed in the wagon and the march to the burial ground begun, only a white man ana two negroes forming the procession. The mournful procession passed along 1 the public highway, when a high hill was reached. The mules became ened, and dashing up the hill afcapid J gait, the box slipped out of the w4tpon and fell to the ground, the top roiling J off and I empted out on the ground. They were trying to put me back in the box, and one of them had hold of my arm when it struck the side of the boxand aroused me to consciousness. I yelled out, 'What are you trying to do?' and a moment I was in the big road all alone, my attendants taking to the woods and the nearest house being a mile away. I managed in some way to get to the Uhair* flfVYn J UUILK Jtvm uwif 1TW ?w>a back at my bed quarters again. I was sick for several days after this all | most unto death, I suppose from the exposure of the night's incident, but I was determined not to die and am now hale and hearty again.".- iforjd. T. Allen Quay writes us from Marion, N. C, tnat he will be in Lancaster in a few days aud will give a free lecture while here. He is making a most unique trip around the world as ithft Hhftster Lantern thus exnlains: "fie wanted to marry an Arkansas girl and her father consented at last only on certain very peculiar conditions, the principal of which that he should start penniless, make all expenses in an honorable way and make a trip around the world on a black horse (when on land) accompanied by two black dogs. .Ha is to wear the costume of an ancient knight. The only country specified in his route is Ouba, where he must secure the signature of the commander-in-chief of th* Insurgents. also of tile Soanish chief. He must also obtain the signature and daie stamp of the postmaster of every town he passes through, also the signature and seal of the president or monarch of every country he visits. His reward for fulfilling the conditions is the girl and $5,000, but for the loss of either dog he will forfeit $1,OCO of the reward. W*s it Harder. Arthur Maurice, 72 year3 of age, a member of the New York stock exchgnarfl was fnnnd HpaH in hi<* -iwim Thursday morning in the Hotel Winthrop. It is alleged that Mr. Maurice's nose was flattened as if by a blow and there a deep cut over one of his eyes. In the bath tub near where he wa3 found tiiere was said to have been discovered a hammer with bloodstains on it. Mr. Maurice had lived at the Hotel Winthrop with his wife and daughter for a number of years. A so?, Arthur B. Maurice, is in Paris.