Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WELLS OF COMFORT. REV. CR. TALMAGE FINDS !N:PiR/?TION IN THE DESERT. Oar Duty la to Find Oar Life's Wo:K anil Stick to It -We Are Fronp to Try :o Le*d When Wc A:e Only Fitted to Follow. Icflaence ol Parents cc Children The discourse of Dr. Talicsge craws from ail oriental scene some stirring lessons and points to wel^ o? comfort in unexpected places; tezt, Genesis xxi, 19, "And God opened his eyes, and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the lad drink." Morning breaks upon Beersheba. There is an early stir in the house of old Abraham. There has been trouble among the domestic?. Hagar, an as sistant in the household, and her son, a brisk lad of 16 years, have become impudent and insolent, and Sarah,ihe mistress of the household, puts her foot dcwn very hard and says that they will have to leave the premises. The-a ftrB narkinc an now. Abraham. knowing that the journey befcrs his servant and her son will be very long across desolate places, in the kindness of his heart sets about putting up seme bread and a bottle with water in it. It is a very plain lunch that Abraham provides, but I warrant you there would have been enough of it had they not lost their way. ''God be with you," said old Abraham as he gave the lunch to Hagar ana a good many charges as to how she should conduct the journey. Ishmael, the boy, I suppose, bounded away in the morning light. Boys always like a change. Poor Ishmael! He has no idea of the disasters that are ahead of him. Hagar gives one long, lingering look on the familiar place where she had spent so many happy days, each scene associaated with" the pride and joy of her . , heart, young IshmaelThe scorching vzo, ^omes on. The air is stifling and no' es across the desert with insuffei?ols suffocation. Ishmael, the boy, begins to complain and lies down, but Hagar rouses him up, saying nothing about her own weariness or the sweltering heat; for. mothers can endure anything. Trudge, trudge, trudge. Crossing the dead level of the desert, how wearily and slowly the miles slip. A tamarind tiiat seemed hours ago to stand only just a little ahead, inviting the travelers to come under its shadow, now is as far off as ever or seemingly so. Night drops upon the desert, and the travelers are pillowless. Ishmael, very weary, I suppose instantly falls asleep. Hagar, as the shadows of the night begin to lap over each other?Hagar hugs her weary boy to her bosom and thinks of the fact that it is her fault that they are in the desert. A star looks out, and every falling tear it kisses with a sparkle. A wing of wind conies over the hot earth and lifts the locks .'from the fevered brow of her boy. Hagar sleeps fitfully, and in her dreams travels over the weary day and half awakes her son by crying out in her sleep: 4'Ishmael! Ishmael!" And so they go on day after day and night after nisrht, for they have lost their way. No path in the shifting sands; no sign in the burning sky. The sack empty of the flour; the water gone from the bottle. What shall she do? As she puts her fainting Ishmael under a stunted shrub of the arid plain she sees the bloodshot eye and feels the hot hand and watches the blood bursting from the cracked tonsTie. and there is a shriek in the desert of Beersheba: "We shall die! We shall die!" Now, 110 mother was ever made strong enough to hear her son cry in vain for a drink. Heretofore she had cheered her boy by promising a speedy end of the journey, and even smiled upon him when she felt desperately enough. Now there is nothing to do but place him under a shrub and. let him die. She had thought that she would sit there and watch until the spirit of her boy would go away forever, and then she would breathe out her own life on his silent heart, but as the boy begins to claw his tongue in agony of thirst and struggle in distortion, and begs his mother to slay him she cannot endure the spectacle. She puts him under a shrub and goes off a bow shot, and begins to weep until all the desert seems sobbing, and her cry strikes cliir through the heavens, and an angel of God comes out on a cloud and locks down upon the appalling grief and cries, "Hagar, what aileth thee?" She looks up and she sees the angel pointing to a well of water, where she fills the bottle for the lad. Thank Gcd! Thank God! Our first duty is to find our sphere; our second is to keep it We may be born in a sphere far on from the one for which God finally intends us. Sixtus V was ho?n on ths low ground and was a swineherd. God called him up to wave a scepter. Ferguson spent his early days in looking after sheep. God called him up to look after stars and be a shepherd watching the flocks of light on the hillsides of heaven. Hogarth began by engraving uewter pots. God raised him to stand in the enchanted realm of a painter. The shoemaker's bench held Bloomfield for a little while, but Gcd raised him to sit in the chair of a philosopher and Christian scholar. The soap boiler of London could not keep his son in that business, for Gcd had decided that Hawley was to be one of the greatest astronomers or Englaud. Again, I find in this oriental scene a lesson of sympathy with woman when she goes forth trudging in the desert What a great change it was for this Hagar! There was the tent, and all the surroundings of Abraham's house, ceautiful and luxurious, no doubt. Now she is sroin? out into the hot sands of the desert Oh, what a change; it was! And in cur day we often see the wheel of fortune turn. Here is some one who lived in the very bright home of her father. She haa everything possible to administer \ to hej happiness?plenty at the table, j mu?ic in the drawing room, welcome J at the door. She is Ted forth into life by some one who cannct appreciate her. A dissipated soul comes and takes her out in the desert. Cruelties blot out all the lights of that home circle. Harsh words wear cut her spirits. The high hope that shone cut over the marriage altar while the ring was.'being set, and the vows given, and the benediction pronounced, have all faded with the orange blossoms, and there she is today broken hearted, thinking of past joys and present de solation and coming anguish. Hagar in the wildernesss! Here is a beautiful home. You cm no; mini or anyinmg tnat can ce aaded to it. For years there has not been the suggestion of a single trouble. Bright and happy children fill the house with laughter and song. Books to read- Pictures to look at. Lounges to rest on. Cup of domtstic joy full and running over. Dark nighi drops. Pillow hot. Pulses flutter. Eyes close. And the foot whose well known sieps on the doorsiil brought the whole household cut at eveniide crying, "Father's coining i" -will never sound on the doorsiil again. A long, deep grief plowed through all tha: brightness of domestic life. Paradise lost. Widowhood. Hagar in the wii- J derrfss: How cfien it is we s;e the weak a-rn ! of vrcman conscripted for this battle with, the rough world. Who is she going down the street in the early light of the morning, pale with exhausting work, eoL half slept cut with the si umbers of las:, nigh., tragedies of suffering written all over her face, her lusterless eyes looking far ahead, as though for the corning cf some other trouble? Her parents called her Mary or Bertha or Agnes on the day when they held her up to the font and the Christian minister sprinkled on the infant's face the washings of a holy baptism. Eer name is changed now. I hear it in the shu fib cf the wornout shoes. I see it in the ligure of the faded | calico. I 2nd it in tie lineaments of j the woe begone countenance. Not Mary nor Bertha nor Agnes, but Magar in the wilderness. May 3-od have mercy upon woman in her toils, her struggle5?, her hardships, her desolation, an .1 may the great heart o? di[ vine sympathy inclose her forever! Again, I find m this oriental scene the fact that every mother leads forth tremendous destinies. You say, "That isn't an unusual scene a mother leading her child by the hand." Who is it that she is leading? Ishmael, you say. Who is Ishroael? A great nation is to be founded?a nation so strong that it is to stand for thousands of years against all the armies of the world. Egypt and Assyria thunder against it, but in vain. G-aulus brings up his army and his army is smitten. Alexander decides upon a campaign, brings up his hosts and dies. For a long while that nation monopolizss the learning of the world. It is the nation of the Arabs. Who founded it? Ishrvioo] *T-i?? la/} fliat FToorax IaH into thft i.MU MUM* ? wilderness. She had no idea she was leading forth such destinies. Neither does any mother. You pass along the slreet and see and pass boys and girls who will yet make the earth qaakewith their influence. A Christian mother a good many ago sat teaching lessons of religion to her child, and he drank in those lessons. She never knew that Lamphier would come forth and establish the Fulton street prayer meeting, and by one meeting revolutionize the devotions of the whole earth and thrill the eternities with his Christian influence. Lamphier said it was his mother who brought him to Jesus Christ. She never had an idea that she was leading forth such destinies. But, oh, when I see a mother reckless of her influence, rattling on toward destruction, garlanded for the sacrifice with unseemly mirth andgodlessness, dancing on down to perdition, - taking her children in the same direction, pre : * l:-?~ ? UJLCUJ x jr a, ui-* ui v A cieath of shame and an eternity of disaster, I cannot help but say, "There they go, there thev go?Hsgar and IshmaelI tell you there are wilder deserts than Bsersh6ba in many of the fashionable circles of this day. Dissipated parents leading dissipated chil dren. Avaricious parents leading avaricious children. Prayerless parents leading prayerless children. They go trough every street, up every dark alley, into every cellar, along every highway. Hagar and Ishmael! And wmle I pronounce their names, like the meaning of the desert wind, ''Hagar and Ishmael I" I learn one more lesson from this oriental scene, and that is that every wilderness has a well in it. Hagar and Ishmael gave up to die. Eagar's heart sank within her as she heard her child crying: "Water! Water! Water!" "Ah," she says, "my darling, there is no water! This is a desert." And then finfs ancftl said from the cloud, "What aileth thee, Hagar?*' Ana she looked up and saw him pointing to a well cf water, "where she filled the bottle for the lad. Blessed be God that there is in every wilderness a well, if you only know how to find it?fountains for all these thirsty souls! On that last day, on that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, ' If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink." All these other fountains you find are mere mirages of the the desert- Paracelsus, you know, spent his time in trying to find out I the elixir of life?a liquid, which if taken, would keep one perpetually young in this world and would change the aged back again to youth. Of course he was disappointed, fie , found not the elixir. But here I tell you of the elixir of everlasting life bursting from the "Rock of Ages," and thai drinking that water you shall never get old, and you will never be sick, and you will never die. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters!"' Ah, here is a man who says, "I have been locking for that fountain a great while, but can't find it" And here is some one else who. says, "I believe all you say, but I have been trudging along in the wilderness and can't fina the fountain." Do you know the reason? i will tell you. You never looked in the right direction. "Oh," you say, "I have looked everywhere. I have looked north, south, east and west,' and I haven't found the fountain." Why, you are not looking in the right direction at all. Look up, where Eagar looked. She never would have found the fountain rt 4- r?Vi rt 1%/tn a r/ aiai aii a JUL, uuu ncai u. iiiv vyitc of the angel she looked up and she saw the finger pointing to the supply. And, 0 soul, if today with one earnest, intense prayer you would only look up to Christ, he would point you down to the supply in the wilderness. "Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved; for I am God, and there is none else!" Look! Look, as K&gar looked! Yes, there is a well for every desert of bereavement. Looking over any audience I notice signs of mourning and woe. Kave you found consolation? Oh, man bereft, have you found consolation? Hear 33 aftei hearse. We stsp from one grave hillock to another grave hillock. We follow corpse?, ourselves scon to be like them. The world is in mourning for its dead. E very heart has. become the sepuleher of some buried joy. But sing ye to G-od; every wilderness has a wall m it, ana I come to taat well today, and I bagin to draw water for you from that well. If you have 'lived in the country, you have sometimes taken hold of the rope of the old well sweep, and you know how the bucket came up, dripping with bright, ccol water. And I lay hold of tha rope of God's mercy, and I begin to .draw cn that gospel well sweep, and I see the buckets coming up. Thirsty soul! Here is one bucket of life! Come and drink of it. "Whosoeverwill, let him come and take of the waxer of life, freely." I pull avay again at the rope, and another bucket comes up. It is this promise: "Weepiog may endure for a night, but joy cometh in iha mornicg." I iay nold rf the rope again, and I puil away with ail my strength, and the backet comes up, bright ana beautiful and cool. Here is the promiep. "p/imp iintn m?>. ail v? vhn are weary ana heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The old astrolcgers used to cheat the people with the idea thai they could tell from the position of the stars what would occur in the future, and if a cluster of stars stood in one rela tion, why, that would be a prophecy of evil; if a cluster of stars stcoiin another relation, that would De a prophecy of gccd. What superstition! But here is a new astrology ,n which I all my faith.' a ana??a cam a j J bbbbm By looking up to the star cf Jacob,! the morning star of the Itedeemer, I can make this prophecy in regard to those -who put their trust in God: ' 'All things 'work together for good to thos^ ^ho love God." Do you love him? Have you seen the nyctanthes? It is a beautiful ilower, but it gives very k-frtloi fy*o Then it pours its richness on tbe air. And this grace of the gospel that I commend to you no v, while it may be very sweet during the day of prosperity, it pcurs fcrthits richest aroma after"sundown. And it will be sundown with you and me after awhile. When you come to go out cf this world, will it be a ac-sert march, or will it bo drinking at a fountain? A converted Hiadoo was dying, and his heathen comrades came around him and tried to comfort him by reading some of the pages of their theology, but he waved his hand, as much as to say, "I don't want to hear it." Then they called the heatben priest, and he said, "If you will only recite tbe Numtra, it will deliver you from hell." Ha waved his hand, as much as to say, 4I don't want to hear that." Then they said, "Call on Juggernaut." He siook hi3 head, ss much as to say, 'i can't do that." Then they thought perhaps he was too weary to streak, and they said, "Now, if you can't say Juggernaut, think of him." He shook his head again, as much as to say, "No, no, no!' Then they bent down to his pillow, and they said, "In what will you trust?" His face lighted up with the very glories of the celestial sphere as he cried out, rallying 1 all his dying energies, "Jesus!" Oh, come this hour to the fountain! I will tell you the whole story in two or three sentences. Pardon for all sin. Comfort for all trouble. Light for all j darkness. And every wilderness has ! a well in it. ANOTHER BIG COTTON CROP Means Great Loss to the Southern Farmer and Merchant. Messrs. Latham, Alexander & Co., have issued a circular letter that shows the cotton situation on March 18 th in a manner that should warn the cotton farmers against planting another elev> en million bale crop. If the crop of 1898 shall be as great as the crop of 1897, the farmers of the Soutn will be ban pt ana the business interests of this section will be in a worse condi tion than in 1893-94. The following extracts are made from the circular letter referred to above: 4kThe total visible supply of cotton in the world is 613,829 bales more than last year, 660,092 bales mere than in 1S96, and 477,568 bales less than in 1895. The amount of cotton that has been marketed to date is 2,105,027 more than last year, 3,694.781 bales more than in 1896, and 1,045,986 more than in 1895. The exports this year are 977,896 bales more than last year, 2,365,470 bales more than ia 1896, and 514,674 bales more than in 1895. The stock in United States ports is. 288,385 bales mere than last year, \ 357.330 bales more than in 1896, and | 91,856 bales more than in 1895. Middling uplands is now selling at j ! an advance of - onlv 5.16 cents tier S pound above the lowest price touched this season, and contracts for August delivery at an advance of only 0.25 cents above the lowest. In our circular letters of January 19th and February 5ih we endeavored to show ihe undeniably enormous losses that the South has invariably sustained when more cotton was produced than necessary to supply the wants of the world. If we should bring the tabulated figures made then, up to this date, the losses to the farmers on this year's crop would appear still more startling; and, ^srith the condition of affairs now prevailing throughout the world, the necessity for a r&u action in acreage -naa* 1 onnaol frt firrflwrr -fovwi. LUL3 J UOI OXXVIA-LW4 LW VTVJi. J la^UA er with greater force and induce him to largely increase the production of food c:rops. Thei planters of the South have no encouragement to plant cotton largely this year, with the Anglo-RussianChinese complications existing in the East, which might before the new crop could be marketed, greatly reduce the value of cotton, and the strained relations of our own Government with Spain, which possibly might result in war, staring them in the face. Even with permanent peace existing between all the nations of the globe, the consumptive demand for cotton would not be sufficient to warrant the production of another such large American crop as last year. An inevitable loss to the whole South, in our opinion, would surely follow. From a recent circular of Messrs. Ellison & Co., Liverpool, the highest authority on cotton consumption in f.VtA wnrld. malrA tha fnllnwinc e-x tract as to future prospects: . 4iIn our Annual Rap or t issued in January, we showed that with an American crop of 10,750,000 bales,and a consumption of about 9,650,000 bales the stock of American cotton in the ports of the United States, Europe,and the surplus stocks at the American and European, mills would be about 1,900,000 bales, against only 800,000 last year, and we remarked that in regard to the future of prices everything would depend upon the prospecis of the new crop. "With as great a reduction in acreage as took place in the spring of 1895, we ^should see a repetition of the upward movement in values witnessed in tint year; but, if planters are satisfied with present prices and do not reduce the area planted, then cotton will become a greater drug than it ever .has been in the history of the trade, and planters will net get anything like present prices." In ;,heir report Messrs. Ellison & Co. based their calculations upon a crop of only 10,750,000 bale?, when 9,975,il8 bales have already been received, and the indications favor 11,000,000 bales or more. The present unfavorable outlook for prices of nest j ear's crop should induce every merchant in the South to use his influence with the planters to 2ause a marked reduction in acreage which would be surely followed by better prices and greater confidence in general business onerations throughout the South. Yours truly, Latham, Alexander & Co. That Spain is preparing to resist the repon of the United States Naval Court of Inquiry is shown in a semiofficial expiession made public in Madrid Thursday that, while the 8panish report is not yet received, it is known tfiat it will say that the explosion that wrecked the Maine came frem the inside. It is further stated that if the United States finding is simply that the explosion is external, any* demand for indemnity will be refused. The Adjutant Geaeral of the Army " - - v - il. _ j. xi - n?s issued an orcer mat me new regiment of artillery shall be composed exclusively cf the unmarried men, the War Department officials having concluded that married men are not the best fighters. The wives of the married men will be inclined to resent this imputation. The War Department is taking a great risk in making this sort of war upon the matrimonial relation. THE ACTS OF ASSEMBLY, .j LAWS PASSED AT THE RECENT SE3* | SESSION CF THE LEGISLATURE. j Tbs Tezl in Fall of Somn of th? Principal | Additions to ths Statutes of South Cure- j lica. INSPECTION FOOD. DRUGS, ETC. An .Act to provide for the inspection of food, drugs, spirituous, fermented and malt liquors, and to provide for the punishment for adulteration thereof. Section 1. Ee it enacted by the General Assembly cf the State of South Carolina: That no person shall within this Statfi manufacture, brew, distill, have, ctfer for sale, or sell, any articles of feed, drugs, spirituous, fermented or malt liquors which are adulterated within the meaning of this Act, and any person violating this provision shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon convic tir?rs thprprf shall Va mmisrip/l hv s. fine not exceeding fifty dollars, or by imprisonment not exceeding fi'teen days, for the first offence; and not exceeding one hundred doliars or imprisonment for ihirtv day s, cr both, for each subsequent offence. Section 2. Tne term "food" as used in this Act shall include every article used for food cr drink by man,including all candies, teas, coffees and spirituous, fermented and malt liquors. The term "drug" as used in this Act shall inolude all medicines for internal or external use. Section 3. An article sh&ll ba deemed to be adulterated within the meaning of this Act: (a) In the case of drugs: 1. If, -when sold under or by a name recognized in the United States Pharrria^n-nnpia. it differs from the stand ard of strength, auality or purity laid down therein. 2. If, when sold under or by a name not recognized in the United States Pharmacopoeia, but which is found in some other Pharmacopoeia or ether standard work on Pharmacopoeia Materia Mediea,it differs materially from the standard of strength, quality or purity laid down in such work. 3. If its strengtn or purity falls below the professed standard under which it is sold, (b) In case of food or drink: . 1. If any substance or substances has or have been mixed with it so as to reduce or lower or injuriously affect its quality or strengtn. 2. If any inferior or cheaper substance or substances has or have been substituted wholly or in part for the article. 3. If any valuatie constituent of the article has been wnolly or in part ab stracted. 4. If it be an imitation of or ba sold unrtar thf? nama nf another article. 5. If it consists wholly or in part of a deceased, or decomposed, or putrid, or rotten animal or vegetable substance, whether manufactured or not, or in the case of milk, if it is the produce of a-diseased animal. i 6. If it be colored, or coated, or polished, or powdered, whereby damage is concealed, or it is made to appear better than it really is or of greater value. 7. If it contains any added poisonous ingredient, or any ingredient which may render such article injurious to the health of the person consuming: Provided, that the State board of health may declare from time to time certain articles or preparations to be exempt from the provisions of this Act: And provided, further, that Tvwrnrioirtne r>f +Viio shall nr?t: uug Vi MUM MVV WUVIM. apply to mixtures or compounds recognized as ordinary articles of food, provided that the same are not injurious to health and that the articles are distinctly labelled as a mixture, stating the components of the mixture. (c) In the case of spirituous, fermented and malt liquors, if it contains any sustanc3 or ingredient not normal or healthful to exist in spirituous, fermented or malt liquors, or -which may be deleterious or detrimental to health when such liquors are used as a beverage or as a medicine; and if it does not conform in respect to strength and Duritv reauired bv the laws of this State. Section 4. It shall be the duty of the State board of health, to prepare and publish from time to time lists of the articles, mixtures or compounds declared to be exempt from the provisions of this Act in accordance with the preceding section. The State board of health shall from time to time fix the limits of variability'permissible in any article of food or drug, or compound, the standard of which is not established by any national Pharma copc<;ia. Section 5. The State board of health shall take cognizance of the interests of the public health as it relates to the sale of food, drugs, spirituous, fermented and malt liquors, and the adulteration thereof, and make all necessary inquiries and investigations re lating thereto, and for such purposes may appoint inspectors, analysis and chemists, who shall be subject to its supervision and removal. Within sixty days after the passage of this Act the said State board of Health shall adopt such measure as it may deem necessary to facilitate the enforcement thereof. It shall prepare rules and regulations with regaro to the proper method of collecting and examining drugs, articles of food and spirituous, fermented and malt liquors. Section 6. Every person offering or exposing fer sale, or delivering to a purchaser, any drug or article of food, or spirituous, fermented or malt liquors included under the provisions of this Act, shall furnish to any ganalyst,' or other officer or agent appointed" hereunder, who shall apply to him for the purpose, and shall tender to him the valu6 of the same, a sample sufficient for the purpose of analysis of any such drug or article of food or drink which is in his possession. Whoever hinders, obstructs or in any way interferes with any inspector, analyst or other officer appointed hereunder in the nerformance nf his dntv shall bs deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars or imprisonment not exceeding sixty days. Approved the 19 th day cf February, A. D. 1898. BIRTHDAY OF MR. DAVIS. An Act to amend Section 1,636 of the General Statutes of 1S82, (apoearing as Section 2,5A4 in the Rs vised Statutes of 1S93 ) as amended by the Act approved 7ch February, 1896, ; No 1 and No 80 relalirg to legal holidays. Rpctinn 1. Bs it enacted hv thai General Assembly cf the Stale of South Carolina: That Section 1,636 < of the General Statutes of 1SS2 (ap- < peariDg as section 2,5ii in the Revistd i Statutes of 1S93,) as amended by the j Act approved 7th February, 18S6, No ' 1 and No SO be, and the same is hereby ! further amended by inserting (in ad- ] dition to k'lhe nineteenth day of January" and "the tenth day of May") < the -words "the third day of June,'' ; and changed so that the said section as i amended shall read: "National thanks- ! giving day and all general election ; days, and also the first day of January, 1 the twenty-second day of February, : the tenth day of Hay, the third day of June, the fouthday of July, the hrst 1 Monday in September, ar-d the twen- : tj-fifih day of December in each and j every year snail be lesrai hoiidavs: j Provided, that nothing: herein con- j tained snail be so construed as to af- j fret judicial sales as ao-v provided by ; a~, or aiy cine-* k*?ai transaction, j on the the first ??ondsv in 3tp:em ber." Annrovpd the 19.h day of February, A. D." 1898. FES FOR LIENS OX PERSONALTY. An Ac; to regulate ice Tees for fiiinsr. indexing and cert'fyingr chattel | mortgages, bii's of sale and otner in- j struments in the nature of liens on personal property, wnere tie amount secured is not mors than one hundred dollars. Scction 1. Ba it enacted bv the Gen n,.,l A?arv,Xi.T Af V.fl uai %j*J ut u'.iaic; u: kj^u.wii. Carolina: That en and after the sp . proval of this Act no greater fee than fifteen cents ?hail be charged or collected by any clerk of Court in ihis j State for filing, indexing and certiSying any biil of sale, chattel mortgage or other instrument in the nature of lien on personal, where the amount secured is net more than one hundred j dollars. Section 2 That all Acts cr parts o? j Acts inconsistent with this Ac; be and the same are hereby repealed. Approved the 11th day of February, I A D. 1898. TO AUTHORIZE F.'iES FERRIES. An Act to authorize and empower the county beards of commissioners of the several counties of this State to establish and maintain free ferries. Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina: That from and after the oassage of this Act the county boards of commissioners of the several counties of this State, or the officer or officers upon whom the same or similar duties may devolye, be and ara fluthilTiyar? anH pmnnwArcH j ^intly or separately, to establish and maintain such free ferries over the streams of this State, and to discontinue the same, as in their judgment may seem best. Approved the 19ih day of February, A. I>. 1898. STUDENTS FREE OF ROAD DUTY. An Act to exempt students of colleges from road duty or the payment of commutation tax intue towns and cities of this State. Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina: That from and after the approval of this Act all students attending the colleges of this State shall be exempt from road duty or the payment of any commutation tax in the towns and cities of this State where colleges are located. Approved the 19th day of February, A. D. 1898. TAXED TO DEATH. The Enormous Amounts Cuba Pays to Spanish Officials* There are some people who contend that the Cubans are entitled to little if any sympathy from the fact that they brought their trouble on them by rebelling against the Spaniards. Such people have never given the Cuban question much consideration, or they would not talk in that way. ' If a neople ever had just cause for rebell - xi i rt._i ' 1 J mg we peopie 01 vjuoa certainly nau. For the sake or argument we will eliminate their rights to rebel from a political standpoint and only consider it from a commercial and financial stand point. A glanca at the government and the manner of administering it will show what causi) the islanders have bad for revolting again and again, and whv people who hate oppression, the world over, are in sympathy witb them. The governorgeneral of the island is appointed by the King of Spain. This governor general has under him a large number of petty officers, whose chief duty is to draw large salaries from the public treasury. The Spanish Constitution binds th.9 government to establish and maintain the Roman Catholic Church at home and in the Colonies, and in Cuba there are two ecclesiastical divisions, the Archbishopric of Santiago and the Bishopric of Havana. Some iiea of what it costs Cubi to maintainthe parasites thai have for a long time been draining her life-blood (the Spanish civil, military and other functionaries set to misgovern and keep her in subjection), is furnished by salary items. The population of Caba is nnlv 1.632 000. but tbe governor general having in charge that small j population, which is only about one and a half times as many people as J there are in South Carolina, draws a salary of ?50,000, as much as ths President of the United States receives. Besides he has furnished a palace in Havana, and a summer house in the country, with servants, coaches, and a fund at his disposal for the employment of spies and pimpsis maintained at the expense of the Cuban people in a sort of regal dignity to which our Chief Magistrate is a stranger. Hera follows a list of salaries paid other civil cffisers, and of these appointed to military, naval and other crown positions; Director-General of the Treasury $1S,500 Archbhiship of Santiago IS,000 Bishop of Havana IS,000 Commander General of the Naval Station ] 10,392 The General who is secand in com maud m the island 15,000 The President of the Audiencia 15,000 Governor of Havana 8,000 Secretary of Ihe General Government 8,000 Postmaster General 5,000 Collector of the Havana Custom House 4,000 Manager of Lotteries 4,000 Chief clerks of Administration, first class 5,000 Chief clerks of Administration second class 4,000 Chief clerks of Administration, third class 3,000 Major Generals, each 7,500 Brigadier Generals, each 4,500 Brigadier Generals, each, when in command 5,000 Colonels, each, (salary is increased when in command 3,450 Captain3 of largest men-of-war, each 0,300 Captains of frigates, each 4,5G0 Lieutanants of the navy, first class each 3,370 Qnrvm /-\f tV.^ i form S3 r\{' Qnnnfl] AYnPTI* KJVSJJLL9 \SX A. vi. K<U^.btM* n diture help to bring into stronger light the financial burdens borne by this people for the purpose of keepiBg themselves enslaved. These are the figures for a year under ordinary conditions; how much more astounding must they be in time of war, if we ad mit that the islanders will eventually be made to pay : Interest on the Spanish national debt ? 10,500,000 Army and navy 7,UOO,GOO Civil list 4,000,000 Pensions to retired mili-ary and civil ofScers and their -widows 2,000,000 Departments cf Justice 1,000,000 Department of Finance 700,000 Even these figures mark an expenditure of $15 44 per capita, or S per sent of the entire currency per capita of tn* United States. Tne paternai eovercment makes# no appropriation to educate the masses. It would be harder than it has been to keep the n^onls in hondap-ft if annular education was provided for. la addition to the direct; exactions spoken or, the tarilT and other commercial laws passed by the Cortes 3re so framed as to benefit Spain, while they discourage industry and enterprise in Cuba ana prevent the full development of her great resources. In the face of these facts who can blame the Cubans for trying to throw oil the Spanish leeches ;vho ire bleeding them to death. ' " ? vat mm r saa? a caeaa = INTERESTING PARAGRAPHS Gv.h?r?;i Vtom Oar 12xciianR*? of tl? ] Past Vfteir. A coiorcd philosopher says>i is foolish to coum jour chickens before daybreak. ri-nnpral ftraViam. nnrr mantling: the department of the rulf, inspected ihe 'oris around Charleston Thursday. Men and horses are said to be in caoser of starvation in many a northern ilaine lumbercamp. This winter has been a hard one fcr them. A statement prepared at the Pension Office shows that more than $10,000,000 have been legally paid by pensioners to pension attorneys during the last | seven yearsj A Brooklyn man 83 years of age married a woman of 30 bf cause she could tie his cravat so nicely. K:s children are trying to have him adjudged insane. Ingratitude wcu'd be sharner than a repaired tooth at Moultria, Ga., if Confederate ve:erans there should forsake T)r Clnnka wnr? r ff-rs tn dnall dental work for the needy among them free. A well on Samibsl Island, Fla, which had alwajs been fresh water, changed to sulphur water a few weeks after a windmill had been built over it to utiiize the water for irrigating purposes. It is said that Birmingham, England, turns out five tons of hairpins every week- What a blow it would be to Birminham i* tho women should a'l take a notion to shingle their neads! Spencer Barnes, a negro, living three miles from Edgefield, was sbot from ambush Thursday nigfct. He was shot in the lungs and very dangerously wounded. No parties implicated as jet. A St. Louis judge recently decided that a man's wife can dance at a public bali as long as she wishes, and with whom she chooses, and fined her .*A." 1 A sensitive iiiuuauu vlv auu ?\JX kicking up a row over it When two friends were wrestling at Shelbyville, Ind., one of them was burned on the chin by a cigar which the other was smoking Blood poisoning set m, and it is said that there is no hope for the burned man's recovery. The tribe of. 300 Indians located along the Tanana river, in Alaska, have been battling with starvation the last winter. It is reported that they have eaten all their dogs. A relief expedition has been sent with food from Seattle. The Adjutant Ganeral of the Army has issued an order that the new regiment of artillery shall bs composed exclusively of the unmarried men, the War Department officials having concluded that married men are not the best fighters. The London Times is authority for the statement that the monev spent for liquor last year m Ecgiand amounted to $19 for every man, woman and child in the country. Geewhitaker, but what a paying institution the dispensary would be over tf'ere! In summing up the good he had done during a revival meeting, an 41 winiefav ooirl TTlPPfc ing was greatly blessed; besides, running' whiskey out of the town, we converted seven real estate agents, who are now regular attendants at church A walnut tree in Letcher County, Ky., which has been sold for $400, is nearly 16 feet in circumference, and runs up 90 foet to the first limb. It will cost over $1000 to get the wood to the nearest :rrilroad, but it is expected that $15,000 worth of furniture will be made from if. The cleric-militant was uppermots in a parson of Kokomo, Ind., when a mortgage collector called on him, and he used a club so vigorouly that he was hauled to court, and, after pleading guilty of assault, he found himself obliged to stand trial on a charge of using profanity. New Orleans streets are ao accom modatiagly named that, according to a veracious chronicler a tram-car conductor was enabled recently to put off a time killer at Pleasant street, a blowhard at Brazg, a hurry fiend at Short, a bore at Chestnut, and a negro at Blackberry street. Signor Lugi Capucci, an Kalian architect, who his just returned from a long captivity in Abyssinia, says that Menelek is little better thin a savage, and, not withstanding the favorable reports which, have been circulated, neither he nor his subject have the slightest desire for civilization. A Boston man who refuses to accept the modern process of photogra_ ? i. pay ixs&zL luipruvcxuioiiti, iaoijuj. hsmuj daguerreotypes, as he has bean doing for the last 50 years. He says that they remain the most correct likenesses yet produced, and he does business of sufficient volume to warrant his sticking to his hobby. A German military crtiic says if we could have all the armies of the continent on a war footing and drawn up in one Jong precession, with their guns and ammunition and baggage weapons, the column would be more than 21,000 miles long and marching day and night it would take a year to pass a given point. Patrick Ford, of Lincoln, Neb., was convicted of burglary two years ago ana escaped from prison. Through ! his father In filed an application to Governor Holcomb for pardon on the ground that he enlisted in the navy, was assigned to duty on the Maine, and was one of the crew of that illfated ship who escaped death in the great catastrophe. When a certain general was camping on the lower Mississippi, nis negro boy, Harry, was one day asked by a friend whether the general was not terribly annoyed by mosquitoes 'No sah!" said Harry; "in the eveoin' Mars' George is so toxicated he don't mind the skeeters, c.jd in the mornin' the skeeters is so toxicated they don't mind Mars' George." A railroad man of Portland, Or., is authority for the storv that twentyfive tramps organized - meeting in a bcx car in the suburb of thai city and after animated discussion, dotted with patriotic declamations resolved with co-rTr'cps as snldifirs UUti wi U bV WUVA4. MWA ? I WM in the event of war with Spain, and, further, to endeavor to get all tramps in the country to do likewise. Captain W. H. Harrison, chief cic-rk' in the Georgia State Comptroller General's oilic?, "wants to hold an election in every cDunty in January of each year for the purpose of deciding Dy billot who is the meanest man. The man receiving the highest number o? votes is to be hanged, and as there are 137 counties in Georgia, the state would get rid of 137 of its *orst characters every year. Oa last Saturday, about noon, a three year old ciaild cf Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Welborn, who live about five miles northeast of Ciajton, Ga., was playing in a corn crib alone, found a ^ ? -- 1 ? ?V? > ? T r 4 co-ue camamxijg iiuuui/ yuo .u&ii y;ub of whiskey which it drank and died from the effects of it the following mcrniDg. The parents are griefit.*:cken, and the circusjsianees under wbi;h it d:ed mskosit vprjsid irde?d. V G-.T= :N.a READY FOP. WAR. Th? War FeeliSR at ifco CaptinI Qrotra More Intecss Each Hoar. Dispatches from Washington say that the Administration gave every sign Monday o? girdingup its loins for tbe fray that now seems inevitable between thLs.country and SpainBat little aifempt is now made to Alannlca iba ??pa7 aitiiatfrvn T>1rf?r? thf> most srderit peace advocates cow graveiey wsg their heads and declare they do not see how trouble can be averLea. Every effort by the so-called conservatives who have steadfastly endeavored to maie of the Maine disaster and the Cuban question a diplomatic and commercial issue has proven i utile. All schemes providing for hardliner of the country's honor in the spirit of "forbearance" have fallen to the ground. For that reason there will be no adjournment of Confess before the pending difficulty is adjusted. If there was any doubt iu the President's mind as to how Congress feels tbat doubt was removed during the last forty-eight hours, when delegation after delegation of Congressmen called at the White House and informed President McKinley that unless the Maine and Cuban questions are settled 1 J iT_ ri. 1J U vigorously aiiu pruuipuy, it wouiu uc useless for a Republican Representative to be returned to the next Congress. President McKinley arsired these gentlemen that all the reports as to the weakening of the Administration were groundless; that there would be no retreat from the firm position taken, and that the Republican Representatives need not fear for their political lives on that scsre. Ron; eke aping. If a woman is in good health, there is no more healthful employment than housework. Generally speaking, there is no happier woman in the world. But how different whtn every breath is p&iD, every step torture! This state of health, in nine cases out of tea comes from derangements of the delicate, feminine organs of generation. The family doctor -requires first concsroing these. He most usually insists upon an "examination." From this the modest woman naturally shrinks. She is right. Except in very unusual cases of "female weakness" examinations are unnecessary. Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription is a simple, natural remedy for these ills. It cures safely, permanently. Send 21 one-cent stamps to cover cost of mailing only, and receive free a copy of Dr. Pierce's 3?edical Adviser. Address, World's Dispensary Me *".cal Association, Buffalo, N. Y. As It Should Be. United States soldiers at St. Augustine, Fla., last Thursday joined the sailors of the British warship Cardelia in the ceremonies attending the burial of J. McCormac, a seaman who died aboard the ship. When the death of McCormac was made known to CoL Rawies, in command of St. Francis barracks, he immediately sent word to Captain Bourke, of the Cordelia, that a grave would be set aside for the interment in the national cemetery and that he would be pleased to detail the First United States artillery band and a squad of company B. Fifth United States infantry, to attend the funeialas a mark of respect. The offer was graciously accepted by Captain Bourke, and ceremonies were carried out on that line. A New Game Law.?The Columbia Register says book agents may be killed from Octobsr 1 to September 1: Spring poets from Maich 1 to June 1; scandal mongers April 1 to February 1 T 71 _ * A i -i; umDrena ourruwers .august J. to November 1; and from February 1 to May 1, while every man who accepts ; a papdr six months but when his bill is presented says, 4'I never ordered it," may be killed on sight witnoui | reserve or relief from or appraisement 'laws and buried face downward, without benefit of clergy. The Mockisg Bird.?Few persons in the South are aware of the fact that the mocking bird is found only in the South. Mason and Dixon's line is the northern boundary line of its home, and it is seen in the north only in cap tivity. It is by far the sweetest singer gt the feathered tribe. Switzerland may rejoice in the tuneful linnets, la belle France glory in her soft-throated orioles, the Mediterranean isles exult in their liquid voiced songsters, but our Southia~ J ?i:els them all in the possession of the heaven-voiced mocking bird. Stick to Home People?Every thing done to advance home talent, encourage home industry or forward home enterprise acts with a reflex benefit upon the community and every individual embraced in the radius of this limit is more or less benefited by it. If we would build up our town let us invest our money here. Our merchants are up to date in every ' thing. Give your patronage to tfc&n and they will respond to your demands be ih?y ever so fastidious or .Extravagant. Encourage espscialj.y the merchants who advertise in your county paper. Judge John Wj cliff, chief justice of t to supreme court of the Cherokee nation, is languishing in jail at Vinita, I. T., on the charge of cattle stealing. Justice Wycliff is a fullblooded Cherokee. ||jl| I --.a^ w jl A Desperate Woman. * 9^1 Experts in insanity tell j us that when anyone goes1? insane, frequently their whole nature i? "reversed. Thev do and say exactly the opposite things to what they would do in their sane minds. A mother whose mind breaks down under extreme nervous tension may turn upon the one object in all the world most precious to her?her baby. The terrible nervous tension under which many women live and suffer because of some weakness or disease of their sex, keeps them on the very verge of insanity. C*4*V4 ill UfJUiA U1C WUUiplicated and delicate <v : i<m affects the whole nervous system au<i works upon the brain with an almost irresistible madness. Thousands of suffering women have been literally saved from the insar. a-vlum by the timely influence of Dr. PierctFavorite Prescription. It is the one perfect ^nd positive specific for every deranjremenl of woman's special orgariis'm. It is a scientific and permanent cure for tl:o?e severe, chronic, complicated cases which doctors recallv consider Iiops k?s. _ It is t!it only medicine of its kind devised by an educated and skilled physician. Mrs. Sarah K. RnH?. of Dayton. Cass Co.. Mo., in a letter to Dr. Pierce, writes: " It was in the winter of SS90 that my sufferings commenced. It was close to my time of confinement. I took the prrip. and that with- the labor pains all went to tav head. I suffered dreadfully, and when I jjave tirth to my little boy I kept getting worse. I doctored but nothing did me any Rood. I had nervous spasms aad'was delirious ?Oh. no tongue ?n express my sufferings. I was advised by a lady to try your medicine and I did. I got one bottle of the ' Favorite Prescription' and one of 1 the "Golden Medical Discovery." I had taken cwo-tmras o: ins meaicme wnra u rocimracra its work. I began to feel better, and still continued {jetting better. In a short time I felt like another woman. I stained strength and flesh. *1 am now forty-one years of age. This is true, a^d it was your medicine that saved my life." Dr. Pierce's icco-page illustrated boob, "The People's ?.Iedica! Adviser" sent, paperbound. free for the cost of mailing only, 21 one-cent stamps: or. cloth-bound 31 stamps. Address Dr. K. V. Pierce, Buffalo, N. Y. | Hlltcn's Iodoform Liniment is the "nee plu- '1 ultra" of all such preparations in re- > moving soreness, and quickly healing fresh cuts and wounds, no matter how bad. It will promptly heal old sores of long standing. Will kill the poison from "'Poison Ivy" or "Poison Oak" and cure "Dew Poison." "Will - ? f __a counteract tne poison irom cites 01 snakes and stings of insects. It is a sure cure for sore throat . Will cure aiy case of sore mouth, and is a superior remedy for all pains and aches. Sold by druggists and dealers 25 cents a bottle. After a close study of the. spring habits of the summer girl, the Atchison. Kan,, Globe, makes the following tearse observation: "When a girl wants to go anywhere for the summer she c Dmmences in January to say that she wants to go, in February that she ougnt to be allowed to go, in March that she is going, and in April she begins to get her shirt waists ready." A Happy Home Is increased ten-fold by good Musie. Make the most of life by procuring a good PIAJSO OR O'RGrAli . * i \ . .. Music has a refining influence, and keeps your children at home. tiS MEMBER ?ou only invest omce in a life-time, provid ed you select a good Instrument: I CHALLENGE 1 ; . .. Any house in /merica to beat my prices. quality and responsibility considered. TERMS. To those not prepared to pay cash, I will give reasonable time, at a slight difference Warranty,1 I fully guarantee my Instruments sold as ^ represented. DON'T FAIL To write for prices and term3, and for illas trated catalogues. YOURS FOR PIANOS AND OEG ANS Ml A. MALONE, l 1509 MAEST STREET, COLUMBIA, 8. C., i THI THOMAS I* the most complete sy*:em nt elevating handling, cleaning and pacsin* cotton* Improves staple, saves labor,'makes yon money. Write for catalogues, no otter equals it. I handle the most Improved COTTON GINS, ~ ^ MKSSSS, XLXVATOBS, ENGINES S AND BCILJtbP' so oe round on the market. Mo Tiw P<um S?9 mil l< <n Ml wiftVwui M3?uu oan nm Aof ?ji ! simplicity and efficiency, a wonder. [CORK MILLS, TLANEBS, GANG 2DGX&Sand all -wood working machinery. flfrf^ rJDDBLL AND TALBOTT RN?ltfKg^F^ are fiie best, Write to me before buying? V. O. Ba&pt&m, 16?*]? aotmfin.A. s. o. J. ill /row tfaief Direct to Purchaser, jfi iTiilirS ^*vuu g I Matimshek i ' ^ ?.e always Good, ai-sr&ya Billable, 8 j?\' H.:vcaya ^atisf.-ictory, always Last- 2MS -***- rm Yoq take no ffb*oce?ijQ buy- afil '& *ts ?* ?? >5? It costs Bomevca: more than a ot? <pv ?Kcap, poor piano, but if, much tije SJtB .??*? r>~op*xt ic tbe ?:n<J. jgi Nootber Hleb Grai^ Piano sold so SjS 3s?- -ir^iouaoie. factory prices 10retail S? QQ luci Kasv payment.* Wtrtte*?? >hJ LJ UNDOES* A. BATES, J? ??? ?***> f?1*v Address: D. A. PSESSLEY, Agent COLUMBIA, 8. C. I HILTON'S M m Lira FOE THE LIVER AND^EgA flH KIDNEYS, as Its name imparts, I H Is a stimilator and regulator to^^^^? SK ttase organs. 1st tie best after I gm meals medicine to aid digestion HR Dj Prevents Headaches. Cares Mil ^ Billioasnefs* Acts on tbe Kid- K 21 n?ys,withia Thirty minutes after Hf1 taking, relieving aches in tbejR 9H back from disorder of tbes eor-HB BH gans. Believes alJ stomach H troubles. Is entirely vegetable, H 250, 10: and fl 0) a bottle. Sold tm s&Se l y dealers generally, and b? Tbe H ?_ Columbia, ?.?7 3 old fcy n gfi*i?]]y sid ty THE MURRAY DRUG CO.. COLUMBIA. 8 O jpjjr wg uwnn *- a // n A AlCUti, Oa. Actcil baslnaa. ITotext W M? Hurt tus*. Obttp board. S??d for MUl^w.