The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, May 26, 1887, Image 1
Iw- r7 ".jr
a --
A ... .
V XS
SOME DARK TEAClIINGS,
A PLANTATION NIGT SCHOOL FOR
NEGROES BEFORtE TUE IVAR.
Some Entertining Itucollections of the
Tim,es Before the Civil Var.
(From Now York Commorolal Advertiser.)
Ap is well known, it was held to be
against good policy in the South, in the
old days, that the slaves should be taught
to read. To teach them was, in fact,
prohibited by law in most of the States.
It would bo an error to suppose, how
ever, that none of thorn were so taught.
For the master of the plantation was, in
many ways, an absolute monarch-every
farm a sort of kingdom-and these
potentates chose to judge for themselves
how strict should be their obedience to
general laws, how far they would allow
0 themselves to be controlled by the Legis
lature in the internal economy of their
little principalities.
Southern planters were in the habit of
having such of their slaves taught to
road as they chose-law or no law. I,
myself, at the age of twelve, was princi
pal of a school consisting of half a dozen
of mine and others' slaves; and some ac
count of my methods may interest the
teachers, professors and other literati of
our day.
The object of the school was the high
est possible. Indeed, it was not a
school, nor even a college; it was a theo
logical seminary. All my pupils were
preparing for the ministry.
To this day I remember with pride
how thoroughly unsectarian was my in
struction. I made no eflort to bull those
slaves into accepting my dogmas, as
proof of which I offer the fact that
- whereas I was then, as now, a sturdy
upholder f Episcopalianism, every one
of my graduates turned Baptist.
I held my school in the kitchen after
supper. My pupils sat in a row on a
bench, one of thteir number holding
aloft a spluttering torch of fat pine. -It
gave a strong if unsteady light; but was
subject to this drawback: Being held
near the head of whosoever happened t
be reading, it is more than probable that
by overheating one lobe of the brain the
symmetrical development of that organ
was marred.
That, however, did not much disturb
us, seeing that neithi r they nor I were
aware that we carried lob. of any kind
concealed about our persons.
4rom time to time, too, as the torch
was passed up and down the line, drops of
burning tar fell upon the hands, arms
and necks of my students, diverting
their attention, nay, causing them at
times to dance up and down the hoer.
Even so, a philosopher looking on might
have dimly perceived how fairly good
and ill are distributed, on the whole, in
this best of all possible worlds, for the
cook and her scullion, seeing these
young theologians capering and suching
the pitch from their rugged fists, gave
forth peal after peal of free and jo ous
laughter, so that things averaged up:
pretty well, after all.
This was not a free seminary--far
from it. My patrons were drawn from
among the most substantial citizens on
the plantation. They were able to pay
and I made them pay. No student of
divinity could keep a seat on that bench
without bringing me at the close of aach
month a dozen new laid eggs, worth, at
that time, 123 cents; so that eight
months' tuition cost exactly $1. Prel-ay
ing was not insisted on. Yet I cannot
call th lt on this account 1 was ever the
loser by even an egg. As I myself
raised chickens, I was very glad, too,
when hens were dilatory in their lay ing,
to lot an account run over and rceive at
the close of two months a young i ' ilet.
My wages were sweet-laugh n a ye
professors pulfled up with fat salaries, ye
school principals rolling in luxury !
My discipline was that of those be
nighted days. The rod then prevailed
th roughout the length and breadth of
the lanid, nor do I believe my class
would have valued my instruction at an
egg shell, even had 1 abolished it. But
such a thought could not have occurred
to a lad who had not thought it strange
wllen his own teacher, havmng asked him
if he was ready with his Virgil, and lie
replied, "not yet," had received three
floggings. The first for not knowing the
Virgil, the two following (with intervals
of rest for tho teachor) for not crying.
So they stumbled along through their
tasks, I kept up the circulation in their
backs and shoulders. Neither they nor
I would have heard without astonish
mont that there was any other way of
stimulating diligence or quickening" the
brain. I suppose, however, that my
thrashings could not have beeni very
severe, for I rememnber that they were
the occasion of greit hilarity. This was
especially the case when it camne to thme.
turn of Joe Nelson to recite. Joe was a
famous stutterer, lie wias my youngest
pupil, a broad shouldered carpenter, 20)
years of age. Hie was exceedingly con
ccited and not a little vain-conceited as
to his intellectual gifts and vain of his
fascinations with the plantation damsels.
These qualities, howvevr, did not preC
vent him from being a thoroughly good
fellow, and lie and Ii were devoted
friends as long as he lived. But my
affection for him did not save his hack
from one single stroke of the peach tree
shoot upon which I tightened my grasp
as soon as he opened firo. My a a
not to wait till the lel of a wayio as
then mete out the su tota ofiieic
castigation. In my seminary justice did
not linm.. At every trip there came a
rap. Iumishmnent trod upon the hoech
of error.
What made it specially hardon)01
Joe was that I could not soe m' way o
allowing him to sttertrug8 wa
I tough tmydt to encourage
him to discard this habit.'- I am afrmid 1
erred, but I moant well; at any rate a
livelier theological school never adorned
the earth.
.A. number of my students became
.ministers in good standling. Soma of
their views on mere morals, it is true,
were at variance with those commonly
professed by us of the Caucasian race,
but I trust this will iiot be laid at my
door. For neither Xenophon nor Plato
would ever allow the sins of Alcibiades
tbe tracnd to the tacngsm of$o.a
Then, too, it must be remembered to my
credit that they were ever found with
their faces set as flint when there was
question as to the fundamental tenets of
the theology of their day. No one shall
ever say that Gilbert ranked dancing
other than as an unpardonable sin, or
that Isaao ever held out hope of eternal
wealth to the abandoned wretch who
found comfort in whistling a jig or pat
ting Juba, that rhythmic memory of
Africa's sunny strand.
Poor Joe never entered the ministry.
He built houses instead. My father set
him free before the war. At the close
of that struggle he was not long in feel
ing that hi9 genius did not find suilicient
scope in fitting joists and nailing on
shingles, lie became a candidate for
the Legislature, but before ho could
know the joys of victory or the pangs of
defeat he died. I hid not soon him for
years, but I feel that the world is not
quito so bright for me as it would be
were this old friend of my youth still
among men. To the last, even after I
was a man, he said that in his opinion
he was my equal in natural capacity, and
I am the last man in the world to dis
pute the proposition or to bear him a
grudge for maintaining it. That he was
not lacking in the instinct of historical
criticim the following story will show:
One day, years after he had been my
pupil, as I sat reading in our library,
Joe entered and asked me to lend him a
book.
"What kind of a book do you want,
Joe?"
"W'ell, M-m-m-marse Jack, I've been
a thinkin' I should 1-1-like to read a his
tory book."
"All right!" and I began running m
eyes along the shelves. Hume's, Ma
caulay's Gibbon's, ltollin's, would they
suit Joe? Just then my eyes fell upon
a large illustrated edition of "Robinson
Crusoe." I handed it to him with a steady
hand and unblushing countenance.
He took it with many thanks and do
parted. A month or so afterward he
dropped in again.
"Marso J-J-Jack, ain't histories a kind
of book what tells the truth."
I could not help smiling at the sim
plicity of the question. I then explained
to him, as best I could, that histories
wore often full of untruths touching
things which had happened, while fiction
was often equally full of truths as to
events that had never occurred. Robin
son Crusoe, I explaned, was fiction, but
a man so situated would have worn goat
skin trousers, talked to his parrot, or
shot any cannibals that might have en
deavored to roast and devour him. As
I went on explaining a brighter and
brighter light came into honest Joe's
eyes, and at last he exclaimed: "Well, I
kep' readin' and readin' and studyin' and
studyin', and at last I began to sort o'
mistrust that some o' them things warn't
true."
E.1LTII4 (UAKES At COMMON.
WVo Iave Always hnd Them and May E"x
l),ect Many Mlore.
(Froni the New York Tribune.)
An educator who has given much
dudy to earthquakes and volcanoes is
Professor John K. 1 ces, of Columbia
ollego. IIe is a stoutly built man of
perhaps thirty-live, with a round and
3hubby face, a black mustache and more
the air of a busine;.s man than a student.
.'alking with me in the Lincoln National
13ank the other day, he remarked that in
i long series of years each section of the
country was visited by about the same
average number of earthquake shocks.
"The reason any now shock appears
phenomenal is because the people forget
the former ones," said the professor.
"We have kept records of shocks in
New England and the Middle States, and
lind that they come year in and year out
with about the same regularity. The
shock that are b)einig rep)orted from the
wvest appear p)henomenial to the p)eople
out there because they have no records
back of a period of forty or fifty years,
and within that period have forgotten
occurrences of the same kind or have
failed to record them. If some old miner
is alive whose memory runs back of fifty
years he can tell them. As to the vol
canie p)honomenoni in Arizona I have no
knowledge except from the newspapers.
The evidences of old volcanic eruptions
exist all along the mountaiin ranges in
Arizoiia, New Mexico, Utah and Nevada
up to Oregon. I believe they are most
numerous in Ncyadro."
When asked what the relative effect
would be on New York city of a shock
like that experienced by Charleston,
Professor Rees rep)lied in substance: ".In
loss of life and property I shiouhld ay
the disaster would( be a hundred fold
greater. There is so much more p)rop
erty andl so many more people in a small
comp)ass mn this city that the results
would be greater in p)roportion. Build
ings in this city are run up to enormous
heights, with great sheet iron facings.
Th'le streets, especially in the lower pa~rt
of the city, dulrin g the day time, are
crowded with people, and the falling of
these decorative p)arts of structures
would be exceedingly disastrous to life
and limb. The fact that New York
bumildinig is mostly done on rock [ounda
tion aind that nearl y all the great struc
tures are put together withi Portland
ement instead of mortar might save the
dlestructionl of mucmh valuable property,
but all thme cheaply builtstructures would(
suffer. Th use of P ortlnd cement has
madlo b)uildings so solid that they can
only be torn (down b)y thme use of eixplo
sives. Even in such structures an earth
quiake like that at Charleston would
break the window caps and lintels, and
prove very destructive."
The Iunderstaindinmg of people in gener
al is that Rumssia, heaid over heels in
dlebt, hinds it dlilleilt to raise money to
keep the wheels of governmient moving.
"'lo history of the mocst recent attemp~t
at St. Fotersur~g to raise money dis
proves this and indicates quito a diller
ent state of facts, It was ht first pro
posed that the new populam loani should
b)e about t$30,00,000I. Subscri >tions
were call for, and on the 12th uit. it was
announced that temn times the sum re
quired had been oil'ered. 'Thmreo days
later (dispatches from St. Petersburg
stated that tihe enormous sum of $1,200),
0,00 had been offered1, and that the
g ornment would take only $60,000,
0im0u ItI oth of being noted that
a warlike nature are hiarr1 and that aso
warifeeling ntn1 Provouael, existing is
FARM TOPICS FOR TINE MONTH.
SuggestIons to Farmors who Wish to Make
Farming P'rotltable.
A distinguished poet has made a cer
tain young lady quito famous by having
her on a particular occasion to sing:
"If you're waking, call mo early, call me
early, mother dear;
For I'm to be Queen o' May, mother,
I'm to be Queen o' the May."
There is not much poetry, and even
loss romance, about it; but all the same
the farmer has to be called early and to
stay lato at his farm work for the next
three months if he has any hope or ex
pectation of succeeding at his calling.
.We know of no task-master more exact
ing and uncompromising than the aver
age cotton and corn crop. Worked prop
erly and tho husbaudman will reap his
reward just as long as the rainbow bangs
in the heavens or the promiso of seed
time and harvest remain; mismanaggd
and poorly executed work, and disap
pointment and failure are suro to follow.
Early and properly executed work on
the crop, to many people, seems, as far
as all outward appearances go, as being
quite simple and easy, and they put this
down as one of things about farm life
that they are very familiar with, and that
they thoroughly understand.
When to strike, how to strike, and
where to strike is the veni, vidi, vici of
the farmer, and in our judgment it is the
keystone to success or of failure; it is
the dividing line between the clodhopper
and the intelligent farmer. You may
well call this month the middle station
in the year's work. The crops are all
planted and cultivation is about to begin
if the preparation and planting has been
thoroughly done; then the most trouble
some half of making a crop is over with.
The army is in the field; the ammuni
nition is all distributed; the guns are
unlimbered, and if the General handles
the troops advantageously victory is as
sured; if he does not, General Green
will possess the land; ho will come, he
will see, and he will conquer.
Suppose you were to see a so-called
planter giving one of his tenants a pack
age of calomel, opium, quinine and a
lancet-the four great agents in physic
telling him at the same time to go down
and see what he could do for a sick
neighbor; if the sick man died, would
you say the medicine failed?
We see, year by year, owners of the
soil giving men they call tenants land,
mules, ploughs, guano, tools and seeds,
and saying go down into my farm or
plantltion, and when I come again have
my rent ready.
When you consider this matter in
all seriousness and candor, are you sur
prisecd that the patient-the land-is
killed, and this false tenantry system has
ruined thousands and thousands of acres
of Southern land?
A man who proposed to go to a dis
tant State to oversee v ent to Mr. Dick
son and asked for a receipt to farm, He
replied: "It is hard to transfer kniowl
edge, and much harder to transfer art
and judgment; my plan is to follow the
laws thut govern the universe. Plants
a d animals, when assisted with art and
judgment. never will fail. This is the
science of agriculture. Study bad prac
tice as well as good, and learn of the
latter the errors, that you may avoid
them. liead hooks until you become
so perfect in theory and in the use of
tools and manure that you will have
confidnceo and the nerve to act and act
at once-not lose time running about to
your neighbors to see when to do a thing
and how to do it. )o not allow frost or
wet or dry weather to cause you to
doubt or dally. Fortify yourself with
books before you begin; such books as
will teach you everything necessary to
your success, and do not forget that you
can learn something from almost every
profession. Book farming means for
the farmer just what book learning does
for the lawyer, merchant or physician.
You must readl and study, not only agri
cultural books, but all books that will
apply in any way to that p)rofession.
You need the knowledge of a general to
enable you to discipline your laborers to
conmo to time, to move all at once, to
know when to charge and when to re
treat. You need the knowledge of a
banker, when your money is made to
know how to invest it. You want the
knowledge of a bookkeeper, that you
may keep your accounts correctly. In
this many farmers fail; they fool them
selves, not knowing how to keep debtor
and creditor accounts, get in debt and
become bankrupts before they are aware
of it. You must have sonmc knowledge
of mechanics and nmachinery in order to
use them. If the farmer is ignorant,
how can lie instruct the laborer? You
shoul have even a sullicient knowledge
of law to know how to keep out of the
courts. You should have some knowl
edge of commere and trade, for you
have to buy and sell,
"'How is all this to be acquired? H3y
reading and hard study, and1 making an
application of the knowledge acqluired.
Knowledge is power in agriculture as
well as other things. And how are you
to get knowledge? Only by reading,
study and ap)plicationi. WVith knowledge
you can use the hand es well as the
tongue mocre eUfectively.
'"'The three great essentials are: First.
The theory (true plan) of farming.
Second. The~ am t of controling labor and
executing all work to the best advantage
with least labor. Thirdl. Last and best,
success dIepend(s on a quick percepition,
wise juidgmont that seldom or never errs.
Ilow is th is to be acquired, exceplt by
use of books in conjunction with prac
tice?
"Ini conclusion, to suceed1 you not
only must he sup)erior to your lborers,
butt you must he so far ah eaid of them
that they shall know that your plants are
wise, easy to mut int practice and certain
of success. '1lhen they will follow yout
in a charge, ais good soldiers will the 1best
of (Generad. The laborer must have coni
fidence in thte man who( direts. Ilow
are all these quiali fications secured?
'2Trough books, hard s tutdy, ob)ser, ation
and practice." I). I. !)excAs.
Is not always inuiate or horn with
thtem, but many instances are knownm
where it has been acquired by the per
sistentt and judicious use of D)r. llarter's
troun Tonic.
If a ra or', after ex posure to the (co1d, he)(
placedt und zer a mnagnifyinug glass, the edge
seetms like a saw. D)ippintg it In hot wateri
Sthrows the tctile particles back into place,
anid makes the edge smnootht
SWORN TO LAY A GIOST.
TIE LOVE LANE SPOOK AGAIN
MAKES ITS A1'I'EAltANCE.
Tho Uncanny liabitue of a Cemetery Who
Once Macdo an Aged i arkey Fidullo for a
Devil's Dance Comcs Forth and Scares
folkM.
(Frotm the Now York Star.)
Once again spooks have made their
debut in Lovo Lane, and the suporsti
tious citizens, particuhrly thoso of the
colorado maduro brand, who reside
within the bailiwicks of Now Utrecht
and West Flatbush, L. I., near the
southwestern border of Greenwood
Cemetery, and who are compelled to
pass that marble city after dark, never
consider themselves in full dress unless
they have a pocketful of brick or wear
carbines with flues lilo water mains.
If thg neighboring darkeys are to be
believed, the spook can only be seen at
midnight. At a recent meeting of the
New Utretch Watermelon Coterie, Pan
try and Vestry, held near Farmer Ber
ry's chicken preserve, eight of the mem
bers testified that they had timed the
spectre by their watches. One of the
secretaries, who is assistant organist and
plays the chimes in the local colored
church, and whose word is fully as good
as his bpnd, said that he was the only
man in the club whose watch was fit for
anything but a tobacco box, as it was the
only one that contained any intestines,
but that the others had the time of the
appearance of the spook down fine, le
was with the others when they saw the
spirit, and they all got so frightened that
his watch stopped. lie said that he was
the first man home that night, as the
others forgot where they lived.
It is a diflicult task to mako the aver
age colored citizen of the King's county
towns believe that the present spook is
not the same that is said to have appear
ed to the oldest of them in their younger
days. Love Lane, which borders the
Greeinwoq feuce, has a legend to this
effect: Long, long ago an aged darkey,
who had been performing as an execu
tive orchestra at a husking bee in Gowa
nus, was returning home during the dis
mal hours of the morning. ie had
nearly reached the old toll gate, when
Satan climbed over the fence or through
it, and compelled the aged fiddler to
play for him. The orchestra turned
pale inch by inch, and his hair visibly
unkinked, until his hat looked as if it
were built on stilts, but still he was com
pelled to scrape away for dear life.
When his Satanic majesty had his savago
breast sufficiently soothed he wound up
the matinee by dancing a breakdown,
and, dashing his hoof against a near by
bowlder, disappeared in a spiral cloud
of sulphurous smoke.
The stone is there yet, and the hoof
print is still an awe-inspiring sight to
the children and many of the older peo
plc of the towns. The weird and hair
erecting stone is shunned after dark, and
there are many who will tell you that
his Majesty holds picnics there at about
this season every year. lie never ap
pears in winter or summer, probably
because of his aversion to extreme cold
or diluted heat. It is a shuddery spot,
to say the least.
Within the i,ast few weeks the spook
has reappeared on the scene of its old
time orgies, and has been seen by several
citizens whose words can be relied ; pon,
although they take no stock in the super
natural. A well known res..tont of the
Eighth ward, whose place of business is
near the Fifth aveni' a entrance to
Greenwood, saw the rision one night
last week, lie was driving p)ast the
Fort l[amilton avenue eoutrance to the
cemetery when the spetre showed up,
causing is horse to shy. The spook
appeared to come directly through the
fence, in which there was no opening.
It passed~ immediately in front of the
horse, which suddenly stop)ped and re
fused to budge. Th le gentleman risked
a shot at it. Thev discharge was greeted
with a hollow, chuckling laugh, and the
gentleman started his horse on a dead
run toward home, lie says that the
figure or whatever it might have been
had a dark cloak on and wore horns.
William Pye, who was formerly a
sW:huider uinder the old fashioned
track sheds in the gin and tansy days of
the turf, but who is now a junk niumis
matist through the country towns, is
emp)hatic in his assertion that lhe has
seen the spook on several occasions. lie
remiembers the old legend of Love Lane,
and says lie can birinig scores of citizenis
wvho have since indulged in involuntary
atroductionas to his slpooksmhip. Numor
ous other residents of the neighborhood
are willing to testify to a like encounter,
A resident of Windsor terrace in West
Flatbush also saw the "thing," and says
that it was garbed in black, wore horns
and had hoofs, lie says that he was re
turning home the other nighi, anad wheni
near the "Doevil's Stone'' the vision apI
peared to rise up out of the groundl im
mnediately in front of him,
"'1 was almost reared to dleathi," lie
satid, 'buit lutcking til courage I threw
a stone at it. TIhe stonio went clear
through it and I could see the hole it
made."
Tis~ last assertion may be bomething
of an exaggerationi due1 to frighit as the
genitlemani admits he was sr scared that
ijo lost lhis hat and was in iuch a hurry
that lie didii't stop to piek it up.,
A South Birooky ni flori,'t whose busi
ness itnterests in the0 cemetery will not
p)ermnit of his name being tisedu said:
"'There's something strange on the
other cnd of the cemetery, butt I can't
exp)lami it. ['ve seeni it myself, andl so
have a number of my friends, I think
l)Ossilly it 1s somebChOdy who is endeavor
ing to Play a prank on the weaLk-mninded.
A pat ty of ius are goinig to solve the mat
ter some night this week, and we expect
somet funz. If it is a spirit it will standi(
no chance with us as we are used to1
sp)irfis. Yes, 1Inhave heard of the D)evil's
Stode anid thme legion connected with it.
Who hasn't? We always let the stonme
have the road all to itself after (lark
when I was a boy."
Lively times are ahead for the spook
wheni the party, which will 1)e composed
of a number of Eighth ward politicians
andu busimess men,. make the proposed
raid somce night this week.
Many of the dressy ew hats and bon
nets are trimmed entirely with ribbon,
BILL ARP TALKS.
IIIs Views on Slavery--Judge Iliran
Warner.
(From the Now York Tribune.)
A quaint and pleasant talker of the old
school in Major Smith-"BiU Arp"-of
Atlanta, Ga., who was hero the other
day to deliver a lecture. The Major was
a slavoholder in his youngor days, hav
ing received three families of negroes,
some twelve persons in all, as the wed
ding portion of his wife. In talking
about the slave question, ho said: "This
talk that the South lobt $400,000,000 b
the emancipation proclamation is all
nonsense. I am prepared to show that
the South did not lose a dollar. In all
my oxperience as a slave-owner, if I
ever made a dollar by their labor I do
not know it.. Wo got their labor in cx
chango for their food and their clothing,
the rearing of the young and caring for
the old. We got their labor for the same
price now without having the burden of
responsibil'ty for the young and the
aged.id the sick. We used to pay their
doctors' bills; now they pay their own.
The difference is already seen from the
fact that many men are accumulating
wealth through the employment of ne
groes who never got ahead a dollar in
the slave days, although they wore own
ers of many slaves."
In chatting about Northern men
Major Smith remarked that many North
ern men had gone into the South to
make their homes there during the
slavery period who attained distinction.
Among others ho cited Judge Hliram
Warner, a native of Vermont, who oc
cupied the highest judicial position in
the State of Georgia on the bench of
the Supreme Court for thirty-seven
years. "It is a curious phase of human
nature," said Major Smith, "that as old
age comes creeping on the incidents and
scenes of boyhood come impressively to
the mind. It was so with Judge War
nor. I remember talking with him in
his old days, when ho told me he was
going to Vermont to see again the green
hills and the wooded slopes and the trout
streams and the trees under which he
basked in his boyhood days. 1le be
came a part of the South, but he had
not forgotten his old home in the
North."
Cliat With the Lalieh.
Pompadour silks are recommended for
dress frocks for young girls.
The safest colors for cheap portieres
are olive-green and brick red.
Wide Directoire revers appear on many
of the imported French frocks.
Apple green and chestnut bronze is a
color combination favored in Paris.
Short backs and long front tabs are
the distinguishing marks of new wraps.
Long flotc of ribbon give decorative
effect to black and colored lace over
drosses.
India silks and foulards will be thi
rivals of China silks and pongecs this
season.
We have taken note of some children's
toilots which struck us as particularly
tasteful.
Combination costumes a_e not so much
worn as usual. Silk is made up by itself
and woolens also.
Thin silks mixed with tulle and lisle
for evening wear are very po)ilar addi
tions to a summer wardrobe.
The favorite color for graduation
gowns are rose, blue, Nile green, and, of
ourse, heliotrope.
Indoors little girls wear frocks in the
;hape of a pelisse, loose and straight in
front. and completed at the back by a
plait in the skirt let in between two
ieams. A silk cord or ribbon sash goes
round the waist.
.Fine woolen tissues are streaked with
dlk or a lighter shade, forming stripes
r squares, and a small pattern of silk
l.ots,.clover leaves, or small flowerets of
ailk, imitating embroidery relief, is scat
ered all over upon the (dark groumd(.
Extremely pretty capotes for the
iprmng are composed of birds' wings.
Sometimes the wings arc dyed oIf all
solors; sometimes they are left of their
>wn natural tint; they cover the capo(te
ijmost entirely, with the exccptionl of a
small pufling of silk or crapo at the
bacek.
Some of the new wool novelties ha~ve
woolen grounds in light or (lark shades
f pure colors, on which in high relief
ire lines (of p)lush and frise flower de
iigns in natural colors and realistic to a
logroo in treatment. These goods arc
high p)ricd, and intended only for pairt;
f plain wool costrunes.
While combinations of plain and fancy
ligured goods, often in strongly con
brasted colors, remaiu extremely popu..1
lar, many handsome dresses are made of
the same color throughout, but of two
fabrics, and for these reflinedl toilets ex
:iuisitely fine cashmere andl moire are
especially favored.
In the nuew fancy woolen materials in -
troduced for the spring and sununer
season we remark that small white halt
terns very frequently occur. Jn se
fabrics irregular white stripes lorm a
sort check pattern, ini others largo white
dots are scatteredl over~ plain or strkilped
colored groundls.
Costumes of impuerial serge, camuel's
hair, vigogue, tricot cloth and of fine
canvas patterned fabrics, without limiit,
will lbe in great diemnand, mmodo up in
combination with velvet-striped fabrics
of every description, or with skirt and
bodice trimmings of fancy colored satin
surah, figured with quaint geometric
and
In thme Sandown mantles of cloth n
corbeille cheek in tones of fieldmouse
lan its cape sleeves defined b)y aL brand
ab)out five inches in widlth in a darkil
shade of brown. This borderinig band1(
is drawnx over the shoulder in folds, suug
ges3tive of braces, then carriedl in flatness
over the back to terminate on the skirt
with a cluster of rich and massive pese
nmenterie balls.
'fTh novelties in lauce fichus might be
tersely dlescribedl as an ingenious mianip
ulation of sq uares. Each one is due to
a small handkerchief of that form, either
in cream or eru, the surface of wvhich
is almost covered b)y open work em
broidery or lace. These handkerclhielfs
are folded so as to give a different shape
and appearance to each corner, and this,
with the assistance of ribbon, is achieved
so effectively that the four corners often
apear completely disconnecteA,
Ti lL I NTl1t-STATFE COMMISSION.
An IIiIortau)t Lttrr Iollning tuto Poweri
of tho CoIuinaIsIonH IA to Cortiln Cautes.
The Inter-Stato Commission has made
public an important letter addressed tc
the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroa<d
Company, defining the powe1s of the
commission as to certain cases and ex
plainiug why it is found impossible to
accede at onco to the urgent appeal of
the road for relief from the long and
short haul clause of the law.
The lettt r, written by Chairman
Cooley, says it is generally accepted that
the fourth section was designed to es
tablish the general law that more must
not be charged for a shorter than for a
longer haul and to permit exceptions
in special and peculiar catses only. Before
the passago of the law railroads were the
solo judges as to what circumstances or
conditions justified t?oh practice and
the law evidently mer.nt to take this dis
cretionary power out of the hands of the
railroads and was paesed in the belief
that incidental injuries resulting from
its enforcement would be more than
offset by advantages in the interest of
the )ul)lie good. The commission is as
much bound by the law as arc the car
riers, and lits power of discrimination
only so far as it is its duty to do. The
law contemplates that there may be
some special cases in which general good
reluires suspension. But such cases are
obviously exceptional ones. Special and
peculiar circumstances and where only
general causes operate the general law
shall be left to its general course, how..
ever serious may be the consequence to
particular roahi. The law makes it clear
that any suspension granted must be
after an investigation, satisfying the
commission of the peculiar and excep
tiotal circulmstance:i rendering it neces
sary. The jurisdiction of the commis
sion was meant to be closely restricted
and it can grant no suspension simply
on the apprehension that enforcement
would prove harmful or upon the utn
established assertion that it has done so.
Congress must necessarily have realized
tlmt som1e disturbances and injury would
be caused by the huw and Congress alone
can ibe looked to for the rledy ur
nodilleations. The claim that the com
Iiiission has power to suspend the ,clause
which wvere evil conse<plences ire foutnd
gives the coluhissionl general dispensing
power inconsistent with sound principles
of government and of which Congress
gave no llhint. 1 t the clanu-c in its genter
Itl operationl proved generally and equal
ly mischievcous n1 aili directions, the
comuissioni, instead of hatving greatei
powcer to suspn Id, would be deprived ol
power for the reason that there wouhl
be no exceptionall ctses for it to act upo1
and therefore none comilg within iti
discretionary authority. lit there art
of couro:e cxceptiotal esue. aid it i; maitd
the duty of the o)mtris:i:ont to dI umin<
what these are. Tis must he dune b\
the iii vestigatton uon', \1 iciI the C01n
iission1 lis entiie i. \\ l e ' i :tli.ca
tion for temporary su spensioin is based o;
such geneiu ral principlts i 't numety other
would have to follow, I he colllissiol li
best reasons for declining to grant it
The letter is not tlesigued to give an3
in ti miation as to the perillmuuot coulrse ol
the commtl,isSiol, as 15) policy has beecc:
detemnlinld upon. 'lie cornllisioln tie.
"l:res it"i rt,rt th;at lly iinju ry iI; in
Ilicted by the L*ov atl proli,es to give
such Coip,laints )11 pr conisideration.
lu " u siwei.n c r 'Ihgn .l t i r., t
iiis;i:i.1' I::, Co ut.I:I.s Co., S. C.,
A. pril 2;, 18S7.
lN. A. P...11i r,:, onanissi oIer
Vill you kinidly ansvir the following:
lst. Can timthdIy and ied clover, such
as is gr.own furt her North, het successfuil
ly grown hiere?
2d. Should they be pllanted inl Fll Ior
Spring?
;ld. WVhat immlures would you recomn
miend for them?
Ith. Should they Ie grown together
or seplarately to secuire best results for
.1i the can bOlle irown. 1. wish Ito cxpel
riinenit fullI y, a111l if resulIts are satisfac
tory, plant therin extenisively for hmy.
I aim iiot well enough acqijm nted with
this sectiori to kntow, huit frorn what I.
catli see, it tiplp~eatrs thait thlese grasses
should be cultivated heire, and thereby
save the freights on hay from d1istaiit
ploinIts.
If you will kindly give meC all niecesau
ry' informalitioni on the subject, you will
greatly ol igte, yours trulty,
C. II. Motm:rr.
Quest itons likea the abov e very frc
<ilwnity c onie uip for decisioun, hn local
ies whe ire th e Iitimoithy iandI red clover
grow suiccessfuilly, they 1ar (If such great
vaue to thei farin g intere.sts that only
rep)eatedl failures caln detier those who
have known theom elsewhere. Ouri
coutr y comises10 ai vast exten t t hrouigh
man I y deg rees of litititde anid great di i
ver n-ilyof sitlirandie CIlloit S I iceunot bel
the vary eiziots pionst any pieiiio
tgil and priitloduc tr b e. Theesaly
tivated. oTie fagra e hoed cliver (what
ar1(egen eralynw aslhb thhegrcultra
neve be lt used for ficld culture or for
Natuiro is very bounltifutl, andi leaves
noi rei4ion unear<d u forf and without its
elti ivalenits. Alonitg theii sandy belt of
10~ wI ioutry of tIso State, tof Gleorgili
and Floridai, the grasses and cloVors of
more1 N orthiern latitudes cannot be suc
eessfulhly cultivated, but we have excel
lent suibstitutes; ini the cow ptea and votch
for lily or for soihiig, also the mnillets
anid sorglaunis for. the samte pulrpose or1
for the silo, I ermudaht griass and Moalii
gras for lierinniont paIsturage anid fol
15my, and the anniuad crab1 grass and crow
foot, both of which make the very best
of hoay.
These are some of our substitutes.
Each and every region is blessed by3 i
b,ounitifuil P'rovidence, and it is the p)art
of wisdom to make use of those products
which are best adaplted to each region
rather .than to struggle, against un11natural
Yotung andl iddllle agedl lil-i suifferingj
from nerOvouis dei lily, pIremahture old age,
loss of mnemlory iand kindtredh symiplins
shiotuhl send11 101 (cnts in stmps for btige
hIllust ra edl treaitise siggest ig su1re mteans of
(cure. 'V orld's D)ispenusary Mir'cal Asso.
I latIon, hBuffalo. N. Y.
KELLY ON T'E OUTl. . J ,. ;
,.. ~..
lIIE RECORDS HIS OB811tPA'
PYOtRESs IN TH 8Wd' O1 I*
The Pennsylva nla Congressman Predi
Great Futuro for Us--He Calls It $
South.''
Congressman Kelly, of Pennslvanis"
who has just returned to Washn ,"=;et Y
from an extended tour through sof-'
the Southern States, begun last M ohjI
in an interview with aNJt d
records his observations of progre.
that section of the country air
a great future for the Nevi ~ftW 3Ni
Kelly said: "In 1878, wIifn I vidit *g '
Florida, the peoplo there seemed to be
without hope or aspiration, but fr bM
last six or seven years the Sta$o. l {
taken a position in the first ranks of the
New South. The people are energetlo
and confident of the future. From Kes
scminie City and Rock Ledge, I visited
farms on the lands reclaimed by the
)rainago Company on native aluvial
fields and after a carolul inspection, I '
am prepared to say that Florida is
destined to a higher rank among the
agricultural States of the Union. The
rich s .il is being intelligently cultivated.
with great profit. \'hen I left Florida j
it was for a seas en of rest at Anniston,
Ala.,, one of the now cities that has
grown up in the mineral regions. From r
Anniston I made excursions to other
towns in Alabama and in Georgia. After
a month's sta?' at Anniston, I turned my
stops toward 'ennesseo, passed ten days
most pleasantly at South Pittsburg,
which as Anniston has just done, will
soon surprise the country by establish
ing itself as an industrial centre of large
proportions and great activity. Every
where throughout the mineral regions of
the South enterprise and prosperity are
moving hand in hand, nor is this pros
perity of the New South confined to its
mineral regions, though the poverty and
listles, which characterize the poor
people of the old South, still prevail to
a considerable extent. In her cotton
flilds there is a large boom of enterprise.
and imdrovoment which is rapidly cur
ing that. Those which have caught the
spirit of progress do not longer plow :
their fields with single mule plows.
They have learned the value of deep
plowing and of following the chill plow
by a heavy subsoil plow. They continue
to grow some cotton, but not open the:
surface of exhausted fields, and they
diversify their crops. I am speaking
now of the progressive agriculturists
the representatives of the New South.
Instead of one crop of cotton they have
filds of wheat, rye, clover and other
croos. And to save their old time
"Guano" bills, as they call bills for man
ulfoturod fertilizers, they turn under
grain crops and aid that with manure
from stock and well fed herds of cattle.
"The great boom of the South is near
at hand, and it will not be confined to
the mineral regions of that richest sec
tion of the country, but it will include
the agricultural regions as well."
In response to questions Judge Kelly
r aid that the evi(lences of progressive
farming were not confined to any State
or county, but were visible in places all
over the State. In the vicinity of the
rapidly developing mineral regions, he
says, the farms are models of good man
agomlent and thrift. Within four miles
of Anniston, Ala., ho saw some of the
finuest herds of Jersey cattle and one of
the largest and cleanest dairies he had
ever inspected. It was built up and
owvned by a native of Alabama. Near
Rlome, (Ga., he saw herds of cattle and
dauries that wouldl do credit to Ponnsyl,~
vania or New Yoik.
.J utico WVoods' Successor.
In connection with the probable choice
of a sucess5or to the late .Justice Woods,
oJ the United States Supreme Court, it
is remarked that some of the candidates
already named will probably be handi
cap)ped b)y the fact that they are from
States which now have one or more rep- ,
renitativos on the supreme bench, and
a candidate from a State having no such
representative will most likely be pre
ferred. While Justice Woods lived
Ohio had threo of her sons in the Su
prome Court-the Chief Justice and
J1ustices Matthews and Woods, though
the latter nominally was a ppointed from
the South, where he had lived but a
brief time before his elevation to the
highest of our judicial tribunals. So
Ohio its not likely to be favored again,
which will count Judge Hoad'y out. Of
the other associate justicos the senior,
'Judge Miller, is from Iowu;-the next~
.Justice Field, from California; Justice
lUraloy, from New Jersey, Justice Har
lan, from Kentucky, Justice Gray, from
Massachusetts and .Justico Bllatchford
from New York. The South alone of
all sections of our country being entirely
unrepresented, many think a candidate
trom any part of thu South, Kentucky
excepted-because that State already has
a representative on the Supreme Cocurt
bouch in 'Judge Harlan-is most likely
to be the successful one.
Four of the present judges--the Chief
'Justice, Justices Miller, Field and
I radlley-are now old enough to be
eligible for retirement whenever they
feel disposed to profit by the law per
mnitting them to retire on full salary.
Except the four named and Justice
Harlan, who is now but 541 years of age,
none of the present justice have served
s long as ten years. Chief Justice
Waite and Justices Miller and Field are
each d 1 years old, and Justico JDradley
is 74.
'The soujtIwrn~ t'resbytori,ans.
T[ho General Assembly of the South
ern P'resbytorian Church met at the
Grand Avenue Church in St. Louis on
Thursday. Dr. Biryson, of Hluntsville,
A ha,, the retiring Moderator, opened the
session by a sermon. At the close of*
these exercises ollicers were elected for
the ensuing year. Dr. Strickler, of
Atlanta, was elected Moderator. The
session then adjourned to give the
Moderator time to make up his commit
tees. This session will endeav3r to
unite the assemblies of the North and
South.
"Slbc is not of my set," said the old heud,'
as she chased a strange chicken out of the
yard.