Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Wmm B. MUEKA"! Ii ? .-?---.. J. G. CLDTKSCALES, Editob. Home, January 26, 1887. Me. Editoe : It rseema strange to me ?:; tli?t our people, but especially the pa;ron3 of our schools, do hot take more X-interest in the education of the children ;.-^bf our country.. If you speak to a man about the education of-bis children he : will say," ."yes I'm going to send, my ' ^children to school all I can. I know an ; education will be of more benefit to them *.han any thing I can possibly give them." Many of tbem do ? send their children ; but they seem to think that ;-is.all they must do. If the children are pretty well pleased with the teacher, are : not too much trouble at night about the " lessons, and do not come very often with, ::^*^:Mr."ilJBaid will yoo please get the books he has given you the names of j her??" things get on very smoothly. ^Few; of tbem trouble themselves further.. ? They scarcely ever, if a? all, visit the school, and give the teacher very little encouragement in his work, any way. Many of the school house? are very poorly-furnished?you can hardly Bay they are furnished at all. I have one in \ my mind's eye now. The patrons all are in good circumstances, all have good, . comfortable homes; and we are quite able to aid very much in building a neat comfortable school house. Yet for some reason they do not do it. . They send their children, who are tenderly watched ,pvei' at home, from day to day, out of | their comfortable homes1 to a school honso which is any thing but comfortable. The house has a good fira-place, but there i3 not a foot of ceiling about it There is quite a supply of "cracks," though, about', the doors, windows, etc. The ' v seats are about as poor as they can be, to be called Seats. It is impossible to keep warm in such a house. The only way it is penible for the children to be kept in the least comfort is to keep them as near the fire as it is possible to keep them. It would certainly be much to the interests of the patron s of such schools (to furn ish them better. .In the first place the lives : of both children and teacher are put to -" a great risk, and, no doubt, the health of | .^many a child has been ruined by such houses. Then, it is impossible for the proper amount of work to be done, by either, teacher or pupil, when each is ..shivering with cold, which muat be the case during such weather as we have had . this winter. Then again, it is impossible for the teacher to have the regularity, system; and order which should be . prom icet-feature of every 3chool._ How can a child, that is in school nine or ten monthsiout of-twelve, be expected to be - otherwisei than crooked backed or hump shouldered, when the seat upon which it must sit has ho back and there in no sup? port for its feet but the thin air below ?them? ^ _ ? ?I' think one of the most important lessons which should be taught in our schools is the habit of exact and prompt obedience. Teach the children to. do the right thing at the right time in the right way.* They will soon be men and women to take charge of the State, the church, and society; and they should have the * best straining possible, both bodily and men tally, so they will be able to fill these important stations. 1 did not mean to complain, but I do think there, are many-who need to. be -mnch wider a wate on the school ques? tion. I ----- ; DEVELOPMENT OP CHAEACTEB. - Character, whether good or bad, is mainly : the result of .habits of thought and action. It is the product of growth, the nat?ire of which is largely determined by the active; .influences that surround the child's early life. Character is fos tared by freedom, but it needs a wise, restraining influence to insure its healthy ^ the boy and . freedom for the man must be adapted to -; their widely differing conditions. The nature of the freedom cannot be the same in both cases. The man has already attained self-control; the boy has yet to acquire it. The man's habits and his character have been formed; the boy has ' v yet to form his nabits, and to establish bis character. The man has learned to be" guided by his judgment and expe? rience, while the boy lacks both, and acts chiefly from impulse and desire. The ; ; boy needs to be trained in the proper use of freedom, and in . Belf-direction, in order to "develop a sound character, as much as he needs to be trained in the . proper use of food And drink and exer? cise to derelop a sound body. -Prohibitions alone will not inspire a fiiogle good impulse, nor secure the de? sired results in the development of Char? acter. The child must be taught to discriminates between the right and the ; WWng in conduct, and must be led to distinguish those acts that are beneficial v to himself and to others, from those that ?are injurious. The child does not know .-..what is good for himself; therefore he must be made to feel sufficient restraint s at the outset to cause him to set out in \ the right way, and to guard him from straying into wrong paths. Freedom should be extended to him as soon and as far as he learns to see it without injury to himself or to others. He should not be governed so much and so long as to leave no opportunity for the development of self-control and proper self-guidance.. While the development of good char? acter is dependent upon proper attention on the part of parents and of teachers to the foregoing conditions in child-nature, the responsibility of the teacher, in view of these facts, in relation to character development, becomes one of very great importance. The teacher must look, for the occasions and the means for giving suitable training in the development of cbancter in the daily incidents of school, and in those occurrences that axe- com? mon to children, and these should be used with thoughtful care as to the effect of the lesson upon the pupils. ? _ The be3t time for leading a child to see and approve the right in conduct is the moment when he is himself the sufferer; not when he.has been the :wrdng?doer. His own relations to the r& co. case, as the wronged one, will cause hitn to feel drongly what is right, and lead him to approve the doing of that which would? he jast. Should he subsequently become the aggressor, to remind him of the occasion when he was the sufferer, under similar conditions and of bis own feeling at that time, would be a ready means for convincing him of his own error in the case before him. First, endeavor to make pupils themselves feel that which is right, noble, and good in each case, before attempting an appeal to their reason or understanding. Children do not comprehend precepts on morals, goodness, and virtue, but they may readily be made to understand what is meant by these qualities through prac? tical illustrations in the acts of others. Do not attempt to teach these things by lectures or talks about their importance. Seek rather appropriate opportunities for the use of suitable examples to illustrate the moral lessons you would teach, and lead- the pupils to make the desired ap? plication to their own conduct and to the* conduct of others. Discuss with them the character of conduct described in their reading lesson, and thus develop in them the ability to discriminate justly between the right and the wrong in their own conduct. Thus aim to lead children to feel and approve the right, and to despise the wrong?to love virtue and; loathe vice. Arouse in them noble du? sires, feelings of kindness toward others, admiration for truthfulness and honesty, through the medium of school incidents and of stories told or read. Exhibit that which is right for imitation, rather than the wrong for warning. After and in addition to such training in the development of character, the memorizing of brief sentiments relating to truth, right actions, noble conduct, and other virtues will become as fruitful seed in prepared soil,?School Journal. Cluverias's Pastor. In lue last issue of the Baltimore Baptist (to which journal he is a regular contributor) Ivev. Dr. Hatcher has a let? ter on the last days of Cluverius. After sketching the case very briefly, the doctor says: It fell to my lot to be the prisoner's pastor in his prison life, and as one of those who-were left in doubt as to the justice of his sentence, I found my posi? tion one of indescribable perplexity and eadn ?ss. I sought honestly to probe his hearl: and bring out bis bloody Beeret if it was there. In that unpleasant task I had the help of some and the constant counsel of others. If my methods were not wise, they were at least approved by men whoso judgment and wisdom I have learned to trust in other things. The prisoner's family, while protesting their belief in bis innocence, supported me thoroughly in my endeavor to lead him to an open confession of any connection that he might have with the murder. But he was steadfast and inflexible in the avowal of his innocence. He stood like a fortress, and neither warning, entreaty^ nor the dread sight of the gal* lows, nor the open" gateway of eternity, could drive him to a confession. The original believers in his guilt maintained at. first that it was the hope of escape from his doom which sealed his lips, und confidently predicted that with the death of his earthly hope would come the con? fession of his guilt. Hope died, but the confession never came. They were willing to stake their faith in his guilt upon the inevitable certainty of his con? fession at the last; but when he died proclaiming his innocence they found in his refusal to verify their predictions the proof of his monstrous heartles3nes3 and wickedness. For my part, I did not know. My mind was poised in doabt, and so my lips were silent. If he died, a guilty man, how guilty he was I If not guilty, then what a pity that such a bright young life should have been quenched in the blackness of shame! Those who doubt must wait. Perhaps their waiting will not b3 long; but possibly they will not know until they stand in the presence of Him, before whom all secrets shall be revealed. I shrink with unfeigned horror from the idea of uttering any over-confident belief as to the fate of this young man's soul. A reporter asked me if I thought that he was prepared for heaven. That question I did not dare to answer. Those who wish may talk in exultant rapture over the salvation of men who die on the gallows, or with savsge authority as to their inevitable destruction from the presence of God. I can do neither the one nor the other of these things. As best I could I told the young man of the infinite grace of God, and urged him to hang his hopes upon the cross. With that; if faithfully done, my duty ended. It is a matter of fact, however, that the young man met his death with extra? ordinary composure, and declared in his last moments that his trust was in Christ as bis Savior, and that he did not dread the future. In my judgment, that pro? fession of faith must have been unavail? ing, if with his dying lips he refused to uncover a murderer's secret. But if he was, as he said he was, inno? cent of the crime, and his faith was vital and penitent, then there was for him a ' glorious reward beyond the confines of that darkness out of which ho was so suddenly thrust. 1 Odo thing, and that-the last in bis life, was surpassingly pathetic. It touched me profoundly, and I can .never forget it. When on the scaffold I told him farewell, 'calmly and without a tremor he said: "Good-bye, doctor; I am very much obliged to you; please try to comfort them at home, and give them my love." These were his last words. I Bend this letter with hesitation, but it touches a subject of unspeakable interest to many under wbo3e eyes it will come. It is for them that I have written. ? On Tuesday during receSB the school house at Reidville, Spartanburg County, took fire on the roof and wes burned down. It was a handsome and substantial building and its loss is a se? rious blow to the thrifty and intelligent people of that community. /The brick walls remain standing, however, and can probably be used in rebuilding. Tf so the loss will be $1,400 or $1,500. _-Ai FOREIGNERS IN THE C. S, A. Some Facts and Gossip for Home Con? sumption. There were but very few foreigners in I the Confederate Army. In the term "foreigners" I include only persons, born i outside of the United States, who were not citizens or residing here when the war began. Nor was the foreign tourist, in search of pleasure and adventure, seen frequently in the South in those days. The foreign officers who served in the Confederate Army can almost be counted on one's fingers, and I had the good fortune to know most of them. Conspicuous amoug those foreigners who drew their swords in the Confederate cause was Major Heros Von Borcke, who served on the staff of Gen. J. ?. B. Stuart, and was desperately wounded in a calvary fight at Aldie. Von Borcke was a man of almost gigantic stature, and broad in proportion. The sabre which he wielded was like a weaver's beam, and in his hands was as effective a weapon as the ? two-handed sword of olden times. His active service here ended with the fight at Aldie, and he returned to Germany. I think that he served, and with distinction, in the war between Prussia and Austria, but after? wards grew so enormously stout that no horse was strong enough to carry him. A delightful man in every way, and as true a soldier as ever lived, Major Von Borcke will long be remembered by those who knew him. In one of tho North Carolina regi? ments there was a Capt. Gordon, whom I did not chance to meet. With the Army of Northern" Virginia, for a short time, there also was Col. St. Leger Greenfell, who was subsequently accused of being engaged in a scheme for the liberation of the Confederate prison? er's of war at Johnson's Island. Col. Greenfell had led a highly adventurous life. It had a sad ending. He was taken prisoner in the North and sent to the Dry Tortugas. As a rumor goes, he attempted, one stormy nigh t, to make bis escape in au open boat, und has never been heard of since. Capt. Fielders, -of the English army, who was on star! duty in Charleston, married here, and afterwards returned to England and resumed his place in the service. An officer of high attainment, who . was in the South eemi-officially, is Ma? jor Scheibert, of the Prussian army. By no means fair to see, he was a most accomplished officer, and was profoundly impressed with the gallantry and. forti? tude of the Confederate forces. Schei? bert has written considerably on the subject of the Confederate war since his return home, and has succeeded in impressing Marshal Von Moltke with a lively sense of the value of cavalry such as that which was led by Stuart, Hamp? ton and the Lees. The Southern Con? federacy had nowhere a more intelligent friend and judicious critic than Major Scheibert. A very charming fellow, who was with us for a time, during the Chickamauga campaign, was Capt. Ross, of the Aus-, trian army. He was of Scotch descent, as bis name indicates, but regarded him? self as entirely an Austrian, and held a commission as captain in the Empress's Own Hussars. One day he rigged him F?lf out in full uniform for che benefit of the dingy Confederates, and, in hia sky blue jacket profusely decorated with silver, and with ornate trappings of one bit or another, he looked, indeed, as if he had stepped from the pages of a pic? ture book. Ross was a most kindly man, and amiable and considerate in every respect. Moreover, he was a firtt rate officer, and published, on his return home, a capital account of what he had seen and heard in the South. Col. Fremantle, of the English Army, was with Longstreet'B corps during the Gettysburg campaign, where he signal? ized himself by such a disposition to go to the front that Gen. Lee hinted to him that he bad better withdraw, as he had no business there. The gallant English? man took the suggestion in good part, Bimply Bsying: "Yes, and if I should get hit everybody would ssy what a fool I was to come here." There was another Englishman who served in the Confederate Army during nearly the whole war, and of whom I happened to see a great deal. This was Gipt. Winthrop, of the 44th Foot. He was the son of a clergyman in Shrop? shire, I think, and came over in 1862. Winthrop was a powerful man and not particularly graceful or handsome, but he had a bright, open face, which.was a fair and true index of the manliness of his character. Under the Confederate laws be could not be appointed to a com? mand in 'the line, and was, therefore, commissioned as assistant adjutant and inspector general, with the rank of cap? tain. By his frank demeanor and unaf? fected manner he gained the hearty good-will of officers and men, and at the siege of Kuoxville exhibited a degree of gallantry which was rare in even an army where gallant deeds were common. Longstreet's corps had invested Kuox? ville, and it was determined to take by assault Fort Sanders, which was the principal defence of the city. More than one unsuccessful effort to take the fort was made. I remember distinctly that, on one occasion, Gen. Longstreet and his staff, including Capt. Winthrop, were in the breastworks as the columns were formed for attack. Just as they advanc? ed Winthrop left us, and galloping bard, soon reached the front of the advancing line. Placing himself well in front, he rode right up to the enemy's works, and struck at the Federal infantry with his Bword. It did not last long. In a min? ute Winthrop was lying on the ground with about three inches less of collar bone than he had when he went into that little affair. Fortunately, he recov? ered, and remained with the army until the last days of the struggle. I heard nothing of Winthrop for jx long time, but chanced to mention his name, two years agj, to Archibald For? bes, the War Correspondent par excel? lence. Forbes, it seems, knew Winthrop, and told me a story: When France declared war against Prussia, Winthrop left England and joined the Unlands in tho Prussian ser? vice. In this command he served with fDERSON, S. C, TH1 his habitual bravery. One day he was ordered to take three men of hia troop and accompany an officer of engineers, who had been directed to make sketches of a part of the country through which the army waa to pass. The party went far to the front and the officer's sketches were just about completed when, around a bend iu the road, only a few hundred yards in front, came a body of French cavalry. It wa3 clear that there was but little chance of escape. Without a mo? ment's hesitation, Winthrop asked the officer of engineers whether he had fin? ished his drawings, and, upon being told that he had, said to him: "Jump on your horse and ride off. I will attend to these people." The engineer remon? strated, but Winthrop insisted that the first consideration was to give the army I the information that was needed. The precious moments were passing swiftly, and the French column drew nearer and more near. Finally, the officer of engin? eers vaulted on his horse's back and went to the rear in desperate haife Settling himself in his saddle, Winthrop drew his sabre, and forming his three men with himself across the~road, gave tho order to charge. Instantly rang out the French bugles in reply, and a squadron, or morej came forward to meet the devoted men. They had not far to ride before the four met the hundreds." At- this point Forbes stopped, and I, who had been listening to him with breathless interest, said, "What then?" "There is nothing more to tell," re? plied Forbes, 'that was tbe end." So died, in the strict line of military duty, as brave a man as ever trod the earth, whether, in England or on this Continent. There was another Englishman with us in Virginia who was widely different from Winthrop in a most essential , respect. Tbis man came to the South in 1863,1 think, and represented bimaelf as being Capt. Charles Cavendish of the 11th Hussars, and a cousin of the Duke of Devonshire. Upon the strength of the letters which he brought he was assigned to duty with Major Gen. Fitz Hugh Lee. When he rode up to report, a cavalry engagement was in progress, Cavendish was well mounted, his uni? form was entirely new, and his saddle and bridle, and the trappings of his horse, were conspicuous by their fresh? ness and tasteful workmanship. One of our regiments was just about to advance, and Cavendish asked Gen. Lee's permis? sion to accompany it. The permission was cheerfully accorded, and the new arrival rode off with tbe regiment. Ten minutes afterwards Cavendish returned. What a change had taken place. Cav? endish's uniform was covered with dust. His cap was gone, and un his arm were his saddle and bridle. When asked how it was that all this had happened, Cav? endish bluntly eaid: "A blarated fellah in a blue coat shot at mo from behind a tree and killed my chawger." Further questioning developed the fact that Cav? endish had gotten even with the "blarsted fellah," who had taken, as he thought, a mean advantage of him. Civendish was a thorough soldier in appearance, and was evidently familiar with the details of cavalry tactics. It cannot be said that he was good-looking, but he had a striking face, and, in his dealings with his fellow officers, he was uniformly considerate and punctilious. Any little peculiarity of manner was attributed to his English birth and train? ing. One day there was a rather warm discussion as to the manner in which English gentlemen were in the habit of dressing, and Cavendish asserted very positively that no Englishman ever thought of wearing any sort of garment between his trousers and his skin. What he preached he certainly practiced, as was painfully evident when he happened to tear his trousers in riding through the woods. In many little thing?, he was rather queer, but he was always alert and ready for duty, and in a fight was as true and as keen as the blade he wielded so dexterously. Cavendish left us in the fall of 1864, and went to Richmond, where he remained for some time, and then re? turned to England. Then the trouble began. Cavendish had lived quite freely in the Confederacy, and it now appeared that he had raised money by making drafts on bis aristocratic relatives in England, which drafts were freely dis? counted. By return mail the drafts came back "protested," and the kind friends of Cavendish were informed to their mortifi? cation that the Duke of Devonshire knew nothing of such a person. A year or two afterwards one of the victims was in London and saw Cavendish at a dis? tance. Tracing him up, he ascertained that his real name was Short, and that he bad been a corporal or sergeant in a crack cavalry regiment. This explained the many little contradictions in his con? duct. Swindler as he was, Cavcudish was a gallant soldier, and certainly did not plunder any of his comrades on the staff. Probably his expectation was to make a name and reputation for himself, and he would have accomplished this if he had been able to resist the tempta? tion to indulge in costly excesses. A far more amusing character, and of a widely different type, was Frank Viz etelly, the artist of tbe Illustrated Lyndon News. Vizetelly was of medium height and very stout. He had a heavy mus? tache, and was by no means distinguish? ed in appearance. In spite of his obesity he was as light-footed as a girl. This was exemplified during the siege of Chattanooga, when Vizetelly, among other diversions, gratified the staff by flinging and dancing, "I am a perfect Cure." It was then a favorite song in the London music balls. Tho principal feature of it is that the singer, while singing, jumps up and down incessantly, increasing the height of tbe bounds until the end of the long song is reached. Vizetelly was very clever as an artist, and many of the sketches which he sent home were worthy of a better fate than publication in a weekly newspaper. Some of hi3 drawings, however, were not given to the world. Perhaps some of the men at Longstrect's headquarters may remember Vizetelly's famous picture, which he called tho "Rear of tbe Con? federate Army." He was allowed a handsome anlnrr nw Wfl|J^5Jjin^MBHf DRSDAYIMOKNING expenses, but he was not a hard worker, and he was extravagant besides. When the publishers of the Illustrated News complained that he sent them too few drawings, he put the responsibility on the blockade and the difficult}- of sending letters safely through the lines. At one time, after he had exhausted every other resource, he informed his publishers that his horse had been attacked aud eaten by boars in the Blue Ridge mountains, and that he had consequently been compelled to make a draft for an amount sufficient to enable him to purchase another. Poor bears! I first saw Vizetelly during the fight at Fredoricksburg, in December, 18G2. Just as he was commencing a sketch a shell dropped somewhere in the neighborhood, and Vizetelly took his departure without ceremony. But what a jolly fellow he was, and how full of jest and anecdote ! Somehow he reminded me of Count Fosco in The Women in White, but there was aurely nothing of the villain in Viz? etelly, though he could not be considered very refined. The end of it was sad enough. Vizet? elly continued to visit different parts of the world in the employment of the Illustrated News, and at last found him? self in Egypt at the time that Hicks Pasha organized an army for a campaign against El Mahdi. Vizetelly accompa? nied the ill-fated command, which, it will be remembered, was surrounded by the rebels and literally cut to pieces. It was reported that Vizetelly had been taken prisoner and was detained in the Soudan, having made himself useful as amateur surgeon a ad physician, of the sort. For a long time it was hoped that something might be heard of him, but his friends have given him up, and there is no longer a doubt that he died the /death in the midst of a baud of braves? the officers of the command, who, with Gen. Hicks at their head, fought to the last. With Vizetelly duriLg thy Gettysburg campaign was the Hon. Ftancia Lawley, the younger son of an Irish peer, and who was then the special correspondent of the London Times, in which capacity he received a salary of five thousand dol? lars a year. Mr. Lawley was strikingly distinguish? ed in appearance, and handsome as well. His manners, too, were perfect, and it would bo impossible to find anywhere a better specimen of an Irish or English gentleman. Every one was charmed with him, and be was delighted with his Confederate friends. Soon he became an enthusiastic believer in Confederate suc? cess. Two days before the beginuing of the terrible fight at Gettysburg he sent a letter to the Times, in which he predicted a brilliant and overpowering victory for our side. No one .felt our defeat at Get? tysburg more sharply than he did. Mr. Lawley returned to England shortly before the ond of the war, and is now, I think, one of the "leader" writera for the London Telegraph. I had almost forgotten to mention a young Irishman, named Sanderson, who reported to Gen. Fitzhugh Lee as a vol? unteer aide-de-camp in February, 1865. Sanderson was under'fire for the firet . time nt Five Forks. When the picket firing began a couple of riflo balls passed over the heads of Gen. Lee aud his staff, and caused Sanderson to ask, in some surprise, "what that buzzing noiec was ?" When he was told that it was tho noise made by the passage of a rifle ball through the air he was quite satisfied. Sanderson was a warm-heated fellow, and as brave as the people of his race who fought at Fonteuoy. I understand that he remained with Gen. Leo until the surrender, or thereabout*, and after the war sent to Gen. Lee a handsome dia? mond ring as a sou?euir. Doubtless there is much of interest concerning foreigners in the Confederate service, or who visited the South during the war, that I have forgotten, or have not known, but it is pleasant to be able to recollect, even somewhat vaguely, the high qualities of such men as Fielden and Ross, the military knowledge of Scheibert, the big heart and brawny arm of Von Borcke, the sublime heroism of Winthrop, the quipa and crauks of Viz elly, the fascinating ways of the cultiva? ted Lawley, and even the courage of poor Cavendish, alias Short.?F, W. D., in' Charleston Sunday News. Mum for Twenty Tears. Dayton, 0., January 21.?A farmer and wife who live ten miles East of here have not spoken to each other for more than twenty years, although within that time four children have been born to them. The trouble between man and wife arose through the latter's opposition to her husband's wish to take their con? valescent and, at that time, only child to church, the mother fearing the little one had not sufficiently recovered to stand the exposure and excitement. The daughter bus grown to womanhood and U soon to be married. The parents are devout Christians, careful in the training and education of the:r children, four of them?a son nine years old and three daughters?never having heard one word of conversation between father and moth? er who all these years have lived in the same house, the man attending to the farm and his wife to the domestic duties. They own the farm, with substantial modern brick dwelling, trood barn and other improvements, and both man and wife are money savers. Through the years of estrangement the woman has not asked or received one penny from her husband, her dairy, gar? den and poultry yard having yielded her an income more than sufficient to supply all her wants, as her husband always promptly paid clothing and grocery bills for the family. Kepeated efforts made by relatives to effect a reconciliation have been without avail. ? The friends of Representative Long are very much disappointed because he did not boat Dawes for the Massachusetts Senatorship, aud they are abusing Dawes round!}' because he accepted a re-election, secured only by the aid of Democratic votes. I met a prominent Long man to-day and he feels quite confident thai the re election of Dawes indicates thai the State of Massachusetts will go Demo Sal election. r, FEBRUARY 3, 188' SHIFTING THE IRON CENTRE. Birmingham Claims that Pittsburgh (lay Is Fast. The Atlanta Constitution prints an elaborate statement concerning the growth of Birmingham, Ala., intended to show the marvelous increase of the iron business there, and the probable re? moval fromPittahurg to that city of the iron interests of the country. The fol? lowing are the chief points made: The American public is now witnessing, and the industrial public closely watching, one of the most remarkable revolutions ever effected in time of peace. It is the practical transfer of the most important mechanical industry from one section of this country to the other?the deporta? tion of iron-making from Pennsylvania to the South. We have seen the grain growing centre of the country shifted to the West; we have seen the pork-pack? ing industry flit from Cincinnati to Chicago and Kansas City; we have Been Southern cotton mills underselling New England and American markets and challenging China and South America. It is now claimed that; the iron furnaces of Pennsylvania will be torn down and hurried to Alabama. It is certain, how? ever, that Birmingham can to day make the price for iron on the American con? tinent; that Pennsylvania's supremacy is gone forever; that iron-making will decrease in that State and will increase with amazing swiftness in Alabama and Tennessee. In his remarkable book, which is printed, "The South," Colonel McClure of the Philadelphia Times ad? mits this, and gives Pennsylvania warn? ing. Iron can bo made cheaper in Birming? ham than in Pennsylvania by at least ?5 a ton. The same grade of iron that costs $14 a ton in the Pennsylvania fur? naces can be made at $9 a ton at the Birmingham furnaces. The iron ma? kers of Birmingham are now refusing to tell how cheaply iron can be made. They have ceased to regard Pennsylvania a3 a rival and look with apprehension to England with the tariff on iron re? moved. During the late depression, when the Reading Railroad was bank? rupted by the utter prostration of iron and coal industries in Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania furnaces were driven out of blast, every Alabama furnace worked day and night at a profit, aud the capacity of the Stnte was increased from 60,000 to 600,000 tnna, and her coal product from 10,000 tons to 1,500,000 tons. "You are viewing," said Mr. Joseph F. Johnston, President of the State Coal and Iron Company, "a sight that can be seen nowhere else on earth." We. were standing on the mountain of the Sloss Iron Company, which is seamed through and through with exhauatless veins of red hematite ore. The valley below as was limestone. The mountain across contained the Pratt mines, which give exhaustless quantities of the best coal. "This advantage of juxtaposition," said Mr. J. W. Johnston, "is second- to another advantage not generally dis? cussed. It is the single ownership of the three elements that make iron. Suppose there is a rise of ?2 a ton in iron. At the North the iron maker gets small benefit from it. The iron ore around Lake Michigan or elsewhere immediately advances, the price of limestone goes up, and the profit is divided between three owners. In the South every dollar of the profit goes intoione pocket. The ore, the limestone and the coal arc owned by one company, mined at first cost, and each contributes to the general profits Another advantage is the reliability of our labor." Mr. Sloss says that the negro labor is as good an any, less liable to strikes, and more efficient. A disadvan? tage under which Birmingham muet labor is transportation. The Pennsylva? nia markets have largely a borne market, j which saves them freight, although ! Alabama has steadily undersold f Pennsylvania in Boston and New York. The Alabama furnaces will find the freight problem lessened by increasing home markets. Burminghara now makes 750 tons of iron a day, one third of which amount is consumed within the limits of Birmingham, and new factories, foundries and bridge works are projected daily. A rolling-mill for sheet iron uses 100 tons of ore a day. Already two immense stove works have been moved from New York to Tennessee nnd Alabama. These are the forerunners of others. The surrounding towns offer increasing markets for Alabama iron. Atlanta doubled her industries in the past five years. Chattanooga is growing with great rapidity and the home market will be apt to take even a third of the increased output of the Alabama furna? ces. Five lines of railroad, connecting Birmingham with Kansas City, with the headwaters of the Tennesse, with the Mississippi, with the Gulf and with the ocean by direct routes, fire now beiog pushed ahead as fast as men and money can go. The opening of the river to Mobile will give water ways almost from the furnace doors and the establishment of a city and wharves at Sheffield, Ala., will leave Birmingham less than three hours' travel by rail from St. Louis. It would take a freight train a day to haul the money into Birmingham sent every twenty-four hours for investment if it were put into silver dollars. Not less than $10,000,000 ia invested in loan and building companies in Birmingham, and the coming Spring will see an activ? ity seldom, if ever, witnessed in city building in this country. The same is true of Decatur, Anniston, Sheffield, Ensley, South Pittsburg, Bessemer, and a score of other cities. The most mar velouB growth, however, in Birmingham will be the iron furnaces. There are now eleven furnaces in Birmingham with a capacity of 750 tons. There are under contract to be finished this year twelve additional furnaces with a capacity of 1,500 tons. There are under contracl in Alabama, Tennesaee and Georgia thirty-eight new furnaces, againsl 1 twenty-two now in operation. The Pratt Coal Company will increase iu 1 output from 2,600 tonB per day to G,C0( 1 per day, and the Coalburg Company ; from 800 tons to 2,600 tons. The Louis ' ville and Nashville road take3 fron " Birmingham 450 cars of freight pe d?\y. I A SUBJECT OF KING COTTON. dipt. J. A. X'etcrklu Thinks That Cotton Is the Crop for Southern Farmers. In reply to" your note requesting me to say Bomelbing on the subject of cotton culture, I must say it is a bard subject to advise on, as wo are all compelled to plant it, and probably will be for a long time. There is nothing better in sight to take its place. There is no product of the world more abused, and there is nothing grown in the word that people are more attached to than the Southern farmer is to cotton. We will make it if we can only get ten cents a day for our labor, and a great many are doing well to do that. It is far better than doing nothing or suffering. The labor that produces cotton could not live without it. W6 can make it at five cents per pound, and will plant a crop with that under? standing, if we could not do better. Almost any character of land in the cot? ton climates that are naturally drained will make cotton at a paying price, if properly fertilized and properly cultiva? ted. No artificial drainage will suit short staple cotton. Thai; is the great trouble with many of our farmers; they are planting lands that are not cotton lands, also throwing away the profits of the business for worthless fertilizers. It is useless to fertilize undrained land* ibr cotton. It will grow on almost any character of lands by high fertilizers until fruiting time, then the failure and disappointment cornea. The intensive system will not do for cotton. Naturally drained lands, with moderate fertilizing, require proper disiar.ee, (say three-and-a half feet,) for rows, and proper cultiva? tion, twenty inch sweep, and never be I changed for a larger one at any time. Plant on low beds as early as possible is the sure way to make a paying crop. ; Cotton seldom makes a large crop two years in succession. No matter how good the season or how highly it may be fer? tilized, the Dixon plan of cultivating cot? ton has proven a failure. Furman's formula is a failure for want of material to make it. Almost every man that makes a big crop on a few acres proves a failure. They prove failures as soon as they try it on a targe scale. They write long articles and induce others to adopt their expensive plans, which causes many a poor farmer to become bankrupt. Cottou at 9 cents per pound is the highest priced product of the world. We look for too much from it. We expect to work half of our time, live well, edu? cate our children, wear fine clothes, drive fine horses, have fine buggies, travel on railroads, go to watering places, go fishing, bird hunting, and drink some beer, pay doctor's bills, taxes, and high interest and back debts. If all of this is not done or at least half of it, then cot? ton is to blame for it all. If we can make up our minds to live within our means, be contented to live on what we make, and make what we live on, quit grumbling and abming cut ton, we would be better off. We should quit abusing the merchants, for wc would all be merchants if we could. M^st of us have tried it, and failed at the same thing we are abusing others for. Be contented, brother farmer; let alone politics; plant well drained laud, such as is drained by nature, trade your seed for meal, buy a little acid phnaphale and mix together at home. Too much acid pushes off the plant too rapidly and makes it take on mora fruit than it can carry through a July or August drought, something that is almost sure to come. Farmers were never intended to be rich men. They are hewers of wood and drawers of water. The world can't get along without us. With all our troubles we arc the happiest people in the world. Cjtton ia the beat thing in the world, no matter what the price is. We can always buy on a credit if we make cotton. It induces our people to be honest; we have to be honest and make cotton to get credit. If we were doing a cash bus? iness we would be selfish and rascals. We teach our children to be honest, so that they can get credit to make a start in the world. Every cotton farmer that works, no matter what his color is, can live on a credit. No other people in the world can do it. Cotton is king and always will be. J. A. Petebkin. Fort Motte, January 20. Equalizing Home WorJc. "I have about come to the conclusion that no man is good enough for even a passibly good womr.n," Faid the proprie? tor of the Coon range all sorts-store, as he glanced at a lank fellow who had just made a disastrous raid on a box of match? es. "Every man has an easier time than his'wife." "I've thought of that a thousand times," replied old man Gatewood, known through the neighborhood as Lazy Sam ; "I know that I have an easier time than my wife, but I'm bringing the thing down mighty nigh equal now. I don't believe in allowing a woman to mighty nigh kill herself at work, let me tell you, and for some time I have been shaping my points so that she won't have such a hard time." "Equalizing it, eh ?" "That's exactly wat I'm doin' gentle? men. Last year my po' wife had to chop all the wood, and fetch all the water." "And you have relieved her of that, eh ?" " Wall, partly ; ehe only has to chop the wood now. My boy has got to be big enough to tote the water. I tell you what's a fact, a man ought to think of these things."?Arkansaw Traveler. ? The Senate Committee on Com? merce ordered a favorable report on Senator Butler's bill, making an appro? priation for the jetties in the Charleston harbor, with an amendment reducing the amount from five to three hundred thou? sand dollars. The report on the bill it accompanied by a communication frone Col. 0. A, Gillmore, of the Corps o: Engineers, endorsing the bill. Col Gilmore sayB: The biil commendi itself to the judgment of every intelligen engineer. The enaclmeut of such a bil appears to bo absolutely necessary ii order not only to insure fair progress ii the completion of the jetties, but ti prevent the complete destruction ">f thi work already done. YOLUM] A Great Railroad Combination. The secret meeting of railroad people at Baltimore, of which brief and unsatis? factory notices have leaked out, is undoubtedly in the interest of the new line which is. about to be built by the Baltimore and Ohio to Birmingham and ultimately to the gulf. Whether this line will be an extension of the valley branch, now in operation as far South as Lexington, Va., or will leave the main line at some point in the Slate .of West Virginia, does not appear to be perfectly determined. Probably both lines will be built ultimately. The mineral resources warrant such an anticipation. The theory that the Baltimore and Ohio would avail itself of the already con? structed East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgin, obtaining the control of the latter by purchase of stock, has been upset by the acquirement of that prop? erty by the West Point Terminal, which is a small Virginia company organized as a machine for the control of railroad properties. We had occasion to show several years ago, how tbin Terminal Company by an investment of about $5,000,000 was able to control $75,000, 000 worth of Southern roads; its growth since has been on a similar scale of inad? equacy ? ends to means, and its history is an indication of what the entire rail [ way system of the United States may in time become unless its regulation is taken in hand by the legislative author? ity. This terminal Company had a balance sheet September 30, 1SS4, tbc latest we have seen, of $10,789,736.55, of which $7,5OO,U00 represented capital stock. It agreed last December, if our memory serve us, to increase its common stock to ?24,000,000 and to issue $5,000,000 pre? ferred stock. We will, therefore, assume that its stock is $29,000,000, and that it has cost its owners $25 a share, as cer? tainly a considerable portion of it did. The total investment is, consequently, $7,250,000. By the careful management of this not large plant, the Terminal stockholders are now or scon will be in possession of 2,669.78 miles of road, constituting what is called the Richmond and Danville system, of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia system, 1,396 miles, a total of 4,065 miles of completed road, easily worth $100,000,000, and already capital? ized at more than double that sura. This is accomplished by the method of leasing and subleasing, to which there is no limit. The East Tennessee system runs from Bristol on the Virginia line to Memphis in Teunesuee, to Meridian in Mississippi, and to Brunswick in Georgia with im? portant branches connecting at the Ken lucky and Carolina lines with other roads. The Danville or Terminal nystem runs from deep water at Went Point on the Chespeake thirty eight miles east of Richmond to Birmingham in Alabama, and is in course of construction to Green? ville on the Mississippi river. It has. valuable branches to Washington city, Raleigh, Columbia, Augusta, and many other Southern places. The union of the two systems makes the most powerful combination existing in the South, east of the Mississippi river. The entry of the Baltimore and Ohio into this field will not be long delayed, however, and the history of that corporation is a guarantee that it means business, And will not build merely to sell out, as the people who owned the East Tennessee have been doing in Northern States as well as Southern. They are the same people who built the so c?'' Dickel Plate and unloaded it on tue late William H. Vanderbilt at a handsome profit of somewhere between ten and twenty million dollars. It may turn out that there is an ulterior purpose in the great Terminal consolidation which has not ye: transpired. But that will not prevent the Baltimore and Ohio from coming South, either through Vir? ginia or through West Virginia, or by both routes.?New Orleans Picayune. Needed More than One. "John, do you remember when we used to swing on my father's front gate ?" "Yes, Maria, I do." "And the moon used to look so beau tiful,John." "It did, Maria." "And the stars; were so bright." "They were." "I wonder if the moon is so beautiful and the stars just as bright now as they were then, John ?" "I presume tbey are, Maria." "Then why can't we Bwing on the front gale now and look at the moon and the j stars and the blue night skies, with their fleecy cloudn, as we used to do then ?" i . "We can, Maria, if we want to." "Then, John, let us go out to the. front gate for awhile, and see if it will seem anything like it used to." "All right, Maria. Yon go out and try it awhile, and if you liko it maybe I'll take a turn at it." But.Maria thought him too much of a brute to do anything of the kind. Composting Manure and Lime. As a rule it is not advisable to mix lime with stable manure, but by UBing proper precautions no harm may be done. It is quite easy to prevent fire-fanging of manure, which is dry rot, caused by lack of moisture, and is prevented by keeping the manure in low, flat, broad heaps, which catch the rain and keep moist, and should bo turned over as soon as. the manure becomes hot. But by making a compost of it the manure can be doubled in value. This may be done as follows: A layer of leaves from the woods, swamp muck, and black vegetable mold, is first made, mixed with the tannery lime; manure is scattered over this, and as it is thrown on the other materials are mixed with it roughly until a broad, dished sur? face heap is made not more than five feet high. The mixed stuff should amount to three times the bulk of the manure, to prevent overheating and damage. A slow decomposition will scon reduce the whole to a rich manure, equal, bulk for bulk, to lhat direct from the stable. If the heap heats too much it should be turned over.?New York Times. E XXII.?NO. 80. S031EIIME. ? Sometime, when all life's lessons have been learned, And sans and stars forevermore have set, The things which our weak judgments here have spurned, The things o'er which we grieved with , lashes wet, "Will flash before us, amid life's dark night, . As stars shine most hi deeper tints of blue; And we shail see how all God's plans were right, And what most seemed reproof was love ^sv most true. And we sball sec how, while we frown and || sigh, God's plans go on os best for you and ? me? How, when we called, He heeded not our cry, Because His wisdom to the end could see; And e'en as prudents parents disallow Too much of sweet to craving babyhood. So God, perhaps, is keeping from us now Life's sweetest things, because iteeemethx?^ good. And you shall shortly know that length? ened breath Is not the sweetest gift God sends His friend, And that sometimes the sable pall of death Conceals the fairest boom His love can ' send. ^?i(?&. If wc could push ajar the gates of life, And stand within, and all God's working see, We could interpret all this doubt and ^ strife, And for each mystery find there a key, But not to-day. Then be content, poor"i;$ heart! God's plans, like lillies, pure and white - .'" unfold; We must not tear the close-shut leaves apart Time will reveal the calyxes of God; And if, through patient toil, we reach the*i^ land Where ttred feet, with sandals loosed, may rest, Where we Bhall clearly know and under- ?". stand, I think that we shall say, "God kne^Jlg?^ best" Is It Bight 1 That the city of Newberry should have^j a monopoly of tbo whisky business of ' Newberry county? That the license^/; should be fixed so high that only a few men with money can sell it? That the-. profits on liquor from the sales to men in ' the country should go to keeping up tht town without their Jiving a voice in the matter ? That whitkey should be placwilH5 at every corner to destroy the character^ of the young men of the county, eva*^*H| we have no regard for those-fif townV ^ That it should be presumed that the sale\ of liquor could not be prohibited in the event that the county voted "no license 2" V That the city should be allowed to takei pi care of itself to the detriment of tbo county upon which it depends for its support? That the whiskey should be . permitted when it has been decided that it is euch a bad business that a man must. pay five hundred dollars to the city, one hundred dollars to the county and twenty five dollars to the United States Govern ment before he can sell the stuff? That the clothing and bread of the children of the unfortunate inebriate should be taken from them to pay the expenses of the city ? That all of the money thus wresti.:^ ed from the people should be used in paying police for keeping drinking men from committing crime, and the court8 for prosecuting criminals, made so by drinking? That boys should be made drunkards ? That whisky should be sold on sunday ? We say, most emphatically, No, to everyone of these questions, and cali upon all of the friends of the right to aid us in correcting these evils, and if closing up the bar-rooms by a county vote is the only way to pnt down monopolies, and the evil with them, let's join and" pufc^r them down. We are tired of a few men holding the whip over the people of our county. If Newberry can't get along without the revenue from the sale of . whisky, the county will have to devise f some plan to aid her in providing for the J*| annual expenses. In any event the monopoly of the business should be broken up. The argument against low? license is that the poor men do not keep order in their houses. We are credibly informed that the worst order in the city is at one of the toniest bar-rooms, so called, and that; the best order is a bar? room kept by a man of a few pretensions. ?Nqpberry Herald and News. ? Marshall Amaker, a white man, 00 years of age, has been convicted in the Orangeburg Court of the murder-of'Bxi'fj^3 ert Balziggar, one of his colored tenants, in March last. The jury was composed ' entirely of white men. This ought to be enough to convince the skeptical that the administration of justice in South Caro^ liaa makes no distinctions in regard to race, color or previous condition. There/' is no place in America where the. negro is more secure in his right than in South'"* Carolina. In these days of unrighteous - verdicts by-socalled intelligent juries this verdict is creditable to Orangeburg Coun? ty and the State at large. Amaker was represeuted by able counsel, who fought; ? his case inch by inch with unflagging pertinacity.?Aiken Recorder. ? France now has a total debt of about $7,200,000,000, which is twice as large as that of the United States at the close of the war, and six times as large as our present interest-bearing debt.'-' The French debt is nearly ?200 peVhead of her population, while' that of tye United States is less than $20 per 3i There is an interest charge of $140.C 000 a year, besides annuities anc burdens not clearly stated, ai nearly as much more, enue wrung from tt 000, and yet that the necessities ? Marshall been convict of the mm his colored jury was col] They recc mercy. -BaM ous in Chest known, even Brax Cassels, colored, has killed 1,200 this Winter.