Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE NEW EN ? i "What a South Carolin: TOA To the Editor of thc Nevos and Cou rier: In my boyhood I worked upon a South Carolina farm, being, of coarse, employed in what economists techni cally call an extractive industry; that is, I was engaged in producing a raw material, cotton, to be afterwards con verted into goods hy some one else. My experience in the evolution neces sary for preparing the raw material for the spindle and the loom began soon after the war, not the Cuban war, hut the civil war. It was a time, with most Southerners, of homespun clothes, corn bread and bacon, and often in these things rations were short. I never considered homespun beautiful or "dressy," notwithstand ing it was worn by the rich as well as the poor. With me, as with most others, it was a case of necessity and not sentiment. A thing done from necessity and not from choice ceases, - in a great measure, ta gratify our aesthetic tastes or to tickle our poetic fancy. When trade relations were re sumed between, the sections after the war, when so many goods of every de scription came pouring into' the South in such profusion, I wondered why these things could not be made in the South as well as the North. I was filled with a desire to go North and see the processes by ?vhich the raw cotton was converted into yarn and cloth, which I considered so much more beautiful! to the eye, even though it were not a thing cf so much utility as our Confederate homespun. I !it . tie thought thea that within a quarter of a century South Carolina would be a successful rival of Massachusetts in cotton manufacturing as she had been for so many- years the rival of Massa chusetts in the forum and in the halls of Congress. My contemplated trip did not take place till after South Carolina had, within her-own borders, enough spindles and looms to consume' four hundred thousand hales of cotton a year, and .mills and additions to mills being built to consume another hundred thousand hales by the close of the year 1899. Wishing to mako a comparison of - cotton manufacturing in South Caro ' lina with the same in New England, and being mere especially desirous of comparing thc social conditions of th? operatives of the two sections, and, while I could take advantage of the spring vacation, I left Yale Univer sity on the 30th of March to visit the chief cotton mill towns of New Eng . land, to see for myself how things were, to compare results, and to draw my own conclusions. Sociology being one of my chief studies, of cours?, my * attention was directed more to the way the people lived than to the man ufacturing of cotton goods. 7 wished to do some practical sociological work. Beading hooks and hearing lectures give one a"very inadequate conception of the real state of things as they ex ist. I visited the following towns : Providence, Pawtucket, Valley Falls and Lonsdale, Rhode Island; Fall Uiver, New Bedford, Boston, Lynn, Salem, Lowell, Lawrence and Spring field, Massachusetts; Portland', Saco . and? Biddeford, Maine; Nashua, Man chester and Concord, New Hampshire: Bellows Falls and Brattleboro, Ver-j, mont, and Hartford. Connecticut. My attention was given principally to cotton mill towns, as that was the manufacturing industry we were most- j 3y engaged in in "South Carolina. As a rule the mills are much larger than most of those io'South Carolina, but no better constructed. I was inside only two cotton mills-the Slater Mill, at Pawtucket, and the Merrimac, at Lowell. These were representa tive mills, and much of the machinery is old and out of date. I ?was told by operatives at different places that many mills were still running with antiquated machinery, and could not successfully compete with mills fur nished with that which is new. Some, rather than replace the old machinery with new, would abandon cotton man ufacturing altogether, and fill the houses with" machinery for some other kind of industry, in fact, some have already done this. I saw no new mills being built, but saw some that had been abandoned. My opinion is, after having seen the New England mills, that it will grow more and more diffi cult for New England mills to com pete successfully with mills in the South, and Southward must the cotton industry go, as witness the fact that the Merrimac, one of the strongest companies in this country, is to put two hundred thousand spindles in Alabama at an early day. With few exceptions no attention is paid to beautifying tbe grounds around the mills; the only instances which I now recall, where this haB been done, were the Atlantic Mills, at Providence, and the Coates Thread Company, at Pawtucket. As a rule the operatives' houses are much neglected in this re spect. Very few have any fences around the houses, or even any sign of sidewalk in front. Providence and Pawtucket were very clean towns to be so largely engaged in manufactor GLAND MILLS. ian Saw in 21. Factory vns. ing; so were Lowell and Manchester. Fall Hiver, Massachusetts and Bidde ford, Maine, were especially bad. I don't think I would exaggerate if I were to say that I saw more filth, more ?vidences of poverty and desti tution in Fall River and Biddeford than I have ever seen in the whole State of South Carolina. Fall River has more than thirty thousand opera tives in her ninety and more mills, and to shelter this number of people with their families requires considera ble house room. For the most part the houses are bad; built of inferior material and put up on a cheap scale. In most of the tenements the passages are narrow, the rooms arc small, and the people entirely too much crovded for health or comfort. Cooking and eating both done in a small room, per haps ten by twelve feet, or less, and washing done in the same room or in the narrow halls. Houses destitute of window curtains, and in most cases furnished with the cheapest grade of furniture. The people are crowded and the houses are crowded. An in- ' sufficient amount of ground space around the houses, and it oftentimes covered over with ashes, tin cans and many other kinds of rubbish. At Biddeford the houses and sur roundings were still worse; ashes piled up almost to the windows, back yards muddy and filled up with all kinds of rubbish, what pretended to be side walks and streets were shoe-mouth deep in mud; snow hadn't been shov eled from walks and door steps in some places, although it had been some weeks since the snow had fallen, and dirty, ragged little children were play ing around as if it were all right. Here were what are called corporation boarding houses, owned by the com pany. Only a few of these, not enough to supply but a fraction of the whole number of operatives. These tenements are rented to families, who board and lodge young men and young women who work in the mill. The naen pay $2.75 a week, and the girls $1.75, and the company supplements this by 30 cents in each case where the opeaative boards at one of its houses. These houses are first-class -rooms all well lighted and well ven tilated. At Lowell there were still more of these houses, and of still a better grade. The rows of tenements were too close together, giving an insuffi cient amount of ground for back yards; no front yards at all. At Manchester the best tenements are to be seen. They are n?w. having been built, many of them, within the last two or three years. The Amos keag Company have torn away many of the old dingy and unsightly wooden tenements and have erected houses made of brick and stone-houses two and three stories high, covered with slate, and with doors and windows of excellent material and in the latest styles. Inside, the walls are wain scoted and nicely papered. To each tenement there is attached a small outhouse for storing fuel, washing outfit, etc. The Stark Mills have similar tenements. These, io many cases, have small front yards, fenced in, and the yards have grass and flow ers; larga amount of ground for back yards, and each yard fenced to itself. The Amoskeag Company are to con tinue building modern tenements, but these good buildings are wholly inad equate for all who get work in the Dillis; most of them are compelled to live in houses which are neither com fortable nor attractive. Every European nationality is to be found among the operatives. I stood at noon one day at the gate of one of thc largest mills in Biddeford as hun dreds of operatives were passing cut. I heard only a few words spoken in English, and they were Irish. A boy was distributing programmes for a concert, and these programmes were in French. Considerable prejudice is' shown by the native American against many classes of foreigners. I am in clined to think the grounds for such prejudice, in most cases, are not well founded. It's a question of the sur vival of the fittest. The native American factory element in the North, I fear, has degenerated. Of all with whom I came in contact I was favorably impressed with the English, Scotch and Irish. Thc Irish are very frugal -many have accumulated property own their own homes, and arc, as a rule, intelligent and are very cleanly in their houses. During my trip 1 received the most courteous treatment from all classes. I was thrown more with the working people than with others. My ques tions were always answered io a polite way, the people admitted me to their houses without any objections ivhen ray business was made known, and they would often show a willingness to do more really than 1 asked. 1 found many excellent people among the working; classes, who were very cordial and accommodating. I cannot speak in too high terms of my treat ment by every one. Southern mills have many advan tages over Northern mills. As yt.c they are not crowded, nor are they likely to be. Instead of large cities, where population is congested', there are factory villages. People crowded into such places as I have described are sure to degenerate. A man can t live in a pig sty and still be a man. He must have space for his full de velopment. In South Carolina we have no large cities yet, and I hope we may never have. The new motive power of electricity will prevent great aggregations of people in a small ter ritory. Power can be conveyed to a distance, so that mills can be wide apart, and the people not be crowded for space. We will have manufactur ing villages and not manufacturing cities. Electric cars are already run ning along the public roads through the country in New England, making travel so cheap that people can live far away from their work. South Carolina is just in time to reap all the advantages of the new motive power and other improvements, and she may already be called the Massachusetts of the South. We have no such conglomeration of foreign population as. is to be found in New England. As a rule operatives are better provided for in South Caro lina than in New England; they labor under better conditions. Nominal wages may not be quite so high, but real wages are higher. We have not the abominable tenement house sys tem, but rather the cottage system, which is far preferable. I saw no mill and its surroundings so attractive as the Graniteville Mills, or the Gaff ney Mills. Let South Carolina still give more attention to the housing of her operatives properly; it will be economy in the end. People crowded into miserable tenements and isolated from all other classes are bound to de generate. May South Carolina never make that blunder. S. C. STURGIS. New Haven, Conn., May 17, 1899. Smoking By Buys. That the essential principle of to bacco, that which gives it all its value lo the smoker, is a virulent poison, is universally admitted. It is agreed also that its primary effects is upon the brain and spinal cord, with a par alyzing tendency. Even Beard, who defends the mod erate u?e of tobacco, admits that its ' effects are disastrous on some classes of persons. It withers some, he says, while fattening others; causes in some dyspepsia and constipation, while up on others it has a contrary effect. It is soothing to some, but induces in others all the horrors of extreme ner vousness. He adds that among the brain-working class of our population the proportion of those who can use tobacco with impunity is yearly di minishing, as a nervous tendency more and more prevails among us. Now whatever may be urged in j favor of moderate smoking later in life, ail intelligent persons who have given the subject attention, unite in condemning the use of tobacoo by thc young. Young persons do not know wheth er or not they belong to the class most liable to be injured by tobacco. Xo one denies the danger of its excessive use, and the young have neither the intelligence nor the self-control to re sist the tendency of smoking to grow into an uncontrollable habit. Further, the brain and nervous system of youth are especially susceptible to the baneful* influence of the poisonous principles of tobacco. The commanding medical authority, the Louden Lancet, says : "It is time that the attention of all responsible persons should be seriously directed to the prevalence and increase of to bacco smoking among boys. Stunted growth, impaired digestion, palpita tion and other evidences of nervous exhaustion and irritability have again and again impressed thc lesson of ab stinence, which has heretofore been far too little regarded." It cites a case which lately came be fore the coroner for Liverpool-death from a fatty change in the heart due mainly to smoking cigarettes and cigar ends-and adds : "This of course is an extreme ex ample. It is, however, only a strong colored illustration of effects on health which are daily realized in thousands of instances. Not even in manhood is the pipe or cigar invariably safe. Much less can it bc so regarded when it ministers to the unbounded whims aud cravings of heedless urchins." The Special Use of Flies. "Yes, Bobby," said thc minister, who was dining with the family, "everything in this world has its usc, although we may not know what it i.s. Now, there is the fly, for instance. You wouldn't think that flies were good for anything, yet" "Oh, yes, 1 would," interrupted Bobby. "1 know what flio' arc good for." "What, Bobby?" "Pa says that they aro the only thing that keens him awake when you :tro preaching." - An ounce of performance is bet - lor than a pound of promise. It Didn't Work. He came towards her, his lips twitch ing, his brow furrowed. One of hi. hands was concealed behind him. She regarded him coldly. "What are you hiding?" she asked. "I hide it no longer," he cried, "it's a lath !" "Explain its purpose,'' she hoarse ly commanded. "I will," he firmly answered, "If you read the papers you must have noticed that a St. Louis Judge has just handed down an opinion that a husband is justified in thrashing his wife if she sufficiently irritates him. You have irritated me-therefore the lath." She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her sharp red tongue. "I suppose," she slowly said, '"that the punishment is the same, no mat ter how great the irritation may be ?? ? "I suppose so," he said in a hesi tating way. "Then," she sharply cried, "it is just as well to make it worth the while." And before he could frame a suita ble reply she had snatched a handful pf his whiskers, thumped his ears, lammed him with a rolling pin. prod ded him with a poker and shivered the lath over his unlucky shoulders. Half an hour later he poked his dis honored head from beneath the dining room table and hissed between his white lips: "If I only had that St. Louis Judge under here for about 17 seconds, I'd twist his idiotic neck off!"-Cleveland Plain Dealer. - A peasant woman, in the ab sence of her husband, sells two fat cows to a passing dealer. As he says he has no money with him, she is un willing to let him have them without security. "Very well," he says, "then I will leave one of the cows for secur ity." The woman agrees and calmly allows him to march off with the other cow. - The harder it is to acquire a thing the longer you will retain it. "Barred Out of Home." A little back from thc country roadway a few miles out from oue of our large South ern cities stands the ruin of a magnificent mansion, once thc scene of a pathetic life drama, which, though years have passed, yet thrills the heart, ot one who ?witnessed the closing scene. Well is remembered the wild tempest. nous night with rain driving in sheety tor. rents across thc high iron-spiked wall, and beating, as it seemed, almost like bayoneta against the barred and bolted gateway. And there beneath the frowning arch, shel terless and homeless in the pitiless storm that had driven strong men to cover, tho fierce lightning flashes that came crackling through the night revealed the frail figure of a delicate young woman with face up turned to heaven and clenched hands up lifted in mortal agony; while her wail of misery penetrating even the awful voice of the storm could be heard in the oft-repeated refrain: "My home! My home! Barred out of home ! " She had been a bright ambitious \?? starting hopefully abroad to cultivate he* naturally beautiful voice, determined to make a European fame for herself as a successful singer. But circumstances were against her. -Unfair rivalries robbed her of the best opportunities.. Despite her undoubted talent failure followed failure; .ihe grew morbidly sensitive and wrote less and less often to the fond parents whose greatest happiness v.-as to supply her every need. She was proud : *' I will not write again" she said one day, "until I have succeeded." Weeks lapsed into months. Suddenly misfortune and death fell upon the grand old homestead. The young girl .giving up the unequal struggle came back across the sea to the death-stricken, bolted, barred, deserted house all unaware of thc swift disaster which had left her penniless, orphaned, and alone. " Barred out of home ! " This is the sad refrain ringing through the memories of that pathetic scene. "Barred out of home" is the thought that well may echo through thc hearts of many a woman who seems to all outward appearance surrounded with every household comfort, that the heart could wish. Alas, health is lacking. Home is no home lo the poor sick broken down woman who has no strength, health or en ergy to enjoy it. Disease bolts and bars a Woman outside of the dooTS of true home happiness as completely a? if she had no home. Countless thousands of weakened, weary, disease-racked women all over these United States have had the gates of a healthy, vigorous home happiness thrown wide open to them by the life-renewing, blood .vitalizing "Golden Medical Discovery " of Dr. R. V. Pierce, of Buffalo. N". Y. ll lifts the enfeebled constitution out of the quag mire of disease and sets it bodily upon thc firm ground of health. It reaches deep down into the system and quickens the inner forces of the nu tritive organism giving the digestive func tions power lo create healthy blood. Klrcugih-making and nerve-building. In a ?7Htrfu1 letter io nr. Pierce. Mr*. Carrie Shriver, of Texannu, Cherokee Nat., Ind. Ty., writer: "Six years ago I was taken .-kk willi what th? doctors called neuralgia af the heart und stomach. I wm given np to die. When it teemed thal all life and health was lost, a lady persuaded mc to try Dr. Pierce's <'.olden Medi cal Discovery and his ' Favorite Prescription.' ) consented, and now, after taking six bottles of I Golden Medical Discovery ' and four of ? Favor ite Prescription,' j am weil, can do "ll my work, washing and ;:;i, ?rd i?Vt care of my baby two months old." Do;i'i accept :.r.y substitutes for Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery 01 J lr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription. The shadow of success is imitation. Imitation remedies don't CUTO, .my moTCthan the im i tatton banquets of the stage feed the hun gry. You want a cine. l)on:t accept thc shadow for the substance and 'spend yoi:: money for thal which is not bread." Ivvci y woman should own :t copy of Dr Piere? s great thousand - page hook, "The Common Sense Medical Adviser." It will bc sent absolutely free, paper-bound, foi 2i one-cent stumps, to pay ihe cost of mail ing only. Address World's Dispensary Medical Association, 66,1 Main Street, Bnf falo, N. Y. Or send 31 stamps for a hand some, cloth-bonnd copy. Stronger Than Steel. How uian j of our readers, I wonder, realize that so fragile looking a con cern as a spider's web is proportion ately one of the strongest things in existence? I saw a statement to this effect sometime ago in a scientific paper, and, disbelieving it, carried out some experiments which convinced me of its truth. The ordinary spider's thread. I found, would support with out breaking a weight of three grains. Now, a bar of steel one inch in diame ter will sustain 50 tons. If you take the diameter of a spider's thread, and calculate out what weight the same thread an inch in diameter would sup port, the conclusion arrived at is no less than 74 tons, which means that the strength of the seemingly feeble thread is, as nearly as possible, one and a-half times that of the steel. What is Kodol Dyspepsia Cure? It is the newly discovered remedy, the most effective preparation ever devised for aiding the digestion and assimila tion of food, and restoring the derang ed digestive organs to a natural condi tion. It is a discoveryjsurpassing anything yet known to the medical profession. Evans Pharmacy. YOUR HOME PLEASURES NO influence lends so much to home lire as music. No Stock offers greater attractions than ours, and we wish to help you to happiness. It's not alone that we say it, bnt yon know that we mean it, as we sell the best class of PIANOS and ORGANS, As well as small Musical Merchandise, and will give yon inll Taine for ev ery dollar. You are cordially invited to call in person and inspect our Stock, or write for catalogues and prices. We also represent the leading SEWING MACHINES Of the day, and are constantly receiving new additions to our Stock. We appeal to your judgment and will sell you the best in this line. We still handle thoroughly reliable Carriages, Buggies and Harness, And can save you money by an investi gation. Look to quality first-then price. Most respectfully, THE C. A. REED MUSIC HOUSE. THERE IS BUT ONE QUALITY V AND THAT'S THE BE$T. '99 Tires Bear this Brand FOR SALE BY SULLIVAN HARDWARE CG., ANDERSON. S. C. May 10. lttio -li! S - DEALERS IN - Fine Buggies, Phaetons, Surreys, Harness. Lap Robes Whips;; and All kinds Buggy ?Tixt?res. Just received another shipment of Bar ber's Fine "New South" Buggies that we want to move nicely and quickly for cash or good papers. These are nice, nobby, slick, new style goods that will please you. Sold under an absolute guar antee. This is the bright and beautiful ! season that inspired the poet to write, "In Spring a young man's laney lightly turns to thoughts of love " Now, if you want that pretty girl's "fancy" to turn in tue same direction buy a "New South" Bu ?gy from UB. We wan?, you to have one. yours truly, VAN DIVER BROS. & MAJOR. KAMNOL. HEADACHE, NEURALGIA, LA GRIPPE. Relieves all pain. 25c. all Druggists. Drs. Strickland & King. DENTISTS. OFFICE IN MASONIC TEMPLE i&Sr Gas and Cocaine used for Extract liz Teeth. ?Jap '3-71x08 o3d oo-is 30!Hd -S-isioonaa -nv /a aies ffijfo 'AjjAjpe re;uaui pur ssaujnpaatp ira^ ^ 'Apoq jo JOSJA S3;otnojd 'uoijsaJSip spre '?AJJ 5 ^Jgf 2^1 S3^in^3J por SU3XJ^8?3J;S <sp.to.oq saijund ;? BL W ?USftfeOAV WlVfcfl OJ. MOOS V Si W JSsllllS HSV AT?RMf <? NIVH8 HSI99?11S V & EVANS PHARMACY, Social Agents. A FIRST-CLASS COOK Can't do first-class work with second-class materials. But you can hold the girl accountable if you buy your : : : : GROCERIES FROM US ? We have the right kinds of everything and at the right prices. Where qualities are equal no dealer can sell for less than we do. We guarantee to give honest quantity at the very LOWEST PRICES. Come and see us. We have numerous articless in stock that will help you get up a square meal for a little money. Our Stock of Confections, Tobacco, Cigars, Etc., Are always complete. Yours to please, _ Free City Delivery. Q-. F. BIGBY. For the Prevention and Cnre of the Prevalent Troubles . . . GRIPPE COLDS, And their accompaniments. ]STeuralgic Pains, Headache, Pain in the Limbs, OUR GRIP CAPSULES Are almost a Specific. This remedy should be in every household. EVANS PHARMACY M. L CARLISLE. L. H. CARLISLE A NEW ADDITION TO OUR STOCK WE have added to our large and complete Stock of GROCERIES AND CONFECTIONERIES* A full and complete line of Hardware and Farm Supplies. It will pay you to get our prices on Supplies before buying elsewhere, a? W6 are m a position to give you the lowest prices on these Goods. We would be glad to have you call on us. / CARLISLE BROS. " P. S.-Free delivery to any part of the City. STOVES, STOVES! IF you have a Stove to buy SAVE MONEY by getting, the latest improved, the largest oven for the least money. I will take your old Stove in part payment on*a new one. Crockery, Tinware and Glassware, Lamp Goods, A full and complete Stock. ter Bring me your HIDES and RAGS. JOHN T. BURRISS. N. B.-Prompt attention to all Repair Work, Roof Painting, Plumbing, &c. 3 ^ 0 si ass g ? td 0 cd 0 > S pd z 0 < H L 3D < 2 * H BJ ? " ts OD ? d ll V ?3 > Q ? ag co . o o H r p ? es a 4 SIT ON THE FENCE AND SLEEP ! . . . W"HILE the procession passes if you want to. Nobody will disturb you. Buti. you are alive to your own interests arouse yourself, shake off slumber, climb into the band-wagon and wend your wav with the crowd to THE JEWELRY PALACE OF WILL. R. HUBBARD! ' They :bat wan; ;he best and prettiest to be obtained in Diamonds, Jewelry, Silver and Flated Ware, Watches and Clook? that will keep time ano are backed with a guarantee, Fine China and Glassware and beautiful Novelties, know that to Will, R. Hubbard's is the place to go. They that want honest treatment know that this is the place to lind it. Ail Goods are jUBt ai? represented, nnd are fully covered by guar antee The young man who has a girl and wants to keep her coes there. Hubbard will help you keep her. The young married couple goes there to beautify their little home. Hubbard beautifies it for you. The rich people go there because they <&n alford it, and the poor po there, also, because thev can afford it. ?ET EvervthingNEWand UP-TO-DATE." sm* ENGRAVING FREE. R. Jewelry Paiace. next to r armers and Merchants Bank. PATRICK MILITARY INSTITUT OPENS SEPT. 14 Offers Best Advantages in All Respects. Students may save Time and Money. JOHN B. PATRICK, Anderson, S. C.