Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

our si PAPE? Our Schools. To-day in South Carolina are to be found very few people who would ad mit that they are unfriendly to popu lar education, and fewer still who would admit that they are not friends to our common schools. $ The people of the State have just passed through a somewhat vigorous political cam paign. In this, as in aim or? every such campaign, many of the candi dates for office have taken occasion to declare their deep interest in the common schools. The candidate "doth protest too much, methinks," but most of them are entirely sincere in their declarations. Some of these men will soon occupy positions which will, enable them to demonstrate their interest in our schools, and their capacity for improving them. From the outside it would seem that very few cf these men have made any careful analysis of the conditions of our schools, and certainly few have offered any definite, practicable plan for their permanent improvement. By no means' do I intend to cast any slur at these men. Perhaps it is ask ing too much of men busy with their own affairs and the affairs of the pub lic, to stop to study the problems of education?a field broad and rich in vexatious questions. Perhaps, too, those who have studied these pro blems, and are familiar with the con ditions, have been remiss in not tell ing the people frankly what they see and know. For fifteen years this writer taught in the common schools of this State, and forseventeen yearsr he has tried to study the conditions which make for good or for evil in the educational system of the State. During the past twenty-six months he h3s traveled more than thirty thousand miles in side the State, driven hundreds of miles through the rural districts, and visited not far from three hundred schools in the State. He claims no wider or richer knowledge of the con ditions than is possessed by scores of his fellow-workers. Yet he feels that he knows something of these* condi tions, and that he owes it to the peo ple to set these conditions frankly before them. m% ? 1 LIAM H. HAND. KSi Let me say at the outset that I h3ve no disposition to forget or to disregard the many good things in our schools, or to withold merited commendation anywhere, yet it is not my purpose to tax the reader's time and patience with platitude and empty eulogies, so frequently indulged in by those who strh*e so diligently to blind themselves to our patent weaknesses. Our schools have been vastly improv ed within recent years. We should rejoice at their growth, and ever hon or those who have contributed to that growth, i But we can not afford to stop at that. It would be folly to assume that pur schools, and our school system, are anything Tike per fect. Let us discover some of the glaring weaknesses, admit what we discover, and set ourselves resolute lly toward improvement. . Some of the most conspicuous weaknesses in our schools are these: 1. Lack-of funds sufficient to main tain high-class schools; 2. Beggarly salaries paid to teach ers; 3. Too many incompetent teachers employed in our schools; 4. Short school terms, especilaly in the rural districts; 5. Poor school houses and poor equipment: ' . G. Neighborhood jealousies and neighborhood quarrels; 7. Too many little half-supported schools; S. Inadequate supervision of vil lage and rural schools; S. Non-attendance and irregular i attendance of,the pupils; 10. The missing link?the high school. I wish to discuss these features o.' our school system frankly, somewhat fully, and altogether dispassionately. I wish to avoid anything captious or hysterical. In these discussions, I beg to offer, as unobtrusively as I may, some suggestions as to reme dies. For he is a poor physician who tells his patients that he is sick, but. offers neither to tell him what the disease is, nor to prescribe any reme dy. Lack of Funds. To maintain good schools requires money. They can not be run on ebullient jwtfirnpnt. nor will spasmodic charity keep them at a very high standard. Money is absolutely necessary to build comfort able school houses, to furn.ish these houses, to pay competent teachers, and to keep the schools open nine months in the year. What is Soutii ?'Carolina putting into-her common 'schools, the training school of the fu 1 tu re-citizens-hip of the State? In 3 907. 'the State enrolled in the?com imon schools 314,399 pupils, or about 118 per cent of her total population. On these pupils was spent.$1,415,724) or $4.50 per pupil. This $4.50 in cludes the expenditures on school houses, furniture, apparatus, librai ies, and teachers' salaries. The aver age attendance Kpon the schools was, of course, much lower than the en rollment, therefore the amount spent I per pupil on the basis of attendance !was larger?$6.37. In 1906, North Carolina spent $6.90 per pupil in at tendance; Georgia spent $7.45; Miss issippi, $$.01; Tennessee, $S.4S; Vir ginia, $11.05; Florida, $11.30; Louis-; iana, $14.83: Main, $20.65; Mary-i land. $21.32; Wisconsin, $2S.34; I Minnesota, $30.19; New York,! In 1907, South Carolina spent for common school education 9 1 cents per capita of her total population. In 1906, Georgia spent 9S cents; Virgin ia spent $1.12; Mississippi. $1.15; Kentucky, $1.19; Tennessee. $1.49; Florida, $1.96; Maryland, $2.51; Wis consin, $3.97; Minnesota, $4.41; New York, $6.27. If Virginia has found that it req?ir- | es $11.05 per pupil to maintain her schools, is it reasonable to assume that South Carolina can maintain good schools on $G.37 per pupil? If Maryland is willing to invest $21.32 per pupil in her schools, she must be satisfied with her investment, for she has been increasing the amount from year to year. The question at issue is not concerned with the relative wealth of these States. The question is this: If it pays to put $11.05 aj year in the education of a Virginia boy, does not a South Carolina boy need or deserve more than $6.37 in bis education. God has done his part by the South Carolina boy and gi;!; has the State done its part? people w.ll alir.it thnUour school fund is insufficient. How are we to increase it? Several plans have been offered, and several ways a-e open. Some of them, however, do not appeal to men of experience. Not. a few people insist upon increasing the school fund by private subscription. This plan is inadequate and rather vicious in its effects. The public schools are snnnnrtnH w????-1 - | $47.40. JUST FROM NEW YORK After spending three weeks in the markets, I am now at home to welcome you. We are pre pared to prove goods are prettier than ever and just a bit cheaper, to specify every real bargain is im possible, let this suffice, we have the goods and are going to sell them, so if you want real new merch andise you wont be disappointed. Tis time cotton is a little too cheap, but goods balance this loss to you. COME LET'S PROVE IT. THE LATEST CREATIONS. Dress Goods. Our showing this fall embraces everything desirable, the New Novelties as well as the servicable . and durable School Dreses ? in wool and cotton. embracing, Suit ing Serges, Flannels, Ginghams, Outings, Kimona Cloths, in fact everything at every price. , ? Domestics. Our stock of domestis are full to over flowing with the best values in the city. Sheeting, Bleaching, Sea Islands, Ginghams, Flannette, etc., | . at 5c and up. A special is light ;- outing 36 in wide Sc. ? ? Shoes. This Fall we have added several new lines of the best makes. We can't go into details here, but will specially call your attention to our line of "shoes for Dress or School wear. ' Every member of the family haB been looked after, prces are ,50c o $5.00 pair. / Hats. We show a. strong line of Men and Boys Hats. New ones, the kind that are being used now, not last year styles., but right now $1.00 to $3.00 each. ? Clothing. This department is very strong again this fall. We have the a.cency for a line that embraces all the good pr ints of fashion and at the same saves you a few dollars on each suit. This has been proven to many buy ers, let us proV8 it to you. This applies to men and boys clothing. A good line of boys caps at 25c and 50c. 15oys Xtra Pants, 50c, 75 and $1.0(>. Watch out for my ads they are always inter esting. Write for samples. WE FILL MAIL ORDERS. MOSLEY'S. the benefit of the State, rather .than for the benefit of the individual. If the support of the scnools is depend ent upon voluntary subscription, the less patriotic shirk their duty, and the burden falls upon the willing few. Besides, such support is irregular, unstable, and uncertain. I Frequently it is proposed by a few I to increase the common school fund by direct appropriation from the State treasury. Unless such ap propriation were made upon the condition that each district receiv ing its part should first, make a specific local effort, the result would lie hurtful, as the districts would soon come to look npon themselves [as beneficiaries of the State, and [Would cease to make any effort to help themselves. Only a few years ago one house of the General Assemb ly passed a bill (knowing that if. would fail to pass in the other house) appropriating $200,000 to the com mon schools. How much relief would such sum give to the schools? It would increase the fund only 03 cents per pupil on last year's enroll ment, or $15.70 to a school of 25 pupils. An appropriation of $200.000 disbursed in such way as to require the districts to raise in the aggregate something like $400,000 in local tax es, would be equitable and wise. I am at once reminded that this plan would not entirely relieve the strain in a few of the poorer coum'es, and I admit it. Our present plan of col lecting and apportioning the consti tutional 3-mill school tax is not a de mocratic one. That tax is collected and apportioned by counties. Some counties with poor land, lack of water power for manufacturing, and with no railroads to tax, are at a decided isadvantage. It would have been un just to have collected and apportion ed that 3-mill tax as a State tax, but it would have been just and demo cratic to have made two mills a ?comi ty tax. as at present, and have made the other mill a State tax. Then the stronger counties would have been contrilusting a well-guarded tax for the support of the weak counties. So far in this Stqte atleast. local taxation has prove'd to be the best means of increasing the school fund. It. is equitable, it is stable, and it is certain until a majority of the people vole it off. It compels the unwilling few to bear their proportionate part of a legitimate and necessary com munity expense. The district which levies a local Ihx knows just where every dollar comes from, and just where every dollar goes. Moreover, it is usually not very difficult to levy a local school tax, if there is only some safe person to lead, for as a rule the wealthiest, persons in the district are the readiest to vote a local school tax. Personally I am confident (hat. the most just, equitable, and reasonable way to increase our school fund is to inaugurate a sensible and honest sys tem of returning our property for tax ation. When you compare the amount of school tax raised in South Carolina on each $100 of taxable1 property, with that of other States, the showing is very goad. But when you stop-to consider that our property has been returned at perhaps twenty-five per cent of its true value, the showing is not good. The habit of returning a piece of property at one-fourth its true value, then taxing it at 4 mill.;;, instead of returning it at something like its true value, the taxing it. at one mill to raise the same amount of money, is not only childish business practice, but it is a training school in dishonesty. M?n who offer to return their property at something like its true value are actually laughed-at for their artlessness. Civic honesty must decline under such vicious system. Were the real and personal proper ty in this State returned at something like ninety per cent (and why should it not?) of its true value, the 3-mill school tax alone would practically) double our entire school revenue. In 1 907, the land outside the incorporat ed towns in the prosperous, produc tive, and wealthy county of Ander son was returned lor taxation at an average of $6.51 per acre. Marlboro, one of the finest fanning counties in the whole South, returned her land at an average of $5.2.$ an acre. Or angeburg is justly proud of her farm land, but she returned hers a). $3.5 I j an acre. Williamsburg has some J poor land, but she has some of the; finest fields of cotton and tobacco to j be found in the State: on the tax. books her land is rated at an average of $2.09. In these very counties I have been shown land whose owners would not sell for $30, $40, and) even $C0 an acre. In one of these I counties is a school district contain ing nearly 45,000 acres of land, yet the etire real and personal property oT the district is returned at $100, 000. What would a 4-milI school tax mean to that district? Increasing the tax levy while we reduce the valua tion of our property reminds one of the policy of the master who under took to punish his thievish coachman by periodically stealing back from the coachman what the coachman had stolen from his master. William H. Hand. University of South Carolina. A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. Package Lost by Express! Compay Worth Over $50,000. A dispatch from Portland. Oregon, says a package? entrusted to the care of Wells Fargo Kxprcss Comp; r at Salem, Oregon, by J. R. Albert, the president of the Capital National Bank of that city and addressed to Joseph Al. .Meyers at the Portland Hotel in this city containing notes and other valuable papers represet ing over $50,000 is strangely miss ing. As soon as the robbery was reported to the express company, de tectives were put to work. Bank Wrecker Kneads Dough. "Billy" Montgomery, former cash ier of the Allegheny National bank, at Pittsburg, who robbed the institu tion of $2,000, is engaged in the prison bakery and at present is kept at kneading bread dough. The war den prides himself on his joke. ??-The ? Scrap Book Mistaken Courtesy. A guileless rustic who wished to he employed ou an English railway emerged from (he examination room and informed his expectant father that he leal failed because he was color blind. '?lint you can't have"' said his fa ther. "You're no more color blind than I am." "I know (hat. fey I her." he replied, "bnl it's all through hein' polite." "What do you mean? Explain your self." "Well, fe.vlher. I went into a room, and a ehnp held somctiiin* tip for me to look at. 'This is green, isn't itV" ses lie. 'Come. new. you're positive It's green? quite pleading-like. and. though I could see plain enough that it wor red. I couldn't find it in my In-art to tell him so. So 1 ajrrood with him. and they bundled me out. No more pcrlltcnoss for me. It don't pay." SOWING THE SEED. Sumo nro uswlny tlic scod of word and .!.? I. Which the cold know not nor the careless liei.fi. Of .the K' iiili- word and the kindly deed That hnlh blessed ilie earth in Its surest need. Sweet will the harvest he. And some arc sowing the s-^od of pain. Of dins remorse and a maddened brain, And 111o stars shall fall and The sun shall wane Ere they root the woods from the soil agnin. bark will I ho harvest bo. All Right Either Way. Ccticnil fJahney II. Maury tells In hi-< "Recollections of a Virginian" of an old lady in Frcdoricksblirg who was reduced to taking in boarders in order to make both ends med. On one occa sion of peculiar stress the larder was so empty that the good lady took to her bod and summoned her servant. "Nan cy." she said, "there's nothing in the house for my boarders to eat except mush. But give them that. If they arc Christians they will accept it In resig nation and thankfulness, and if they are not ''iiristians it is a deal too good lor them." Lamartine's Modesty. Lamartine in 1S4S was at the acme of his glory and a cabinet minister, lie had just <-iiiilribuird/'l.a .Marseil laise de la l'aix" to the Uovue des Deux Mondes, and Buloz, the editor, called on him :U the ministry. "I be lieve I owe you 2,000 francs. Here is the money." said Lamartine, producing a bundle of bank notes: '?Pray deduct the amount of the Ite vue's indebtedness to you for your poem." s.iid I he editor. "I meant to make you a present of It." rejoined the poet. ".Not ni all. I insist upon paying yon." "How much?' "Your own price, whatever It may be." ... "Ah. well, ff you will have it so I must fddige you." said Lamartine, and. with a magnificent gesture, he swept up the winde bundle of noles repre senting the 2.000 francs and restored them, with solemn dignity, to his pock et Grew Some. A keeper in a zoo whs feeding the pythons. Several live rabbits were tossed into the cage and were imme diately and greedily sei/.etl by the rep tiles. The struggling rabbits, although seemingly almost as large as the snakes, woiv swallowed whole one aft er another. The grisly sight prompted the scholarly looking man to exclaim: "Grewxomu. eh. keeper':" The keeper turned a glance of scorn lipoll I he professor: "Vans, and you'd 'a' grew shine, tot?, if you'd e'l all thai live stock. I guess." A Parting Shot. Two young persons had been en gaged, had iplureeled, but *uero loo proud to "iiinke up." Furthermore, both were anxious lo have it liollevud lhey had entirely forgotten each other. One day the young man failed, os tensibly on business with her father, on which occasion it chanced she should answer the doorbell. The young man was game. "Par don me." be said, wiih I be polltesl id' bowx -".Miss Eaton, I believe. Is your falber in?" "! am sorry (o say he is not." the young woman responded without the slightest sign of recognition. "Do you wish io see him personally':" "Yes." replied the young man as be turned to go down lue steps. "I Im>? your pardon." called out the young woman as he reached the low est siep, "but who shall 1 say called':" Effects of Reason. Iteason.'like the magnetic influence imparted fo iron, gives to matter properties and powers which it pos sessed not before, but without ex tending iis bulk, augmenting its weight or allering ils organization. I.ike thai In which ! have compared It. It Is visible only by ils efforts and perceptible only by its operations.? ('a!eb <'. < 'ollou. Fleeing From Fate. An Kngllsii village reefor while walking out <>uo day noticed an old man in fron I of him hobbling along as fast as his legs milld carry him and apparently trying to escape him. See ing that ii was oue of his congrega tion, who bad not been in church of late, the viesir hurried sifter him. "Jlello. .lohn!" said he. "How is if thai I haven't seen yiiii at church late ly r Ai first the rector imiM irei nothing LARGEST TURTLE CAITl KKI>. .Monster Weighing KU* Pounds Is to Be Seen at Battery Aquasium. A dispatch from New York, says there is on exhibition at the Aqu arium at the Battery ihe largest turtle ever heard of by the Aquarium authorities. It is of the leather back variety, the largest known sea turtles. It weighs 84 0 pounds and was1 captured in a fisherman's net oft Dclford, N. J. The director of the rather than hurt the little child he gulped it down. She took back the empty cup and toddled away. He heard her murmur ing as she went: 'Ts kind (o draupa 'cause lie's old." Pretty soon she toddled back with another cup of buttermilk, and the good hearted old man, putting down . his paper and pipe, tossed off the warm mixture with a feigned smile of joy. j "L's kind to dranpa 'cause he's j old," she repeated. And in a little j while she brought another cup of milk. The' grandfather drank four or I five of these offerings, and then for i fun he followed the little girl to see j where she was getting all that milk. Her way led straight to the hogpen, land as she rilled her cup at the hog [trough the horrified fanner heard her j say piously: "l's kind to (Iran pa 'cause he's old." A Deceiver. Labiche was once asked to support as a candidate for the academy a cer tain literary mendicant, but hesitated for a long time and yielded only when he was told that if the ambitious.au thor should fail to be elected lie would die of if. Failure nevertheless did eome. and the following year, when a second vacancy occurred, Labicbc's vole was once more solicited in the man's behalf. "No." shouted Labiche Tu vehement indignation; "1 will not vote for a man who does not keep his word, lie did not die." He Felt the Fire. A millwright was converted lo the ?way of thinking of a sect which peri odically was inspired with a fore knowledge of the Imminence of the day of doom and set the dale, prepar ing for Gabriel's greeting. The dale was sei, and the day came. The millwright donned his white robe and went out Into the fields to await the coming meeting with the celes lial throng, 'flic day passed until it was bile in (he afternoon, and the millwright, having arisen at the stroke of midnight, on (he morn of (he event ful day. grew drowsy and, throwing himself down upon a pile of hay, fell asleep at his watch. Boys discovered him. and. with the ! natural iiiischievousness of boys, they set lire to the hay. The smoke and (he heat soon woke the slumbering millwright, and. sitting up with a Start, he cried with the anguish of the I losi : J "Just as I expected?in hell after' all!" 1 Old Time "Wireless." Patrick Malunc was having an argu ment wfth a friend who was well post ed in history, j "How can yu:i contend Hint the an cient Irish were more advanced than I he old Egyptians?" said hi.s friend. "Why, the Egyptians must have even understood electricity, us wires cor responding to our own telegraph wires have been found in archaeological ex cavations there." "That may be." answered Pat, "but the fact I bat no wire." have been found in Ireland simply' makes it clear to my mind that the Irish were in the habit of using wireless telegraphy." Try to Be Somebody. The early formation of a purpose in life, the making up of one's mind, is [ one of Hie chief characteristics of a t personally prctlcstini;?] to succeed. "An early aim shoiiens the way." I "Tin' Important thing in life." .says I Goethe, "is lo have a great aim and to possess (he aptitude and persever ance (o attain it." Find your purpose and fling your life out (o it. Try with all your might to be somebody. your purpose may not be very defi nite at first; but, like a river which starts in a scries of ill defined pools or streams, if al! your aims ire in the right direction (hey will finally run to gel her and. swollen by hundreds of sid?- rills, merge into a mighty stream of purpose ami sweep you on to the ocean of success.?<). S. Maiden. The Wily Earl. Lord Itegk'aW iSareacrcs once court oil ardently the daughter of a New Jersey millionaire. At a seasonable moment in a dim conservatory he laid I his lie::i i a] the young girl's feel. She, however, being of a rare type, spurned him. losing t" bis feet. Lord Reginald | -aid: "i have laired lo you the most sa cic ! feelings ot my luuiosl heart. May I ask that you Avill never reveal to n I living soul what has passed between ??| am noi ;i gossip. Lord Reginald," (he girl said haughtily. "Rut promise me," he continued. "Give uio your Koletnn promise." "I promise." she said. "Rur. why. Lord Ucgirtald. are you so persistent??' "Because." he answered, sighing with relief. "I purpose tomorrow to turn my. attention to your older sister." The Old. Old Story. A youth who had been spei/ling his slimmer by I he sea was unexpectedly joined by his father and took the op portunity to ask for a new tennis racket. "What!" cried bis falker. "A new lemiis racket? Why, I bought you Jiie a mouth ago. No, sir; yon can't nave it. Why. when I was a boy I didn't have tennis nickels and all (hose Illings, let alone having new ones ev ery month. This can't go on. Look here whal are you going to do about it yourselfi Some day your sons will' wan) a new tennis racket every five minutes. What are yon going lo do iilsnif iiV" "Oh." said the boy calmly, winking nt bis father. "I'll put up (he same old Story. I'll tell "ein about when J was a boy." Aquarium. Dr. Townscnd, secured the turtle from its captor and shipped it to the Aquarium. Fight men wese required to lift the turtle into the large tank in the middle of old castle garden building, where the Aquarium is located. FIVE MEN BURNED TO DEATH. Five men lost their lives and a score of persons were injured, several of them seriously, in a fire that gut ted the Helmont Hotel, at Denver. Colo., a three-story building at 1723 Stout street Thursday morning. Learn What New York is Wearing. I ?? GO TO KOHN'S STORE. The cleverest of Autumn ideas RS set forth by uie Artisans of the land, are brought into tansi bleness by the Kohn's store. On ? very hand, there is the spirit of newness; of Autumn, the bright est and freshest of the season's wares an; now to be seen on each of r.be two great aoors. The stocks are larger by far than any other Orangeburg concern, likewise are the assortment's greater. BEAUTIFUL NEW VOILE SKIRTS. We nave kept the feathers of competition in a ruffled state all the season with our lov; celling of skirts. The skirts are ro much in fashion and a trifle longer than was the style Ian summer. We have some bean ties in black and brown, they are exceptionally attractive. All sizes, easily worth $10.00 and $12.:,0 for 57.50. NEW DRESS GOODS. You know our reputation for dress goods. Here the are? Chevon Stripes, Chiffon Broad cloths, Panamas, Voiles, Serges, etc. Above ail, our goods are dependable. HERRING BONE STRIPED SUITING The newest in stylo, the best for , wear. The new shades of blue, brown and grey. FuifNs inch wide. An exceptionally attrac tive price $1.00. NEW LACES AND EMBROIDERY The daintiest and most exquisite designs we. have ever offered Pane! effects, Persian and Filet effects and soutache finish run through the entire tine this sea No dress Is complete without some ofythes1"!, and we ask you to positively see' OUR LINE, be fore choosing elsewhere. Our prices are very reasonable for this class of goods. When we say new goods are ar riving?WE .MEAN IT. We carry the most complete line of domestics, dress goods; accessories and shoes to be found in Carolina. MAIL ORDERS FILLED. KOHN'S EMPORIUM, ORANGEBRG, S. C. THE STAN IIA III) WAREHOUSE I1EGS TO ANNOUNCE: t. The rates for storage cover all costs to the farmers;?including pro tection for his cotton from lire and the weather and the rate is as low or lower than the farmer can insure his cotton when housed'at home. 2. Its wan house receipts are re garded as the highest class of banJ< able collateral. :;. If money can be borrowed on anything il ran be borrowed on the receipts of The Standard Warehouse Company. 4. The identical cotton that yoa place in the warehouse is returned upon the surrender of receipts. .">. In case of fire your cotton is paid for at market value, and you have no difficulty as to insurance, the full insurance being maintained by the. Standard Warehouse Company. 6. The Standard Warehouse Com pany is absolutely Independent of any other orgalzatlon and conducts its affairs upon strict business methods. 7. The paid up capital stock of The Standard Warehouse Company is $:j.r)0.000.00 and the company is absolutely safe; and its warhouso receipts come ahead of the stock holders. S. The Standard Warehouse Com pany is anxious to have cotton of farmers and others stored, and offers the most complete protection and en couragement for farmers desiring to hold their cotton. !?. Rates will be furnished upon application to Mr. Ceo. A. Schifflcy. Local Manager Standard Warehouse Orngeburg, S. C. T. 13. Stack house, President, Co lumbia, S. C. Land For Sale. 84 acres of Land North of Or angeburg aud within thirty mnutcs drive of the Court House, 100 acres upon cly sub-soil, remainder wood land. Will sei as a whole or in tracts. Apply to L. P. Zeigler, 7-P,l-tf Neeces, No. 2, S. C. It makes a lot of difference wheth er you think of religion as a system of medicine or as the simple life of fuIF moral health.