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E. H. AULL, EDITOR. Entered at the Postoffice at New *erry, S. C., as 2nd class matter. Tuesday, March 16, 1909. EXTEND THE SC:00L FACILI TIES. We desire to say a word more in regard to the election on voting the bond issue for the graded schools of Newberry. We at first hesitated to support this proposition for ithe reason that we thought a two mills tax for main tenance was more than was absolute ly necessary. We have looked into this matter a little more carefully and have come to the conclusion that it will take an additional two mills to maintain the schools of this com munity'as they should be. No one, we presume, for a moment will insist that we are not in need of idditional facilities-more buildings. It is barely possible that the neces sary buildings may be had for a lit tle less than $40,000, but when we go -to building we should not look to the immediate present but build for the future. While' we are building we should equip our system so as to have ample facilities for the lower grades and also provide a high school building. If the lower grades building were put on the college side of Scott's creek and the high school building in the East Main street section, with the building now used at the cotton mill, our school buildings would be dis tributed so that they would be easily accessible to the children of the en tire city. These buildings ought to be erected at a cost not exceeding $25,000, but ilots suitable will cost considerable money and the present building needs certain repairs and some little addi 'tions are needed to the Hoge school. . At any rate if the whole $40,000 is not needed it will not be spent by the trustees. We understand that conditions at the present 'building now are deplor able. Children are crowded in the basement and this is certainly injur ious to thieir health, and, of course, they cannot study as they should, nor can the teachers do their work as it should be done. We understand in the six lower grades there are over 400 children, and in the four higher grades near 150, making a total in one small ibuilding which was originally equip ped to accommodate about 200, of be tween 500 and 600 children. It seems to us that 'the bare state -ment of the facts is* the strongest ar gument for additional school build ings. Now let us look in a reasonable way at the cost of maintenance. It is a fact which we all readily admit that we are not paying the superintend ent what a superintendent for this' -city should receive and we are not paying the teachers what they should receive. The present income, we understand, is about $7300 and two mills addi tional tax .would give ,is about $4,500. In other words the total income for the maintenance of the schools with the two mills additional would be in round figures $12,000. We ought to -pay our teachers at least. $50.00. per amonth, and if we had two buildings -with six grades in eaeh and a teacher for 'each grade would gix(e us twelve teachers. The high scho'ol ought to 'have a principal and three teachers, which would. be fifteen rmachers for the white- s.chool 'in addition to the superintendent. The following is a conservative es timate of what it will cost to conduct the school as it ought to be: 12 teachers at $50.00 per month .... .. .... ... 5,400.00 3 High School teachers, .. 1,300.00 1 High School principal .. 1,000.00 Superintendent ...... . 1,00.00 Total .salaries ......$8,200.00 'Coal at least .. .. ......$ 600.00) Janitor .. .... ...........300.00 5 colored teachers . . .. .. 1,500.00 Total .. .... .........$11,660.00 Nothing *i included in this for in SuranI(Ce ()r repairs and noting 1f t.he pay of the teachers in. the school at the cotton mill. It will be seen from the statement given here that it will take two mills additional to run the schools as they should be, and even then we are pay ing teachers less than first-class teachers ought to receive, and it pro vides for only a nine months' term. These being the facts we certainly, favor voting bonds as provided in the act of the legislature, and also the two mills additiorial tax. We understand that the cotton mill authorities have been paying these teachers themselves. This school should be a part in fact of the system for the 4town, and the teachers should be under the direction of the board of trustees and the superintendent and should be paid out of the same fund. If the mill is kind enough to furnish the building, with the amount of tax es paid by the mill, it seems to us that the town ought to pay the teachers. It should be remembered that this tax is not a tax in the ordinary sense but it is making the property owners of the community regardless of whe ther or not .they have children to edu eate pay the tuition for the education of the children of this town. We cannot conceive a better invest ment whieh the people could make than to put this amount in the educa tion of the children of this commur. ity, and when it is done demand f the trustees that they put in charge of the school from the superintend cut down the very best trained teach ers that can be had for the money. The voting of these bonds should not keep us from voting the addition al bonds for the extension of the sew erage and the improvement of tl streets. It should be remembered that the three a-ill tax which is pro vided in the constitution and which we pay goes into the general schol fund and is distributed throughout the county. The town proper do;es not receive much more than one-third for the town schools of the money rea lized from this tax. If it should be found that the two mills tax would give us more money than we need it can be reduced, but no person should vote for this tax with any idea of reducing it, because it wiil take all of it with what we no av have to support the schools. "THE DARK OORNER." The popularity of Zach McGhee 's novel, The Dark Coraier, is beginning to spread into other sections than the South, and to be noted by ether pa pers .than the general press. The ner:.w.aper~S have been higho, .--:A mentary in their estimates of the story. It is being even more favor ably spoken of, however, by the edu cational papers of the country, which are looking upon it as a more or less professional work. The New Eng land and National Journal of Educa tion, published in Boston, is the most widely circulated and influential edu eational paper in the United States, and in its book review column in the current issue, it refers to the book, anee to the profession that it is co: sidered in a speial editorial article. In its editorial estimate of Mr. Me Ghee's work, The Journal says: Zach McGhee,. Washington corres pondent of the Savannah News, has written an exceedingly interesting story on the rescue of a far-from-the railroad community through the skill and devotion of a school master. It is an educational novel with a love story 'of course, for spice, but it is a great story along the line of educa tional betterment for the improve ment of the domestic, industrial, civic, moral, and religious interests of a densey dark corner of an inten'sely prejudiced and ignorant community. There is a graphic portrayal of the course to a community that comes from ignorant school authorities; a senseless, bumptious "professor'' in eharge of the little school; a bigoted, superstitious, conceited, ignorant preacher, and a people easily preyed u.pon by political shysters. All this is given a rainbow effect under th'e pat ient leadership of a co.nsecrated, culi tured, brainy young man who was willing to take the chances of losmng everything in life in order to beeonie a country schioolmaster that he might a country sehoolmaster that the might use, the opportunities therein for lift ing' the homes and farms, the schools nd cr.chbe t.hu highways and by WaVS (jo ideal con(dition. Nowhere s it o he Iuid as vivid a contrast of what prejudice and neglect do with that which cultured leadership and noble devotion may do. No one can read this book and thereafter be content to make teach ing merely a m-atter of petty school room detail. A committee from the Farmers' Union -has met with the trustees of Clenon celleg,e and they have come to the solemn conclusion that the principal tax should not be reduced and unat Clemson need ea the mone- We do not think it would oe wise to reduce the tqv. at the same time we do not believe that Clemson needs all the money now realized to conduct the institution on a liberal and yet an economic basis. There has been collected this year al ready over $170,000 and the indica tuns are that it wili reach 4. With the other sources of income at Clemson this tax is ample for the sup port of Clemson and Winthrop both. We desire to endorse what Senator Mauldin of Greenville says in re gard to the policy of the State bor rowing money in anticipation of the collection of taxes in the fall, and also what he says about having- property returned at its actual value. Like Senator Mauldin we were once of .the opinion that it was bad policy for the State to borrow money and that the property ought to be assess ed at its actual value. An experience 'in the legislature as well as an observation of the acts of the legislature has convinced us that it would not be wise for .the State to levy sufficient tax to have money to pay in advance. It would tend, as Mr. Vauldin says, to make the mem bers.of the legislature more extrava gant. The history of taxes in this State for the past ten years also shows that as assessments increase the levy does not decrease, and judging from this record if property were assessed at its actual -value, which would pro bably be .twice what it is now, the levy would not go down in propor tion, but the legislature would find some place to spend the money. We h.ave an article from Miss Kate Lou Neel which we cannot print be fore Friday. It is on the school sit ation. STATE OF SpUTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF NEWBERRY. -Court, of Common Pleas. Mary A. Spehl, Plaintiff, Against Theodore H. Spehi, et a.l., Defend ants. By virture of an order of the court herein, I will sell at public auction at Newberry Court House -S. C., with in the legal hours of sale, on Monday, April 5th, 1909, all that lot of land lying and being situate in the county of Newberry and State aforesaid, about one and one-half miles east of the town of Newberry, S. C., same be ing lot No. 8 of the lands of Theo dore Spehil, deceased, containing 107 feet by 150 feet, and bounded by lots Nos. 9 and 7 of said estate and a 40 ft street and Johnstone street. Terms of sale: One-half cash and thh bal'ance in 12 months with interest on credit portion to be secured by the bond of the purchaser and a mort gage of the premises sold, with leave to pay all cash. Purchaser to pay for papers and recording of same. H. H. Rikard, Master. I HEREBY NOTIFY ALL subscrib ers on the Bell Telephone No. 287 288 lines I forbid any tresspassing or working with wires or poles on the land of the undersigned; al so forbidden from climbing poles on which I have bought right of ways, recorded in the clerk of court's office, to the full extent of the law. I forbid any of you mov ing any wire on the land or right of way above mentioned until you pay to me $7.20, that is due me. Take notice that you only have 30 days to do this in on the account of indecent talk over the line. This indecent talk started because I ob jected to a certain party coming on 287 line. Thlis party will ring 2 rig so he can say something con trary to the family it matters not who it is; he denied the 2 rinn which was proved on thec line that it was more than one ring and his reply was that it is a lie. B. B. Sloan. Newberry, S. C., March 13, 1909. * THE IDLER. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Duties never conflict." I sup pose that is true. Sometimes though th-ey do seem to lead in opposite direc tions, but of course they don't. If every one would do his duty honestl:, fearlessly, and conscientit(naly this Would h(e a pretty good old world, and there would not be so many ap parent conflicts. -0 The Ledger office is getting oat a swell little four-page "booster" for Gaffney. The boa.d of trade is fur nishing the sinews.-Gaffney Ledger. Newberry -has a chamber of com merce, but the policy is, so far as I ihave been able to learn, not to "boost." Our body prefers to do things without letting the publie know much about it. By the way, do you know who is secretary of the Newber rv chamber of commerce now? I did not see where he was present at a re cent meeting of the secretaries. We have nice rooms for our hbamber of commerce. An assembly room; a read ing room, and a pool and billard room where t1he members can enjoy them selves but the body does not believe in exploiting or letting the newspapers know what is being done. -0 The Idler has been thinking a good deal about that proposition to vote bonds for new school buildings. There is no doubt that more buildings are needed. Over 400 children in one lit tle building is cruelty to animals. It is a .pity the legislature put that levy for maintenance in with the proposi tion for additional buildings but then we need more money to pay the teachers and no investment pays the individual, or the community so hand somely as money spent for education. And while we are at it, we just as well do the thing right. The right thing is to put up another building for the lower grades and then a high school building separate from the oth er two. If that is done more money will be needed for maintenance. Noth ing so advertises a town as fine schools. Nothing so helps a town as good schools. -0 Voting the school bonds still gives t.e city the opportunity to extend the sewerage and to build istreets. We must not forget this. Every citizen is entitled to have the privilege of sewerage. Alderman Green sent word to the Idler that it had occurred to him that there ought to be a bridge in Col lege street over Scott's creek and he had tried to get it. I thought Ald erman Green got everything he tried real hard to get. Try again, Mr. Ald erman Green. If at first you don't succeed-you know the rest. That bridge must come. -o " The only fellows, outside of mil lionaires, that marry rich women these days are chauffeurs. This is a. hint to youn men who are hunting for a 'short cut to wealth.'' What's the matter with the dukes, and the barons and the noblemen of the old world. But the chauffeurs have had their innings recently. "Governor-elect Brown has deeded the city of Marietta five acres of ground for a public park. Put down another merit mark for Little Joe.'' Will not somebody in Newberry let us give them a merit mark. There is a beautiful plot of ground in original orest at the corner of Johnstone and Glenn streets that could be turned,in to an ideal park. I have no sugges tion to make~ but I feel satisfied if it were deeded' to the city for ,a public park the city would set down a merit mark to the donor. A dispatch from Washington de scribes the meeting of President Taft and Vice-President Sih'erman on ttie reviewing stand just after taking the oath of office as follows: "'Put her there, Jim,' command ed President Taft, and the good right hands of the chief executive and Vice-President of the nation met in a hearty hand-clasp." How could a man like that help be ig popular. I heard a gentleman say the other day who is an old acquain tan ce of Mr. Taft - that that remark was eharaeteristic of the man. Such a man can't help making friends. I noticed the other day when in the ne weourt house that the signs about spitting on the floor had been put up. Court is here this week and the visit ors to the court house had better heed the sign. The order of Judge Mem minger makes it tilhe duty *of the sheriff to arrest all who do not 'heed. Su.pervisor Fea4le will have to b)e iven a little more time on fixing the court house grounds. The rains have interfered with the speedy completion of the Cha.ppells bridge. I am still betting that he is going to d3o it as he rmised jus a soon as he completes hlm(Chappells brid.s. I see it stated that Senator Till man's health is aright and that he feels as well as ever. I do really be lieve it would be beneficial to my health if Dr. Babcock would take me on a trip to Europe and let ma take Mrs. Idler along with me. Well, any hIOwN', we are all glad that Senam,r Till man has regained his 'health. "Talking It Over" in the Augusta Chronicle has the following bit of observation. When the Veteran was doing those stunts that now entitle him to wear a Cross of Honor I bet you they never stopped to enquire even if 'he now and then drank a lit tI.. real beer. The prohibitioniscs are generally good people but there are a lot of cranks among them. A cross of honor is to be prized but if it is to be withheld on account of what the man is doing now it better not be given: "Isn't this a pile of rot?-to take away a Confederate Veteran's "eross of honor" because he elects to sell near beer? "Was it presented to him because he sold real beer I "Or because, like the ihero that he was, and is, he went to the front in battle, and offered his life, if needs be, for his Southland? "There is much to say in favor of prohibition. There is much to criti cize in the methods of the prohibi tionists. "A "rcz. or honor" is, and ;Iould be, a prized possession-not because its owner is cross-eyed, buys cheese, sells liquor, drinks buttermilk, prays when the clock strikes, pretends to hypocrisy, looks pretty or is knock kneed; but because it is a b vig of bravery, of patriotism, of loyalty, of ,4elf-sacrifice-,of valiant serv;.e on the battlefield under the Stars and Bars." --- Speaking about prohibition I read the other day a very sensible article in the Southern Christian Advocate on that dispensary church at Living ston in Orangeburg cointy by Rev. Geo. H. Pooser. I saw where the town of L:a-n aad *onLriburea from dispensary profits to the erec tion of the chureh and some of the Mebbkodist oppose accepting it. Mr. Pooser says the money belongs to God and the church should be dedi cated to 'his service. Wonder if any money made from the salp of whis -e -'r went into the cause ofE the churches in Newberry and if any of it was ever Tefused. I never heard of it. -0 My young friend Harry Dominick has been reading the Annals of New berry. A good thing for him to do and for other young men and women hereabouts. But Harry has foun<i that the ser.ew auger was invented by a Newberriani and he sends the fol lowing story to the Augusta Chron iele: ''It 'has just been found by a per son, who is al-ways on the lookout for something out of the ordinary, that the serew auger, than which there i's hardly a more useful tool, was inven ted by a Newberrian-a Quaker Benjamin Evans, daring the latter part of the 'eighteenth century. Ev and Tator i., ~.' " ;&M other z, a~ s to Ohio. ''In this enterprise, Evans had as sociated a e Joseph Smi a a John Ed.morndson, who learned the trade and followed it after Evans left Newberry. Edmondson is said to have 'made quite a little fortune out of the manufacture of the implement. ''Judge John Belton O'Neal!. in his Annals of Newberry, states that 'many a box of screw auger., have I seen sent by wagons to CJharlea.on between 1800 and 1807. I think that Samuel Maverich. then residing~ in Charleston, shipped some to Eng land.'' The kind of auger, used pricr Ito the invention of Benjamin Evans, was the barrel auger, with a mere bi to enter the wood.'' -o-- - Mr. Featherstone says he attended the Methodist banquet in Newberry partly out of curiousity to 'see what sort of thing a "'church banquet'' is. He says a banquet is usually asso iated with liquor drinking. I won der if Mr. Featherstone never at tended a Knight of Pythias banquet and if he ever saw any ''liquor drir.k ird' there. But Mr. Featherstone then writes a good and sensible arti cle on the importance of the church emphasizing the social side. -0 I heard a former member of the board of health say that the rule of the hoard and the ordinance of the town use to require the garbage eart to make the rounds of the city twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday and t-hat trash puit on the street on thee dlays before ten o' clock in the morenin-z would be taken up provided ij .e nmot t:reXwn in a ditch and tin:t if it were put out on other days d was put there. in violation of the law. Is ,that still the rule and the ordi nnce. T was aso told that it was not m- . -dinances ae ineeldt. An n forcemneit of those we have is the thing. -0 The Idier strolled down st:,at i few mornings ago rather early and Superintenuent of Streets, J. M-nroe Wickrer, 13(ta ei0rce of nine hands and a two horse wagon sweeping off and hauling away the (irt and trash oa tiic paved"' -loin of !treet. It to this force about one hour, just about a day for one man. It occurred to me that if council would adopt the sag gestion, made, I believe, by Mrs. E. M. Evans, of the Civic Association, and employ a man and give him a two wheel cart and let him take all of his time, the street could be kept clean all day the offices and stores adjacent would not have the dust daily swept into them and the cost would be less, certainly no more. Sup pose city council give this a trial. I am only suggesting. -o A gentleman in Altanta is building ihimself a very unique and handsome residence. Among other features he is going to have one room in which no woman shall be permitted ever to enter. Now, a house without, a woman is not much of a place to live, but to have one room where you can go and leave your desk and know you can find it just as you left it is not a bad idea. The women, God bless them, want to clean ,up your room -and straighten out the papers on your desk and they mean well, but too of ten- after such a straightening and cleaning you can never find your pa pers. -0 Geo. Moore,:of the Honea Path Chronicle makes this observation: "An Ohio minister says kissing is intoxicating. Maybe in the course of time we will be 'having local option elections on the question of kissing." No, we will make that election State-wide. Conditions in reference to this intoxicant are about the same in all parts of the State and country. Then you know, Dr. Wiley, the pure food expert, says that soft drinks are very injurious. We will have a State wide election on this subject also. -0 In Georgia they say now that the arrests from drunkenness are much greater than before they had State- - wide prohibition. In fact I believe it is stated that they are 60 per cent more. I remember when the law first - went ~into effect one of the Atlanta papers printed a cut with the prison gate standing wide open and the gate guard wound asleep and the recorder out of a job, so awabiding had the people become. Maybe the reaction is taking place. -0 The Idler has been requested by citizens of No. 7 to say that Super visor Feagle has finished the Chap pells bridge but the roads in No. 7 are in such condition .that it is neces sary for 'him to do some work on them before he can move. Besides the peo ple of No. 7 feel that they are en titled to have the chain gang do a little work in that toivnship. They claim that the chain gang has not done as mueh as one week's work up there in five years. Besides that Mr. J. S. Dominick and' his boys have placed Three teams at the disposal of the supervisor to help in hauling rock to work these bad places in the road. That being the case the supervisor should keep the chain gang there as long as he can get the citizens to co opera.te in this substantial way. I commend it to other sections. Do not depend exclusively on the chain gang but encourage the supervisor by put ting your teams and hands to work. on the road. Mr. Dominick says the farmers up there want the supervisor to plant the new court house square in Bermuda grass and that it -ought to be planted in June. Do you read Buster Brown i'i th Funny Paper? I do. I generally find something good in the resoIu tions. In a recent issue he ga - no ticc of a new insurance comapany and advised everybody to take out a po ley. It is worth passing on. The title of the company is Happiness In surance Company and gives notice that ''You can insure vomi happ: ness by becoming kind. generow;, temn prate. getting plenty of sle.p, rxer cise and fresh air. Don't wur-:'. it will make you sick. Don 't eat too much or hate anybody. These are the premiums you must pay for your po liy."' That is a good company. You can take a policy, dear reader, and the beauty about it is the policy will be paid every day ten fold the amount of the premium. Don 't you think so. I understand that Newberry has a good show at the C., C. & 0. railroad. We should keep alive to the situation. It would be a good thing for Newber ry. It seemns to be p)retty well settled thait the road will go to Columbia and Charleston. The Idler