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.

AUTUMN PAGEANTR REV. DR. TALMAGE DELIVERS ANOT H ER SEASONABLE SERMON. .-wo an Do Fade as a Leaf"-The Glory ofthe Woods-How Like the Leaf is Our Life-From Youth to Age. WAsHINGTON, Oct. 25.-The season of the year adds much appositeness to Dr. Talmage's sermon, which we send out today. His subject is "The Pa geantry of the Woods," and his text Isaiah lxiv, 6, "We all do fade as a leaf." It is s. hard for us to understand re ligious truth that God constantly reit erates. As the schoolmaster takes a blackboard and puts upon it figures and diagrams, so that the scholar may not only zet his lessoa through the ear, but also through the eye, so G od takes all the truths of his Bible and draws them out in diagram on the natural world. Champollion, the famous Frenchman, went down into Egypt to study the hieroglyphics on monuments and temples. After much labor he deciphered them and an nounced to the learned world the re sult of his investigations. The wis dom, goodness and power of God are written in hieroglyphics all over the earth and all over the heaven. God grant that we may have understand ing enough to decipher them. There are scriptural passages, like my text, which need to be studied in the very presence of the natural werld. Habakkuk says, "Thou makest my feet like hind's feet," a passage which means nothing save to the man that knows that the feet of the red deer or hind, are peculiarly constructed, so that they can walk among slippery rocks without falling. Knowing that fact, we understand that when H1abak kuk says. "Thou makest my feet like hind's feet." he sets forth that the Christian can walk amid the most dangerous and 'slippery places with out falling. In Lamentations we read that "the daughter of my people is cruel, like the ostriches of the wil derness," a passage that has no mean ing save to the man who knows that the ostrich leaves its egg in the sand to be hatched out by the sun, and that the young ostrich forth unattend ed by any mate kindness. Know ing this, the passage is significant, 'Th daughter of my people is cruel, like the ostriches of the wilderness." . Those know but little of the mean ing of the natural world who have looked at it through the eyes of others and from book or canvass taken their npression. There are some faces so mobile thatphotographerscannot take them, and the face of nature has such a flush and sparkle and life that no human description can gather them. No one knows the pathos of a bird's voice unless he has sat at summer ev ening tide at the edge of a wood and listened to the cry of the whippoor will. There is today more glory in one branch of sumac than a painter could -u~ on a whole forest of maples. God struck into the autumnal leaf a glance that none see but those who come face to face-the mountain look ing upon the man, and the man look ing upon the mountain. For several autumns I have made a tour to the far west, and one autumn, about this time, saw that which I shall never forget. I have seenth nnial sketches of Cropsey 'd oth er skilful pencilsbutt eek Isaw a pageant 2,000 mil - ng Let artist stand bick wl 0God stretches his canvas! A~kadrspectacle was efeore mortal eyes. -yterivers, and up and down the esof the great hils, and by the banks of the lakes there was an inde scribable mingling of gold and orange and crimson art saffron, now sober ing into drab ana maroon, now [lam ing into solferino and scarlet. Here and there the trees looked *as if just their tips had blossomed into fire. In the monn ight the forests seemedas if they ha entransfgue and in the evening hour the loked as if the sunset had burst addropped upon the leaves. In more sequestered spots, when the frosts had been hin dered in their work, we saw thefirst kindling of the flames of color ina lowly sprig;then they rushed up from branch to branch until the glory of -the Lord submerged the forest. Here y'ou would find a tree just making up its mind to change, and there one looked as if, wounded at every pore, it stood bathed in carnage. Along the banks of Lake Huron there were hills over which there seemed pouring cat araots of fire, tossed up and down and every whither by the rocks. Through some of the ravines we saw occasion ally a foaming stream, as though it - were rushing to put out the conflagra tion. If at one end of the woods a commanding tree 'would set up its crimson banner, the whole forest pre pared to follow- If God's urn of col ors were not infinite, one swamp that I saw along the Maumee would have exhausted it forever. It seemed as if the sea of divine glory had dashed its surf to the tiptop of the Alleghanies, and then it had come dripping down to lowest leaf and deepest cavern. Most persons preaching from this text find only in it a vein of sadness. I find that 1 have two strings to this gospel harp-a string of sadness and a string of joy infinite. "We all do Jfade as a leaf." First-Like the foliage, we fade gradually. The leaves which week before last felt the frost have day by day been changing in tint and will fcr many days yet cling to the bough waiting for the fist of the wind to strike them. Suppose you that the pictured leaf that you hold in your hand took on its color in an hour, or *in a day, or in a week? No; deeper and deprthe flush, till all the veins of its lienow seem opened and bleed ing away. After awhile, leaf after leaf, they fall. Now those on the outer branches, then those most hid den, until the last spark of the gleam ing forge shall have been quenched. . S3o gradually we nass away. From day to day we hardily see the change. But the frosts have touched us. The work of decay is going on. Now a slight cold. Now a season of over fat-ge. Now a fever. Now a stitch in te side. Now a neuralgic thur-st. Now arheumatic twinge. 1Now a fall. Little by little. Pain by pain. Less steady of limbr. Sight not so clear. Ear not so alert. After awhilewe take a staff. Then, after much resistance, we come to setacles. Instead of bounding into te vehicle, we are will ing tobehepein. At last the octo genarian fal.Forty years of decay ing. No sudden change. No sudden change. No fierce cannonading of the batteries of life, but a fading away --slowly-gradually. As the leaf, as the leaf Again, like the leaf we fade, to make room for others. Next year's forests will be as grandly foliaged as this. There are other generations of oak Inaves to take the place of those which thiis autumn perish. Next May the cradle of the wind will rock the young buds. The woods will be all a hum withi the chorus of leafy voices. If the tree in front of your house, like Elijah, takes a chariot of fire, its man tle'will fall upon Elisha. If, in the blast of these autumnal batteries, so many ranks fall, there are reserve focres to take their place to defend the ,old lear will nava =)re gold af to eat. Tihe crown that drops today roi the head of theoak will be picked ip and handed down for other kinds ,o wear. Let the blasts come. They nake room for other life. So. when we go, others take our spheres. We do not grudge thp future generations their places. We will aave had our good time. Let them yome on and have their good tI %. rhere isno sighing anion these leaves today bacause other leaves are to fol tow t'iem. After a lifetime of preach ing, doctoring, selling, sewing or dig ging, let us cheerfully give way for those who come on to d the prcach ing, docto rig. selling. sewing and digging. God grant that their life may be brighter than ours has been. As we get older do not let us be af fronted if youngc m( and wonmen crowd as a little. We will have nad our day, and we must I t them have theirs.~ When our vow s get cracked, let us not snarl at those who c in war. ble. When our knees are stilfened, let us have p.tiene with those wio go fleet as the deer. Because our leaf is fading d not let us despise the un frosted. Autumn must not envy the spring. Old men must be patient with boys. Dr. Guthrie stood up in Sc:t land and said: "You need not think I am old because my hair is white. I never was s> young as I am no n." I look back to my childhood days and remember when in winter nights in the sitting room the children played the blithest and the gayest of all the company were father and mother. Al though reaching fourscore years of age, they never got old. Do not be disturbed as you see god and great men die. People worry when some im partAt )prs;onage passes oil the stage and say, "His place wil never be taken." Bat neither the church nor the state will sulf::r for it. There will be others ttake the places. When God takes one nun away, lie has another right back of him. God is so rich in zesources that he could spare 5,000 Summerfields and Saurins, if there were sa many. There will be other leaves as green, as exquisitely veined, as gracefully etched, as well pointed. however prominent the place we fill, our death will not jar the world. One falling leaf does not shake the Adirondacks. A ship is not well manned unless there be an extra sup ply of hands-some working on deck, some sound asleep in their hammacks. God has manned this world very we11. There will be other seamen on deck when you and I are down in the cabin sound asleep in the hammocks. Again, as with the leaves, we fade and fall amid myriads of others. Oae cannot count the number of plumes which these frosts are pluck ing from the hills. They will strew all the streams, they willdrift into the caverns, they will soften the wild beast's liar and fill the eagle's eyrie. All the aisles of the forest will be covered with their carpet and the steps of the hills glow witha wealth of color and shape that will defy the looms of Axminster. What urn could hold the ashes of all those dead leaves? Who could count the hosts that burn on this funeral pyre of the mountains? So we die in concert. The clock that strikes the hour of our going will sound the going of many thousands. Keeping step with the feet-.of thne who carry us o 'tt. brt~ie tramp of hunde'deffg the same errand. Be twede50 and 70 people every day lie down in Greenwood. That place has over 200,000 of the dead. I said to the man at the gate," "Then, if there are so many here, you must have the larg est cemetery." He said there were two Roman Catholic cemneteries in ttne city each of which had more than this. We are all dying. London and Pek ing are not the great cities of the world. The grave is the great city. It hath mightier population, longer sreets, brighter lights, thicker dark ness. Caosar is there and all his subjects. Nero is there and all his victims. City of kings and paupers! It has swat lowed up in its immigrations Thebes and Tyre and Babylon and will swal low all our cities. Yet city of silence. No voice. No houf. No wheel. No clash. No smitting of hammer. No clack of flying loom. No jar. No whisper. Great city of silence! Of all its million million hands not one of them is lifted. Of all its million mnil lion eyes not one of them sparkles. Of all its million million hearts not one pulsates. The living are in small minority. If, in the movement of time, some great question between the living and the dead should be put and God called up all the d.:ad and the living to de cide it, as we lifted our hands, and from all th 3 -esting piaces of the dead they lifte'-dthik hands, the dead would outvote us. Why, the multitude of the dying a'-d the dead are as these autumn9.1 leaves drifting under our feet today. We march on toward eter nity, not by companies of 100, or reg iments of 1,000, or brigades of 10,000, but 1,600,000,000 abreast. Marching on! Marching on? Again, as with variety of appear ance the leaves depart, so do we. Y ou have noticedi that some trees at the first touch of the frost lose all their beauty. They stand withered and un comely and ragged waiting for the northeast storm to drive them into the mire. The sun shining at noonday gilds them with no beauty. Ragged leaves. Dead leaves. N~o one stands to study them. They are gathered in no vase. They are hung on no wall. So death smites many. There is no beauty in their departure. One sharp frost of sickness or one blast oilf the cold waters and they are gone. No tinge of hope. No prophecy of heav en. Their spring was all abloom with bright prospects. Their summer thick foliaged with opportunities. But Octo ber came, and their glory went. Frosted ! In early autumn the frosts come, but do not seem to damage veg etation. They are light frosts. But some morning you look out of the window and say, "There was a black frost last night," and you know that from that day everything will wither. So men seem to get along without reli gion amid the annoyances and vexa tions of life that nip them slightly here and nip them there. But after awhile death comes. It is a blact frost and all is ended. Oh, what withering and scattering death makes among those not prepar ed to meet it. They leave everything pleasant behind them-their house, their families, their friends, their books, their pictures, and step out of the sunshine into the shadow. They quit the presence of bird and bloom and wave to go unbeckoned and un welcomed. The bower in which they stood and sang and wove chaplets and made themselves merry has gone down under an awful equinoctical. No bell can toll one-half the doleful ness of their condition. F"rosted: But, thank God, that is not the way people always die. Tell me on what day of all the year the leaves of the woodbine are as bright as they are to day? So Christian character is never so attractive as in the dying hour. Such go into the grave, not as a dog, with frown and harsh voice, driven into a kennel, but they pass away calmly, brightly, sweetly, grandly. As the leaf: As the leaf : Why go to the deathbed of distin guished men when there is hardly a house on this street but from it a Christan has departed? When your in the r i t) 11 IvCt eulntAu a c Rona tioa. When yar father died. yo Sat watchinz, and af'e- awhile felt of his wrist. and thea pat yoU:- hand under his arm tosee if there were any warmth left and placed th- mirror to tie mouth to see if thre were any sign of breathing, and when a'l was over vou thoucht ho v grandly he slep: -i giant resting after ta baittle. Oh, there are many Christian death beds: Tni' chiariots of Gd , come to take his childran home, atre speeding every whithevr. Tnis one halts at the gate or the alims e, that one at the -te of princes. The shout of ciptives breakinv their chains co:nes on1 the morninz air. Tne heavens ring again and again with the c:ronation. The 12 ates of heaven are cro xded with the ascending ri-hteousness. I see the accu-nlated glories o' a t!vwa-id ChrLstian deathbeds in autumnal forests illumined by aii autumnal sun set. They died not in shame, hit in triuma:h. As the lear: .\s the le if ! LAauV, a the leaves fade and fall only- to rise, so do we. All this gold en suoxer of the woods is making tue ground richer, and ia the jaiwc and sap and life of the tree the leaves will come up agaia. Next May th south wind will blow the resurreztioa trumpet, and they will rise. So we fall in the dust only to rise again. "The hour is c)ning when all who are in their graves shall hear his voice and come forth." It would be a hor rible consideraticn to think that our bodies were always to lie in the ground. However beautiful the to:w ers you plant there, we do not want to make our everlasting residence in such a place. I have with these eyes seen so many of the glories of the natural world and the radiant faces of my frends, that I d. not want to think when I close them in death I shail never open them again. It is sxd enough to have a hand or foot amputate-1. In a hospit al, after a soldier had had his hand his taken otF, he said, "Goodby, dear old hand, you have done me a great deal of good service," and burst into tears. It is a more awful thing of having the whole body amputated from the soul forever. I must have my body again, to see with, to hear with, to walk with. With this hand I must clasp the hand of my loved ones when I have passed clean over Jordan and with it wave the tri umphs of my king. Aha, we shall rise again I We shall rise again. As theleaf! Astheleaf: Crossing the Atlantic the ship may founder and our bodies be eaten by the sharks, out God tameth the levia than, and we shall come again. In awful explosion of factory bailer our bodies may be shattered into a hun dred fragments in the air, but God watches the disaster, and we shall come again. He will drag the deep, and ransack the tomb, an-i upturn the wilderness, and torture the mountain, but he will find us and fetch us out and up to judgment and to victory. We shall come up with perfect eye, with perfect hand, with perfect foot and with perfect body. All oar weak nesses will be left behind. We fall, but we rise; we die, bat we live again: We moulder away, but we come to higher uutfolding: As the leaf I As thel ea[ BINNS QUITS THE ARMY. lecaus~e He Believes SoldIers Will be Used to Put Down the People. Wasmsa~ToN, October 29.-Second Lieutenant Joseph R. Binns, an officer of the First Uniited States Infantry, now stationed at Angel Island, _Cal., has resigned from the service, giving as his reason that he believes the power of the army is destined to be used against the people. Lieutenant Binns rose from the ranks and is a bright young Minnesotan, who entered the service in 1890 and so applied himself to his tasks as a soldice that he was soon made a non-commissioned officer. He studied and was able to make him self conspicuous as a candidate for a commission. Three years ago he came up with other applicants from the ranks for a secon~d lieutenancy and was successful. Ie was appointed and has been serving with the First Infantry, the only olhicer of his grade in his regiment who is not a graduate of West Point. Lieutenant Binns performed his duty in the Milli tary Department of California with commendable diligence. The oppor tunities for active service are limited in these times, but Lieutenant B~innm made the most of them, especially woa his commnand was ordered into the field to ride on railroad trains and stand guard over corpora~ion property during the labor riots in California. Lietenant Binns takes the ground that the military power of the Gayer ment has baen, and wvill be all the more, in the hands of the rich, who will use it against the poor, and that it will, at no distant day, be turned against the common people. IIe does not beiieve in such a utili'za tion of the army, and he has the cour age of his convictions to the extent of surrendering his commission. i~e wrote a letter excplaining this position, and stated that he would give up his commission before lie would lend himself to the purpose of commanding troops which must one day fire their guns at the people. Lieutenant Bin ns's resignation reached the War D~epartment this morning. There was no delay; Ad jutanat General Ruggles handed it to Secretary Lamont, and the latter took it to the White House, with the result that it was accepted forthwith, and Lieutenant Binns is no longer in the army. _____ __ One Hundred and Sixteen. CmoLLcoTHE, 0., Oct. 27.-Cahte rine Cushenberry, a colored woman, died here today at the age of l11; years. Sne was born in Fauquier county, Va., in 1780, and the records of the county show that in 1792, at the age of 12 years, she was purchased by a man named Craigen, living near Moorefid, in what is now West Vir ginia. She passed throus h a number of hands after that, until 186;2, at which time she was the property of Mrs. Sarah Dyer, of Piendleton coun ty, W. Va. Previous to that time she had twelve children, and one of them, George Iherbert, had purchased his freedom and moved to this city. In 1862, after a long search, he located his mother in Pendleton county and p urchase d her freedom for $1l25. She as lived in this city ever since with two of her sons. The whereabouts of all her other children are utterly un known. She has been entirely blind for thirty years, but has retained her mental faculties to a remarkable de gre up to within the past three months. She was considered in many way s to be the most remarkable character liv ing in this city. sneezed an Eye Out. CiNIxxaTI, Oct. 28.-Charles D~o ran, a business man of Glendale, took a pinch of snuir for a cold. So severe was the sneezing that followed that the inferior oblique muscle of the left eye was ruptured and as he continued to sneeze the exertionl forced the eye out of its socket. Dor-an says he felt as if something had broken in his head. With his right eye lie saw the left optic hanging down his cheek. Dr. Heady replaced the eye and ap plied a lotion to the muscle. The eye was there bandaged so it could not fall out again. Dr. Heady believes the eye is -cot destroyed. TE k1S OF OPF[CRERS. AN IMP:RTANT DECISION BY THE AT TORNEY GENERAL. umvnity Oli -ors 1nat Qtalify Thirty Days A fter N atliication of -!Oectlon--Snlicitors Elect M y)fi tallry in'11 eil:Ltoly on Noti Numerous inquiries have b2en di rected to the Secretary of State and others in reference to the time of tne bginning of the terms of olli2ers to be elected under the present Constitu tion next week. The Attorney Gen eral has riven an opinion covering the whole subject, being requested to decide as to Sheriffs by the Secretary of State. Tie opinion is an impor tant one, in that it declares that Sher iffs, Clerki, Superintendents of Edu cition and other county ollic-ers must quilify within thirty days after the ,otiicition of their election by thne Secretary of State, and Solicitors can qualify also, as soon as notifie:1 of their election. It has been generally supp3ed that present Solicitr)rs would hold over until January. The opinion is as follows: Columbia, S. C., Oct. 24, 189. Iln. D. H. Tompkins, Secretary of State. Dar Sir: The letter of B. F. Duthi, referred by you to t Lis ollice, has had attention. The question submitted by the lett.erisbv whom wil a Sheriff elect ed in November,189G,be commissioned; whether by the present (overnor or the Governor to be elected. Similar questions relative to other officers have been submitted and it is deemed advis able to dispose or all in one opinion. As to tie Governor and othe- State ollicers ele-t in 189G, the Constitution provides when they shall enter upon the performnnce or Iheir duties. Sec tion 2, Article .1, of the Constitution of 1895, provides. "The Governor shall be elected under this UCnstitution at the first election held and shalt b- in stalled at the first session or the Gen eral Assembly after the election. The other State olleers elect shall at the same time enter upon the performance of their duties." There can be no doubt as to the meaning of "other State oftlcers" as the Constitution plainly distinguishes "State" from "county" officers. The law provides for the appoint ment of Auditors and Treasurers by the Governor, by and with the advice of the Senate, who shall hold these offices for two years and until their successors are appointed and qualified. These olflicers are not elected at the general election in 189G, and will, therefore, be appointed by the Gover nor elected in 1896, and the old ofli cers will hold over until the inaugura tion of the Governor. Magistrates under the new Constitu tion and the law now of force are ap pointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Governor elected in 1896 will aD point these and the old officers will hold over. And so with all other ap pointive officers. But, as to Clerks, Sheriffs, School LSnerintendents nnd - other eietLi've county officers, they will enter upon the performance of their duties at the time now provided by law, as the Constitution makes no provision as to when they shall be inducted into of The election law approved March 9, 189G;, provides, "That general elec tions for Federal, State and county officers, shall be held on the first Tues day following the first Monday in November, 189G, and in every second year thereafter." Section 27, Article 5, of Constitution of 1895, provides, "There shall be elected in each county by the electors thereof, one Clerk for the Court of Common Pleas, who shall hold his oflice for the term of four years and until his successor shall be elected and qualified." Section 30) of same article provides, "The qualified electors of each county shall elect a Sherifl' and Coroner for the term of four years and until their successors are elected and qualified." Under the authority conferred by the constitution, the school law, ap proved March 9, 189G;, provides, "At the expiration of the terms of olilce of the School Commissioner's of the several counties of this State there shall be elected by the-qual qualified electors of the county, a County Superintendent of Education for each county, who shall hold his term of oflice for the term of two years, and until his sue::essor is elected and qualilied." Nowhere in the new Con stitution is any provision made as to: the time when these oflicer's shall en-: ter upon the discharge of the duties of their of lice. The sixth sub division, Art. 17, Sec. II, of the new Constitution provides. "All of licers, State, executive, legisla tive, judicial, circuit, district, county, township and municipal, who may be in office at the adoption of this Con stitution shall hold their respective of fices until their termshave expired,and until their successors are elected or ap pointed and qualif ied as provide in this Constitution."' Section 10 of same ar ticle provides, "All laws now in force in this State and not repugnant to this: Constitution, shall remain and be of: force until altered or repealed by the: General Assembly, or shall expire by their own limitation. Section 190 of Revised Statutes re quires the Secretary of State to trans mit without delay a copy, under the seal of his office, of the certified deter mination of the St-ate Board of Can vassets to each person thereby declar ed to be elected. Section 510 of the Revised Statutes provides, "Every county officer, elect ed or appointed, who is required to1 give bond, shall within thirty days1 after notification of his election or ap pointment, have his said bond record ed in the office of the Register of1 Mesne Conveyance for the county in1 which said of licer resides." This re cording of the bond constitutes quali fication and it would seem that the officer must enter upon the discharge 4 of the duties of his ollice within thirty I days after the oflicial notification of his election. I am of the opinion, therefore, that I a Sheri ff elected in 1896, at the general election, must give bond and qualify within thirty days after he is notified I by the Secretary of State of his elec- 1 tion, and will be commissioned by the present Governor, and so with Clerks, Superintendents of Education and other county oficers. A question has been submitted as to when Solicitors of the State, elected at t the general election in 1896, will enter C upon the performance of the duties of their offices. Section 29, Art. 5 of the I new Constitution provides: "There c shall be one Solicitor for each Circuit. c who shall reside therein, to be elected I by the qualified electors of the Circuit, I who shall hold his ollic-e for a term of S four years," etc. Section :1, Art. 4 of f the new Constituticn, under the head t of th~e executive department, names c the other State oilic-ers to be elected by the electors of the State, to wit: Secretary of State, Comptroller Gen- C eral, Attorney General, Treasurer, t Adjutant and Inspector General and t Superintendent of Education and there are other "State oflicers" who are to 1 enter upon the performance of the du ties of their of lices at the time of the t inauguration of the Governor elected C in 1896. The provision for the elec- 1 ionn of Solicitor i fomud noer the lead o, judicial department in the ,onstitution. Under the old Constitu ion the Solicitors were elected for our years and not to hold until their ;uccessors wore elected and qualidied. [he new Constitution provides that hey shall hold with all other officers. intil their terms have expired and heir successors have been elected and pualified. In sub division 6. Art. 17, sec. 11, Solicitors elected in 1896, as ;oon as oflicially notified by the Secre -tary of State, can qualify, and when hey do are entitled to enter upon tfe lischarge of the duties of their office.s, a the absence of any provision in th 1 iew Constitution fixing such time. It nay be said that a Solicitor is a State >lficers by reason of his connection Vith the Attorney General's office, but ii sub division 6, Sec. 10, Art. 17. of iew Consitution, lie is called a Circuit )llicer and not a State officer. I am of the opinion that the Solici ors cannot be classed with other State >Ilicers in Section 2, Article 4, of the iew Constitution as to the time of en ering upon the dischargeof the duties )f their oflice, and that those elected a 1S%.I, are entitled to enter upon the luties of their offices as soon as quali ied by the official notification of their leclon by the Secretary of State. Yours very truly, WM. A. BanIER, Attorney General. THE PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD. Ituch important Business Disposed of by the Body. ORANGEDURG, S. C., November 1. [he Presbyterian Synod of South ,arolina met in its regular session in he Presbyterian Church in this city m Tuesday night of last week. The ;ermon, opening the sessions of synod, vas preached by the Rev. J. G. Rich Lrds of Pee Dee presbytery, from Ex )dus 16, 17: "Speak to the children >f Israel that they zo forvard." The erinon was timely and was listened o with very marked attention by the ynod. Rev. W. M. MePheeters, D. D , was lected moderator and Ruling Elder empleton of Abbeville was elected emporary clerk. Narratives on the subject of religion Lnd statistical reports from the vari )us presbiteries were read by the stat ,d clerks of presbyteries. Three deaths in the ministry have >een reported to synad,Rev. D. E. Fi ,rson,D. D.,of South Carolina presby ,ery and Rev. W. S. Wightman and fohn R. Dow of Charleston presby erT. Rev. Messrs. J. K. - iazen, D. D., Lnd E. M. Richardson, D. D., secreta ies of the general assembly's com nittees on publication and colportage md education, respectively, were in rited to sit as corresponding members, Lnd Rev. E. 0. Watson of the Metho list Episcopal Church, South, was in roduced to the synod and was invited ,o sit as a visiting member. An appeal was read to synod from a -uling elder in the church of Florence kgainst an action of the session of the ,hurch and of Pee Dae presbytery whereby a ruling elder in the Florence *huJrch has been deposed from office a said chrch for slander. The following standing committees wvere appointed for the present meet nz of synod: Devotional Exerciser-Rev. J. L . VfcLess, M. Glover. Bills and Overtures-Rev. Messrs. J. 3-. Richards, J. D. Tadiock, D. D., J. J. Oehler and Messrs. A. WV. Leland mnd Win. Whyte. Judicial Business-Rev. Messrs. WV. 1. McKay, D. D., D. E. Jordon, D. L., and WV. WV. Mills and Messrs. J. a.. Enslow and G. Q. Palmer. Foreign Missions-Rev. Messrs. R. adams, J. G. Hall, J. H. Dixson and W. H. Day and J. McSw'een. Home Missions-Re-i. Messrs, N. .J. Elolmes, A. H. McArn. M. R. Kirk >atrick and Messrs. B. F. Wilson and WV. D. Rhodes. Education - Rev. Messrs. James WVoodrow, D. D., E. C. Murray, R. P. Pell and WV. E. James and J. P. Sasson.. Publication-Rev. Messrs. J. WV. linn, D. D., J. K. IIiall and A. A. fames and Messrs. A. Brown, and J. ~I. Dorse. Colored E vangelizntion-Rev.Mesrs. WV. P. Jacobs, 1D. D., 0. G. Jones Lnd V.~ R. Gaston and Messrs. J . II. Alexander and A. S. Douglas. Narrative-Rev. Messrs. Alexander sprunt, D. M. Felton' and HI. G3. Gil and and Messrs. J. J. Evans andl H. ~. Waipole. Theological Seminaries --- Rev. Klessrs. J. H. Thowrnwell, D). D., B. ~. Reid, J. C. Oehler and Messrs. A.] White and G. H. O'Leary. Finance-Messrs. J. Hamilton and Minutes of the General Assemnbly-~ lev. Messrs. WV. T. Hall, D). D., J. L. Nilson, D. D., G. G. Mayes and dfessrs. J. M. Spratt and A. A. Fos er. Leave of Absence -Rev. Messrs. G. \.. Blackburn, Q. WV. Hlumphreys,1 .). D., C. B. Jennings and Messrs J.1 ~. Strain and WV. B. Boyd. On Przesbyterial Records-Bethel1 ?resbytery, Rev. J. C. Oehler. J. H.1 ilexander; Charleston Presbytery, tev. Alexander Sprunt, C. R. Harvin ; tnoree Bresbstery, Rev. James Mc-. )owell, J. P. Richards; Harmony1 ?resbytery, Rev. M. R. Kirkpatrick,1 3. WV. Suber; Pee Dee Presbytery,1 tev. R. P. Peli, A. S. Douglas; South jarolina Presbytery, Rev. T. P. Hay, d[. K. Yarboro. Wednesday evening the Synod re eded from business, and, with a large ongregation, listenened to a sermon< rom the Rev. J. Lowrie Wilson, D. )., on the character and fall of Peter, he apostle. The sermon was listened ] o with deep interest.] Prof. Harry Louis Smith, Ph. D.,: >f Davidson College, N. C., addressed he s ynod in the interests of the col ege he repres-ents and received the losest attention of the synod. This :ollege has many of its alumni in the ynod, both in the ministry and the ldrship, and they heard with much ).easure of the highly favorable con-2 ition of the college.] On Thursday the judicial commit ee reported on the appeal from a nember of the session of Florence ,hurch against an action of Pee Dee t e-esbytery confirming an action ofi ha session of this church in deposingi *n elder from oflice for slanaer. The1 eport declared the appeal to contain< uch icregularities as to debar the ynod from ersidering it. After rauch debate on this report the ques-i ion went over until Friday for de ision.] The committee appointed at the last I aeceting of synod to confer with a like I ommittee from the synod of Georgiac oncerning the removal of the Colum >a seminary, repnrted that there was( iothing of intere.s to report to thec ynod on the subject owing to the I act that the synod of Georgia would ake no a~tion on this subject. The s ommrittee was discharged. c Synod gave its endorsement of the I Lmerican Bible society and the church- i s in the bounds of the synod were I .rged to lend their sympathies and heir aid to the work of the society, i: rhich is in extraordinary need of oth. The Rev. EC. M. Richardson, D. D.,v he assembly's secretary of education r f candidates'for the rainistry, was a eard by the synod. The omm ite an the Theologicali emin;ary, through I-v. j. U1. Thorn weli, 1). D., reported to syned, recomn aiending the reelection of the member. )f the board of trustees, whose term: xpire at th's meeting. The repor urther recommends that Prof. Mc Pheeters be commissioned to visit th< ;ynods supporting the seminary ar lay the interests of the institution be 'ore these bodies. The last Sunday it November was appointed as time foi ;pecial notice on the part of the pas ,ors throughout the bounds of th< ;ynod to this subject and they are re luested to report to their c)ngrega .ions of the necessities of the semi 2ary, and that a collection be taker 2p on that day for the relief of th< .mmediate -needs of the institution. Tne report of the permanent corn 'nittee on colored evangelization wa. aken up and carefully considered b, ynod. The synod approves of the -ecommendAtion of the committee a: 'ollows, viz.: 1. That $1,280 be raised in order t( yomplete the purchase of the Furgu ;on Williams college in Abbeville md that some suitable person be ap pointed by the committee to mai -he canvass for the cause. 2. That this synod undertike tlh 3ause of colored evangelization with n its bounds, independent of the as embly's committee and without the iidof th e assembly's committee. 3. Thatthe presbyteries of this syn >d retain 75 per cent. of its collection. in December for the cause of colored vangelization and I he same be sen 'o the chairman of synod's committee and that 25 per cent. of this collectior be forwarded to the assembly's treas rer for tie work of theassembly. 4. That Rev. J. N. H. Summerell b< lected chairman of the synod's con mittee on this subject, which is to bE known as the synod's executive com mittee on colored evangelization. 5. That synod instruct its committei ,o aid only those ministers which ar< ow or will hereafter be in the bound, >f thesynod. 6. That the coamittee be instructe Lo employ evangelists to work in desti ute places in our bounds, when th< unds will warrant such an undertak ng, provided that if these evangelist, be colored men that their fields of la or shall be at least in part within the bounds of our synod. The folowing reply from Charles Lon presbytery was sent to synod it reference to synod's action of last yeai touching the action of synod in taking xception to the minutes of this p-es ytery: 1. Synod evidently lacked informa lion as to our local conditions and a to our purposes. 2. Presbytery does not know wha law it has violated and failed to speci fy paragraph erred against. 3. Should Reuben James appear be fore this presbytery again and shoul< the assembly approve the action o ynod the presbytery will give thi m atter its most earnest consideratioz ird will correct any error that ma ppear. This paper was received as informa ion. The standing committee on foreigt missions reported to synod on the re port of the synod's permanent com mittee on this subject, offering recom mendations which do not materiall! :hange or affect the subject of foreigt missions as recognized and sapporte< by the synod. Rev. S. H. Chester, D. D., the gen eral assembly's executive committe< secretary, spoke to the synod in th< interests of the cause of foreign mir 31nS. The report of the comrnittee on the records of Charleston Presbytery t< the effect that the records be approve< as far as written was ad >pted. Friday the standing committee or home mnissions,',through its chairman Rev. N. J. Holmes, offered their re port, which took up the subject synod ial home missions. The folio sing resolution was adopted: "As to local home missions, you: :ommittee would recommend that thi synod undertake the evangelistic worl within its bounds in the destitute re ions wherever it can be done it armony with the work and plans o he presbyteries. And to this end hat an executive committee of thre ninisters and three elders be appoint d to take charge of 'the work, wit] uthority to arrange all details of th< 'ork, so as not to interfere with thb work of any presbytery without theil :onsent and co-operation. That the.; employ men to do the work and fi: heir salaries and assign them work,ont >r more of whom shall be expected:. resent the cause of home misssion an raise the funds, and the others be ut in the field as the funds are rais The following were elected to corn ose the committee above called for Lte. WV. G. Neville, Rev. R. P'. Pell. R~ev. C. M. Richards and Messrs. W X. Nicholson, G. H. Cornelson ani John McSween, representing all thb resbyteries of the synod. The committee on the minutes of he general assembly recommended brough its chairman, Rev. W. T. Iall, D). D., amongst other things, hat syncd take exception to the con ract entered into between the corpo ation of the city of Fredericksburg, Va -, and the authorities of the assem >ly's home and achool, on the grounu hat is in violation of the principles of he Presbyterian church on the rela ion of church and state, which was idopted to the synod. It also recomn nended the observance of the 25th mniversary of the promulgation of he symbols of the Westminister as tembly of divines at the next mneeting >f synod, and the following commit ,ee was appointed to make ,suitable rrangements for this anmiversary: te. W. J. McKay, D. D., Rev. J. W. hinn, D). D., Judge J. S. Cothran tnd Rev. D. M. Fulton. Liberty Hill church in Hfarmony >resytery. was, upon overture, trans .-red to Bethel presbytery. In connection with the report of the :ominttee on the theological semina y, the professors of the seminary vere heard on the subject of the semi lary, the chairman of the faculty, er. Dr. McPheeters, speaking at ome length and very elcquently and nuch to the interest of the synod. The synod was much interested in his discussion and it is believed that ncreased interest has been a'wakened n the synod in behalf of the seminary. ev. J. H. Thornwell, D. D., was ad led to the resolution appointing Rev. Y. M. Mclheeters, D, D., to visit the .ynods having control of the seminary n the interests of the institution. Rev. W. M. McPheeters, D. D., and ey. A. A. James were elected to fill he vacancies on the board of trustees >y reason of the expiration of terms of ffice of Rev. A. A. James and Rev. V. T. Thompson, D. D. Maj. WV. A. 1ark was elEcted t2 fill the vacancy ~ccasioned by the death of Col. R. L. Ic~aughrin. The judicial case coming before the ynod by appeal against the decision f the Pee D~ee presbytery, was referred ack to the presbytery to be tried upon ts merits. This action was suggested y the Rev. A. H. McAarn of the resbytery against which the appeal made. The overture to synod that Pee 1)e nd Harmony presby'eries be reunited as answered in the negative in as auch as synod has determined to in ugurate a home mission of its own. 'he territory of Pee Dee presbytery - thz exception of Cheraw and O-uri Hill churches. was transferred to a Bthel presbvtery. The records of Pee Dee presbytery were approved except that part of the - record which has reference to tie ja dicial case which has been referred I back to presbytery. - Darlinoton was chosen as the place r for the next meeting of synod, and Friday before the fifth Sunday in Oz tober, 1897, at 10 a. m., was fi xed .s the time for the meeting, After resolutions offered by the sne - cial committee on standing rules, it - was ordered that the whole subject be postponed until the next meeting of synod. with Rev. Alexander Sprunt as chairman of the committee. MA KING A PRESIDENT. METHODS EMPLOYED UNDER THE AMERICAN ELECTORAL SYSTEM. Machinery Nocessary to Complete the Work Begun at the Ballot Brnx-Fa~ta A bout P1ast E14etionls. Presidential electors are appointed, not elected, although their names are on the ballots when deposited by the sovereigns. The Act authorizing the operation of the electoral system, and diefining the powers of tho:e chosen, treats them as appointees, and so like wise does-the law under which they become the agents of the people to ex press by ballot the popular will. When it is remembered that the peo ple do not vote directly for the Presi - dential candidates. but, in the general belief, do decide between twc or more sets of electors, the act of appoint ments seems, at first blush, to ba of somewhat vague and urcertain au - thority. Ballots in considerable numbers were once thrown out in the State of New York for no other reason than that the last letter of the longest name among those of the electors was cut off when the ballots were separated by - the printer. It is believed by many to this day that the choice of a President - that year was decided by the rejection i of those votes, and that had they been counted, as they were intended to be, in the interest of Mr. Bline, he would have become the Chief Magistrate,and his days would haye been increased. L The expression of the ballot, how ever, is the will of the people, the ma jority of whom decide who shali be appointed to do the real voting. And those appointed in each State "shall meet and give their votes" on the sec 5 ond Monday in January next follow ing the election in November. They t shall meet at such place in each State as the Legislature of such State shall direct. - Imperative is the command to as i semble on that particular date in Jan f uary, with no proviso of "high waters e alone preventing." Failure to obey I this mandate in any one State might r change the election result, and in one instance, well remembered, when - there was but one majority in the elec toral vote for the winner, it would cer tainly have done so. - That was in 1876, just twenty years - ago. With the law strictly obeyed, it - required the creation of the extraordi r nary electoral commission, composed t of five Senators, five representatives, I and five members of the Supreme Court, to settle the contest. That year - also witnessed a remarkable campaign 3 in the State of Illinois, in which as e has been frequently intimated, Gen. - John A. Logan relinquished his fight for the United States Seniate, and aid Sed in throwing the Republican vote to >David Davis, then a member of the I Supreme Court. The Legislature was close, and one independent member, 1 who preferred Davis, was able to elect ,hiMa. - This was done to save the Presidency - to the Republicans, it was alleged, by keeping Judge Davis off the high joint commission. Under the method r of choosing, he would certainly have been appointed. As Senator he was e out of the way, and a Republican -Judge was named in his stead. Had ihe been a member of the commission f he would have voted for Tilden, but ,the board as afterwards constituted a stood eight Republicans to seven Dem -ocrats. 1 The commission sat from day to Sday, until the 2d of Mahrch, t wo days a before the date of inauguration, before r finally deciding the matter. However rits majority m>ay have been schemed :for by botti parties, it was the opinion Sof eminent jurists and statesmen, re >gardless of politics, that the action of sthe c.nmission confirmed beyond le gal doubt or quibble the title of Mr. - Hay es to the Presidency. Both houses of that body "shall" be in joint session on the second Wednes day in February succeeding the meet ing of the electors. If the results in the States has been close there is much interest and no little excitement until after the second Wednesday in F~eb ruary, or until such time as the choice is determined. Should an elector die before tire date fixed for casting his vote the candidate -n whose interest he was appointed will be the losser. Had one died suecceeding the election of 187r3, there would have been a tie vote in the electoral college. IHad two died, Tilden would have~ been President. IThe Senate meets with the Repre sentatives in the hall of the House at the hour of 1 o'clock in the afternoon of the second Wednesday in Februa ry. The President of the Senate pre rides and opens the sealed packages, containing the electoral certilicates. Tellers, t wo from each house, receive these certificates and all other papers purporting to be such. th~e votes being counted in the alphab-i'd order of the States, beginning wanl thre letter A. The anouncemnent of t be result by the President of the Senate s-rall be accepttd as sutlicient declardhon of the persons, if any, elected P), --d~dent and Vice Pr-esident. Objections may be received to the declaration of the vote of any State, but they must be made in writing, and be concise and clear in sw;mr.. It must be signed by at least t wo per sons, a Senator and a member, and when all objections shall be rece'd, the houses separate when a 'ote is taken by each. A majority cf one body is not sutlicient to reject the vote of a State, but the t wo honses concur rently may reject it, 4 :r they agree that such vote or va-Ls have not been regularly given by qualified electors. The joint meeting cannot 1 4rully be dissolved until tu> count --all be completed andi the result dleetared, and no i-ecess is admissable unless a qruestion shalt have arisen in reg-ard to the count1ing of any ate, in wmich case either body may t:I1m a recess until the succeeding day at 10' o'clock a. mn., but if the result shall not have oeen completed before the fifth calen dar day after the first meeting of the two houses, no further recess shall be taken. Contests are anticipated over the choice of electors in the law which de lines their duties and methods of pro cedure. Tihe act says that if any State shall have provided by laws passed prior to the day fixed for the appointment of electors, for its final determination of any controversy or contest concerning the appointment of all or any of the electors; of suchr State, by judicial proceedings or otherwise, a if suh Jde.,.m-nain shall hav POWDER Absolutely Pure. A cream of tartar baking powder. Highest of all in leavening strength. -Latest United Silates Government Foord R"port. ROAL BAKING POWDER Co., New York City. been made at least six days before the time fixed for the mee ting of the elec tors, it shall be conclusive, and shall govern in the counting of the elector al vote. Mention has been made of the close contest of 1876, when the Republican was seated by one majority of the elec toral votes. OLher elections were very much more one-sided, and most noted instance was in 1820, when James Madison received 231 electoral votes and John Quincy Adams was given but one. That was, however, a rare occurrence following a campaign that was practically no contest. General Winfield Scott, when pitted against Franklin Pierce in 1852, car ried but four States, and received for ty-two electoral votes. as against 254 for his competitor. The States which that year went for General Scott were Rhode Island, Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee. This was the next election after the successful termination of the Ameri can military campaign against Mexico in which General Scott was a promin eat figure, and his overwhelming de feat was a painful surprise to him and his friends. Twelve years prior to that event General William Henry Harrison de f eated Martin Van Buren by an elec toral vote of 234 to 60. President Lincoln's majority in 1860 was 57, his total vote being 180. Bat. when he made his second race against General George B. McClellan, he came close to getting the whole electo ral vote. McClellan carried but three'-, tates, New Jersey, Delaware and Kentucky, which gave him an aggre gate of but 21 votes, as against 212 for the Republican candidate. General Srrant's first campaign, which was waged with Horatio Sey mour, of New York, resulted in his favor by a vote of 214 to 80. Seymour carried but seven States, but with these went New York, and much to the surprise of most of the politicians of that day, Oregon also went Demo cratic. The other five were New Jer sey, Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Louisiana. Horace Greeley, who distingtuished himself at the head of the New York Tribune, ran against General Grant in 1872. Mr. Greeley died before. Congress passed upon the returns, but had he lived the vote cast for him would have been but 63. His ticket carried Georgia, Missouri, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas and Kentucky, and when the electoral vote was polled, they were divided between B. Grats Brown, Thomas A. Hendricks, Char~ J. Jenkins and David Davis.-'Wash-"' ington Times. A Thousanid Dollars Behind. GREENVILLE, S. C., Oct. 28.-Since the "taking of stock" by local Board of Control in the West End Dispensary a fe w weeks ago, the ques tion of shortage on the part of former Dispenser R. F. G. Holt zclaw has been a matter of speculation, and your cor respondent was for the first time today able to get anything like a definite idea of the amount of the discrepancy. The Board has found him between $1, 000 and $1,5.r00 stort. Dispenser Holtz claw has employed counsel and will tight the decision to' the bitter end. In this connection it is also stated that the Baltimore Banking and Trust Com pany, which bonded Mr. Holtzelaw will refuse to pay the shortage to the State and fight the matter in the courts upon the ground that the provision in their bond saying that they shall at once be notified of the flrst shortage was violated by the State authorities when in July the grand jury found the Dis penser some $90 short and no report of this made to the company. A mem ber of the Board admitted to a reporter for The Register that the company had not been notilled of this finding, but claimed the bond was good for every dollar of the shortage. R Y Llellamsof the Board said this afternoon he knew the exact amount the Board had f ound: Mr. Holtzclaw short, but did not ecire to give this information out for pub lication. When a guess of $1,500 was made, Mr. Hlelams said this was too much, but when the guess was reduced to $1,000 Mr. Hellams would not are swer. Dispenser Holtzelaw was seen an, hour later and was equally reticent. "I know that the Board has found :n6," he said, 'but I do not care to, say anything for publication" " "But you will admi 91.V h 000?' was asked. - "Oh! yes, it is above that," he re plied, as if otE his guard, and recav ring himself refused to say more or ive the exact figures. lHe thinks the Board had made a-. rievous error and contendl he is not dollar short, and believes when the Board makes another investigation, which he says will be done shortly,. hat it will be found he is right. Kkled in a Bull Fight. NOAGLEs, Ariz., Oct. 27.-A bull ight with fatal results occurred at Noagles, Sonora, yesterday, and for a hort time caused a panic in the audi mene. One of the bulls, becming more enraged than usual at the rather ame fight, rushed about the arena,'gor ng everything within its reach. A orse was disemboweled. A picadore, os Anguelo, in an attemnt to place he animal under control, was caught n one of the animal's long horns, which pierced him like a s word. He was tossed and fell to the ground, leeding and mangled where tne beast mpaled him with his horns, bit and awed him. lie was frightfully in ured and died a few miuntes later. here was intense excitement in the audience, and at one time it was on the verge of panic. but was a nieted by the killing of the bull. suic~ie at Hodges. HODGES, S. C , Oct. 2.-A sad case f suicide occurred near this place last ight about 9 o'cloce. George F. nderson, a young man of rescpectable arntage, shet and killed himself ih :' gol. Hie placed the muzzle f the irearml against flis ear, pulled the trigger and the ball went through his brain, killing him instantly. Hie as marrie.d to Miss Nelson about4 seven weeks ago, and duriug this short time lived happily with his bride. No otive can be assaigned for- the rash-...j