The Manning times. (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, November 30, 1898, Image 5
TALMAGE'S SENIN.
Caleb's Wedding Present to His
Daughter His Subject.
AN OLD STORY RETOLD.
Draws Inspiration from Table of
Springs of WE.ter. Wealth
Without Religion Worth
less. God's Gift.
Taking for his text an oratorical
scene seldom noticed, Dr. Tahuage dis
cusses the supernal advantages of re
ligion for this world and the next; text.
Joshua, xv, 19: "Thou hast given me
a south land; give me also springs of
water. And lie gave her the upper and
the nether springs."
The city of Debir was the Boston of
antiquity-a great place for brain and
books. Caleb wanted it, and he of
fered his daughter Achsah as a prize to
any one who would capture that city.
It was a strange thing for Caleb to do,
and yet the man that could take the
sity would have, at any rate, two ele
ments of manhood-bravery and pa
triotism. Besides, I do not think that
Caleb was as foolish in offering his
daughter to the conqueror of Debir as
thousands in this day seek alliances for
their children with those who have
large means without. any reference to
moral or mental acquirements. Of two
evils I would rather measure happiness
by the length of the sword than by the
length of the pocketbook. In one case
there is sure to be one good element of
character; in the other there may be
none at all. With Caleb's daughter as
a prize to fight for General Othniel
rode into the battle. The gates of De
bir were thundered into the dust, and
the city of books lay at the feet of the
cei 'uerors. The work done, Othniel
ecues back to claim his bride. Having
conquered the city, it is no great job
for him to conqueror the girl's heart,
for, however, faint hearted a woman
herself may be, she always loves cour
age in a man. I never saw an excep
tion in that.
The wedding festivity having gone
by, Othniel and Achsah are about to
go to their new home. However loudly
the cymbals may clash and the laughter
ring, parents are always sad when a
fondly cherished daughter goes off to
stay, and Achsah, the daughter of Ca
leb, knows that now is the time to ask
almost anything she wants of her fath
er. It seems that Caleb, the gooa old
man had given as a wedding present to
his daughter a piece of land that was
mountainous and sloping southward to
ward the deserts of Arabia, swept with
some very hot winds. It was called a
"south land," but Achsah wants an ad
dition of property. She wants a piece
of land that is well watered and fertile.
Now, it is no wonder that Caleb, stand
ing amid the bridal party, his eyes so
full of tears because she was going
away that he could hardly see her at
all, gives her more than she asks. She
said to him: "Thou hast given me a
south land. Give me also springs of
water. And he gave her the upper
springs and the nether springs."
The fact is, that as Caleb, the father,
gave Achsah, the daughter, a south
land, so God gives us his world. I am
very thankful he has given it to us, but
I am like Achsah in the fact that I am
not satisfied with the portion. Trees
and flowers and grass and blue skies
are very well in their places, but he
who has nothing but this world for a
portion has no portion at all. It is a
mountainous land, sloping off toward
the desert of sorrow, swept by fiery
sirocess. It is "a south land," a por
tion for any man that tries to put his
trust in it. What has been your expe
rience? What has been the experience
of every man, of every woman that has
tried this world for a portion? Queen
Eiabeth, amid the surroundings of
pomp, is unhappy because the painter
sketches too minutely the wrinkles on
her face, and she indignantly cries out,
"You must strike of my likenes with'
o'uL any shadows!" Hogarth. at the
wery height of his artistic triumph,. is
stung almost to death with chagrin be
eause the painting he had dedicated to
the king does not seem to be accept
able, for George II cries out: "Who is
this Hogarth? Take his trumpery out
of my presence!"
Brinsley Sheridan thrilled the earth
with his eloquence, but had for his last
words, "I am absolutely undone."
Walter Scott, fumbling around the ink
stand, trying to write, says to his
daughter: "Oh, take me back to my
room! There is no rest for Sir Walter
but in the grave!" Stephen Girard,
the wealthiest man in his day or, at any
rate, only second in wealth, says: "I
live the life of a galley slave. When I
aripe in the morning, my one effort is to
work so hard that I can sleep when it
gets to be night." Charles Lamb, ap
plauded of all the world, in the very
midst of his literary triumph says:
"Do you remember, Bridget. when we
used to laugh from the shilling gallery at
the play? There are now no good plays
to laugh at from the boxes." But why
go so far as that? I need to go no
farther than your street to find an illus
tration of what I am saying.
Pick me out ten successful world
lings-and you know what I mean by
thoroughly successful worldlings-pick
me out ten suecessful worldlings, and
you cannot find more than one that
looks happy. Care drags him to busi
ness; care drags him back. Take your
stand at 2 o'elock at the corner of the
streets and see the agonized physiog
nomies. Your high officials, your
bankers, your insurance men, your im
porters, your wholesalers and your re
tailors, as a class-as a class, are they
happy? No. Care dogs their steps,
and, making no appeal to God for help
or comfort, many of them are tossed
everywhither. How it been with you,
my hearer? Are you more contented
in the house of 14 rooms than you were
in the two rooms you had in a house
when you started? Have you not had
more care and worriment since you won
that $50,000 than you did before?
Some ef 'the poorest men I had ever
known have been those of great fortune.
A man of small means may be put in
great business straits, but the ghastli
est of all embarrassments is that of the
man who has large estates. The men
who commit suicide because of mone
tary losses are those who cannot bear
the burden any more, because they
have only $50,000 left.
On Bowling Green, New York, there
is a house where Tallerand used to go.
He was a favored man. All the world
knew him, and he had wealth almost
unlimited; yet at the close of his life he
says, "'Behold, 8.3 years have passed
without any practical result, save fa
tigue of body and fatigue of mind,
great discouragement for the future
and great disgust for the past." Oh,
my friends. this is a "south land." and
and the prayer which chsah made to
her father Caleb we make this day to
our Father God: "Thou has given me
a south land. give me also spring; of
water. And he gave her the upper
springs and the nether springs."
Blessed be God, we have more ad
vantages given us than we can really
appreciate. We have spiritual bless
insts offered us in this world which I
shall call the nether springs, and glories
in the world to come which I shall call
the upper springs.
Where shall I find words enough
threaded with light to set forth the
pleasure of religion? David, unable to
describe it in words. played it on a harp.
Mrs. Hemans, not finding enough power
in prose, sings that praise in a canto.
Christopher Wren, unable to describe
it in language, sprung it into the arches
of St. Paul's. John Bunyan, unable
to present it in ordinary phraseology,
takes all the faseiuation of allegory.
Handel. with ordinary music unable to
reach the height of the theme. rouses
it up in an oratorio. Oh, there is no
life on earth so happy as a really Chris
tian life! I do not mean a sham Chris
tian life. but a real Christian life.
Where there is a thorn, there is a whole
Iarlaud of roses. Where there is one
groan, there are three doxologies.
Where there is one day of cloud, there
is a i.hole season of sunshine. Take
the humblest Christian man that you
know-angels of God canopy him with
their wiite wings; the lightningk of
heaven are his armed allies; the Lords
is fis Shepherd. picking out for him
green pastures by still waters. If he
walk forth, heaven is his bodyguard; if
he lie down to sleep, ladders of light,
angel blossoming, are let into his
dreams: if he be thirsty, the potentates
of heaven are his cup bearers; if he sit
down to food, his plain table blooms
into the King's banquet. Men say.
"-Look at that old fellow with the worn
out coat;" the angels of God cry, "Lift
up your heads, ye everlasting gates, and
let him come in!" Fastidious people
cry, "Get off my front steps!" the door
keepers of heaven cry, "Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the king
dom!" When he comes to die, though he
may be carried out in a pine box to the
potter's field, to that potter's fleid the
chariots of Christ will come down, and
the cavalcade will crowd all the boule
vards of heaven.
I bless Christ for the present satisfac
tion of religion. It makes a man all
right with reference to the past. It
makes a man all right with reference to
the future. Oh, these nether springs
of comfort! They are perennial. The
foundation of God standeth sure hav
ing this seal, "The Lord knoweth them
that are his," "The mountains shall de
part and the hills be removed, but my
kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall the covenant of my peace
be removed, said the Lord, who hath
mercy upon thee." Oh, cluster of dia
monds set in burnished gold! Oh,
neather springs of comfort bursting
through all the valleys of trial and tri
bulation! When ynu see, you of the
world, what satisfaction there is on
earth in religion, do you not thiist af
ter it as the daughter of Caleb thirsted
after the water springs? It is no stag
nant pond, scummed over with malaria,
but springs of water leaping from the
Rock of Ages! Take up one cup of
that spring water and across the top of
the chalice will float the deli .ate shad
ows of the heavenly wall, the yellow
of jasper, the green of emerald, the
blue of sardonyx, the fire of jacinth.
I wish I could make you understand
the joy religion is to some of us. It
makes a man happy while he lives and
glad when he dies. With two feet upon
a chair and bursting with dropsies, I
heard an old man in the poorhouse cry
out, "Bless the Lord, oh, my soul!" I
looked around and said, "What has
this man got to thank God for?" It
makes the lame man leap as a hart and
the dumb sing. They say that the old
Puritan religion is a~juiceless and joy
less religion, jbut I remember reading
of Dr. Goodwin, the celebrated Puri
tan, who in his last moment said: "Is
this dying? Why, my bow abides in
strenth! Ilam swallowed up in God!"
"Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace." Oh, you
who have been trying to satisfy your
selves with the "south land" of this
world, do you not feel that you would
this morning like to have access to the
nether springs of spiritual comfort?
Would you not like to have Jesus
Chiait bend over your cradle and bless
your table and heal your wounds and
strew flowers of consolation all up and
down the graves of your dead?
'Tis religion that can give
Sweettst pleasures while we Lye.
'Tis religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when we die.
But I have something better to tell
you, suggested by this text. It seems
that old Father Caleb on the wedding
day of his daughter wanted to make
her just as happy as possible. Though
Othniel was taking her away, and his
heart was almost borken because she was
going, yet he gives her a "south land."-~
Not only that, but the nether springs.
Not only that, but the upper springs.
O God, my Father. I thank thee that
thou hast given me a "south land" in
this world, and the nether springs
of spiritual comfort in this world, but
more than all I thank thee for the upper
springs in heaven!
It is very fortunate that we cannot
see heaven until we get into it. 0
Christian man, if you could see what a
place it is, we would never get .you
back again to the office or store or shop
and the duties you ought to perform
would go neglected I am glad I shall
not see that world until I enter it. Sup
pose we were allowed to go on an excur
sion into that good land with the idea
of returning. When we got there and
heard the song and looked at their rap
tured faces and mingled in the supernal
society, we would cry out: "Let us
stay! We are coming here ,anyhow.
Why take the trouble of going hack
again to that old world? We are here
now. Let us stay." And it would
take angelic violence to put us out of
that world if once we got there. But
as people who cannot afford to pay for
an entertainment sometimes come
around it and look through the door
ajar or through the openings in the
fence, so we come and look through the
crevices into that good land which God
has provided for us. We can just catch
a glimpse of it. We come near enough
to hear the rumbling of the eternal or
chestra, though not near enough to
know who blows the cornet or who fin
gers the harp. My soul spreads out
both wings and clasps them in trumph
at the thought of those upper springs.
One of them breaks from beneath the
throne, another breaks forth from be
neath the altar of the temple, another
at the door of "the house of many man
sions." Upper springs of gladness!
Upper springs of light! Upper springs
of love! It is no fancy of mine. "The
Lamb which is in the midst of the
throne shall lead them to living foun
tains of water.'
l wish I could stimulate you with
these thoughts, 0 Christian man, to the
highest possible exhilaration. The day
of your deivn e is coming, is comn
ing rolling on with the sisiung wheels
of the day, and the jet wheel of the
night. Every thump of the heart is
only a hammer stroke strikiug off
another chain of clay. Better scour
the deck and coil the rope. for harbor
is only six miles away. -Jesus will I
come down in the Narrows to meet you.
"Now is your salvation nearer than
when you believed."
Man of the world, will you not today
wake a choice between these two por
tions, between "south land" of this
world, with slopes to the desert, and
this glorious land which thy Father
offers thee, running with eternal water
courseb? Why let your tongue be con
sumed of' thirst when there are the
nether springs and the upper springs.
comfort here and glory hereafter?
You and I need something better
than this world can give us. 'The fact
is that it cannot give us anything after
awhile. It is a changing world. Do
you know that even the mountains on
the back of a thousand streams are
leaping into the valley? The Allegha
nies are dying. The dews with crys
talline mallet are hammering away the
rocks. Frosts and showers and light
nings are sculpturing Mount Washing
ton and the Catskills. Niagara every
year is digging for itself a quicker
plungs. The sea all around the earth
on its shifting shores is making mighty
changes in bar and bay and frith and
promontory. Some of the old seacoasts
are midland now. Off Nantucket eight
feet below low water mark, are found
now the stumps of trees. showing that
tei" waves are conquering the land.
Parts of Nova Scotia are sinking. Ships
today sail over what only a litt!e while
ago was solid ground. Near the mouth
of the St. Croix river is an island which
in the movements of the earth is slowiy
but certainly rotating. All the face of
the earth changing-changing. In 1831
an island springs up in the Mediterra
nean sea. In 1S66 another island comes
up under the observation of the Ameri
can consul as he looks off from the
beach. The earth all the time chang
ing, the columns of a temple near Bizo
li show that the water has risen nine
feet above the place it was when these
columns were put down. Changing!
Our Colorado river, once vaster than
the Mississiypi, flowing through the
great American desert, which was then
an Eden of luxuriance, has now dwin
dled to A small stream creeping down
through a gorge. The earth itself, that
was once vapor, afterward water
nothing but water-afterward molten
rock, cooling off through the ages until
plants might live, and animals might
live, and men might live, changing all
the while, now crumbling, now break
ing off. The sun, burning down gradu
ally in its socket. Changing, changing
a intimation of the last great change to
come over the world even infused into
the mind of the heathen who has never
seen the Bible.
The Hindoos believe that Brahma,
the creator. once made all things. He
created the water, then moved over the
water, ovt of it lifted the land, grew the
plants and animals and men on it. Out
of his eye went the sun. Out of his
lips went the fire. Out of his ear went
the air. Then Brahma laid down to
sleep 4,320,000,000 years. After that,
they say, he will wake up, and then the
world will be destroyed, and he will
make it over again, bringing up land,
bringing up creatures upon it, then ly
ing down again to sleep 4,320,000,000
years, then waking up anid destroying
the world again-creation and demoli
tion following each other, until after
320 sleeps, each one of th'ese slumbers
4,320,000.000 years long, Brahma will
wake up and die, and the universe'will
die with him, an intimation, though
very faint, of the great change to come
upon this physical earth spoken of in
the Bible. But while Brahma may
sleep, our God never slumbers nor
sleeps, and the heavens shall pass away
with a great noise, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat, and the
earth and all things that are therein
shall ba burned up.
"Well," says some one, "if that is so,
if the wo'rld is going from one change to
another, then what is the use of my
toiling for its betterment? That is the
point on which I want to guard you. I
do not want to become misanthropic. It
is a great and glorious world. If Christ
could afford to spend 33 years on it for
its redemption, then you can afford to
toil and pray for the betterment of the
nations, and for the bringing on of that
glorious time when all people shall see
the salvation of God. While therefore
I want to guard you against misanthro
pic notions in respect to this subject I
have presented, I want you to take this
thought home with you: This world is
a poor foundation to build on. It is a
changing world, and it is a dying world.
The shifting scenes and the changing
sands are only emblems of all earthly
expectation. Life is very much like
this day through which we have passed.
To many of us it is storm and darkness,
then sunshine. stm-m and darkness,
then afterward a little sunshine, now
again darkness and storm. Oh, build
not your hopes upon this uncertain
world! Build on God. Confide in
Jesus. Plan for an eternal residence at
Christ's right hand. Then, come sick
ness or health, come joy or sorrow,
come life or death. all is well, all is
well.
In the name of the God of Caleb and
his daughter Achsah, I this day offer
you the "upper springs" of unfading
and everlasting rapture.
Tobacco In Orangeburg.
The Orangeburg correspondent of
the News and Courier says an effort is
being made to get the people of
Orangeburg interested in the cultiva
tion of tobacco. The plan is to get
enough well to-do farmers to obligate
themselves to plant a certain acreage
in tobacco during the coming year as
an experiment to justify the employ
ment of a practical tobacco expert to
come to Orangeburg to render assist
ance both in the cultivation, the cur
ing and the marketing of the crop.
Some of the farmers who are leading
the movement are willing to put up a
tobacco ware house, so that the crop
that may be made can be disposed of
right at'home if the farmers generally
are willing to take hold of the matter,
and enough of them will agree to plant
tobacoo to give a fair prospect for suc
cess for the experiment. A meeting of,
the farmers of the county has been call
ed for today to discuss this matter.
It is understood that there will be pres
ent at the meeting by invitation certain
experienced tobacconists, who will be
prepared to give the farmers present
any information desired by them con
cerning this crop. Several of the
farmers of Orangeburg county have
planted small quantities of tobacco for
several years past. but, owing to the in
convenience of marketing the leaf, they
have never realized any special profit
from their experimenting. The lands
of Orangeburg ought to produce as fine
tobacco as those of other sections of
the State. There is almost every va
riety of soil in this county.
It makes no difference how bad your
dondition may be, it might be a great
(0 RN IN THE SOUTH.
This Years's Crop Shows Gain
of 14,000,000 Bushels.
AS COMPARED WITH LAST.
Also An Increase in Acreage
Noted Ranging From I Per
Cent in Georgia to 8 in
Texas.
The Southern Farm Magazine of Bal
timore has compiled from advance ofi
cial reports the total production of corn
by States in the south in 189S. showing
again, as compared with 1897. of over
114.000,000 bushels. In the south the
average price for corn runs from 40 to
50 cents or more. as estimated by the
United States agricultural department.
On the basis of 40 cents. this means an
increase of nearly $50,000,000 in the
corn crop of the south as compared
with last year. As gratifying as this
remarkable gain in total production
and value of the crop is, however, it is
due mainly to aa increase in the acre
age itself.
Compared with 1897, most of the
southern states show a small gain in
acreage running from 1 per cent in
Georgia to S per cent in Texas, though
Maryland. Tennessee and Kentucky
show a decreased acreage of from 2 per
cent to 5 per cent. The gain in the
average yield per acre was very marked
in nearly all Southern states; except in
Georgia, in which there was a decline
in the average of 2 bushels per acre,
thus cutting-the total yield in that
state down very materially. Adjacent
states had a considerable increase in the
average yield. The total crop by
states., as compiled by the Southern
Farm Magazine from advance govern
ment reporte and as compared with 1897
was as sollows:
States: 1897 1898
Bushels, Bushels.
Kentucky......64,486,000 85,177,000
West Virginia..17,004,000 20,328,000
Tennessee......63,673,000 73,528,000
Arkansas.......35,581,000 53,709,000
Texas.. .. .. .. .72,175,000 105,461,000
Louisiana.. .. ..21,576,000 27,718,000
Mississippi.. .. .30,346,000 39,931,000
Alabama...... 30,524,000 39,681,000
Florida.... ... 3,811,000 4,377,000
Georgia........32,173,000 26,580.000
South Carolina.. 15,308,000 17,500,000
North Carolina..31,324.000 34,170,000
Virginia... ..31,552,000 38,563,000
Maryland . 20,354,000 16,406,000
Total.. .. .. 406,687,000 583,127.000
The total corn crop of the United
Statesfor 1898 1,926,000,000 bushels,
against 1,902,000,000 bushels in 1897,
a gain of only23,000,000 bushels; wheer
as the gain in the routh alone was 114
000,000 bushels. Omiting the south
the figures would show a large decrease
for the rest of the country. This is a
very gratif.ying exhibit as a partial off
set to the low price of cotton this year,
but before the south congratulates it
self too heartily upon these figures as
evidence of the growth of the idea of
the diversification of crops, it should
remember that the central southern
states have in this big corn crop just a
little more than caught up with the
corn crop of 1890, allowing nothing for
the fact that in the meantime popula
tion has doubled. In fact, the corn
crop of Georgia for 1898 is 4,000,000
bushels short of the crop of that in
1860, and if the average yield per acre
had not deceased as compared with 1897
the output in that state would have
been about equal to the crop of 1860,
In the adjacent states the figures for
1860 and 1898 compare as follows:
States -1860 1898
North Carolina. .30,074,56S 34,170,900
South Carolina.. .15,065,606 27,500,000
Georgia.........30,776,293 26,580,000
Florida .. .....2,824,588 4,377,000
Alabama. .. 32,761,194 39,681,000
Mississippi... 29,563,735 39,931,000
Louisiana .. . 16,205.856 27,718,000
Total. .. 157,275,786 189,957.000
Compared with 1897 the yield for
1898 shows a gain in Kentucky of 26,
000,000 bushels; West Virginia 3,000,
000 bushels; Tennessee 10,000,000
bushels; Arkansas 18.000.000 bushiels;
Texas 32.000.000 bushels; Louisiana
6.000,000'bushels; Mississippi 9.600.
000 bushels; Alabama 9,000,000 bush
els; Florida 500,000 bushels; South
Carolina 2,000,000 bushels; North Car
olina 3,000,000 bushels and Virginia
7,000,000 bushels; while Georgia shows
a decrease of 5,500,000 bushles, and
Maryland 4,000,000 bushels.
Prior to 1860 under the system then
prevailing planters realized the impor
tance of .raising their own foodstuffs,
and thus cotton was largely a surplus
money crop. This is still pursued by
the better class of farmers in the
south, but under the tenantry system
Negroes and many of the poorer whites,
not being directed or controlled by
someone else, give nearly all of their
attention to cotton-r.ising, buying
their foodstuffs for man and beast.
This is not only destructive to indivi
dual prosperity, out at the same time
necessarily retards the progress of the
whole south. What the south did be
fore the war in raising its own food
stuffs can be done again. It is gratify
ing to know that slowly but surely the
tendency is in the direction of diversi
fied agriculture. Until the south gives
to diversified farming the attention
which it demands, ceasing to give so
large a proportion of its attention to
cotton, its agricultural interests can
not attain the prosperity enjoyed under
the old food producing system that pre
vailed prior to 1860. Although popu
lation has largely mere than doubled
between 1860 and 1898, the south has,
as shown by these figures, but little
more than caught up in its production
of corn, while it still has less hogs than
it had 1860, the figures for 1860 being
16,900,000 hogs against 15,600,000 for
1898. Nothing could show the need of
diversified farm crops more completely
than these statistics. They emphasize
the need of an unceasing effort on the
part of the whole south to develop a
wider range of agricultural productions.
.D.The Way to Farm.
BD.Srpings, of Charlotte, N. C.,
owns and operates several farms in York
county, this State. This year his crop
areage consisted of of 160 acres of corn,
900 aca of cotton and 100 to 150 acres
in pea vin.-s. He doesn't have fodder
pulled any more, but cuts down his corn
early in the fall, and after it is cured
in shocks pulls off the ears and has the
stalks, fodder and shucks cut up in a
"shredder" and the mixture-'"stover"
it is ealled-is worth much more than
fodder as stock food. Instead of sell
ing or putting his cotton seed back on
the land he buys 100 steers in North
Carolina every year, swaps his cotton
seed for meal and hulls on which he
fattens the cattle. Last year after figur
ing all expenses he had clared seven
hundred dollars in eash on the steers
besides having oceans of manure all
SEREDED CORN STALKS.
They Make Most Excellent Food for
Stock.
1". T. Nesbitt, Commissioner of Ag
riculture of Georgia, says in a recent
report:
As a matter of much importance to
farmers, I have again called their atten
tion to the immense value of the corn
stalks usually left standing and wasting
in the fields when they are shredded and
used for forage. I have recently had a
couversation with a gentleman who is
now selling all he can make of this for
age at $10 a ton in carload lots, and $12
a ton in smaller quantities. His expe
rience is that from 12 to 21 tons of
shredded fodder can be made to the
acre, according to the size and number
of plants, and that a large machine will
cut each day a product from six to
twelve acres. Of course in both cases
the amount is determined by the quali
ty and yield of the corn crop. It has
been ascertained that the largest ma
chines accomplish more profitable and
more satisfactory work than the smaller
ones, the stalk being more thoroughly
cut and shredded. These machines
being portable, if one farmer cannot
afford the higher price for the laiger
machine. a combination of farmers can
invest in one, and thus by moving from
one farm to another, the stalks for a
neighborhood may be eonverted into a
wholesome and nutritive food. Or, as
suggested before, one man may own
such a machine, and by working all
farms in reach during the fall and win
ter, the entire crop of corn stalks may
be shredded without expense to the
owners. A strange proposition, but
nevertheless true, because the toll may
be paid in kind, and is taken from an
otherwise worthless product.
At the experiment station farm the
stripped stalks, which had been left
standing in the field until January.,
were hauled up and shredded. The
product was not only readily eaten by
the farm animals, but upon analysis
was found to contain more nutriment
than an equal amount of cotton seed
hulls; now so popular popular as stock
food. The shredded fodder has this
additional advantage over the hulls,
that it is much more relished by horses
and mules, as well as cattle, and there
is not the same precaution necessary in
feeding it. It is well known by those
who feed cotton seed hulls that there is
danger of its becoming compacted, if
fed in too large quantities, and that it
is always safer to mix it with other
more concentrated food stuffs.
The utilization of such a tremendous
quantity of forage will enable us not
only to raise more and better cattle and
farm stock for home use, but will give
an impetus to stock raising for export.
There is a growing demand from the
West for Southern cattle, and with this
enormous addition to our food stuffs, a
comparatively large number of beeves
may be successfully raised to meet this
market without drawing too heavily
upon the other resources of the farm.
Thus will be opened a new source of in
come for the South, and also the foun
dation be laid for a direct exportation
to Europe of thousands of South
ern raised beeves. We have every
advantage of climate and transporta
tion, and once the business gets a firm
f.oothold we can scarcely compute its
benefits to the South.
Our superior situation and environ
ments will give us an immense leverage
over our Western competitors. This
plan of shredding and utilizing the
otherwise useless cornstalks is growing
in favor each day, and the time is com
ing when shredded fodder will be as.
much an article of commerce as the
popular cotton seed hulls, once consid
ered equally worthless.
About Posting Lands.
At a recent session, the general as
sembly made material changes in the
statutes relating to the posting of lands.
The law as it now stands is as follows:
Section 175. Every entry upon the
lands of another. after notice from the
owner or tenant prohibiting the same,
shall be a misdemeanor, and be pun
ished by a fine not to exceed eqne hun
dred dollars or imprisonment with hard
labor on the public works of the county
not exceeding thirty days.
Provided, That whenever any owner
or tenant of any lands shall post a no
tice in four conspicuous places on the
borders of any land prohibiting entry
thereon, and shall publish once a week
for four successive weeks such notice in
any newspaper circulating in the county
where such lands are situate, a proof of
the posting and of publishing of such
notice within twelve months prior to
the entry, shall be deemed and taken as
notice concluyive against the person
making entry as aforesaid for hunting
and fishing.
Approved the 2nd day of February,
A. D., 1898.
More Time Needed.
The Columbia Record says "it is the
policy of the state officials as well as
the legislature never to encourage the
idea that the time for the payment of
taxes without a penalty will be extend
ed. Warnings have been sent out an
nually that such aa extension would
most positively not be granted. But
legislators always look ahead and want
to please their constituents. As a con
sequence the penalty has been remitted
or the time extended from sessions im
memorial. The prospects are that the
time will have to be extended this year
unless the authorities want to ruin hun
dreds of good, honest men. They are
not confined to any particular class
the farmer, the merchant, the lawyer
and everybody else are the victims of
four cent cotton. They just haven't
got the money to pay right now and
that's all there is about it. This report
comes from all over the state. The
newspapers are full of it. Even in
such a rich city as Charleston taxpay
ers are remarkably stow in settling.
The time for the payment of taxes this
year will have to be extended, or there
will be a lot of land to be sold at de
linquent land sale.
Very Poor Logic.
An exchange says abolish the lien
law and there will be less cotton raised.
The fact is the lien law has but little to
do with raising cotton. All the mer
chant wants is his pay for the supplies
furnished and he does not care whether
it comes out of corn peas or cotton.
The truth of the whole matter is the
cotton crop is in the land owners. When
they say nothing else will do but cotton
then the renter has no choice. When
the land owners are willing to take rent
in whatever is raised on the rented land
the farmers and renters combined can
reduce the cotton crop and not before.
The lien law is the poor man's depen
dence and should never be taken from
him.
Shot By a Negro.
Lewis Cauthen, Jr., a young white
man of the Pleasant Hill section of
Lancaster county, was shot in the ab
domen perhaps fatally Wednesday by a
Negro named F'oster. Foster has been
ROYAL
Baking Powder
Made from pure
cream or tartar.
Sfeguards the food
against alun.
Akan - powders are the greatest
naMe to of the pren day.
__ ROYAL 1O~U P__ - .M w~oc
NEW GRAVES.
Filled With Soldiers From First
South Carolina Regiment.
OFFICIAL LIST OF DEAD.
Only One Commissiod Officer
Among the Number. Roll of
the Unfortunate Towns where
They Came From.
As a result of the Hispano-American
war there are 18 newly-made graves in
South Carolina. When the First regi
ment was mustered into service and
went to defend the country's honor lit
tle did the soldiers anticipate decima
tion in their ranks. The one prevalent
idea, the one uppermost in their minds,
was duty and perhaps the thought of
death of even one soldier never occur
red to them.
Several of the companies lost no men
from illness and the heaviest misfor
tune to betall one company was the
loss of five men. The first death to
occur in the regiment was about six
weeks after the regiment was mustered
into service. In most of the instances
de:..th resulted from fever.
Only one commissioned officei in the
regiment is numbered with the dead.
That is Col. Joseph K. Alston, whose
recent death, is well remembered and is
still lamented here. The majority of
those who died in the line of duty were
privates.
There was only one death in company
B. The victim was John M. Kinard,
private, from Newberry, who died of
consumption on the 19th of July.
Company C lost two men. The first
death was that of Sergt. John S. Mur
ray, of Anderson. He was taken sick
with typhoid fever and died at his
home on the 10th of September. Pri
vate John D. Gambrel, of Honea Path,
was the next to succumb to fever and
his death occurred on the 29th of Octo
ber.
In company F there was only one
death and this was heart failure. Pri
vate Gary R. Vaughan, of Greenville,
the victim, died on the 6th of Septem
ber.
There were three deaths in company
H.. The first was Private William Mat
hews, of Greenville, who died with fe
ver on August 6th. On the 17th of
August Private Thos. J. Stines, of
Greenville, died of meningetis. The
third death was that of Private Law
rence L. Turner, of Greenville, from
heart failure on September 25th.
The largest list of the dead is that of
company I. There were five who have
answered to the last roll call. They
are: Private William D. Owings, of
Marion, who died with fever on the 17th
of July; Private ! rthur A. McElrath,
of Spartanburg, death caused from fe
ver on the 16th of September; Private
David H. Holstein, of Batesburg, with
fever, September 24th; Private James
0. Eskew, of Greenville, congestion of
the brain, September 29th; Private
Joseph A. Quick, of Columbia, fever,
October 3rd.
In company L there were three deaths
as follows: Private John A. Best, of
Ulmers, fever, June 9th; Private Sam
uel F. Colyar, of Edgefield. fever, July
19th; Private William E. Turner, of
Cope, fever, October 28th; Private
Chark s Nimman, Grover, fever, Octo
ber 28th.
There was only one death in company
M, and that was of Private Dwight M.
Dick, of Sumter, who died wi fever
at Chicka mauga, on the 9th of July.
Columbia Register.
Parmers Changing Plans.
The Carolina Spartan says the price
of cotton and the outlook for the fti
ture have set farmers to thinking and
planning. Even in the famous cotton
belt of this State where they nake a
bale to the acre, with the aid of $5 to
$6 of commercial fertilizer they feel
that they are losing by the operation.
When the fertilizer and picking jerk $10
to $12 out of a 500-pound bale of cot
ton; the farmer will hardly have his
seed clear. Many of the farmers of the
cotton belt are turning their attention
to oats, tobaeco and sugar cane. The
Piedmont farmers should double their
grain erop and raise mo~re hogs and cat
tle. Just now fine beef cattle are quot
ed at $5.50 gross in the Northwest. Re
ently a Kentuckian bought and ship
ped several carloads of cattle from the
upper part of this county to his State.
They will be turned into fine Kentucky
beef after being fed awhile. This
should be a hint to our people to raise
cattle. Bermuda grass pastures will
feed them about half the year. The
flooded lands on small streams could
be set in this grass. It would give
good pasturage and prevent washing.
The reason that western beeves bring
4 to 5l cents gross is because they are
pound and large. One of our ordinary
cows, which has been milked several
years will lose 50 to 60 per cent. in
dressing. That is, a cow weighing 900
pounds gross will give about 400 pounds
of beef when dressed. The Western
two-years olds weighing 1,200 to 1,500
will lose little more than the cattle
which are slaughtered here. When a
butcher buys a young steer or heifer
weighing 1,200 pounds he expects 700
to 800 pounds of beef. The farmers of
the Piedmont should raise more beef.
By getting the large breeds and cross
ing on native cattle they could bring up
the size and the price. If the home
market should be fully supplied there
would be no trouble selling them in
other States.
A Sad Death.
One of Abbeville's most estimable
young gentlemen passed away recently.
Dr. Lambert J. White Tuesday after
oon took a deadly poison thinking it
was a headache powder. Everythinn
was done for him that could be. In
e earlier part of the evening, he was
ought better, but at about half-ptls
THE BLUE DRYAD. 0
By G. 14. Powell.
S TOFFLES was her name, a familiar
abbreviation, and Mephistophelean
was her nature. She had all the usual
%ices of the feline tribe. including a
louible portion of those which men are
so fond of describing as femin ine. Vain,
.nlolent, selfish, with a highly-culti
uLted taste for luxury and neatness in
her personal appearance, she was dis
tinguished by all those little irritat
ing habits and traits for which nothing
but an effeminate heart-a thing in
her case conspicuous by its absence
- -can atone.
We live in a comfortable, old-fash
ioned house facing the highroad. I say
we, but in fact for some months I had
been alone. and my husband bad just
returfned from one of his sporting and
-cientific expeditions in South Amer
ica. IHe had already won fame as a
raturalist. and had succeeded in bring
ing home alive quite a variety of beasts,
usually of the reptile order, whose ex
ireme rarity seemed to me a merciful
provision of nature. But all his pre
%ious triumphs were completely
eclipsed. I soon learned, by the capture
alive. on this last expedition. of an
a bominably poisonous snake. known to
those who knew it as the blue dryad,
or more familiarly. in backwoods slang,
as the "half-hour striker," in vague ref
erence to its malignant and fatal qual
it ies.
Leing in extremely delicate health at
the time. I need hardly say that I knew
rcthing of these grewsome details un
til afterward. Henry (that is my hus
hand) after entering my room with a
robust and sunburned appearance that
did my heart good. mereiy observed
a; soon as we had exchanged greeting
--that he had brought home a pretty
snake which "wouldn't do the slightest
harm"-a n evasive assurance which Iac
cent ed as became a nervous wife of an
on'thusiastic naturalist. I believe I
insisted on its not coming into the
house. Fortunately the weather was
%ery hot, so it was decided that the
blue dryad. wrapped in. flannel and
s-eurely confined in a basket, should be
left in the sun and the furthest cor
ner of the veranda, during the hour or
so in the afternoon when my husband
had to visit the town on business.
He had gone off with a cousin of
mine. an officer of engineers in India,
stationed, I think, at Lahore. and home
on leave. I remember that they were a
long time, or what seemed to me a
long time, over their luncheon; and
the last remark of our guest as he came
out of the dining-room remained in
my head as even meaningless words
will run in the head of an idle invalid
qhut up for the most part of the day
in a silent room. What he said was.
in the positive tone of one emphasizing
a curious and surprising statement:
"D'you know, by the way, it's the one
animal that doesn't care a rap for the
cobra?" And then, my husband seem
ing to express disbelief and a desire to
change the subject as they entered my
boudoir; "It's a holy fact! Goes for it,
so smart! Has the beggar on toast be
fore you can say,"Jack Robinson!' "
The observation did not interest me,
but simply ran in my head. Then they
came into my room, and only for a few
maomentts, as I was not to be tired. The
engineer tried to amuse Stoffies, who
was seized with such afit of mortalbore
dom that he transferred his attentions
to Riuby, the Gordon setter, a devoted
and inseparable friend of mine, under
whose charge I was shortly left as
they went out.
I suppose I may have been asleep for
ten minutes or so when I was awak
ened by the noise of Rtiby's heavy body
jumping out through the open win
dow. Feeling restless and seeing me:
asleep, he had imagined himself en
titled to a short spell off guard.. Had
the door not been ostensibly latched he
would have made his way out by it,
being thoroughly used to open doors
and such tricks-a capacity which, in
fact, proved fatal to him. That it was
unlatched, I saw in a few momenta,
for 'the dog on his return forced it
open with a push and trotted up in a
disturbed manner -to my bedside. I
noticed a tiny spot of blood on the black
side of his nose, and naturally supposed
he had scratched himself against a
bush or a piece of wire. "Ruby," I said,
"what have you been doing?" Then he
whined as if in pain, crouching close to
my side, and -shaking in every limb.
I should say that I was myself lying
with a shawl over my feet on a deep
sofa with a high back. I turned to
look at Stofmes, who was slowly peram
hulating the room, looking for tles and
other insects-her favorite amusement
-on the wainscot. When I glanced
again at the dog, his appearance filled
me with horror; he was standing, ob
viously from pain. swaying from side to
sde and breathing hard. AslIwatched,
his body grew more and more rigid.
With his eyes fixed on the half-open
door. he drew back as if from the ap
proach of some dreaded object, raised
his head with a pitiful attempt atabark,
which broke off into a stifled howl,
rolled over sideways suddenly, and lay
dead. The horrid stiffness of the body,
almost resembling a stuffed creature
crerset. made me believe that he had
died as he stood, close to my side, per
haps mteaning to deferid me. Unable
to resist the unintelligible idea that
t he dog had been frightened to death, I
followed the direction of his last gaze,
a~d at first saw nothing. The nextimo
met I observed round the corner of
the veranda door a sr'all, daric. and
siner object. swvaying gently up and
down like a dry bough in the wvind~
i had passed right into the room with
he same slow regular motion before
I realized whnat it was aJd' w'hat had
happened. My poor, stupid Ru! Y must
have nosed at the basket on the ver
an da till he succeeded somehow in open
n it. and been hitten in return for
hi~s pains by the abominable beast,
which I now saw angrily rearing its.
head and hissing fiercely at the dead
dog within three yards of my face.
1am not one of those women who
jump on chairs or tables when they see
amouse, but I have a ecnstitutional hor
rorofthemostharmlessreptiles. Watch
ing the blue dryad as it glided across the
patch of sunlight streaming in from
the open window, and kne wing what it
was, I confess to being as nearly frig'ht
ened cut of my wits as I ever hope to
be. I simply dared -not speak or move
a finger for fear of at:racting the
beas's attention to my-e!f. Suiddenly
Stoffles, weary of patting fies and
spiders on the back, appeared gently
purring on the back of the sofa. I
Stofies, as I have said, was inordinate-i
lv vain and se.!f-conscious. Stalking
along the top of the sofe-back and bear
i'g erect the bushy banner of her mag
mificent tail, she looked the most
ridiculous creatuire imag~inable. She
had proceeded half~way on this pil
grimage toward me, when suddenly,
with the rapidity of lightning, as her
ear caught the sound of the hiss and
her eyes fell upon the blue dryad, her
whole civilized "play-acting" demeanor
vanished, and her body stiffened and
contacte to he orm f a atchul
'o:0 bet with thp crcious and ill
rIintive antipathy to a natural ent-my
blazing from its eyes. In one light
hound .she was on the floor in ascm
pressed, defensive, attitude.-witt all
four feet close together. near, but not
too near. the unknown but clearly hos
tile intrader; and to my surprise the
snake turned and made off toward the
vindow. Stoffles trotted lightly after,
obviously interested in its method of
locomotion. Then she made a long
arm and playtully dropped a paw upon,
its tail. The snake wrigg!ed free in a
moment, and coiling its whole length,
some three and a half feet, fronted this
new antagonist.
The audacity of the cat astonished
me from the first. I have no reason to
believe she had ever seen a snake. be
fore, yet by a sort of instinct she seemed
to know exactly what she was doing.
As the dryad raised its head, with glit
tering eyes and forked tongue, Stoffies
crouched with both front paws in the
air, sparring as I had seen her do some
rimes with a large moth. The first
round passed so swiftly that mortal eye
!ould hardly see with distinctness what
happened. The snake made a dart, and
the cat, all claws, two rard blows at its
advancing head. The first missed, but
the second I could see came home, as
the brute, shaking Its neck and bead,
withdrew further into the rug. Bre
Stofles crept after it, with an air of at
tractivecarelessness which was instant
ly rewarded. A full two feet of the
dryad's body straightened like a black
arrow, and seemed to strike right into
the furry side iof its antagonist
seemed. I say, to slow-going 'human
eyes; but the latter shrank, literally
fell back, collapsing with such sudden
ness that she seemed to have turned
-herself inside out, and become the mere
skin of a cat. As the serpent recovered
itself, she pounced on it like lightning.
driving at least half a dozen claws well
home, and then, apparently realizing -
that she -had not a good enough hold,
sprang lightly into the air from off &le
body, alighting about a yard off. There
followed a minute of sparring 'n the
air; the snake seemingly half afraid to
strike, the cat waiting on its every
,movement.
Now the poisonous snake when pro
roked is an irritable animal, and the
next attack of the dryad4 maddened by
the scratc'hings of puss and its own
successful exertions, was so furious,
and so close to myself, that I shudderedj
for the result. I could not have left my<
position on the sofa without alzost
treading u.pon Stoffies, whose bristling
back was not a yard from my feet. At,
last, I thought-as the blue dryad, foc
one second coiled close as a black silk.:
cable, sprang out the next as straighj'e
and sharp as the piston-rod of an en
ine-this lungp of feline vanity and
conceit is done for, and-I coild not
help-thinking-it will probably bemy
turn next! Little did I appreciate the
resources of Stoffies, wrho, without z
change in her vigilant pose, without
wink of -her fierce green eyes, sprang
backward and upward on to the top o
me, and there confronted the eneny'
calmly as ever, sitting, if you please,
upon my feet!
Trembling all over with - fright,I,
could not but observe that she was
trembling too-with rage. The.t
act rapidly approached, and no more
strategic catastrophe was ever seenp
For a snakeas ever3lbody knows, natur
ally rears its head when fighting. in
that position, though one may hitfit~
with & stick, It is extremely diffcnlt,
as this battle had shown, to gethold o
Now, as the dryad, curled to a capitalS,.
quivering and -bissing advanced for tie
ast time to the charge, it was bound~
to strike across the edge of the sofa on'
which I lay, at the erect head of Stofles,
whioh vanished w&tha juggling celerity
that would have dislocated the collar<
bone of any other animal in crationi.
From such an exertion the snae re-a
covered \itserlf with an obvious effoi-t,'
quick beyond question, but not nearly
quick enough. Before I could well see5
that it had missed its aim, Stoffies had:
launched outlikeaspringreleased, and,
burying eight or ten claws in the back
of its enemy's head, pinned it down
against the stiff cushion of the sofa.
The tail of the ago'nized reptile finng
wildly in the afir and flapped on the
arhed back of the imperturbable
tigress. The whiskered muzzle of
Stoffes dropped quiet-ly, and her teeth
met once, twice, thrice, like the needle
and hook of a sewing'4nachine, inthe
neck of the 'blue dryad; and when,.ntte.
er much deliberation, she let it go. the I
beast fell into a limp tangle on thegoor..
From the gland of the beast, as -I
afterward .learnaed, they extracted:
enogh poison to be the death, of 20
ful-rwn human beings. Tightly
clasped between its minute teethi was
found a few long hairs, late the proper
ty of Stoffes.---roma *Animal Episodes
and Studies in Sensation."
Starvation Imjending.
The Columbia Record says Governor,
Ellerbe has received a letter from MW.
Thomas Talbird, of Beaufort, in refer
ene to the effects of the storms on:
the coast during August and October.
fe says most of the farmers in the
damaged portion of the county on the
tide water are in need of assistance.
Bluton township, which suffered most,
is inhabited by white farmers. Prior
to the storms their crops were fine. But
all of this was changed by the hurri
cane. After giving details'of the'de
struction in other parts of the county
Mr. Talbird concluded: "The people
need food, clothing and medicine, and
if something is not done to relieve their
immediate necessities great suffering,
if not actual starvation, will result."
Governor Ellerbe says he has no funds
of the state available for tireir aid, but
the fact that such conditions exist will
doubtless appeal to the generosity of
the people of the state and country.
This is a terrible state of affairs, and
should appeal to the sympathies of the
charitable in all parts of the State. An
orgnized movement should be started
to relieve these people.
Wants to Come Home.
James W. Tolbert, who is now in
Washington, wants to come home. He
telegraphed Governor Ellerbe a few
days ago asking that official if he would
be protecte. by the State if he should
returu to Greenwood, saying that Is
wife and four year old daughter wre
there in poor health and without pro
tetion, that he had large property in
terests that needed his attention, and
that he had committeed no crime
against the laws of his country and
lone nothing to give offense to any one,
aave that he is a member of the Re
mblican party. Governor Ellerbe re
:>lied that he would give Tolbert all the
~rotection in his power, but thought it
rould not be prudent for him to return
1l the excitement subsides.
A Profitable Business.
Little Miss Armour, granddaughter
f Phil Armour, Sr., was kept two
nonths in an incubator making a fight
'orlife, and the old gentleman was so
mpressed with her "grit," as he ex
>ressed it, he gave her a half million
[ollars. We know of several grow a
>eop~le who would stay in an incubatcr
or.a lo-ge ime for..lese money.