The Manning times. (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, July 12, 1899, Image 4
THE SIN OF ("SMIP.
Rev. Dr. Talmage Denounces the
Whispering of Evil.
AMONG GREAT VILLAiNIES.
More Harmful Than Open Sh:m
ders. Destroying GcoJ
Names the Worst of
Crimes.
In this dis'urse Dr. Tain:e vr
ously arraigns one uf the grea! vliS
that have cursed the woria au ures
generous interpretatiCn of the eharae
teis of others; text, llomans 1, 2.
"Full of envy. murder, debate, deceit,
malignity-whisperers.
Paul was here calling the long roll of
the world's villainy, and he puts in the
midst of this roll those persons known
in all cities and communities ana j1aces
as whisperers. They are so called be
:muse they generally speak undervoice
and in a confidential way; their hand to
the side of their mouth acting as a fun
nel to keep the precious information
from wandering into the wrong ear.
They speak softly not bccause they
have lack of lung force or because they
are overpowered with the spirit of gen
leness, but because they want to es
cape the consequences of defamation.
If no one hears but the person whisper
ed unto and the offender be arraigened,
he can deny the whole thing, for whis
perers are always first class liars:
Some people whisper because they
are hoarse from a cold or because they
wish to convey some useful information
without disturbing others, but the
creatures photographed by the apostle
in my text give muffled utterance from
sinister and depraved motive, and some
times you can only hear the sibilant
sound as the letter "S" drops from the
tongue into the listening ear, the brief
hiss of the serpent as it projects its
venom.
Whisperers are masculine and femi
nine, with a tendency to majority on
the side of those who are called "the
lords of creations." Whisperers are
heard at every window of bank cashier
and are heard in all counting rooms as
well as in sewing societies and at meet
ings of asylum directors and managers.
They are the worst foet of society, re
sponsible for miseries innumerable: they
are the scavengers of the world, driving
their cart througn every community,
and today I hold up for your holy
anathema and excreation these whis
perers.
From the frequency with which Paul
speaks of them under different titles I
conclude that he must have sufferea.
somewhat from them. His personal
presence was very defective, and that
made him perhaps the target of their
ridicule, and besides that he was a
bachelor, persisting in his celibacy
down into the sixties-indeed, all the
way through-and, some having failed
in their connubial designs upon him,
the little missionary was put under the
raking fire of these whisperers. Het
was no doubt a rare morsel for their*
scandalizatibn, and he cannot keep his
patience any longer, and he lays hold
of these miscreants of the tongue and
cives them a very hard setting down in
my text among the scoundrelly and t ie
murderous. "Envy, murder, debate,
deceit, malignity-whisperers.
The law of libel makes quick and
-stout grip of open slander. If I should
in a plain way, -calling you by name,
charge you with fraud or theft or mur
der or uncleanness, tomorrow morning
I might have peremtory documents
served on me, and I would have to pay
in dollars and cents for the damage I
had done your character- But these
creatures spoken of in my text are so
small that they escape the fine tooth
comb of the law. They go on, and they
go on, escaping the judges and the
juries and the penitentiaries. The
district attorney cannot find them, the
sheriff cannot find them, the grand jury
cannot find them. Shut them off from
one route of perfidy, and they start on
another. Y on cannot by the force of
moral sentiment persuade them to de
sist. You might as well read the Ten
Commandments to a flock of crows, ex
pecting them to retreat under the force
of moral sentiment. They are to be
found everywhere, these whisperers. I
think their paradise is a country village
of about 1.000 or 2 000) people whe e
every body knows everybody, but the'y
also are to be found in large quauutu~es
in all our cities..
They have a prying disposition. They
look into the basement windows at the
tables of their neighbors and can tell
just what they have morning and night
to eat. They can s.ee as far through a
keyhole as other people can see with a
door wide open. They can hear con
versation on the opposite side of the
room. Indeed, the world to them is a
whispering gallery. They always put
the worst construction on everythrxg.
Some morning a wife descends into
the streets, her eyes damp with tears.
and that is a stimulus to the tattler andi
is enough to set up a business for three
or four weeks. "I guess that husband
and wife don't live happily together. I
wonder if he hasn't been abusing her?
I~s outrageous: He ought to be dis
eiplined. He ought to be brought up
before the church. I'll go right over to
my neighbors, and I'll let them know
about this matter." She rushes in all
out of breath to a neighbor's house and
says: '"Oh, Mrs. Allear. have you heard
the dreadful news? Why, our neigh
bor, poor thing, came down off the
steps in a flood of tears. That brute of
a husband has been abusing her. Well
it's just as I expected.e I saw him the
other afternoon very smiling and very
gracious to some one who smiles back,
and I thought then I would just go up
to him and tall him he had better go
home and look after his wife and fami
ly, who probably at that very time were
up stairs crying their eyes out. Oh,
Mrs. Allear, do have your husband go
over and put an end to ti~is trouble! It's
simply outrageous that or" neighbor
hood should be disturbed in idis way!
It's awful!"
The fact is that one man or woman
set on fire of this hellish spirit will keep
a whole neighborhood a boil. It does
not require any t'ery great brain. The
chief requisition is that the woman
have a small family or no family at all,
because if she have a large family th.n
she would have to stay at home and
look after them. It is very important
that she be single or have no children
at all, and then she ran atteird to all
the secrets of the neighborhood all the
time. A woman with a large family
makes a very poor whisperer.
It is astonishing how these whisper
era gather up everything. They know
everything that happens. There arc
telephone and telegraph wires reaehing
from their ears to all the houses in the
neighborhood. They have no taste for
healthy news, bat for the scraps and
peelings thrown out of the scullery into
the back yard they have great avidity.
Ic theepaprs tCy have ar tImC t,
go abroad. On the day when there arc
four or fe -lumns of delightful pI
vare letters published in a divorce ease
she stays at home and reads and reads
ana reacs. Nc time for her Bible that
day, but to.vard night, perhaps. she may
fin'd time to run out a little while and
see whether there are any new develop
mnfofnts.
Satan does not have to kcep a very
sharp lookout for his evil dominion in
that .ihburhood. Ile has let out to
.:er t whlIe contract. She gets hus
bu:s and wives into a quarrel and
brothers and sisters into antagonism,
and she disgusts the pastor with the
flaek and the floek with the pastor, and
she nakes noighbors who before were
kindly iTsnosed toward each other over
5usic-inus and critical. so wlien one of
thc neighborS passes by in a carriage
they hizs throulah thcir teeth anA say,
"Alh. we could all keep earriages if we
never paid our iebts
When two or three whisperers get to
gether. they stir a caldron of tiouble.
which makes me think of the three
witches of -Macbeth" iancing around
a boiling caldron in a dark cave:
Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake
In the caldron boil and bake:
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell both boil and bubble.
Double. double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and caldron bubble,
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches' mummy. maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt se2 shark:
Make the gruel thick and stark:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron
For the ingredients of our caldron.
Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and caldron bubble;
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
I would only change Shakespeare in
this, that where he puts the word
"witch" I should put the word "whis
perer." Ah, what a caldron! Did you
ever get a taste of it? I have more re
spect for the poor waif of the street
that goes down under the gaslight with
no home and no God-for she deceives
no one as to what she is-than I have
for these hags of respectable society
who cover up their tiger claws with a
fine shawl and bolt the hell of their
heart with a diamond breastpin.
The work of masculine whisperers is
chiefly seen in the embarrassment of
business. Now, I suppose there are hun
dreds of men here who at some time
have been in business trouble. I will
undertake to say that in nine cases out
of ten it was the result of some whis
perers's work. The whisperer uttered
some suspicion in regard toyour credit.
You sold your horse and carriage be
cause you had no use for them, and
the whisperer said: "Sold his horse and
carriage because he had to sell them.
The fact that he sold his horse and car
riage shows he is going down in busi
ness."
One of your friends gets embrassed,
and you are a little inv'olved with him.
The whisperer says: "I wonder if he
can stand under all this pressure? I
think he is going down. I think he
will have to give up." You borrow
oney out of a bank, and the director
whispers outside about it, and after
awhile the suspicion gets fairly started,
and it leaps from one whisperer's lips
to another whisperer's lips until all the
people you owe want their money and
want it right away, and the business
circles come around you like a pack of
wolves, and, though you hadassets four
times more than were necessary to
to meet your liabilities, crash went
everything. Whisperers! Oh, how
much business men have suffered!
Sometimes in the circles of clergy
men we discuss why it is that a great
many merchants do not go to church. I
will tell you why they do not go to
church. By the time Saturday night
comes Lhey are worn out with the an
noyances of business life. They have
had enough meanness practiced upon
them to set their whole nervous system
a-twitah.
I think among the worst of the whis
perers are those who gather up all the
harsh things that have been said about
you and bring them to you-all the
things said against you, or against your
family, or against your style of busi
ness. They gather them all up, and
they bring them to you; they bring them
to you in the very worst shape; they
bring them to you without any of the
extenuating circumstances, and after
they have made your feelings all raw,
very raw, they take this brine, this
aua fortis, and rub it in with a coarse
towel and rub it in until it sinks to the
bone. They make you the pincushion
in which they thrust all the sharp
things they have ever heard about
you. "Now, don't bring me into the
scrape. Now, don't tell anybody I told
you. Lat it be between you and me.
Don't involve me in it at all." They
aggravate you to the point of profanity,
and they wonder you cannot sing psalm
tunes! They turn you on a spit before
a hot fire and wonder why you are not
absorbed in gratitude to them because
they turn you on a spit. Peddlers of
night shade! Peddlers of Canada this
te! Peddlers of nux vomica! Some
times they get you in a corner where
you cannot very well escape without
being rude, and then they tell you all
about this one, all about that one, and
all about the other one, and they talk,
talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. After
awhile they go away, leaving the place
looking like a barnyard after the foxes
and the weasels have been around; here
a wing, and there a claw, and yonder
an eye, and there a crop. Ihow they
do make the feathers fly!
Rather than the defamation of good
names it seems to me it would be al
most as honorable and useful if you just
took a box of matches in your pocket
nd a razor in your hand and go through
the streets and see how many houses
you can burn down and how many
throats you can cut. That is not a
much worse business. The destruction
of a man's name is worse than the de
struction of his life. A wt :an came
in cofessional to a priest and told him
that she had been slandering her neigh
bors. The priest promised her absolu
tion on condition of her performing a
penance. Hie gave her a thistle top
and said. "You can take that thistle
and scatter the seeds all over the field."
Se went and did so and came back.
"Now, said the priest, "gather up all
tose seeds." She said, "I can't."
'Ah, he said. "I know you can't.
ter can you gather up the evil
wods von spoke about your neighbors."
All good men and all good women have
somietimes had detractors after them.
John WXesley's wife whispered about
him whispered all over England, kep.
o' wisperin about that good man-as
od a man as ever lived-and kept on
hisering until the connubial relation
was dissolved.
Jesus Christ had these whisperers
after him, and they charged him with
company. -A wiuc bibbel and thc
friend of publinans and sinners." Yot
take the best man that ever lived and
put a detective on his track for ten
years, watching where he gocs and when
he comes with a determination to dis
cover everything and to think he goes
here for a bad purpose and there
for a bad purpoe., with that determina
tion of de.-troying him, at the end-of
the ten years he will be held despicable
in the sight of a great many people.
Some people say there is no hell, but
if there be no hell for su-.h a despoiler
of womanly character it is high tine
that some philanthropist built one!
But there is such a place established.
and what a time the v will have when all
the whisperers get down there together
rehearsing things! Everlasting carni
val of mud. Were it not for the un
comfortable surroundings you might
suppose they would be glad to get there
In that region where they are all bad
what opportunities for exploitation by
these whisperers. On eprth, to despoil
their neighbors sometimes they had to
lie about them, but down there they
can say the worst things possible about
their neighbors and tell the truth. Ju
bilee of whisperers, Semiheaven of
scandal mongers stopping their gabble
about their diabolical neighbors only
long enough to go up to the iron gate
and ask some newcomer from the earth,
"What is the last gossip in the city on
earth where we used to live?"
Now. how are we to war against this
iniquity which curses every community
on earth? First, by refusing to listen
to or believe a whisper. Every court
of the land has for a law and all decent
communities have for a law that you
must hold people innocent until tney
are proved guilty. There is only one
person worse than the whisperer, and
that is the man or woman who listens
without protest. The trouble is, you
hold the sack while they fill it. The
receiver of the stolen goods is just as
bad as the thief. An ancient writer
declares that a slanderer and a man who
receives the slander ought both to be
hanged-the one by the tongue and the
other by the ear-and I agree with
him
When you hear something bad about
your neighbors, do not go all over and
ask about it, whether it is true and
scatter it and spread it, You might as
well go to a smallpox hospital and take
a patient and carry him all through the
community asking people if they really
thought it a case of smallpox. That
would be very bad for the patient
for all the neighbors. Do not re: i
slanders and whisperings. Do t oc
make yourself the inspector of war- s,
and the supervisor of carbuncles, , ad
the commissioner for street gutters, a nd
the holder of stakes for a dog fight.
Can it be that you, an immortal man;
that you, an immortal woman, can find
no better business than to become a
gutter inspector?
Beside that, at your family table l
low no detraction. Teach your chil
dren to speak well of others. Show
them the difference between a bee and a
wasp-the one gathering honey, the
other thrusting a sting. I read of a
family where they kept what they call
ed "A Slander Book," and when any
slanderous words were uttered in the
house about anybody or detraction ut
tered it was all put down in this book.
The book was kept carefully. For the
first few weeks there were a great many
entries, but after awhile there were no
entries at all. Detraction stopped in
that household. It .would be a good
thing to have a slander book in all
households.
Are any of you given to this habit of
whispering about others? Let me per
suade you to desist. Mount Taurus was
a great place for eagles, and cranes
would fly along that way, and they
would cackle so loud that the eagles
would know of their coming, and they
would pounce upon them and destroy
them. It is said that the old cranes
found this out and before they started
on their flight they would always have
a stone in their mouth so they could
not cackle, and then they would fly in
perfect safety. Oh, my friends, be as
wise as the old cranes and avoid the
folly of the young cranes! Do not
cackle.
If there are people here who are whis
pered about, if there are people here
who are slandered, if theie are people
here who are abused in any circle of
life, let me say for your encouragement
that these whisperers soon run out.
They may do a little damage for awhile
but after awhile their detraction be
comes a eulogy and people understand
them just as well as though some one
chalked all over their overcoat or their
shawl these words: "Here goes a whis
perer. Room for the leper. Room!"
You go ahead and do your duty, and
God will take care of your reputation.
How dare you distrust him? You have
committed to him your souls. Can
you not trust him with your reputa
tion? Get down on your knees before
God and settle the whole matter there.
That man whom God takes care of is
well sheltered.
Let me charge you, my friends, to
make right and holy use of the tongue.
It is loose at oce end and can swing
either way, but it is fastened at the
other end to the floor of your mouth,
and that makes you responsible for the
way it wags. Xanthius, the philoso
~her, told his servant that on the mor
row he was going to have some friends
to dine, and told him to get the best
thing he could find in the market. The
philosopher and his guests sat down the
next day at the table. They h..d noth
ing but tongue-four or five courses of
tongue-tongue cooked in this way and
tongue cooked in that way, and the
philosopher lost his patience and said to
his servant, "Didn'a I tell you to get
the best thing in the market?" Hie
said: "'I did get the best thirng in the
market. Isn't the tongue the orgau~ of
sociality, the organ of eloquence, the
organ of kindness, the organ of wor
ship?"
Then Xanthus said, "Tomorrow I
want you to get the worst thing in the
market.' And on the morrow the phi
losopher sat at the table, and there was
nothing there but tongue-four or five
courses of tongue-tongue in this shape
and tongue in that shape, and the phi
losopher again lost his patience and
said, "Didn't I tell you to get the worst
thing in the market?" The servant re
plied, "I did, for isn't the tongue the
organ of blasphemy, the organ of dlefa
mation, the organ of lying?"
Oh, my friends, e'nploy the tongue
which God so wonderfully created as
the organ of taste, the organ of de.:lu' i
tion, the organ of articul't ion to make
others happy and in the service of God!
If you whisper, whisper good-encour
agement to the fallen and hope to the
lost. Ah, my friends, the time will
soon conme when we will all whisper'
The voice will be enfeebled in the last
sickness, and, though that voice could
laugh and shout and sing and halloo un
til the forest echoes answered. it will be
so feeble then we can only whisper con
solation to those whom we leave be
hind and only whisper our hope of hea
While 1 speak this very moment
there are hundreds whispering their
,las utterances. Oh, when that solemn
hour comez to you and to mc, _1 come
3oon it will. may it be found that we
did our best to serve Christ, and to
cheer our comrades in the earthly streg
gle. and that we consecrated not only
our hand. but our tongue. to God. So
that the shadows that fall around our
dying pillow shall not be the evening
twilight of a gathering night, but the
morning twilight of an everlasting day.
This morning at hali past 4 o'clock I
looked out of my window, and the stars
were very dim. I looked out a few mo
ments after, and the stars were almost
invisible. I looked out an hour or two
afterward. Not a star was to be seen.
What was the matter with the start?
Had they melted into darkness? No.
They had melted into the glorious light
of a Sabbath morn.
New England's Crime.
The loss of her cotton mill industry
is not the greatest calamity that the fu
ture has in store for New England.
[cr greatest calamity is to be found
in her exceedingly low birth rate. An
average of about two children to the
family is the rule among the old New
Englanders. Observers of the decline
of the old New England stock as a re
sult of this low birth rate declare that
it is only a question of time when the
prolific infiowing French-Canadians
will one day possess New England's
rural districts, while the children of
the Irish and other foreigners will pos
sess its cities. There is no doubt about
the correctness of this position. Old
New England is passing, and in a few
more decades a new population will have
supplanted the old. This is a patent
fact to all but those who dwell within
the sacred precincts of New England,
bu. it will become plain to them even
in a few more years. In curtailing the
birth rate the people of New England
have committed a great crime against
their section, and as a punishment their
inheritance will be taken from them
and given to others. The impending
fate of New England should be a warn
ing to uF of the South. We should
arnestly pray that the Malthusian
ontagion may not invade our beauit
nl So toudth -lanany great extent for
many years to come, for should it do
so it will mean that the Negro will
supersede us, as the French-Canadians
are the old New England stock, and in
herit the land of our fathers. A high
birth rate among the whites of the
South is the easiest and simplest so
lution of the race problem, that we hear
-) much about from time to time. Al
ready great alarm has been felt owing
to the belief that the blacks were in
creasing much more rapidly than the
whites. But happily the last census
established beyond question the fact
that the whites are increasing faster
than the blacks in proportion to popula
tion. Whether this desirable ratio will
be maintained by the census of 1900
and those that follow remains to be
seen. It cannot be doubted that upon
the comparative birth rate of the tvo
races as determined by investigation
during the next few decades will de
pend the remote history and welfare
of the southern states. The South
should profit by New England's sad ex
perience and pray for a high birth rate
among her white people, as therein lies
her only safety from Negro domination
in the distant future.
Cow Thieves Captured.
The Augusta Herald says: "Charley
Jones, colored, was arrested Wednesday
afternoon by Sergeant Norris of the
Augusta police force and Officer Webb.
They arrested him at the instance of
Detective G. B. Kittrell of Orange
burg county, S. C. The detective ar
rived here yesterday and had a confer
ence -with the police. He said he was
after Charley Jones, who had been
stealing cows in Orangeburg county
and who was wanted for the murder of
a man some years ago. Sergeant Norris
and Officer Webb took the trail. They
arrested Jones out near Railroad ave
nue about dusk. He was sent to the
station and is therc now. He denies
the charge. This morning another
party, who is said to be concerned in
the cow stealing case with Jones, was
arrested by Officer Webb at about the
same place where Jones was appre
hended. His name is nothing less
than Simon Washington Hampton.
Both are charged with cow stealing,
but the first one captured also has the
charge of murder overhanging him.
They will be taken to South Carolina.
There is a bit of uncertainty about the
man Jones being the one wanted for
murder, but he will be taken to Or
angeburg county and the matter fully
investigated."
Corn Crop Ruined.
The Columbia State says Capt. D. J.
Griffith, superintendent of the peniten
tiary, returned from the State farm
Tuesday and tells of a bad state of af
fairs on the bottom lands of the De
Saussure farm. The young corn on 250
acres has been completely destroyed by
worms, bugs and other pests. lHe
brought back a number of specimens of
stalks ruined by the depredations of
the worm. The stalks are eaten al
mot through and the leaves are shred
ded. A Ie~v acres on the Reid farm
have suff'r'd in like manner and a
number of neighboring farmers state
that their bottom lands have been vis
ited by the pesta. The uplands have
fared better, and for this reason Col.
Grifith thinks the vermin germanated
in the spring freshets which flooded the
lowlands.__________
Marriage in the Philippines.
The Negritos have a curious mar
riage custom, says Self Culture. When
a young man makes known his prefer
ence, the young woman flees from him,
while he gives chase and catches her in
his arms. She struggles and frees her
self, whereupon the chase is renewed,
and so on until he has caught her the
third time, when she yields, and he
pr'udly leads her back to her father's
dwelling. The father and mother of
the bride-elect then meet with the zon
tracting parties. the latter kneeling
side by side. The father then takes
some water in a cocanut shell and
throws it over them. Continuing the
ceremony, he take~s each by the neck
and bumps their heads together everal
times, and they are thou adjudgecd to
be duly married. A wed ding tour of
five days' s. journ alone in the inoun
tains fsows. after which they take up
their abode as staid citizens among
their friends.
A Thoughtful Act.
Governor McSweeney has obtained
through a Chlicago concern a very
handsomely bound scrap book which
contains clippings from all newspapers
in the United States that had anything
to say about the death of his predeces
sor either in its editorial or news col
umns. The volume is indeed a hand
sonc and valuable one the pages being
admirably fitted for the purpose for
which they are used. Gov. McSweeney
will send the book to Mrs. Ellerbe
with his compliments, having obtained
it for that purpose. Such a volume is
of course invaluable to the family and
no doubt the gift will be most highly
Wrmational Conered
'h.h, educational conference reccntly
held at Capron Springs, Va., was a
most important gathering and is engag
ing the attention of t. oughtful mcn in
all sections of our country. The rep
resentative character of those who par
ticipated in the proceedings hAs left its
impress upon the public mind. The
presiding oflicer was Dr. J. L. M. Cur
ry and a list of the leading spirits pres
ent includes prominent southern edu
cators and men well known for their
intcret in the cause of southern educa
tion. There was no evidence of any
sectiona' feeling and those who came
from the north freely recognize that
the chief part of the problem of south
err. education is to be found in the pro
per and thorough educiatioi of the white
race as the independent and permanent
ly dominant race. Most of the ad
dresses and papers. says the Augusta
Chronicle, dealt with only one phase of
the broad subject of education in the
south, but four of them handled the
entire subject .ith the greates ability
and calmness. These were the ad
dresses made by Dr. Curry, President
Wilson, Dr Dickerman. and President
Baldwin. These distinguishedd the
conference, it is believed, above any
similar body that has met in this coun
try for a generation, if not for the en
tire period of its history.
Dr. Curry gave a review of the en
tire field. He showed what the south
had been and what it is, in so far as
to illustrate his (laim that the present
condition dates back to the end of the
war. He gave the following data: In
1860 the northern states had a popula
tion of 19,000,000, 205 colleges
and universities, with 1.407 pro
fessors and 29,044 students. In the
sama year the southern states had a
population of 8,000,000. 262 colleges
and universities, with 1,4SS professors
and 27,055 students. These are the
figures of the last census before the
war. At the same time the north was
spending for its universities and col
leges $1,514,68S and $4,663,749 for its
academies yearly; and the south was
spending $1,662,419 for its colleges
and universities and $1,328,127 for its
academies yearly. The showing is tre
mendously in favor of the south, and
Dr. Curry said it fully explained the
fact that before the war the great leaders
of men-the Washingtons, Jeffersons,
Madisons, Henrys, Clays, Taylors,
Scotts, etc.-weie found in the south,
the product of the southern school sys
tem. With the war everything suc
cumbed to the general disaster. Now
the northern colleges and universities
have a productive fund of $102,721,
451, while the southern colleges and
universities have a productive fund of
only $15,741,000. Under such condi
tions, he said, it is no wonder that the
south finds herself utterly unable to
keep up with the rapid progress of the
northern states. He also spoke of the
great work that the south has done for
education since the war. In thirty
years it has spent $500.000,000 in edu
cational work, $100,000,000 of which
went for the Negroes. an amount large
ly in excess of their just proportion, if
the sum had been equally divided be
tween the tw> races on any basis what
ever. Good systems of public schools,
which Dr. Carry declared to be the
most original and highest idea yet con
ceived by the American people, had
been established in every southern
state. This he declared to be the grand
est work ever accomplished by any peo
ple in so short a time after sa great a
disaster.
An Unqualified Success.
The News and Courier, of Thursday,
says: "Col. Asbury Coward, superin
tendent of the South Carolina Military
Academy, returned to the city from
Orangeburg Tuesday night, and was
yesterday asked about the encampment
and the prospects of the next session
of the Academy. Col. Coward said
that unquestionably the visit of the ca
dets to Orangeburg bad been one of the
most pleasant incidents in dhe history
of the school, and he was inclined to
think one of the most useful. The
people of Orangeburg were untiring in
their efforts to make the stay of the
cadets and officers agreeable and they
succeeded most admirably. The ca
dets. by their soldierly conduct and
gentlemanly deportment, he was sure,
had made an excellent impression upon
the people of that section, and it was
thus mutually beneficial. In talking
of the next session Col. Coward said
that the future of the Academy seemed
very bright. There will be nine bene
ficiaries admitted at the next term, and
these will come, one each, from the
following counties: .Aiken, Anderson,
Clarendon, Greenville, Horry, Newber
ry, Orangeburg, Pickens and Charles
ton. Blanks of application to enter
competitive examination, with sheet
giving necessary information, can be
obtained from the respective county
superintendents of education. All ap
plications, fully and clearly made out,
must be in the hands of the chairman,
Col. C. S. Gadsden, by August 1. Be
sides these there will be one vacant
scholarship in the disposition of the
City of Charleston. Information con
cerning this scholarship can be obtain
ed from the city authorities "
Anti-Trust Delegates.
Wednesday the governor received a
letter from Chicago announcing the
postponement until Sept. 13 16 of the
proposed conference on combinations
and trusts that was to have been held
in that city this month. The governor
was asked to appoint seven delegates
to the conference to represent this
State. This he did, announcing the
following:
Frst district-J. HI. Marshall.
Second district-L. W. Youmans.
Third district-J. E. Boggs.
Fourth distrit-T. L. Gantt.
Fifth district-J. S. Brice.
Sixth district-A. HI. Williams.
Seventh district-S. HI. Rodgers.
Ate Poisoned Candy.
Mrs. Elsie Scheib, 610 Ellis Street,
San Francisco, ate of some candy re
eived by mail on Friday and since has
been seriou-sly ill with symtoms of arse
nicl poisuning. On the day mention
ea box of candy and a letter were re
ecived at Mrs. Scheib's house. They
had not been sent to her, but were ad
dressed to her friends, who frequently
visited her. The box was opened and
some of the candy was offered to a half
dozen young women who were em ploy
ed as dressmakers by Mrs. Scheib.
They declined to take the candy, but
Mrs. Scheib ate a small quantity. Soon
afterwards she became alarmingly ill,
with every symptom of having been
poisoned by arse:ne Antidotes were
administered and she is reco rinng.
Mch mystery surrounds the ca.
A Fair Exchange.
A Perkins, Okle., bachelor started to
Joplin, Mo., not long ago with a wag
onload of peanuts, and on the way he
met a widow with seven children. It
was a case of first-sight love, and
marrying her the next day, he carried
aiagnoad of family back home with
THE V'OR S AND WEATFIIB.
What the Department of Atiiculture
Says About Them.
The following is the weekly bulletia
of the South Carolina section of the
climate and crop service of the United
States weather bureau issued last week
by Director Bauer:
Columbia, S. C.. July 4, 1899.
The week ending July 31 averaged
lightly cooler than usual, especially
over the western portion of the State,
during the latter half of the week, with
airima temperatures g-nerally below
xty degces.
There were numerous showers from
June 27th to the 30th, heavy and well
distributed over the eastern half of the
State, and light aver the north central
and northwestern portions, where the
rainfall was poorly distributed, and
where more rain is needed, except over
very limited areas.
Over the areas of deficient rainfall,
crops are not making satisfactory
growth, but over the eastern portion of
the State generally, they are up to,
or above, their average condition on
July 1st. and are generally very prom
isil!r.
Worms continue to destroy corn; bat
worms to injure tobacco; and caterpil
lars to devastate rice; while lice on
cotton have appeared at various points.
Cotton continues to make seasona
ble growth and is blooming and fruit
ing freely, with no reports of shedding.
The plants are generally undersized,
but vigorous and healthy. The nights
have been too cool latterly for the best
development of sea island cotton.
Corn, is in a few sections. very prom
ising, but on the whole it is below its
seasonable average condition. Wire
worms are destroying old corn at many
points. Corn is being laid by.
Tobacco varies greatly in condition.
with many reports of injury by bud
worms. In places the need of rain is
urgent. Cutting and curing is as yet
making slow progress, although some
inferior grades have been sold in open
market.
Late reports on wheat contirm earlicr
estimates of small yields. The sami is
true of spring sown oats.
The bulk of the rice crop is very
promising, but caterpillars continue to
devastate late plantings, and fresh wa
ter for flooding is not available in
places.
Melons are ripening but do not prom
ise a large crop. Many sweet potato
slips have been set out during the week.
Sugar cane, sorghum and gardons show
some improvement. Peas are being ex
tensively planted, and coming up to
good stands. Haying is in progress on
the coast meadows.
SAVAGE AND FEROCIOUS.
The Devil Dancers of Ceylon and Their
Mysterious Ways.
The real Singhalese devil dancers in
Ceylon are ferocious and savage fel
lows. Their dances are revolting and
horrible. But their profession is popu
lar and affords a royal living for the
-men who go into it. There Is a super
stition among the Singhalese that
when a man fans sick he is supposed
to be afflicted by a devil. In order to
rid him of the disease the devil danc
ers are called in to propitiate the de
mon. Two or more of them go by
night to the sick man's house, in front
of which a small, square inclosure
about six feet high, has been made
of grasses and palm leaves. This
answers the purpose of the green room
at a theatre. The men appear at first
without masks and with long yellow
grass streamers banging from their
head and waists. The only light cast
on the scene is by torches, made of
sticks, round which pieces of cloth are
wrapped, dipped in oil. To the music
of a tam-tam, kept up on one note ,the
dancers sing a peculiar, wild funeral
dirge, in which the spectators often
join.
The dancers begin by slowly moving
about, stretching the right foot and
bringing the left up to it, and appear
as if they were searching for some
thing, during which the singing sounds
like crying. They are then asking the
devil to appear. There are twenty
four different sorts of devils, and after
the first part, the dancers are con
stantly changing their clothes to repre
sent the entire species; some wear
masks, some don jaws and terrible
teeth reaching to their ears. The jawt
open and close in a very realistic man
ner.
A dance lasts over two nights, as the
whole twenty-four devils have all to
be personated before the particular de
mon who is afflicting the man is pitch
ed on. When he gives signs of his
presence the dancers go into a sort of
frenzy, which increases as he takes
possession of them; the tam-tam beats
faster and faster, the enanting grows
Into yells, the men whirl and stamp
and the bells on their ankles jingle
and clash.
At this stage the dancers appear to
be looking for some object to give the
devil in sacrifice, and into which he
may pass. A chicken is usually offered
by the friend of the sick man, and the
unfortunate bird is seized upon, twisb
ed and tormen'ted and bitten between
the false teeth, until the dancers,
worn out, move slower and slower,
and the chicken sinks into a sort of
trance, which is a sign that the dovil
has accepted the sacrifice, and is will
ing to pass from the man into the bird.
Speed of an Earthquake.
T he course which an earthquake
runs is usually very rapid. From the
instant when the first shock was felt
at Lisbon to the period when all was
over, and many thousands of people
killed, not more than two minutes had
elapsed. Usually from ten to thirty
seconds elapsed between the first and
last shocks of severe earthquake. But
this lightning speed is not always the
earthquake's mode of traveling. While
Caracas, in Venezuela, was almost
totally destroyed and 12,000 people
were killed in less thain twenty seconds
by the great shock there many years
back, there are cases in which con
stantly recurring shocks have lasted
for weeks. No matter how brief the
span, the most frightful havoc can
be wrought and the wave of destruct
ion propagated from the most distant
regions. The rmbling earth-sound
travels at the rate of about 10,000 to
11,000 feet per second, and the earth
wave, on an average, about 1,200 feet
in the same space of time.
Salaries of I'residents.
Very few persons would suspect how
small the salaries of presidents of re
publics are, when the enormous sums
crowned heads receive are taken into
consideration. '1 he foreigner often
thinks the $50,000 salary of the Presi
dent of the United States is merely
a joke, and that he receives ten times
as much in reality, but the same for
eigner may not know that the French
President, in a country where the
wealthiest mna~nchs once reigned, re
ceives only $120).000 a year. T he
President of the little Andorra Re
public contents himself with a salary
of $15 a year, and the President of
the Swiss Republic must be satisfied
with $3,000
The gota2 contam~fea inwe mienais,
vessel, chains and other objects pre
served in the Vatican \would make
aore gold coin than the whole of th~e
presnt European circulation.
Nvv ANTb MA sLAVia
-arrior Auii. Which Enslaro the Small
and Weaker Species.
The warrior ant is a slave-making
species. It is a large red kind, and it
makes raids against nests of the small
yellow turf ant, a mild and docile race,
large numbers of which it carries off to
act as servants.
But it does not steal fully grown turf
ants. Their habits are formed and
they would be useless for such purpose.
What the warrior ant wants is raw
material, which can be turned into
thoroughly well-trained servants. So
it merely killed the adult ants which
strive to oppose its aggression and con
tents itself with truniling home to its
own nest the lavae and pupae of the
turf ants which it has put to flight and
vanquished.
In time these grubs and cocoons pro
duce full-grown yellow workers, which
can be taught by the warrior ants to
act as nurses and housemaids. I once
saw in a garden in Algiers a great
pitched battle going on between slave
makers and the family of the future
slaves, in which the ground was strewn
with the corpses of the vanquished.
Not till the nests of the smaller ants
were almost exterminated did they re
tire from the unequal contest and al
low the proud invader to carry off
their brothers and sisters in their co
coons, asleep and unconscious. Oc
casionally, by dint of mere numbers,
they beat off the invader with heavy
loss; but much more often the large
and strong-jawed warriors win the
day and destroy to a worker the oppos
ing forces. They crush their adver
saries' heads with their vice-like man
dibles. Meanwhile, within the nest
the other half of the workers-the de
vision told off as special nurses- are
otherwise employed in defending and
protecting the rising generation. At
the first alarm, at the first watchword
passed with antennae through the
nest, "A warrior host is attacking us,"
they hurry to the chambers where the
cocoons are stored and bare them off
in their mouths into the recesses of the
nest, the lowest and most inaccessible
of all the chambers.
Limit of a Deer's Life.
Romance has played a prominent
part with regard to the longevity of
deer. What says the Highland adage?
Thrice the age of a dog is that of
a horse.
Thrice the age of a horse is that of a
man.
Trice the age of a man is that of
a deer.
Thrice the age of a deer is that of an
eagle.
Thrice the age of an eagle is that of
an oak tree.
This Is to assign the deer a period
of more than 200 yeaTs; an the esti
mate is supported by many highly cir
cumstantial stories. Thus; Captain
M.cDonald, of Tulloch, who died in 1776,
aged S years, is said to have known
the white hind of Loch Treig for 50
years, his father for a like period before
him, and his grandfather for sixty
years before him. So, in 1826, Mac
donald of Glengarry is reported to have
killed a stag wilich bore a mark on the
left ear identical with that made on all
the calves he could catch by Ewen
MacIan-Os, who had been dead 150
years. Analogous stories, it may be
noted, are told in countries on the con
tinent of Europe, where deer are to be
found in any number. But alas! 'the
general opinion among experts would
seem to be that thirty years or there
abouts the limit of a deer's life.
Wonderful Knives.
King Humbert, of Italy, possesses a
hunting knife, the handle of which is
solid ivory, beautifully carved, an'd
surmounted with the royal crown. Its
sheath is of pigskin, mounted In mas
sive silver chased to match The knife,
with the royal arms of Italy in bold re
lief. The price of the knife was $100,
and the case cost another $75. At
Windsor Castle among the royal plate
is a knife which was presented by the
cutlers of Sheffield to George IV. It is
remarkable as having more than a hun
dred blades. Perhaps the most exqui
site and valuable specimens of knives
are in the possessIOn of the cutlers of
Sheffield. One, which is very remark
able, is not longer than a thumb nail,
and yet contains twenty blades. An
other, which is but an inch long when
closed, has seventy blades, beautifully
made, and illustrating nearly all the
forms ever given to knife blades. An
other specimen has 220 blades, all
etched with portraits. landscapes or
other artistic designs. Another of
these wonderful knives .has 1,840
blades, all having hinges and springs,
and closing into the same handle. The
handles of some of these knives are of
Ivory and tortoise shell, and they are
valued at from $100 to $500.
Emperor a Hard Worker.
The mass of work which Emperor
William does is apparent by the fig
ures of last year, just issued from the
chamberlain's officee. His majesty re
ceived 1,026 immediate reports, gave
751 decisions, signed 802 cabinet or
ders, appointments, and other docu
ments, 5,857 reports were presented to
him personally, while the civil cabinet
dealt with 50,000 documents add.ressed
to the emperor. and about 400 letters
or telegrams were received by 'him
daily.__ _ _ _
An Automatic Curefi11.
One of the most remarkable develop
ments of the automatIc machine is a
"Doctor Cureall," which is seen in
Holland. It consists of a wooden fig
ure of a man, divided into many com
partments, which are labeled with the
names of various ailments. If you
have a pain, you have only to find its
corresponding location on the figure,
drop a coin into the slot and the prop
er pill or powder will come out.
Killed by a Woman.
A terrible tragedy was enacted on
Monday last on the shore of Grand
Lake, 'immediately in the rear of the
village of Charenton, La., in which
Thomas W. Webb was shot and jitdnt
ly killed by Mrs. W. F. Smith. It ap
pears that Smith and Webb were en
gaged as partners in gathering and pre
paring moss for market, and in the
division of the moss Webb used very
insulting language to Mrs. Smith, who
was present, whereupon she seized a
dobule-barreled shotgun loaded with
buckshot near at hand and discharged
the contents of one barrel into the
breast of Webb, killing him instantly.
Depu:y Sheriff Pecot buried the re
mains of Webb and arreted Smith and
his wife and they are now in jail at
Charenton, La.
Elown Overa Fence.
A cyclone struck New York State
near Glens Falls Wednesday-afternoon.
Large trees were up-rooted and other
damage was done. James Nesbitt. a
farmer living east of Lake George was
driving, was blown, with his horse
and buggy from the road over a fence
and into a field. He was injured so
evrelyr that he died.
some keaso.ns for tntying the.Marrigd
Knot Are Ludicrous.
Although Is is happily not possible
in every country to dissolve the mar
riage tie because a husband has an
aversion to soap or because a wife has
a tongue more active than her fingers,
there is a ludicrous facility In many
lands for getting rid of an undesirable
wife or husband.
In Greece a wife, to maintain her
position, must be the very "pink of
propriety," and If she goes to theatre
or race meeting or even dines with a
friend without her husband's sanction
he may send her back to her mother
and bid her stay there.
Time was, and not long ago, in
Crete, when a man might divorce his
wife if she appeared likely to add too
many quivers to his bow; and In Rus
sia, if husband and wife wished to
part for any reason whatever, all they
need do was to adjourn to some pub
lic place. and in the presence of on
lookers tear a strip of muslin In two.
In Morocco it is not fashionable to be
attached too long to any particular
wife, and a man's social position may
be gauged by the number of wives
he has divorced. It is quite common
for a man to have married and parted
from a score of wives before he has
reached the age at which the average
.nglishman thinks it prudent to
marry.
In France, during the "time of
terror," the daring experiment was
tried of allowing divorces at will and
without any assigned cause. The re
sult was disastrous or happy, accord
ing to the point of view; for within a
year 4.000 couples agreed to part in
Paris alone, and within a short time
there were actually more divorces
than marriages every year.
In Japan if an oblique-eyed beauty
gives too much rein to her tongue,
"off she goes," to learn that a discreet
reticence is a virtue in a wife.
In Germany If the wife uses her
husband's purse too freely he can keep
the purse to himself and bid her go,
while he looks out for a fraulein of
simpler tastes.
In Australia a man can divorce a
wife who is too fond of her cups, or
rather glasses; and no Ciinaman Is
called upon to tolerate a shrew.
From the oldest times divorce has
been in some countries almost as
simple a matter as untying a shoe lace.
In ancient Rome a man who wearied
of his wife could free himself by the
simple process of telling her to go.
In biblical history, too, we leirn that
Abraham divorced Hagar by providing
her bread and a bottle of water and
sending her away.
How Toads Pass the Winter.
"Studying the physiology of the
toad," "Professor Simon Henry Gage
combats the opinion that this creature
hibernates under leaves or tree-trunks.
It Is often found in such refuge, but
only when it has come out of its hole
at the opening of the spring and has
been caught. by a return of cold
weather. Ordinarily it hibernates In
the earth, preferably in dry soil not
apt to freeze. It buries Itself back
ward, its hind feet and the end of its
body serving to scoop out its hole,
while It pushes itself in with its fore
legs. Once buried. 1,. leaves no trace
whatever of its hiding-place. When-it
Is in a temperature near the freezing
point its own temperature Is three
fourths to one and one fourth degrees
higher than that of the surrounding
medium. When toads are found under
frozen leaves, they are still able to
move about. Mr. Gage has seen these
creatures with feet and skin absolutely
frozen solid, but with Internal organs!
in good condition, and able to come to
life perfectly."
- why Fishes Are Slippery.
Fish of almost every sort are, when
fresh caught, slippery and hard to
hold. This slipperiness is due to a
sort of mucus exuded, through the
scales and Is of the greatest Import
ance to all finny creatures.
One of the Important functions of
the fish's slimy coating is to protect
it from the attacks of fungus, a fo~
of plant life found In all waters, af
and fresh, foul and pure. If the fish
is so injured that some spot becomes
uncovered by the slime, a barely
visible fungus will be likely to lodge
there, and when It Is once lodged the
process of its reproduction Is very
rapid. It soon extends over the gills
and kills the fish.
The primary purpose of the slime of
the fish is to reduce its friction' when
in motion through the water and In
crease Its speed. It also serves as a
cushion to the scales, which It thus
protects from many Injuries.
Red-Haired People.
An eminent man of science has re
cently declared that red-haired, people
are far less apt to go bald than those
who are possessed of other colored
hair. The average crop on the head of
a red-haired person is only 29,200 hairs.
Ordixary dark hair Is far finer, and
over three dark hairs take up the space
of one -red one; 105,000 is about the
average. BLat fair-haired people are
still better off; 140.000 to 160,000 Is a
quite common number of hairs on the
scalp of a fair-haired man or woman.
This authority does not comment on
the peculiarities of red-haired people,
but it is well known that they are of
a more passionate nature than others,
and often of a fine and sensitive dis
position, akin t-> what is known as the
artistic temperament.
Disappearing Islands.
The islands in Chesapeake Bay fre
quented by fishermen and duck-hunt
ers are so rapidly disappearing be
neath the assult of the tides that in a
few years there will be none left. A
striking instances is Tangier Island,
where the British fortificatiouds of 1812
are under water.
Distanzce in China
In China there is no regular standard
of distance. a Chinese mile may be
from a quarter of an English mile
to a mile and three-quarters, according
to the province.
-- Indian Income Tar.
The tncome tax in India is levied on
all Incomes of $1G5 and upidard, and
then only one man In '700 comes with
inits scope.
The Ceylon silk spider.
T he Ceylon yellow silk spider has
a body that weighs nine ounces.
Illustrated by a Fable.
There is a touch of humor in the
situation anent the Samoan kingship
that reminds one of the .oyster in the
fable. Of that famous bivalve it is re
lated that it was discovered on a sea
beach by two wayfarers. One of them
tooped and picked it up, but the other
one claimed it by reason of the fact that
he saw it first. The dispute was left to
a lawyer who happened to pass that
way. He calmly opened the bivalve,
swallowed the juicy morsel inside, and,
parting the'shells, gave one to each of
the disputants. The island kingship is
the oyster on the beach, the ownership
of which the three commissiojers of
the ,jwers have settled by swallowing,
giving Malietoa Tanus and Mataafa a
shell each.
It is well known that the rusting, of
bright stecl goods is due to the precipi
tation of the moisture in the air upon
it. This may be obviated by keeping
the air surrounding the goods dry, and a
iaucer of powdered quieklime placed in
an ordinary showcase will usually suf
fice to prevent the rusting of the cut
lery exhibited therein, asserts The
.weler' Review.