GLU0IUS R DEL i
Dr. Talmage Satirizes the Antag
onists of Christianity.
THE GEEAT PREACHER
Depicts in a Very Unusual Way
the Triumphs of the Gospel.
A Delusion Which Over
powers the Strong
est Intellects.
The antagonists of the Christian re
ligion are in this sermon of Dr. Tal
mage met in a very urus-al way, and
the triumphs of the gospel are depicted.
The text is Ezekiel xxxi, 21. "lle made
his arrows bright, he consultcd with
images, he looked in the liver."
Two modes of 7' iviniation by which
the king of Babylon proposed to find
out the will of God. lI took a bundle
of arrows, put them togacber, nixu
them up, then pulled forth one and by
the inscription on it decided what eity
he should first assault. Then an ani
mal was slain, and by the iliter or
darker color of the liver the brigh tcr or
darker prospect of success was inf erred.
That is the meaning of the text. 11l
made his arrows bright: _he consulted
with images, he hoked in the liver.'
Stupid delusions. And yet all the ages
have been filled with delusions. It
FeeLx's as if the world loves to be hooc
winked, the delusion of the text only a
specimen of a vast number of deceits
practiced upon the human race. In the
latter part of the last century Johanna
Southcote came forth poretending to have
divine power, made prophceies, had
chapels built in her honor, and 100,
000 diciples came forward to f.llow her.
About five years before the birth of
Christ Apollonius was born, and he
came forth, and after five years being
speechless, according to the tradition.
he healed the sick and raised the dead
and preached viitue and, according to
the myth, having deceased, was brought
to resurrection.
The Delphic oracle deceived vast
multitudes of people: the Pythoness,
seated in the temple of Apollo, utter
ing a crazy jargon from which the peo
ple guc -sed their individual or national
fortune., or misfortunes. The utter
ances were of such a nature that yoiu
could read them any way you wanted
to read them. A general coming forth
to battle consulted the Pelphic oracle,
and he wanted to find o. whether he
was going to be safe in the battle or
killed in battle, and the answer came
forth from the Delphic oracle in such
words that if you put the conima before
the word "never" it means cne thing
and if you put the comma af::er the
word "never" it means another thing
just opposite. The messages from the
Delphic oracle to the general was, "Go
forth, return never in battle shalt thou
perish." If he was killed, that was ac
cording to the Delphic oracle; if he
came home safely, that was according
to the Delphic oracle.
So the ancient auguries deceived the
people. The priests of those auguries,
by the flight of birds or by the intona
tion of thunder or by the inside appear
ance of slain animals, told the fortunes
or misfortunes of individuals or nations.
The sibyls deceived the people. The
sibyls were supposed to be inspired wo
men who lived in eaves and who wrote
the sibylline books afterwards purchas
ed by Tarquin the Proud, So late as
the year 1829 a man arose in New York,
pretending to be a divine being, and
payed his part so well that wealthy
mercha.nts became his diciples and threw
their fortunes into his keeping. And
so in all ages there have been necro
mancies, incantations, witcrafts, sor
ceries, magical arts, enchantments, di
vinations and delusions. The one of
the text was only a specimen of that
which has been occurring in all ages of
the world. None of these delusion~s
accomplished any good. They deceiv
ed, they pauperized the people, they
were as cruel as they were absurd.
They opened no hospitals, they healed
no wounds, they wiped away no tears,
they emancipated no serfdom.
But there are those who say that all
these delusions combined are as noth
ing compared with the delusion now
abroad in the world, the delusion of the'
Christian religion. Thatt delusion has
today 400,000,000 dupes. It proposes
to encircle the earth with its gOrd'e.
That which has been called a delusKa.
has already overshadowed the Appala
chain range on this side the sea, and it
has overshadowed the Balkan and Caut
casion ranges, on the other side the sea.
It has conquered England and the I n
ited States. This champion delusion,
this hoax, this swindle of the ages. as it
has been called, has gone forth to con
quer the islands of the Pacific, and
Melanesia and Micronesia and Walayan
Polynesia have already surrendered to
the delusion. Yea, it has conquered
the Indian archipelago and Borneo; and
Sumatra and Celeb'es and -Java have
fallen under its wiles. In the Fiji is
lands, where there are 120,000I reople.
102,000 have already become the dupes
of this Christian religion, and if things
go on as they are now going on and if
the influence of this great hallucination
of the ages cannot be stopped, it will
swallow the globe. Supposing then
that Christianity is the delusion of the
centuries, as some have pronounced it.
I propose to show you what has been
accomplished by this chimera. this fall
acy, this hoax, this swindle of ages.
Admiral Farragut, one of the most
admired men of the American navy.
early became a victim of this Christian
delusion, and, seated not long before
his death at Long Branch, he was giv
ing some friends an account of his early
life. He said: "My father went down
in behalf of the United States govern
ment to put an end to Aaron Burr's re
bellion. I was a cabin boy and went
along with him. I could swear like an
old salt. I could gamble in every style
of gambling. I knew all the wicked
ness there was at that time abroad.
One day my father cleared everybody
out of the cabin except myself and
locked the door. Ie said: 'David,
what are you going to do? What arc
you going to be?' 'Well,' I said, 'fa
ther, I am going to follow the sea.
'Follow the sea and be a poor miserable,
drunken sailor, kicked and cutfed about
the world and die of a fever in a foreign
hospital: 'Oh, no I said. 'Father. I
will not be that. I will tread the guar
ter deck and command as you do.' *N0.
David' my father said. 'No. David
A person that has your principles and
your bad habits will never t:ead the
quarter deck or command.' My father
went out and shut the door after him.
and I said to him: 'I will change. I
will never swear again. I will never
drink again. 1 will never gamble
again, and, gentlemen, by the help of'
God, I have kept those three vows to
this time. I soon after that became a
Christian, and that decided my fate for
tians. lieI wants no btter play spell
than stad and w ath the hats and
coats'f the "urderers who are mas
eringod'sChildren. There goes
the :-ane mlau. This time he is afoot.
WIhere is hie "oiug now? Going on the
roat to ( tia to dlie for Christ. They
tried to vIp it out of him. they tricd
t) eate it out Of him, they thought
tvx would give Lim enough of it by put
n- hini into a vindowless urgeon.
and keep"g hi on small diet, and
denying him a cloak and condemnng
him as' a criminal, and howling at him
throuagi the strcet but they- could not
sweat it out of hii. and they coulu nt
noud'1 it out of him, so theV tried the
o" the worl. and one Z'ummer
dav in 0; he was d:apizatedi --perhaps
the mighticst intelleet the G ' 060
years of te world's existenc hood
vcinked. chacte- e ed. dupeud by the
Christian religion
A sthat i the remarkable thinr
about this delus:on of Christianity; t
overpowers the strong.est intellects.
Sither the crities. secular and rehei
o - of this cen,tury together and put a
vote to th'ell as to whie is the greatest
book ever written. and I., large majori
ty ther will say "Paradise Lost.' Who
wrote "Paradise host' one of the
f-ols who believed in this Bible. .John
Mlilton. Berjamin Franklin ;urren
deredl to this delusion, if you may
judge fronm the letter that he wrote to
Thomas Paine bezzing him to de.trov
the "Age of Reason" iu manuscript and
never let it go into type and writing af
terward in his old days, "Of this -Jesus
of Nazareth I have to say that the sys
tem of morals he left and the religion
he has given us are the best things the
world has ever seen or is likely to sec"
Patrick ienry, the electric -champion
of liberty, enslaved by this delusion, so
that he says, "The book worth all oth
ei books put together is the Bible."
Benjamin Rush. the leading physiolog
ist and anatomist of his day, the great
medical scientist, what did he say?
**The only true and perfect religion is
Christianity." Isaac Newton, the lead
ing philosopher of his time. what did
he say' That man. surrendering to
this delusion of the Christian religion,
crying out, "The sublimest philosophy
on earth is the philosophy of the gos
pel." David Brewster, at the pronup
ciation of whose name every scientist
the world over uncovers his head, Da
vid Brewster saying, "Oh, ' 3 religion
has been a great light to ue, a very
great light all my days." President
Thiers, the great French stateman, ac
knoledging that he prayed when he
said, "I invoke the Lord God, in who:n
I am glad to believe." David Livings
tone, able to conquer the lion, able to
conquer the panther, able to conquer
the savage, yet conquered by this delu
sion, this hallucination, this great swin
dle of of the ages. so when they find
him dead they find him on his knees.
William E. Gladstone, the strongest
intellect in England, unable to resist
this chimera. this fallacy, this delusion
of the Christian religion, went to the
house of God every Sabbath and often
at the invitation of the rector read the
prayers :o the people. If those mighty
intellects are ovorborne by this delu
sion, what chance is there for you and
for rae?
Besides that, I have noticed that
ihst rate infidels cannot be depended
n for sted 'fastness in the proclamation
of their sentiments- Goethe. a leading
sceptic, was sa wrought upon by this
Christianity that in a weak moment lie
cried out. " My belief in the Biple has
saved me in my literary and moral life."
Rousseau, one of the most eloqnent
champions of infidelity, spendirng his
whole life warring against Christianity
ries out, "The majesty of the Scrip
tures amazes me." Altemont, the no
torious infidel, one would think he
would have been safe against this delu
sion of tha Christian religion. Oh, no'
After talking against Christianity all
his days, in his last hours he cried out,
"Oh, thou blasphemed but most in
dulgent Lord God, hell itself is a refuge
if it hide me from thy frown." Yol
taire. the most talented infidel the world
ever saw, writing 230 publications, and
the most of them spiteful against
Christianity, himself the most notori
ous libertine of the century. one would
have thought he could have been de
pended upon for steadfastness in the
advocacy of infidelity and in the war
against this terrible chimera, this de
lusion of the Gospel. But no. In his
last hour he asks for Christian burial
and asks that they give him the sacra
ment of the Lord Jesua Christ. 'Why,
you cannot depend upon these first
rate infidels: you cannot depend upon
their power t'o resist this great delusion
of' Christianity. Thomas Pain, the
god of modern skeptics. his birthday
celebrated in New York and Boston
with great enthusiasim-Thomss Paine,
the paragon of Bible haters; Thomas
P~ain. about whom his brother infidel,
William Carver, wrote in a letter which
I have at my house, saying that he
drank a quart of rum a day and was too
mean and too dishonest to pay for it;
Thomas Paine. the adored of modern
infidelity: Tfhomas Paine. who stole
another man's wife in England and
brought her to this country: Thomas
Paine. who was so s ualid and so loath
esome and so drunken, and so profli
gate, and so beastly in his habits,
oetimes picked out of the ditch,
:ometimes too filth~y to be pi 'ked out:
Thomas Paine. one would have thought
that he conld have been depended on
for steadfastness against this great de
lusion. But no. in his dying hour
ie begs the Lord Jesus Christ for mer
Y e. this chimera of the gospel is
not satisiled until it goes on and builds
tself into the imost permanent archi
teture, so it seems as if the world is
ne er to get rid of it. What are some of
the inest buildings in the world? St.
Paul's t. Peter's, churches. cathedrals
Iof all Christendom. Yes, this imperti
nene of the go.-pei, this vast delusion,
is not satislied until it projects itself
and in one year giv'es, contributes.
5. U.00 to foreign missions, the
work of which is to make dunces and
fools on the othe. side of the world
people we have never seen. Deluded
doctors -2ti physicians mueetinig week
by week in London in the Union Mlidi
al Prayer circle to worship God.
Deluded lawyers-Lord Cairns, the
highest legal authority in England, the
ex-adviser of the throne spenig his
vacation in preaching the gospel of
-Jesus C hrist to the poor people of
cotlad. Frederick T. Frelinghuy
en of New Jersey, once se-retary of
t t an old fashioned E-vangelical
hisnar, on elder in the Rleformned
cucrh John Bright, a deluded Quak
er: Henry Wilson, . the vice president
o tie United States, dying a deluded
Mthodis or C'ongregationalist: Earl of
Kinore dying a .deluded Presbyteri
And to shotw the~ immensity of this
deuson, this awful swindler of' the gos
pel of ,Jesus Chrsst.. I open a hospital
and I bring into that hospital the
death beds of a great many Christian
I walk tv. and dljn watrdl of that
hospital 'nI s a few iueuions.
I ask, B'.in:: Stcphen what have you
to say?"' Lord Jcsus receive my
spirit." "yin John Wesley, what
have you to say"' "The best of all is
G od is with us.~~ * Dying Edward Pay
son, what have you to say?" "Ifloat
in a sea of glory." Dying John Brad
ford. what have you to say?' "If
there be any way of going to heaven on
horseback or in a tiery chariot, it is
this." -lyin Neander. what have
you to say T. am going to sleep
now. good night. Dying Mrs.
Florence Foster. what have you to
say:* --*A pilgrim in the valley, but
the mountain tops are all agleam from
peak to peak.- "Dying Alexander
Mathew. what have - say?' "The
Lord who has taken care o- me 50
years will not cast me off now:
glory Ic to God and to the Lib'
Amen. amen, amen. amen'" "lying
Joan Powson, after preaching the gos
pel so many years. what have you to
say?" -My death bed is a bed of roses.'
D ing Dr. Thomas Scott, what have
you to say? This is heaven begun. Dy
inz soldier in the last war. what have
you to say? Boys, I am going to the
front. *Dying telegraph operator on a
battlefield of Virginia, what have you
to sav? The wires are all laid and the
poles are up from Stony Point to head
quarters. Dying Paul. what have you
to say? -1 a-n, now ready to be offered,
and the time of my departure is at
hand: I haVe fought tli. good tight, I
have finished my course, I have kept the
faith, 0 death, where is thy sting? 0
grave, where is thy victory? Thanks
be unto God who giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ."
6) my Lotd, my God, what a delu
sion, what a glorious delusion! Sub
merge me with it, fill my eyes and ears
with it. put it under my head for a pil
low, this delusion; spread it over me
for a canopy, put it underneath me for
an outsprea4ing wing. roll 't over me in
ocean surges 10,000 fathoms deep. If
infidelity and if atheism and if annihi
lation are a reality and the Christian
religion is a delusion, give me the de
lusion.
The strong confirmation of every rea
sonable man and woman is that Chris
tianity producing such grand results
cannot be a delusion. A lie, a cheat, a
swindle, a hallucination, cannot launch
such a glory of the centuries. Your
logic and your common sense convince
you that a bad cause cannot produce n
illustrious result, Out of the womb
such a monster no such angel can .
born. There are many who began wi n
thinking that the Christian religi !
was a stupid farce who have come to
the conclusion that it is a reality. Wby
are you in the Lord's house toda, ?
Why did you sing this song? Why did
you bow your heads in the opening
prayer? Why did you bring your fam
ily with you? Why, when I tell you of
the ending of all trials in the bosom of
God, do there stand tears in -your eyes,
not tears of grief, but tears of joy, such
as stand in the eyes of homesick chil
dren far away at school when some one
talks to them about going home? Why
is it that you can be so calmly submis
sive to the death of your loved one
abmut whose departure you once were
so angry and so rebellious? There is
something the matter with you. All
your friends have found out there is a
great change, and if some of you would
give it in scholarly style, and others,
giving their experience, would give it
in broken style, but the one experieice
would be just as good as the other.
Some of you have read everything. You
are scientific and you are scholarly and
yet if 1 should osk you, "what is the
most sensible thing you ever did?" you
would say, "the most sensible thing I
ever did was to give my heart to God."
But there may be others who have
not had early advantages, and if they
were asked to give their experience
they might rise and give such testimo
ny as theman gave in a prayer mecaing
when he said: "On my way here tonight
I met a man who asked me where I was
going. I said, 'I am going to prayer
meeting.? lIe said, 'there are a good
many religious, and I think the most of
them are delusions. As to the Chris
tian religion, that is only a notion, that
is a mere notion, the Christian reli
gion.' I said to him, 'Stranger, you see
that tavern over there?' 'Yes,' he said,
'I see it.' 'Don't you see me?' Yes, of
ourse I see you.' 'Now, the time was
when everybody in this town knows if
I had a quarter of a dollar in my pocket
I could not pass that tavern without
going in and getting a drink, all the
people of Jefferson could not keep me
out of that place. But God has ebang
ed my heart, and the Lord Jesus Christ
has destroyed my thirst for strong
drink, and there is my whole week's
wages and I have no temptation to go in
there. And stra'nger. if this is a no
tion I want to tell you it is a mighty
powerful notion. It is a notion that
has put clothes on my children's back
and it it a notion that has put good food
on our table, and it is a notion that has
filled my mouth with thanksgiv'ng to
God. And, stranger, you had bletter
go along with mc; you might get :'eli
gion, too; lots of people arc getting re
ligion now."
Well, we will sooc understand it all.
Your life and mine will soon be over.
"We will soon come to the last bar of the
music, to the last net of the tragedy, to
the last page of the book-yea, t: the
last line and to the last word-and to
you and to me it will either be midnoon
or midnigrht.
A Murderer Wanted.
A reward of 1.000Q marks is offered
for the capture of a murderer named
Goenezi. who murdered a widow and
her stepdaughter two years ago. lie
is wanted not merely for punishment,
but in order that he may give informa
tion as to which woman he killed first.
E'ach had made a will leaving every
thing she owned to the other, and it
turns out that the property amounts to
more than a million marks and should
go to one of the two unrelated sets of
heirs. The German courts have been
unwilling to solve the puzzle by any
presumption of law when the real facts
may be ascertained at any time by the
cature of the murderer, arnd are hold
in the money, a proceeding whose
legality seems to be considered doubt
May Ask to be Annexed.
A mail dispatch from Santo Domingo,
dated August 8d, via llaiti. confirms
the c'able intelligence telling of the
speed and significance of the revolution
throughout the Dominican republic.
P~roinent men in civil and military
circles,:it appears, arc taking the field
with the understanding that Jiminez
is the prime mover and that he will
shortly arrive. Undoubtedly the popu
larity of the revolution is due to the
use of the name of Gomez, and should
he decline thc presidency of oppose
.Jiminez, prominent leaders are already
considering the alternative of calling a
plebesite in order to ascertain whether
the country would not prefer to renew
the vote of 1871 for American annexa
tion or an American protectorate rather
THE PENITENTIARY.
Cornainucd froi First Pagc.
being generous with the State's assets
and especially to bimself. We hold
that both W. A. Neal and J. B. Wat
son are liable for the convict hire for
convicts to be worked on Neal's planta
tion for the years 189, 1897 and 1S98,
for the reason that Watson contracted
to pay .for them and Neal got the bene
fit of the labor .ind violated his duty ia
procuring them to be worked for his
benefit and deceiving the board of di
rectors. Their labor was an asset of
the penitentiary as much a the pro
ducts of the labor on the State farm,
and he cannr-t tage either -nd refuse
to pay for it. A conversion of one is
the same as a conversation of the other
We also condemn the practice of the
superintendent's endorsing paper as
superintendeat and thereby pledging
the credit of the penitentiary without
express authority from the board of di
rcetors in each instance. We especially
condemn Mr. Neal's action in endors
ing the $50 note for J. B. Watson and
thus making the penitentiary borrow
that amount of money merely fr Wat
son's accommodation. We also coo
demn its use in the Ragsdale notes and
W. W. Russell note.
The following are the amounts now
admitted by Mr. Neal to be due from
him to the penitentiary, it being ac
knowledged that there is a shortage to
that extent
Amount collected of J S Fov
ler, Dec 1895......... 500 00
Amount collected of W Q
Hammoud, -Nov 1895..... 500 00
Amouat collected Fowler &
Hammond & Kent Feb '97. 539 95
W. W. Russell note. .. .. .. 600 00
Collected from V. T. Magill
for brick sold at DeSassurc
farm.................. 4000
5 book cases at $12.00 each.. 60 00
1 hat rack...... .........1000
6 small tables, at ,2 each... 12 00
1bedstead...... ..........1000
Painting furniture at home.. 10 00
700 bushels cotton seed at 15
cents.................... 105 00
Commissary account 6 years.. 638 29
Check unpaid and:carried by
Burriss.................. 17200
Collected of J J Fretwell for
Oats. April 189S......... 387 17
$3,5S4 41
We find that he is liable in addition
ithe following amounts, which are
c.ontested by him:
Convict hire on the Watson
contract for the years 1896,
1S97 and 189S.. .. .. .. .. .$ 7,40000
We think he should refund
stable rent which should
never have been paid.. . . . 740 00
$11,724 41
There appears to be due the peniten
tiary the following items which have
not been properly charged on the books
or collected, being found on an old
brickyard book and commissary book
and which the parties are no doubt
ready to settl2 on presentation of bills:
Hon W H Elerbe, commissary
aceount.. ............. .$134 11
Hon John Gary Evans, commis
sary account... .. ........ 18114
Hon B R( Tillman. commissary
account..................~ 506
Hon B R Tillman, carload of
brick................... 7200
Hon B B Tillman, oats, no
amiount giyen; he simply in
forms us that he owes for
them and we do not find any
record of it.
We append as Exhibit A a statement
of the property purchased, improve
ments made and labor furnished to
public institutions by the penitentiary
during Mr. Neal's administration, ag
gregating in all $173,845 17, being the
value placed upon the sa-ne in the re
ports of the board for the six years.
The evidence taken is herewith sub
mitted. The proper steps to be taken
as a result of this report and the evi
dence will be determined no doubt by
yourself and the attorney general.
Respectfully submitted,
WV F Stevenson,
J T Hay,
Knox Livingstone,
Thos F Mclow,
H Cowper Patton.
E.XIIIlUT A.
Report 1893.
p. 7. Clemson College con
victs, for guards, etc. .$ 3i,11 49
p. 6. 2 electric motors. etc. 2,000 00
p. 7. Convicts Clemson col
lege and guard hire... 14,580 00
p. 7. Convicts, guard hire,
etc., for Winthrop... 10.980 00
$:30. 78 49
Report 1894.
p, 6. Old hosiery mill (over
hauling)...........$ 4,000 00
p. 6. New hosiery mill re
built.............. 15,000 00
p. 6. Improvements in the
yard. inclusive of
above items.. .... ..:30,000 00
p. 7. 7 head mules and
horses.............. 700 (00
p. 7. Labor and cash to col
Report 1S95.
p. 7. 6M mules for State
farm, engines, gins.
wagons, tools, farm
ing implements... .,00(0 00
p. S. To colleges, labor.
cash, etc............ 17,114 :3;
$29, 114 26
Report 1896.
p. 17. Improvements peni
tentiary proper, barns
stables, sheds, etc . . .S 5,000 00
Prison building and
other improvements
inside yard.........1,000 00
Buidings at Reeds
farm... .......... 2.00 00
1)eSaussure place quar
ters for guards, dining
room, smoke house.
hay sheds, grist mill,
engine boilers, guano
house on railroad. etc. 2,100 00
Report 1897.
p. 19. Nv wland:- comi
...h..................$SO80 00
lReed hfro, new barn
for mules, hospital
building. lot fencing,
fencing 400 acres past
ure land.......... 5000 00
$ 5.800 00
Report 189S.
Report of board of directors on pages
5 and h.
Paid purchase real estate
with interest accruing on
purchase money. ... .. .. .62I,000 00
Building dykes. clearing
land, etc....... ..... 10,000 00
$46,000 00
A dispatch from Santo Domingo says
two of the assassins of IPresident H~en
.eau hae been capt.:rcd and shot.
TILLMAN AND EVANS.
Write Letter5 to the Penitentiary In
vestigating Committee.
Senator Tillman and Ex-Governor
Evans never did appear before the pen
itentiary investigating committee.
But each of them wrote a letter to the
committee.
Senator Tillman's letter was as fol
lows:
Trenton, S. C., Aug. 1.
Dear Sir: Your letter of June 24 en
closing copy of the account on the com
missary book at the penitentiary re
eceived. I have no recollection of any
of these matters, and a-i morally cei
tain that i paid everything I owed the
penitentiary when I left Columbia at
the expiration of my term as governor.
Besides, I left all the corn and hay I
had on hand at the executive mansion
with the understanding that Governor
Evans would take it and pay for it. but
he told me that Col. Neal used it. The
mansion was unoccupied for several
weeks after I left, undergoing some re
fitting and overhaulding, and Neal pre
bably do not feel that I owe the State
anything on that score.
The brick I am willing to pay for at
the price I could have bought them in
Augusta at the time, *I at the kiln, or
s; delivered at Trenton. I paid the
ireiaht on the carload of brick which
Col. Neal shipped me.
lespectfully.
B. R1. Tillman.
Ex-Governor Evans writes as fol
lows:
Waterbury, Conn., July 30, 1899.
Hon. W. F. St-venson, Cheraw, S. C.
My Dear Sir: Your letter in reference
to the penitentiary investigation was
handed me by my brother while in
Edgetield, and the reason I had not an
swered before is that I fully intended
to be with you at the next session of
your committee. Circumstances over
which I have no control will prevent
my being with you as anticipated.
So far as the statement that "I wo-k
ed convicts upon my farm"* is concern
ed, I am satisfied that you have had
ample proof of its absurdity. I had no
farm upon my eccupancy of the gover
nor's mansion. I was informed by the
superintendent of the penitentiary that
my predecessor had rented a small plat
of ground, about five acres, in or near
the city limits, and that he (the super
intendent) had sown for the governor
and made rough forage for his horse and
that he would make the same terms
with me if I desired. I did so, and
paid the owner, Mr. Geo. H. Newman,
$30 rent and have his receipt. So far
as the harvest was concerned, it was
pretty exptm3ive, as my share was not
tuficient to reimburse me for the rent.
The property being city lots, however,
I suppose we got out as light as most
"Belgian block farmers."
As t.) the account I owe the manage
ment of the penitentiary, I will state
for the information of your committee
that the articles I purchased were at
market prices, such as any ordinary
citizen could buy, and it was no especi
al favor to me.
The account will be paid when a cor
rect bill is rendered, and not before. It
is no fault of mine that it has not been
settled before. I am sorry that I can -
not be with you, as I would gladly ren
der you any assistance in my power. I
would respectfully call your attention
to my message to the general assembly
and their references to the management
of the penitentiary.
With assarance of miy high esteem
for you and your committee, I am
Respectfully yours,
John Gary Evans.
GOOD IF NEGROES GO.
Pope Brown, of Georgia, Says Races
Have Come to Parting of Ways.
At the meeting of the Geogia State
Agricultural society at Quitman, Ga.,
Wednsday, the race problem came
prominently to the front as a topic of
discussion. Hon. Pope Brown. presi
dent of the society, an extensive and
prosperous planter of the State, assert
ed that the white man and the negro
arc at the parting of the ways and said
the former should assist the latter in
his efforts to leave this country. That
portion of his annual address on the
negro question was loudly applauded.
In this connect.>n he was also bold and
unequivocal in declaring that the south
should stop toadying to the north.
-Mr. Brown said in part: "It is be
lieved the white people of the south
and the negroes of the south can get
along if let alone. The south haters
of the north are at the bottom of all
the trouble and we need not flatter
ourselves that those south haters are
few and far between. There are plenty
of them. In my opionion the majority
of them have no use for us except when
they think they arc making something
out of us. Mr. Thurber of New York
rendered us a great service a few days
ago by telling us exactly what he and
his people think of us. I think it is
time we were letting them alone. Quit
running after them. Then quit toady
ins to them. The small politican also
auses friction between the races. By
submitting every quesiion, county,
municipal and State, to a white prima
ry this trouble could be averted and
better gevrnment would be secured in
all cases,
"The leaders of the r egro race arc
preaching discontent and whether the
scheme of colonization is practical or
not 1 am not prep~ared to say, but I do
believe that it is to the interest of the
peole of the south to aid and abet the
negro in his efforts to leave us. A few
days ago when certain prominent citi
zens were called on by the press to say
how we should protect our families
against certain crimes there was a re
sponse that seemed to meet the appro
val of the press. It was this. 'make a
miniature arsenal of every country
home.' I say if it has come to that it
is time for the parting of the ways.
Shall we part in peace or strife? I
would say peace and let us stand not
upon ti~e cost" Among the other
we'akers was Ion. Iloke Smith of At
lanta who discussed "practical educa
tin.."
"Touched" the Ex-Slaves.
An order forbidding the delivery of
all mail matter was Frid.sy issued
against Isaac L. Walton, the ex-slave
petitioners assembly and the ex-slave
assembly, Madison, Ark., on the charge
of operating through the mails a scheme
devised for obtaining money under false
and fraudulent pretenses. The depart
ment states that "~Walton is an~ ex-slave
who is at the head of an alleged imag
inary organization having for its pass
a law granting es-slaves pensions. The
first remittance required of the memi
bers of this organization was 25 cents.
and it appears that 12,381 Negroes,
from the southern States principally,
hae remitted that amountr AlthoughI
this money was to start a fund for t he
object above noted, not one cent can
now be accounted for by the managers
A UGUST K0B9, JOURNALIST,
What His Old Teacher, imself a
Newspaper Man, Thinks of Him.
To the Editor of The News and Cour
ier: I desire to express concurrence in
the sentiments of "X" as to August
Kohn's ability, which. as a "former"
newspaper man myself, I can heartily
appi;einte. Back in the seventies it
was easy enough to sit on the "editorial
tripod" and grind out opinions, for
opinions were cheap. and during
(rant's second Administration espec
ially exceedingly abundant. But to get
the news: that was the rub. The local
column was the journalistic bugbear. We
old boys all remember with envy the lo
cals of the Abbeville Medium about three
coliumns of which were woven weekly
by the lemphill aggregation. Th' ma
terial was often exceedingly tenuous.
but the web was most artistically fabri
cated. In those days most reporters
suffered from too great modesty; (I do
not charge this sin to the collaborateurs
of the Medium.) Nowadays most of
them care too little. The question is
no longer what shall go into the paper,
but what shall be kept out of it. He
that is able to make this discrimination
is worthy of all praise and becomes a
model for imitation.
So far as my experience goes, August
Kohn comes ns near treading the
straight path as anyone in contemporary
ournalism; and it is but a just tribute
that "X" has asked for an exposition
of his methods. No doubt Mr. Kohn's
paper was quite instructive, and it
ought to be published. But there are
some things that are at the bottom of
successful news gathering, in its best
sense, which Mr. Kohn's modesty will
not permit him to mention, because
they are among his personal qualities.
These qualities are decency, honesty
and truth, without which brilliancy, in
ustry and perseverance are of no ac
-ount, and may even becmes instru
ments of evil. The tendency of report
3rs today is to spring "sensations" upon
the public without any thought of truth
and decency. Street gossip, vague in
sinuations, social scandals ard revolting
rimes are published ad nauseum, until
it becomes a serious question with heads
of families what newspapers shall be suf
fered to enter their doors. When it is
realizd tiat much of this revolting stuff
is pure falsehood, one's indignation al
most exceeds bounds. Mr. Kohn does
n-it serve this kind of literature. Un
pleasant facts must be given sometimes,
but nakedness is veiled as much as pos
sible.
Again, in order to discuss public
matters intelligently one must know
what is going on. A reckless news
gatherer that rushes into print with
everything he hears is shunned by men
who have political or business secrets.
He must, therefore, resort to guesswork
or be silent, and as his guesses prove as
often wrong as right, he loses the con
fidence and respect of the mass of read
ers, as well as of the leaders. No
man is in a more pitable state than a
journalist who is contemned. But the
man of truth and honor, who recogniz
es that his engagement with a newspap
er does not relieve him of his ethical
responsiility as a man, can be intrust
ed implicitly with public or private
secrets. Being en rapport with any
movement, he knows when to speak and
what to say. On his promise to pub
lish nothing until the time for publica
tion is ripe he is taken into confidence.
It is this confidence reposed in Mr.
Kohn and men like him that enables
"X and others to place confidence in
what they see in the Colnmbia column
of The News and Courier.
Another important I ualification pos
sessed by Mr. Kohn is hon hommie.
Not that he is not outspoken. He can
be exceedingly "candid" in his remarks
and criticismns. lHe does not tear off
shams with a tender hand, but he is
pleasant in disposition, exceedingly
obliging and public spirited, and al
ways ready to do a favor. These
qualities go a long way towards warm
ing the cockles of the heart of the per
son from whom Mr. Kohn desires to
extract information. Men have been
on friendly terms with him while .at
daggers' points with his paper. Not
thathe is not a stanch supporter of his
paper, but his personal quali'ies smooth
'.sperities.
Again, Mr. Koha has a natural
aptitude for collecting facts. In his
tory and eennomies in the South Caro
lina College August Kahn was known
to his classmates as the "statistical
fend." I have had many bright men
in my classes, but never one who so
loved to collect statistics on any sub
ject, whether water power in South
Carolina. railroad freight charges, ex
ports and imports, gold dollars in cir
culation. or what not. When he en
tered journalism he was specially well
equipped in these lines, and he has
done admirable work since.
I might go further, but I think what
las been said will suffice to bring cut
some of the oualities essential to a sue
cssful news gatherer. I do not mean
to say that there are not other newspa
per men possessing similar good quali
ties in~ a marked degree. Inded I
think that as a body our South Carolina
men of the' press arc worthy of all coax.
mendation, from our Prin ter-G overnor
down, but M1r. Kohn is one of the best
types. ie is a young man yet, and I
t~rust has many years of usefnlness be
fore him, but even now younger men
who are starting out in journalism will
do well to keep him in view in shaping
their lives and work.
RI. Means Davis.
Saluda, N. C., July 31, 1899.
Keep Up the Pace.
The Anderson Intelligencer remarks:
'If cotton mill companies continue to
be organized in South Carolina, as at
the rate during the past six months,
this State will not only soon distance
ll her sister States in cotton manufac
turin, but will soon competc with Mas
sachu'setts. Let the good work go on.
We have room for many more. Ander
son must have another big mill." We
showed six months ago that South Car
lina was second to Massachusetts in
!ooms and was only exceeded in spindles
by that State and Rhode Island. Th3
pending additions will give her second
place in spindles as well as looms. We
roughly estimate that they will increase
he present totals ;;3 per cent, at least.
Let every town work for a new mill.
We must keep up the pace.
One by One They Come.
Arrangements are being made for the
rennval of the Springvale cotton mills
>f Springvale, Me., to Fort Valley, Ga.
'he removal will be the second of the
kind from York county. Me. About
ae year ago the Portsmouth cotton
mill o South Berwick. a small corpora
tion went South. The Springvale con
cern has bee'n running only part of the
time during thc past year owing to a
lack of orders. High taxes and too
much competi'ion are among the chief
reasons given for the change in locatiou.
The plant has 10,500 spindles and 300
looms and mauufactures light twills
and ateens.
Makes the food more delicious and wholesome
ROYAL BAKING0 POWD62 GO., NIW Y0O.
THE CONVICT'S STORY.
Strange Connection of a White Cat With
a Burglar's Life.
"It's no secret tLat I've been in the
penitentiary," said the old man. "It
was a white cat tiat took me there,
and a white cat that saved me and
made me a better man.
"One winter, a good many years ago,
I was in Houston, sick and dead broke.
An old pal of mine meeting me on the
street took pity on me and soon helped
me out of my troubles. But not for
nothing. As soon as I recovered he
wanted me to join him IL some bur
glaries that he- had planned. At first
I refused indignantly, for I had some
rough notions of honesty; but a little
talking-he was a fine talker-and a
few drinks did the work and I agreed
to go in with him.
"Conscience makes cowards of us
all, and I guess that was why Ed
trembled like a leaf when he saw a
white cat flash past us as we stood
shivering in the garden of a house on
Harris street that night. It was an I
easy matter to break in, and we soon
had all there was worth taking. In a
little room at the end of the hall a
child was sleeping. The dim light of
a lamp showed the pretty cot, the fair
flushed face of a little girl, her golden
hair streaming over the snowy pillow,
and crouching by her side a white cat,
whose pink eyes glittered like stars.
We had to pass through this room, and
I could not for the life of me help bend
ing down and touching that beautiful
hair with my lips-it looked so like
the hair of my darling who died only
the year before. It was her death that
drove me to drink and trouble," and
the old man wiped away a tear.
"Well, I don't know exactly how it
happened, but the cat gave a terrific
squall, and I had only just time to
seize it and stuff it in my bag when a
bullet came whistling by my h'ead. I
got out of the house somehow, still
carrying my bag of plunder, and ran
down the road, out of town, finray -
ing refuge in an old barn. I was badly
wounded, and, to make a long story
short, they arrested me and took me to
jail. My partner was dead.
"They told me afterwards that in
my delirium I cried continually for the
white cat, and when they brought the
animal into my cell-for they found it
unhurt in my bag-I nursed it and was
quiet. It was a strange fancy of a sick
man, but it led me back to health. The
story was told at the house which we
had robbed, and the little girl and her
father came to see me. He was a
good man, and she was an angel-God
bless her for her innocent prattle and
sweet eyes of pity.
"The penitentiary was a rough
place in those days, and I believe I
would have died in a few months If
the child had not sent me a tiny white
kitten, which I was allowed to keep,
and it saved me from despair and
death. Every time I looked at it I
thought of the little angel that gave
It, and of that other little angel-my
dead child-and made a new resolve
to be a better man.
"Two frail atoms of life-a kitten
and a child-but they were strong
enough to raise me out of the very
depths of hell."
An Unfortunate Linguist.
John was an ambitious Chinaman.
He had made money in Chinatown,
San Francisco, but had devoted him
self to business so thorolighly that he
remained totally ignorant of English.
He came to New York determined to
avoid his fellow-Chinamen, so that he
might learn to speak English during
his six months' stay in the metropolis.
,He took a room In an East Side
house, paid promptly, made himself
agreeable to his landlord, who allowed
him to wait on customers in his little
grocery store, and he never went near
Fell or Mott street. After several
months' residence in New York and
many hours of study, the Chinaman
ventured forth among his people,
where he proceeded to give an exhibi
tion of his proficiency in the English
language. What he said sounded
strange to the other Chinamen, and the
ambitious one nearly swooned when he
discovered that he had learned G-er
man by mistake.
His New York home was In the Ger
man part of the city where English is
an unknown tongue, and the poor fel
low had to begin his linguistic work
over again.
Paper Floors In Germany.
Paper floors are enjoying a steadily
increasing popularity in Germany,
which Is readily explained by the
many advantages they possess over
wooden flooring. An important ad
vantage consists in the absence of
joints, whereby accumulations of dust,
vermin, and fungi, dangerous to
health, are done away with. The new
paper floors are bad conductors of
heat and sound, and in spite of their
hardness have a linoleum-like, soft
feel to the foot. The costs are con
siderably lower than those of floors
made of hard wvood. The paper mass
receives a small addition of cement
as binder, and is shipped In bags, in
powder form. The mass Is stirred into
a stiff paste, spread out on the floor,
pressed down by means of rollers, and
painted with oi.ksvood, nutwood, or
mahogany color, after drying.
Notable Centennials of the Year.
The following centennial celebra
tions will be held this year: The
40th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's
discovery of the way to India by way
of the Cape of Good Hope, at Lisbon,
In May; the burning of Savonarola, at
Florence, in May; the birth of Hol
bein, at Basle, in June; Montpelier will
celebrate the 100th birthday of Augus
te Comte; Ancona that of Leopard!,
and Paris that of Michelet, the histor
ian.
Killed by Lightning.
A dispatch from~ Ridge Spring to The
State says Wednesday t wo young sons
of Mr. ,John Black drove home from the
postoflice through the storm, and on
reachiing the re one went into the house
while the other, Ira, stopped to fasten
the miule. Ie was struck by lightning
and instantly killed. The mule was
killkd also. 'The young muan was about
18 years old and a worthy, upright son
of a good father.
A scientist say s that a wasp may be
picked up in the bare hand if it is done
gently. Of course it can; it's when the
wasp is laid down again that the trouble
begins.
UPPER REGIONS OF THE AIR.
Unexplored Space More Interesting Than
the North Pole.
Above there extends a vast unex
plored space far more interesting from
a scientific point of view than the Icy
regions around the north pole. No one
can reach the limit of the upper re
gions of the air and live, unless he car
ries with him air to breathe and fuel
to warm him, for at the paltry distance
of ten miles above the earth the air
is too thin to support respiration, and
the thermometer would register far
below zero. It would be a region of
perpetual snow on a peak of the earth
if it should rise to such a height. A
person in a balloon could not hear a
friend in a neighboring balloon, even
if they were near enough to shake
hands. There would be no medium
for the propagation of sound waves.
There would, however, still be a me
dium for the conduction of electricity
-a medium in fact of great conducti
bility-almost as good as a metal, and
It is this medium at even a less height
which Tesla proposes to use in his
methods of transmitting power hun
dreds of miles through the air without
wires.
We live under a blanket of air which
protects us from the extreme cold of
outer space. This low temperature be
comes evident fourteen or fifteen
thousand feet above the surface of the
earth, and would, as I have said, reach
a point far below zero at a height of
ten miles. At this height we should
no longer observe the twinkling of
the stars, for this scintillation is due
to the movements of our atmosphere,
which at the height I have mentioned
would be extremely rarified. If one -
could photograph the sun's spectrum
at this altitude we could greatly ex
tend our -knowledge of the shortest
wave lengths of light; for the atmos
phere completely absorbs such wave
lengths as are concerned in the X-ray
phenomena. That this absorption
really takes place can be proved in a
:aboratory.
The heat and light which we'receive
from the sun are greatly modified by
this blanketing layer of air. The Ieng
waves of the energy from the sun are
called heat waves. The intermediate
waves are termed light waves, and we
receive these in full measure. The very
short waves, however, are stopped by
our atmosphere and are transformed
into-what?
The Worth of a Match.
How much may depend on a seeming
trife is shown in the incident on the
lumber schooner, Johanna Swan,
which was abandoned in a gale off
Hatteras. The cabins were flooded
and the water supply had given ou).
In four days the sailors had not tasted
water. To drink the brine of the sea
was to induce tortures and endure a
more deadly thirst than ever. There
was a tank holding three gallons that
could be fashioned into a condenser
and the mate and a sailor so convert
ed it. A piece of the schooner's rail,
dry and full of resin, was chopped off
for fuel, and now all that was neces
sary was a match. A search revealed
just one match, that the captain had
stowed in a dry pocket. If that went
out, woe be to them. But after sput
tering for a moment, it blazed up, the
shavings caught, the fire was set, the
water boiled and the drip from the
steam was enough to provide a drink
for every man-pretty smoky water,
but as welcome as cocktails, under the
circumstances. A German bark heard
their bell and took off the crewr before
ts perils and sufferings became more
serious. A condensing apparatus of a
simple sort would not be a bad thing
to take on all craft, considering the
possibilities of Ill fortune that follow
the toilers of the sea.
Ears Beat Eyes.
Most people would no doubt be in
lined to fancy that the eye was the
gateway of quite the most delicate of
all our senses. But this is not so. The
sense of hearing has been proved to be
far the most delicate of all the senses.
And the sense of touch appears to be
perhaps the keenest of all. The tests
are very simple.
For testing sight a disc half black,
half white Is revolved quickly before
the eyes. When it reaches a speed of
twenty-four revolutions a second the
colors cease to appear .distinctly any
longer to the eye, and the result is
gray. For sound a revolving toothed
wheel makes a series of clicks, and
these to the average man appear dis
tinct sounds up to sixty a second. Al
ter that they cannot be distinguished
apart. The sense of touch is tried by
rapid blows of a tiny electric hammer
on the skin. Up to 1,000 a second
these blows have been felt separate
and distinct.
How a Gol Field Was Discovered.
A novel way of discovering a gold
feld was recounted by the agent gen
ral for western Australia. In 188S
the Mallina gold field was discovered
by a lad in this wise: The boy, in
picking up a stone to throw at a crow,
bserved a speck of gold in It, and re
ported it to the nearest resident magis
:rate. The magistrate was so excited
at the news that he telegraphed to the
hen governor, and stated that a lad
picked up a stone to throw at a crow,
in his excitement omitting to say "and
aw gold in it." So the governor wired
back these words, "What happened to
he crow?"
Odorless Flowers.
Most people will be surprised to learn
:hat the majority of flowers have no
erfume whatever. An Austrian chem
st, who has been making researches
nto the subject, declared that out of
6110 varieties known and cultivated
n Europe, scarcely 400 have any odor:
~nd of these nearly fifty have an odor
which s, if anything, disagreeable.
In Boston it is regarded as altno- ak
rime to lie dowa ou the sacred g' a
if the Commou and twenty-one unfo"r
unates who slept there on a recnt h..t
iight were wakened early in the ' -r"
ng by a squad of vigilant rolli""'
.nd marched ogf to:a uiagistrate. E'tchi
if the vietim zn s fiued $3-the price
>fa inight's lodgin~g in a first class
'fill: Washington. corre~l)p adent of
The News and Courier r. ports that
onmau~ster General S-uith is incliied
o0 re establish lhe Lake City post
ifle and to remove it from polities by
he appointment of a woman postmas
. nhi ie a-good solution of the