University of South Carolina Libraries
IA LM AGE OK The Noted Divine Gives Practical Hints on WHAT TO REA. The Greatest B essirg of a Nation Is an Elevated Literature; Its Greatest Curse, an im pure Literature. Dr. Taloage, who has been spending a few days in St. Petersburg, sends the following report of a discourse which will be helpful to those mho have an appetite for literature and would like some rules to enide them in tre sele tion of books and newspape.-. test. Acts xix, 19. "lany of them a3o which used curious ar:s trought tiir books together and burned them be fore all men, and they co.unted the price of them and fLund it 5,400,, pieces of silver." Paul had been stirring up Ephesus with some lively sermons about the sins of that place. Among the more important results was the fact that the citizens brought out their bad books and in a public place made a bonfire of them. I see the peorle comling out with their arms full of Ephesian ittra ture and tosning it into the tinues. I hear an economist who is sta nu by saying: ".Stop this waste. ilere :r, $7,500 wortb of books. Do you pro pose to burn them all up? If you don t want to read them yourselves, sell them and let someboiy else read them." "No," said the people; "if these books are not good for us, they are not good for anybody else, and we shall stand and watch until the last leaf has burned to ashes. They have done us a world of harm, and they shall never do others harm." Hear the flames crackle and roar! Well, my friends, one of the wants of the cities is a great bonfire of bad books and newspapers. We have fuel enough to make a blaze 200 feet high. Many of the publishing. houses would do well to throw into the blaze their entire stock of goods. Bring forth the insufferable trash and put it into the fire and let it be known in the presence of God and angels and men that you are going to rid your homes of the over topping and underlying curse of profli gate literature. The printing press is the mightiest agency on earth for good and for evil. The minister of the gospel, standing in a pulpit, has a responsible position, but I do not think it is as responsible as the position of an editor or a publisher. At what distant point of time, at what farout cycle of eternity, will cease the influence of a Henry J. Raymond, or a Horace Greeley, or a James Gordon Bennett, or a Watson Webb, or an Erastus Brooks, or a Thomas Kinsella? Take the overwhelming statistics of the circulation of the daily and weekly newspapers and then cipher if you can how far up and how far down and how far out reach the influences of the American printing press. What is to be the issue of all this? I believe the Lord intends the printing press to be the chief means for the world's rescue and evangelization, and 1 think that the great last battle of the world will not be fought with swords and guns, but with types and presses, a purified and gospel literature triumph ing over, trimpling down and crushing out forever that which is depraved. The only way to overcome unclean lit erature is by scattering abroad that which is healthful. May God speed the cylinders of an honest, intelligent, aggressive, ('hristian printing press. I have to tell you that the greatest blessing that ever ca-ne to the nations is that of an elevated literature, and the greatest scourge has been that .of unclean literature. This last has its victims in all occupations and depart ments. It has helped to fill insane asylums and renitentiaries and alms. houses and dens of shame. The bodies of tl's infection lie in the hospitals and in the graves, while their souls are bein.; tossed over into a lost eternity, an avalanche of horror and despair! The London plagne was nothing to it. That counted its vietiui3 by thousands, but this modern pest has already shoveled its millions into the eKrnel house of the morally dead. TM longest rail train that ever ran over ide i raeks wa-a not long enough or large enough t" carry the beastliness and the pu: refae tion which have been gathered u:' is bad books and newspapers in the laat 20 years. Now, it is amid such circumstances that I put a question of overmastering importance to you and your families. What books and newspapers shall we read? You see I group them together. A newspaper is only a book in' a s wifter and more portable shape, and the same rules which will apply to book reading will apply to newspaper reading. What shall we read? Small our minds be the receptacle of everything that an author has a mind to write? Shall there be no distinction between the tree of life and the tree of death? Shall we stoop down and drink out of the trough which the wickedness of men has filled with pollution and shame? Shall we mire in impurity and chase fantastic will-o' the-wisps across the swamps, when we might walk in the blooming gardens of God? Oh, no! For the sake of our present and everlasting welfare we must make an intelligent and Christian choice. Standing, as we do, chin deep in fic titious literature, the question that young people are asking is, "Shall we read novels?" I reply, There are novcels that -.re pure, good, Christian, elevating to the heart and ennobling to the life. But I have still further to say that I believe that 75 out of the 100 novels in this day are balefual and destructive to the last degree. A pure work of fiction is history and poetry combined. It is a history of things around us with the licenses and the as sumed names of poetry. The world can never pay the debt which it owes to such writers of fiction as Hawthorne and McKenzie and Landon and Hunt and Arthur and others whose names are familiar to all. The follies of high life were never better exposed than by Miss Edgeworth. The memories of the past 'were never more faithfully embalmed than in the writings of Walter Scott. Coopers's novels are healtfully redolent with the breath of the seaweed and the air of the A merican farest. Charles Kingsley has smnitten the morbidity of the world and led a great man yto ap preciate the poetry of sound health, strong muscles and fresh air. Thack eray did a grand wor k in carieaturing the pretenders to ge.ntiity and high blood. Dickens has built his own monument in his books, which are a plea for the poor and the anathema of injustice, and there aro a score of nove listie pens today doing mighty work for God and righteousness. Now T say boks like ,heso r.a- a rilt tims d a right proportion with other books, cannot help but be eunobling and purifying; bit, alas, for the loathsome and impure literature 1eat bas co:e in the shape of novels. like a freshet overflowing all the banks of decency and common sense' They are coming from some of the most cele brated publishing houses. They are cming with recommendation of some of our religious newspapers. They lie on your center table to curse your chil dren and blast with their infernal fires generations unborn. You find these books in the desk of the school miss, in the trunk of the young man, in the steamboat cabin, on the table of the hotel reception rcom. You see a light in your child-s room late at night. You suddenly go in and say, 'that are you doin~z? -I am rcadin. What are vo't reading'- book. You look at te b. . It is a bad book. "Where eu . ;t it- I borrowed it." Alas, acre :ro always those abroad who S-culd z ie to loan your son or daugh ter a bad book' Everywhere, every where, an unclean literature. I charge up n it the destruction of 10,000 im mortal souls, and I bid you wake up to the magnitude of the evil. I shall take all the world's literature -good novels and bad, travels true and false, histories faithful and incorrect, legends beautiful and monstrous, all tracts, all chronicles. all poems, all fam ily, city, state and national libraries - and pile them up in a pyranid of litera ture, at: then I Lal bring to bear u on it grard, clurious, infallible, ur'mistakabie Christian principles. God he a 2:e to speak with reference to my : ace oun: and help you to listen. I charge you in the first place to stand aloof fr ni all hooks that give false pic tures of life. Life is ne ither a tragedy nor a farce. Men are not all either knaves or heroes. Women are neither angels nor furies. And yet if you de potided upon much of the literature of the day you would get idea that life in stead of being something earnest, some thing practical, is a fitful and fantastic and extravagant thing. How poorly pre pared are that young man and woman for the duties of today who spent last night wading through brilliant pas sages descriptive of magnificent knavery and wickedness: The man will be look ing all day long for his heroine in the office, by the forge in the factory, in the counting room, and he will not find her, and he will be dissatisfied. A man who gives himself up to the indis criminate reading of novels will be nerveless, inane and a nuisance. He will be ft neither for the store, nor the shop, nor the field. A woman who gives herself up to the indiscriminate reading of novels will be unfitted for the duties of wife, mother, sister, daughter. There she is, hair dishevel ed, countenance vacant, cheeks pale, hands trembling, bursting into tears at midnight over the fate of some unfor tunate lover, in the daytime, when she ought to be busy, staring by the half hour at nothing, biting her finger nails into the quick. The carpet that was plain before will be plainer after hav ing wandered through a romance all night long in tess/lated halls of castles. And your i. lustrious com panions will be more unattractive than ever, now that you have walked in .the romance through parks with plumed prirncesses or longed in the arbor with the polished desperado. Oh. these confrmed novel readers! They are un - ftted for this life, which is a tremen dous discipline. They know Dot how to go through the furnaces of trial through which they must pass, and they are unfitted for a world where everything we gain we achieve by hard and long continuing work. Again, abstain from all those books which, while they have .some good things, have also an admixture of evil. You have read books that had two elements in them-the good and the bad. Which stuck to you? The bad! The heart of most people is like a sieve, which lets the small particles of gold fail through, but keeps the grat einders. Once in awhile there is a mind like a loadstone which, plunged amid steel and brags fillings, gathers up the steel and repels the brass. But it is generally exactly the opposite. If you attempt to plunge through a hedge of bars to get one blackberry, you will get more burs instead. You cannot af ford to read a bad book, hv'wever good you are. You say, "'The 4fluence is insignificant." I tell you that the scratch of a pin has sometimes produced lockja*. Alas. if through curiosity, as mi-v do, you pry into an evil book, 3-.utr curiosit.) is as dangerous as that o the man who would take a torch into a gunpowder mill merely to see whether it would really blow up or not. In a menagerie in Yew York a man put his arm through the bars of a black leopard's cage. The animal's hide lookcd so sleek and bright and beautiful. lie jaat stroked it once. The monster seized him, and he drew forth a hand torn and manghd and bleeding. Oh, touch not evil, even with the faintest stroke: Though it may be glossy and beautif&, touch it not, lest you pull forth your soul torn and bleeding under the clutch of the leop ard. "But," you say, "how can I find out whether a book is good or bad with out reading it?' Thecre is always some ti'ig suspicious about a bad book. I never kncw an exception-something suspicious in the index or style of illus tration. This venomous reptile always carries a warning rattle. Again, I charge you to stand off from all those books which corrupt the imagi nation and inflame the passions. I do not refer now to that kind of book which the villain has under his coat waiting for the school to get out, and then, looking both ways to see that there is no policeman around the block, offers the book to your son on his way home. I do not speak of that kind of literature, but that which evades the 'law and comes out in polished style, and with acute plot sounds the toesin that rouses up all the baser passions of the soul. Today, under the nostrils of the people, there is a fetid, reeking, unwashed literature, enough to poison all the fountains of public virtue and smite your sons and daughters as with the wing of a destroying angel, and it is time that the ministers of the gospel blew the trumpet and rallied the forces of righteousness, all armed to this great battle against a depraved literature. Aain, abstain from those books which are apologetic of crime. It is a sad thing that some of the best and most beautiful bookbindery and some of the finest rhetoric have been brought to make sin attractive. Vioe is a hor rible thing anyhow, It is born in shame, and it dies howling in the daik ness. In this world it is scourged with a whip of scorpions, but afterward the thunders of God's wrath pursue it across a boundless desert, beating it with ruin and woe. When you come to paint carnality, do not paint it as looking from behind embroidered curtains or through lattice of royal seraglio, but as writhing in the agonies of a city hos pital. Cursed be the books that tr; to make impurity decent and crime attrac tive and by poentsy noble! Cursed- be the books that swarm with libertines of the young peopic whir with ni -i Ye authors who write them. ye publish ers who print them, ye bookselle5 who distribute them. shall be Cat to pieces, if not by an aroused coui:uni ty, then at last by the hail of divine vengeance, which shall s.eep to the lowest pit of perdition all ye murder ers of souls. I tell you, though you may escape in this world, you will be ground at last under the hoof of eternal calamities. and you will be chained to the rock, and you will have the vul tures of despair clawing at your soul, and those whom you have destroyed will come around to torment you, and to pour hotter coals of fury upon Sour head, and rejoice eternally in the out cry of your pain. and the howl of your damnation. * God shall wound the hairy scalp of him that goeth on in his trerpasses. The clock strikes ni t. A fair form bends ovtr a ro'miance. The eyes flash fire. The breath is quick and ir regular Occisioniily tic color dashes to the cheek and theo dies out. The hands tremble as though a guardian spirit were trying to shake the deadly book out of the grasp. Hot tears fall. She laughs with a shrUl voice that drops dead at its own sound. The sweat on her brow is the spray dashed up from the river of death. The clock strikt s 4, and the rosy dawn soon after begins to look through the lattire upon the pale form that looks like a detained specter of the night. Soon in a mad house she will mu'take her ringlets for curling serpents and thrust her white hand through the bars of the prison and smite her head, rubbing it back as though to push the scalp from the skull, shrieking; 'My brain' My brain!" Oh, stand off from thatr Why will you go sounding your way amid the reefs when there is such a vast ocean in which you may voyage, all sail set? Cherish g ol toks and newsaper3 Beware of bad ones. The assassin of Lord Russell declared that he was led to into crime by reading one vivid ro mance. The consecrated John Angell James, than whon England never pro duced a better man, declared in his old age that he had never yet got over the evil effects of having for 15 minutes once recd a bad book. BatI need not go so far off. I could tell you of a com rade who was great hearted, noble and generous. He was studying for an honorable profession, but he had an in fidel book in his trunk, and he said to me one day, "De Witt, would you like to read it?" I said, "Yes, I would." I took the book and read it only for a few minutes. I was really startled with what I saw ti:cre, and I handed the book back to him asd said, "You had better destroy that book." No, he kept it. He. read it. He reread it. Uter awhile he gave up religion as a myth. He gave up God as a nonenti ty. He gave up the Bible as a fable. He gave up the church of Christ as a useless institution. He gave up good morals as being unnecessarily stringent. I have heard of him but twice in many years. The time before the last I heard of him he was a confirmed inebriate. The last I heard of him he was coming out of an insane asylum-in body, mind and soul an awful wreck. I believe that one infidel book killed him for two worlds. Go home today and look through your library, and then,having looked through your library, look on the stand where you keep your pictorials and newspa pers and apply the Christian principles I have laid down this hour. If there is anything in your home that cannot stand the test do not give it away. for it might spoil an immortal soul; do not sell it, for the money you get would be the price of blood; but ather kindle a fire on your kitchen hearth or in your back yard and then drop the poison in it, and the bonefire in your city shall be as consuming as that one in E phesus. The Sons of Veterans. The Sons of Confederate Veterans met in Greenwood on Wednesday at the court house, where a large crowd of ladies and vete-ans had gathered with the Sons. The commander of the local camp-Camp James M. Perrin-Mr. David Aiken, callefi the assembly to or der, and after prayer by Rev. R. G. MLees Mr. Aiken ietroduced Mr. F. 3. Grier of Camp Periin, who extended a welcome on behalf of his camp. Mr. Grier's speech was eloquent and pat. riotie, and he was req nently interrupted by applause. He lauded the Confed erate soldier and his deeds and aroused the emotions of his hearers to a pitch. At the conclusion of Mr. Grier's speech Mr. Aiken introduced Mr. Francis H. Weston, division commander of the Sons of Veterans for South Carolina, who respornded very gracefully to the words of welcome and went on to make an' earnest, solid, argument for the truthful perpetuation of history. At the conclusion of Mr. Weston's speech Gen. M. L B~on ham was called for and responded in one of his happy little talks, full of fervent patriotism. There were then calls for Mr. Geo. E. Prince, who responded very neatly, touching upon the matter of partisan histories., which is the question mont promitnently before both the veterans and the S - The business meeting of the su vt veterans was called to order at 1' o'clock Thursday morning by the divi sion commander, F. H. Weston, who made an eloquent appeal for greater in terest in the order and its important work. The roll was then called and the camps responded by the presentation of the credentials, There were many camps who had delegates in town but there are so many sponsors here that' the Sons could not make up their minds to devote themselves to business. The question which is agitating both the organizations is that of fair text books and the delegates discussed this1 very fully, the discussion being opened 1 by Mr. Weston.1 The adjutant read a letter from Col. W. F. Jones, chairman of the historical committee of the U. S C. V. 1 On motion of Gen. Bonham the South Carolina division pledged itself to raise its naota of any amount that might be necessary for the employment of a competent man to prosecute this work of securing fair histories. This question was further discussed ] by Comrades Bonham and Prince and a resolution was also adopted com mending the work of Col. Jones. A committee was appointed to make arrangements for a presentation of the sponsors and they teported 4 o'clock as the hour set. The election of division comade was next entered into and by a'-ciaia tion Mr. W. 11. Hluntt of' G reeuwoOu was elected. Mr. Weston i&cliue:. to serve another term Resolutions of thanks to Greenwood to Camp Perrin, to Mr. Weston and to his adjutant were then adopted and the convention adjourned. No Pebble at All. The Cedartown, Ga , Advance says: "Man that is born of woman is of f ew I days and full of trouble. Hie goeth out' in the morning in all his glory and strength, thinking that he is the only pebble on the beach. Straightway hei falleth into polities ar d in the morning] finds out that he wasn't any pebble on [lIE OLD VETERANS' lathered by Thousands in Hos pitable Greenwood N SIXTH ANNUAL REUNION. rhere Are Large Numbers OF Vis itors in Attendance, and the Little City is Crowded. G reen wood was gay and festive last veek. There were veterans there by :he hundred and sponsors by the score with just enough sons to make inter stiog for the sponsors. Tuesday fternoon the trains poured people into :hi busy little town and Wednesday the :hrong has been :oming in a steady stream. Greenwood is something of a -ailroad centre and Every train has lumped its load into the already filled ;own. Gray cots, gray hats. Bray beards ell of their owners' sacrifices for the ,ountry they loved and the veterans do ittle but talk with each other of the atter and the marches with Lee and Johnson and Jackson and Hampton. 'he veterans' convention, as usual, is 3 side issue. These old soldiers have enough of business every day and on such occasions as this they prefer to eal in reminiscences, renewing old ac Iuaintances and grasping the hands of Lbe comrades with whom they kept step and with whom they messed and slept 9 years ago. The sponsors-who say ought but mention that they are here? Victors by right, they are victors in fact. The men of the south may once have been conqured but the women are always conquerors and so it is in Greenwood. The sponsors have not been enumer ated but there are lots of them here. The lovely little Hotel Oregon is de devoted almost entirely to their use and everybody else in town is at their service. The division sponsor for the veterans is Miss Louise McFadden of Chester, and for the Sons of Veterans the division sponsor is Miss Mary Orr, of Anderson. Then there are sponsors for the brigades and for the camps and maids of honor galore. The veterans' convention was opened " nesday morning in the court house, Snator C. A. Waller presented the Rev. J. S. Jordan of Phoenix, who ;,ened the meeting with a most ap -ropriate appeal to the God of Battles. then came a very interesting address of welcome on behalt of the town of Greenwood by Mayor DuPre, who paid high tribate to the soldiers of the Con federcy and extended the survivors a warm welcome on behalf of this thriv ing little city. Mr. David Aiken, com ander of Camp James M. Perrin, Sons of Veterans, welcomed the visitors in the name of his organization and Sen ator Waller in behalf of Camp D. Wyatt Aiken, U. C. V. Gen. C. Irvine Walker, the state commander, then responded for the veterans in one of the happiest speeches he has ever made on any occasion. After these preliminary exercises there was read the annual memorial tribute to the com-ades who have died since the lest reunion and to the women of the Confederacy. A telegram was read from Wade Hampton, expressing his regret at be ing unable to come. The mention of the name of Hampton set the old sol diers wild and they cheered to the echo. On motion, it was ordered that a response be sent to Gen. Hampton telling him that he still occupies the first place in the hearts of his com rades. A letter was read from Capt. George Lake, now living in Louisville, ex pressing his regrets and a suitable re sponse was ordered sent to Capt. Lake who is a prime favorite with his com rades. Next came the roll call of camps, a duty performed by Col. Jas. G. Holmes, division adjutant, in his usual graceful style. Dr. B. H. Teague presented the re port of the committee on the Confeder 3te abbey, which showed that the offerr a Charles Broadway Rouss has been met and the $100,000 for the ab bey is now available. - On motion of Col. Iredell Jones, a :ommittee of three was ordered ap pointed to memorialize the legislature for the creation of the office of commis sioner of pensions. A committee of the same number as appointed to report on the subject f text books, and just at this point lon. 0. L. Schumpert of Newberry Dade a ringing speech in support of the lea for fair histories. After this the convention adjourned Lnd the veterans wandered off in search >f something to eat. The hotels here ie small, and most of the visitors are jartered at private homes. The houses ad stores are decorated with sags and eu'ntir , but north'ern extremists could Jo:. ak exaception to the decorations, 'or the S -" Sn'angled Banner and the ed, white~ au. Mlue are a great deal nore in evidence than the Stars and Bars and the red, white and red. The tag of the'Third South Carolina egiment, tattered and torn, is here in he custody of Camp Garlington of aurens, Commander T. B. Crews. 3ol. Todd was its last bearer. It was iever captured. The flag of the Palmetto Sharpshoot rs, representing the upper counties of south Carolina. This flag was carried hrough the Seven Days' fight, the attle of Frazier's farm, the second attle of Manassas, at Antictam, and vas shot through at Boonesburg. It vas surrendered at Appomattox and >rought home. It is estimated that there ,vere at east 8,000 or 10,000 visitors in town Wednesay, nesides many from the urrounding eountry. Over 1,000 vet rans are registered, and it is therefore ikely that there are more than 1,200 ere. There are the same number of os, though not all are connected with he organization. The number of ponsors is estimated at from 300t tol 00, the flower of South C..rolina! omanhood. Ts'.o .M-i i ' were presented to the u1.v:ALae, one of them being that of he Seventh regiment, which went from is section and the colonel of which ras D. Wyatt Aiken, the lieutenant olonel being Eibcrt Bland. Messrs. W. . Durst and C. A. C. Waller of Green vood gave the history of these flags rith some very interesting remarks, ,d then Col. Coward called for the ebel yell and it was given with a will. Dr. Teague presented the report of he committee to memorialize the leg. slature on the subject of pensions. The commissioners of pensions selected y the convention in accordance with he recent act of the legislature are as ollows: W. H. Hardin of Chester. WV. ). Starling of Columbia, and W. E. ames of Palmetto, Darlington county. Coward made the report reuesting the State board of education to adopt only southern books by southern authors and southern publishing houses. This was adopted without discussion and without dissent. The election of officers was next in order and Gen. Carwile nominated Gen. C. Irvine Walker for re-election as major general of the South Carolina division. Gen. Walker thanked the veterans for the honor in a most happy little speech. The two brigade commanders were also elected by acclamation, Col. As bury Coward of Charleston of the First brigade and Gen. T. W. Carwile of the Second brigade. There are various estimates of the number in attendance, but Col. Holmes states that out of the 120 camps in this State fully, two-thirds, or about SO, were represented at this reunion Tais is much better than was expected, and speaks well for the organization, which seems to take on new life as its mem bers grow old, The homes of these good people have been open to the visitors and the great majority have been entertained free of cast and have had the most abundant hospitality shown them. I cannot now give the committees who are responsible for all that has been done in that and other lines to make the occasion pleasant but I would like to name each one and to denominate each one as a most royal host. The veterans' convention having ad journed shortly after noon, many visit ors left on the afternoon trains but there are plenty yet in town to make things lively. Now the most interesting part of the story is to come-so far as Columbia is concerned. The reunion next year is to be held in the most progressive city in the south-the capital of the Seces sion State-Columbia. The vote to go to Columbia was practically unanimous, there being a few voices raised for Sum ter and a few for Spartanburg. The survivors of the Ha-mpton L: gion met today and decided to hold a reunion annually in Columbia on Wednesday and Thursday of fair week. The first reunion is to be held this fall. P. A. Emanuel of Aiken is chairman of the committee to make arrangements for the occasion. Jas. A. Hoyt, Jr. CONDITION OF CROPS. Resume of the Summaries for the Several States It is an open question whether the recent generally favorable weather has caused cotton to recover in condition what it lost during June. In spots it undoubtedly has done so, while on wet bottom lands in the States of Louisiana and Mississippi it has continued to de teriorate, and in these States the crop will be smaller than usual. Texas and Arkansas, and portions of the Atlantic States have average crops, but gener ally the crop averages low. Shedding is reported from all sections, but not more than usual to the season. Cotton is in some States opening prematurely, but generally the crop is later than usual. in North Carolina cotton has revived wonderfully, and although the plants are still late and small for the season, the general abundance of blooms and free setting of fruit would indicate a good yield. Shedding and rust are re ported in several counties, but not more than is usual at this period. Here and there fields of cotton on light and sandy soil were too much injured by the drought to recover fully. In South Carolina over a large por tion of the State, with numerous ex eptions, however, in the eastern coun ties, cotton improved materially and now looks promising, but comparative ly few sections report the crop heavily fruited. Most of the reports indicate that the plants are undersized and late, but fruiting normally, and some that they are not fruiting as they shou'l at this season. There are a few complaints of rust and premature opening, more of shedding, and some of grassy fields, al though cotton is generally laid by clean. In the western counties culti vation continues. In places cotton is blooming to the top. Sea island is still suffering from drought and blight. in Georgia cotton shows steady im provement, but there is some complaint of rust and shedding in a few coun ties; it is small but is fruiting pretty well. In Florida reports continue unfavor able to cotton. On some old lands the plant has stopped growing; the bottom crop is not promising and the frequent rains are not conducive to a favorable change. A report from Madison coun ty, however, states that the crop ap pears to have improved some during the week. Picking has commenced on uplands; the lint is light. In Alabama cotton, as a whole, has continued to improve slowly, and is now fruiting more freely, though there are very few full grown bolls, and none are open; this staple is consider ably below the average for the season; very little shedding reported. in Mississippi cotton has made some advancement, but is stalky, small and fruiting poorly. It is shedding quite freely in most sections because of ex cessive moisture. In Louisiana cotton did not fare well during the week; there was altogether too much moisture, barring a fe w places in some of the northern parishes, where the crop is reported as having made fairly good progress, complaints that the plant is shedding, running to stalk, and fruiting slowly, are becom ing more numerous; cotton on high and weil criined lacnds may yet be saved by a timely change to dry ann warmer weather, but on low lands crop pros: pects are poor indeed. Boll worms and caterpillars are making their ap pearance in a few localities, and the crop continues, as a rule, badly in grass owing to the rains, which render clean ing and laying by very difficult, if not impossible. in Tennessce cotton generally is small but growing well, some shedding of fo:ms is reported in the western di vision. In T x e aton continues to shed in sou iuoaliues. The showery weather has caused the plant to take on a very rapid govth, .aid consequently it isi not fruiting well in many sections. Some localities report that cotton is< doing exceptionally well and fruiting nicely. The crop is generally in good condition, except some fields are grassy. However, much of the cropi has been worked out for the last time. I The boll worm and the Mexican weevil are reported from many places, some such reports coming from the extreme northern portion of the State, some lamage being done. The crop is spotted and late. Some full grown bolls over the southern portion of the State, but pening will not be general for some 1 time yet. The crop ranges from poor i to very good.d In Arkansas cotton on the higher round is doing very well, and in most ases promises a good yield, while inI he lowlands it is very grassy and manyr BY A BIG MAJORITY. The Tar Heel Democrats Wins a Great Victory. 3LD NORTH STATE IN LINE. Both Branches of Legislature Secure. The Amendment Goes a Whooping. The Election Quiet. A dispatch from Charlotte says the ;lections in North Carolina Thursday were for governor and State officers, nembers of the legislature and county >fficers and for an amendment to the state constitution looking to a practi :al elimination of the Negro from poli ;ics, as its adoption would disfranchise :he bulk of the Negro vote. By far :he greatest interest centered in the fight was over the amendment. At Thurs lay's election a great many Negroes voted for it. The faculty of Livingstone college at Salisbury, one of the most prominent Negro educational institutions in the south, voted for it. The amendment was opposed by the fusion forces of Populists and Republicans, headed by Senators Butler and Pritchard. and the ampaign was the most bitter waged in the State since reconstruction days. There was a full poll of the Democratic strength, which, combined with a small Nogro vote and some Populist and Re publican votes, rolled up an unpre cedented majority. Returns indicate that the amendment was carried by over 40,000 majority. Spencer B. Adams, fusion nominee for governor, was defeated by Chas. B. Aycock, Demorcatie nominee, by fully 40,000 majority. All other State officers were elected by equal majori ties. The legislature is Democratic in both branches, Mecklenburg county, of which Charlotte is the county seat, gives 3,500 majority for the county ticket. The election throughout the State was generally quiet and peacea ble, the Negroes, as a general thing, re maining away from the polls. A dispatch from Raleigh says the election passed off quietly. A heavy white vote was polied, but the Negroes took little interest in the result, and generally remained away from the polls. In many instances they voted the Democratic ticket. Every eastern county was carried by the Democrats, the majorities in some of them being 3,000. Most of the central counties also are Democratic. Returns from the west are incomplete. the indications, however, are that the State is Demo cratic by 50,000 majority, the legisla ture three fouths Democratic and the franchise amendment adopted. At 11 o'clock Thursday night Democratic Chairman Simmons said: "I think we have a safe majority of 50,000 and at least four-fifths of the legislature. The returns so far are most satisfactory, and no surprises. ALMOST A CLEAN SWEEPS. The Demccrats rejoiced quietly all over North Carolina Friday. The re turns show that Democratic majorities aggregate 54,6 .8 and fusion majorities 5,125, maving the net Democratic ma jority 59,553 There will be contests in several counties, there being gross ir regularities in Randolph and Harnett and smaller ones in Wilkes and Chat ham. In the latter county, at Con gressman Atwater's precinct, the fu sion stronghold, the fnsionist, finding they were being out-voted assaulted the election officers, smashed the ballot boxes and burned the ballots. This is the only outrage which occurred in the State, so far as known. The returns show that to the senate there are elected 38 Democrats and 9 fusionists, with three seats doubotful, and to the house 95 Democrats and 13 fusion'sts, while twelve seats are in doubt. To Develop Savannah River. The declaration was filed in the cffice of the secretary of state Wednesday af ternoon and a commission was issued to the T win City Power company. This means much for the development of the water power along the Savannah river and of its several tributaries in Edge field and Abbeville counties which has heretofore been going to waste. One million dollars is to be the capital of the company, and northern capitalists are the promoters. One of them is Mr. W. H. Chew, who organized the Co lumbia Water Power company, which bought the Columbia canal. The cor porators are "Samuel Saylor. residing at 245 west 320th street, New york ity in the State of New York; W. H. Chew, residing at 1855 7th avenue, New York city, in the State of Ne York, and D. M. Mackaye, 18 Neptune Place. New Rochelle, in the State of New York." The principal place of business is to be located on the Savan nah river near Parksvil'e, E iggefield ounty. _________ The Whole Truth. In a letter to the Philadelphia Press Brookei T. Washington speaks very encouragingly of the treatment of colored people by their white neighbors in the South. He says, among much lse that is of interest: "In any case I have not seen a single colored man who had secured intellectual and moral prosperities, and had a high character, who did not have the respect and con Idence of the white people where he lived." "On the whole," says the Philadelphia Record, "it has been long >bserved that well- behalved colored nen are much better treated in the South than in the North.' He Has a Concience An ex-Alabama postmaster has be :ome conscience stricken and returned i sum of money that was paid to him yy the postoffice department for Sun iay work. He says be was guided to tee that Sunday work was wrong, and :herefore retaining the reward was wrong, too. We imtagine the suprise nd contempt with which Riathboce, Keely and and company, the Cuban >ostoffice thieves, wil! read this item of lews. Too Many Loafers. The Bainbridge, Ga., Democrat says: 'Farmers and turpentine operators are inding difficulty in getting adequate eip t-> carry on their work successful y-yet there are dozens and secre of dlers who do only suflicient labor to :eep soul and body together, and don't alf do that. Oh, for a judiciary that ould enforce the true spirit of the va rant law in Georgia, and in Bain ridre. Gainesville, Ga., Dec. 8, 1899 Pitts' Antiseptic invigorator has een used in my family and I am per eetly satisfied that it is all, and will o all, you claim for it. Yours truly, A. B. C. Dorsey. P. S.-I am using it now myself. t's doing me good.-Sold by The Mur ay Drug Co., Columbia, S. C., and all ABSOTELY PI Makes the food more deli ROYAL BAKING POW0E THE REVOLUTION STARTS. The Streets of Pekin Ran Red With Blood A special to the Record from Victoria, B. C., sass: "A letter received by a local China man by the steamer Glenogle datcd Chi san fu, the capital of Shantung on Ja ly 2, says Cho Ta, a reformer who es caped from Pekin on June 26, has given the writer the following infor mation from the capital to June 26: "There were over 100.000 Boxers and Manchu troops in the capital when I left, and numbers more were pouring in from all parts of the Chi li-shan, Lu si and Honan. Their main objeet seemed to be plunder and hatred of foreigners. The gates of Pekin were constantly opened day and night to rcr mit these reininforce mi nts to enter the city. Those in the city had attacked the foreign legations continuously for ten days, but were repulsed evL ry time, although they managed to set fire to a numberof houses adjoining the fcr eign quarters. One or two foreign heuies had already been destroyed when I left the city. No decent per son could get anywhere near the place for fear of being called a foreigner by the mob. "Not counting the 2,000 to 3,000 con verts who have been massacred by the Boxers inside PLkin, it was estimated when I left that over 4 000 peaceable citizens had also been slain in the melee. The streets ran with blood; it was aw ful. The Tartar and forbidden cities were filled to overflowing with Boxers and Man~hu troops, which caused a panic among the princes, dukes, nobles and members of the imperial clan and their banner men who were afraid that they also wtu'd be plundered as soon as the Boxers got beyond control and so by dipl macyothey managed to clean both cities of their dangerous friends, closed the gates and placed strong guards of banner men to prevent far ther ingress of outriders. "rhe Tartar city gates are now only opened a couple of hours a day to en able residents to purchase things from the other cities. "On the 19Lh of June Yang Lu, who had always advocated the suppression of the Boxers, having received dis patches from the viceroys and govern ors south of the Yellowriver urging the same step, thought to back up his pol icy by quoting the provincial dispatches at the grand council that morning. A great clamor arose among the other grand councillors held by Prince Tuan and Yang Hu, who denounced Yung Lu as a traitor ana literally overwhelmed him by their numbers. Finally in spite of the endeavors of the empress do w ager to restore order Prince Tuan and Yang Hiu cried out that they would take all the responsibility of the war against foreigners and rushed out of the grand council chamber, all decorum and etiquette being thrown to the winds. 'The empress dowager left the council chamber in despair and has not been heard of since, nor has the era peror. They are said to be under the restraint of Prin~e Tuan's men in the palace. When this was known to eunuchs and palace officials they raised the cry: "Up with the Ta Taing dy nasty and down with the foreigners!" which was taken up by the populace in the Tartar city. An hour after ward be gan the reign of Prince Tuan and his clique. We fear greatly for the safety of our beloved emperor." FREE BLOOD CURE. 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Many Arrests A dispatch from Rome says twenty four persons have been arrested as con lederates of Bresci, in the assasination of the King of Italy. One iq Teresa Brugnoli, who was captured at Prito. He is believed to be the one who wrote the letter to Bresei from New York, asking, "Is all ready?'' Six were arrested at Prato and the others in Milan. McKinley's Record. The Republican newspapers by a concerted action are trying to force the free coinage of sil ver to the front as the main issue of this compaign. They are failing in their purpose. Other issues have arisen that are more important, but even if the ques tion of silver could be pushed to the front, MIr. MIcKinley is an unfortunate candidate.On Nov . 5th 187y William 3IcKinley of Ohio voted in favor of a resolu tion authorizing the free coinage of the standard silver dollar. This effort to force the silver issue brings out in strong con trast the character of MfcKin ley and Bryan, One is a posi tive force, a man who has an opinion on every question that arises and has no fear in express ing it. Bryan is aman who has never straddled or evaded, has never dodged or been silent. McKinley started out in favor of free silver. He fell into the hands of MIark Hanna and be eame a bimietallist: that is to say, lie advocated the restora tion of silver provided we could form a partnership with foreign nations. He has even given that up under pressure from the Trusts, and is now the champion pf the single gold standard. He is mnsmecere, unstable as water LBAKINO POWDER JRE cious and wholesome a co..EW vom. BLANK ALIBIS. Kept in the Drawer With Other Use ful Papers. _ "I want a dozen blank alibis," ex claimed a breathless youth, rushing pell mell into Justice Stein's court on State street the other day. "What?" "A dozen blank alibis," repeated the boy. "They sent me over here from Blank & Blank's office, and they said they wanted them in a hurry." The handful of attorneys and court officials that were in the room began a hearty laugh at the boy's expense, but the court was more considerate for the embarrassment of the youthful seeker after wholesale alibis. "Well, we don't keep them up here, you know," explained Stein, making a supreme effort to keep a grave face while he "strung" the lad. "But you go down to the clerk's room below here and they will give you all you want of them. If the man you ask doesn't know where they are, tell him he will find them in the drawer where they keep the advance decisions for street railway damage cases."-Detroit Free Press. Settling It. "The literary society out my way had a sort of lively session night be fo' last," remarked a moss-backed Ar kansawyer from out near Turkey Trot, wio had percolated into the of fice of the Polkville Banner. "They took an' debated the uestion of why' 1500 hain't a leap-year for about two hours." "Ah!" returned the able editor. "How did they settle the question, Mr. Sogway?" "By announcin' that the first d-d scoundrel that brought it up in pub lic ag'in would be lynched."-Puck. No Sale Was Made. Agent-I should like to show you, madam, this patent bag to hold clothes pins.. It costs only 25 cents and, as you see, slips along the line, making it much easier to get at than to stoop to the basket every time. Mrs. McLaherty-An, phat's the matter Wid me mouf that costs not a blissed cint, an' Is always wid me, I'd like to know. It's mesilf that can howld a dozen o' pins and be sociable like over the fence to Mrs. O'Toole with the same breath, begorra! The Cloud. Still the war cloud lowered angrily over South Africa. "What does it portend?" we asked anxiously. "Reign!" answered the Genius of the Anglo-Saxon Race, in all confi dence. With modern appliances the end was able to justify a great many means.-Detroit Journal. Oom Paul Kruger. Diplomacy. MeJigger-Jlgsby should go into politics. He's a born diplomat. Thingumbob-Think so? McJigger-Yes, Indeed. He was chairman of a committee of ten to get - up a church entertainment, and he im mediately provided for nine sub-com mittees and made each of his associ ates a chairman.-Philadelphia Press. The Reason. "-Brayalotti was just complaining to. me that he finds it almost Impossible to get any subscription to that hos pital he's interested in." "I'm not surprised. The chump an nounced publicly that the list would not be published."-Life. Effective Energy. "Joppo, you make nice, fine garden ~beds." "Yes, when my wife sets me to dig ging I'm mad enough to pulverize everything that comes in my way." Detroit Free Press. What About "Heavies?" Bobbs--Did you read Prof. Telly scope's article on how to weigh stars? Dobbs-No. But I suppose you'd weigh them just the same as you would chorus girls, wouldn't you. Baltimore American. Same O0d Hat. "Harry, don't you think that Is a pretty good straw hat I bought you for thirty cents at the nummage sale?" "Yes, indeed; I liked it last year when I paid $3 for it.-Chicago Re cord. In the Menagerie. -The Elephant-Prefessional life would not be r?o bad if it were not for the long jumps. The Kangaroo-Oh, I don't mind them. Losses in the Philippines. The losses of our-troops in the Phil ippines since August 63, 1898, are as follows: Killed . ..... ............ .. 566 Died of wounds and accidents.... 345i Died of disease .............1,429 Total deaths................2 340 Wounded..................2,270 Grand total.. ................4,610 In the same time 10.780 Filipinos hae been killed and ->,1.4 wouded