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THE WATEREE MESSENGER Published Every Tuesday by CHAS. W. BIRCHMORE, Prop. Subscription $1.50 A Ye a/ in Advance Entered as Second Class Matter at the l'oatoffice ut Camden. 3. C. Tuesday, January 8th, 1929 TAKING STOCK. Business houses take stock at cer tain periods of the year, most ol them the first of the year, and as we stand upon the threshold of the New Year, would it not be a good idea to take stick of ourselves? What have we accomplished during the past year? What can we plan to accomplish during the new year wi h all its possibilities? But in takin stock the majority of u.s like to know whether or not we have increased our wealth as though that were the chief end of man. In taking stocky of ourselves it would be well to con skier what we have dune to help oth ers, for after all the greatest w:alth that any one can accumulate is the wealth of good deeds. We all let opportunities go by where a kind word, a friendly suggestion, a little help would do much to make life's journey a happier one. Then getting back to the idea intimaUd above, we should take stock of our purposes and plans for the new year. There arc those who hoitut" to take hold of the new tasks, as though they were getting their bearings, which is all right in a way, but do not take too long about it ? get busy with the new plans and then proceed to work your plans, and you will be better for it when ni\v year shall have recorded your achievements. T W () E I . ECT ROCl'TEI) ? TWO SAVIC1). Two of the four negroes from Charleston, who were convicted of the murder of Charlie Loy, the Chinese laundry man, were electrocuted in the State penitentiary last Friday, while two of them t scaped the electric chair on account of the Governor's commuting their sentences to life im prisonment. The first comment we h ard on thus action -on the part of Gov. Richards, when the Columbia Record was being distributed in Cam <den?was one of approval. It was a trying position that the Governor was Sjjplaccd in and we believe he was right in the course he pursued. The two jr*iegroos who were electrocuted de clared to the last that they were the ? guilty ones and that the two whose jvccntencos were commuted to life im Iprisonment were innoemt. . Gov. Richards went carefully into this case. He went to the penitentiary some Weeks ago and questioned these ne groes about the case. Then it might jj not have been possible for all four of them to have participated in the brutal murder.*- The two whose lives wore saved stoutly and persistently deniod their guilt, and the two who wore electrocuted < ven rtfter they J were seated in the electric chair, un hesitatingly declared they were not guilty. In such n case in our opinion, " the Governor pursued the right course. We would have regretted to have ; read, after tho electrocution, that i these negr0 boys died protesting that they were innocent, and the other two also declaring that they were inno cent. We are glad that the Governor Beted as he did in this case. MILLIONS FOR THE SCHOOLS. |r . South Carolina spent last year over $15,000, 000 for tho schools of the State. Tho figures published recent ly in the daily papers were revela tions no do^bt to many. By far our largest tax is for schools. Years ago the great trouble was to get enough Umoney to pay teachers anything like i& decent salary, and to run the sehools Jong enough. Teachers for a long time were very poorly paid, but not $0 now. Every boy and girl shouW be given a good primary education at tho expense of the State, but then 1b danger of spending too much mom-y for the schools without getting pro per returns. We were with a very thought ful gentleman a few days ag >, One of wide business experience from a nighboring town, and he remark' d to us that we were spending too much money for schools, and added t lot a remark of that kinrl coming from h'un light he surprising in view of 'he Kit that he had always been an ad eate of good schools and worke I to ?tain them, but if the State con tinues to spend money s t> freely for Ihools the opportunity for other d' ? "opments the State is supposed to ?k after will necessarily bo held k. We have bren making wonder, progress in our schools and eol 8, and no one with the right kind Interest in them would begrudge I neecssary amount of taxes to iftfytaln them, but they do not want i?lr money spent needlessly. It is well to keep this in view when fO planning for our schools. No ?no fishes to injure thom, hut no one int their monoy wasted. fc, * "X. So far as the prescribed constitu tional method is concerned, the coun try does not yet know who is to be the next president. The electors in every state cast their ballots on' Wednesday and they were sent to the state department at Washington, ; They will presently be formally count- j ed by tillers in the United States Senate and the result then announced. ? Spartanburg Herald. But we'll bet it will be Herbert J Hoover who gets the plum although : we did not vote" for him. I DEATH OF COL. JOHNSTONE, j The announcement of the death of J Col. Alan Johnstone, at his home in Newberry, brought sorrow through- j out the State. Few men were better known than was Col. Johnstone, an l | few held in higher esteem. He was J referred to as ''the Grand Okl Man" of Newberry, and well did he desrva I this affectionate term. He repre sented his county in the legislature one term, represented his county in :he St, ate Senate for a score of years. He did not offer for re-election lasl summer, due to his declining health. For twenty years he was chairman of the board of trustees of Clemson College, a position in which he ren dered conspicuous service. Col. John stone, who was 79 years of ag. at the time of his death, was an ex tensive farmer in his county. In this, as in his other work, he was success ful. His views were frequently sought on public matters for he was i recognized as a man of exceptonal ability and patriotic as well. In his death South Carolina loses an upright* useful citizen, a kindly gentleman and a wise leader. He was the father of Mrs. L. T. Mills, of our city, for whom, as well as the widow and other members of his family sincere sym pathy is felt. COST OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS INCREASING During the five years from 1910 to 1925, federal taxes were reduced 39 per cent, while state taxes increas ed 87 per cent and local taxes .">G per cent, according to Itenick W. Dun lap, Assistant Secretary of Agricul ture. In other words, all the outstanding economies made in federal expeneliture during the past six years have been more than offset by the rapidly in creasing cost of maintaining smaller units of government. All of this increase cannot be ex plained by growth and necessary im provementa, as growth and improve ments should automatically produce more tax revenue. There has ob viously been a tendency on the part of a great many states and towns to spend money lavishly, disregarding the inevitable consequences of bonded indebtedness. It is said on good au thority that communities today em bark on expensive ventures that would not even have been imagined 20 years ago. High taxes imperil prosperity and industrial development; low taxes encourage them. The fact that the farmer's Uy<es have increased 25K per cent over pre-war figures certainly has important bearing on whatevei farm problem we have. Only business efficiency and sanity in the handling of public funds can lower our taxes. Road building in Kershaw county got off to a good start last year. More paved roads were built in Ker shaw county last year, according to a statement recently made, than in any other county of the state. We just got started last year, and this year will show still more paved roads. Our county board of directors ar" capable men, and are looking after Kershaw county's interests well. BIBLE THOUGHT AND PRAYER If partnti i will have thtir children memo riwt th? daily llibU nrlection* it u>Ul provm ? prictU? h+ritaut to tKtnx in aft*r v*ar*. 2. CHRIST'S MISSION I.uke 4: IK. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because ho hath anointed mo to preach t >10 gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to tho captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Luke 15): 10. For the Son of man is; 1 come to seek and to save that which was lost. John 14:2,3. In my Father's houK? ure many mansions; if it were not so. I would have told you. I to pre pare a place for you. 3. And if I ga and prepare a plnce for you, I will come again and receive you unto my self; that where I am, there ye may be also. I'RAYKR: () I.ord, Thy ways arr? not as our ways, neither are Thy thoughts our thoughts, for as tlm heaven is high above the earth, so are Thy thoughts ar*d Thy ways above' -?/ v., / THE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON ' January 13, 1929 The Doctrine of Sin Texts: Gen. 3:1?24; G:5? 87 Mk. ' 7:14?23; Rom. 1:18 ? 32; 3:10 ? 18; 1 Jn. 1:5?2:6. There is a great need in our day of a revival of the sense of sin and a return to the Scripture doctrine of sin. A man said recently to a friend: ! "I hear your pastor considers sin only a moral obliquity." "He is beyond that now," replied the other. "Now | it is u psychological eccentricity." A well known theological professor said in a church conference: "Y'e may well hold to a modified defini tion of son." But upon whose author ity may any man say that sin is now | less repugnant to God than it ever was? Saying smooth things about sin is in line with the spirit of our age. The worst offenses are now condoned, criminals are humored and petted. Many advocates of evolution regard sin simply as a trace of ani malism left over to us in the process I of evolution, a slight imperfection.1 I Modern psychology seoa no essential difference between the sinner and the I saint. Each is said to do wliat he lis compelled irresistibly to do. One of the most dangerous modern teachings is that of determinism. Current History several months ago carried a defense of this teaching, going so far as to say that the act of a criminal is as inevitable as that of a clergyman or missionary and that the criminal is in no way respon sible- for his acts. Therefore, it was argued, it appears as illogical and unscientific to punish a criminal as it would bv to punish an individual because he suffers from some organic disease' or mental aberration. With such teachings abroad in our colleges, it behooves all who love the Word of God to insist upon the Scrip tural doctrine of SIN. Common sense tells us that when we are tempted to do wrong we can either yield or refuse. To' deny the freedom of the will is to plunge the world into moral chaos. Civilization has been built upon the conviction that man is re sponsible for his acts. Those who deny this fundamental fact are ene mies, not only of religion, but of all government. It is true that some are driven into sin by inherited tendencies, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not re I gard such cases as hopeless. It I brings the good news of deliverance from sinful tendencies. The chief of sinners may be born anew, made a new creature in Christ, empowered to live the victorious life. Thousand., have borne witness to the fact that Jesus Christ lifted them out of the miry clay. The Gospel is still "the power of God unto salvation to ev eryone that believeth'' (Rom. 1:18). Away with all the modern trash be littling and excusing sin! The student should meditate upon > ach of the passages assigned for this lesson. In order to impress upon the reader the Bible doctrine of sin, we are giving our space to a summary which we trust will prove usful in combatting the modern loose teach ing!. Sin in the Biblff view is deliberate transgression of the law of God (1 Jn. 3:4). "All unrightf ousness is sin" (1 Jn. 5:17). All that which is done apart form faith in God is con demned as sin (Rom. 14:23). Solo mon declared that the very "thought '>f foolishness (meaning foolish mock ery at sin) is sin" (Prov. 24:9). The failure to do the good we know wo oUght to do is /in in God',s sight (Jas. 4:17). The greatf st sin in the world is the rejection of the Saviour God has pro vided (Jn. 10:9. All stand in need of Him b'. cause "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way7 and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us ill" (Isa. 53:8). The story of sin's introduction into the world is given in Gen 3. Since the flay man became the victim of Satan's subtlety, those born into the world have been "shapen in iniquity'' ( Psa. 51:5). We cannot deny the in born tendencies to evil. We find our selves "carnal, sold under sin" (Rom. 7:14). Even the moralist who re jects Christ has to confess sooner or later that all his righteousness is "afl filthy rags" (Isa. P>4;fi). We may have a zeal of God, as Paul declared, but <'b< ing ignorant of God's right eousness" and trying to establish our own, be are lost (I?om. 10:2-4). "Whosoever committeth sin in the servant of son," said our Ix>rd (Jn. R:34). "The Scripture hath conclud ed all under sin," said Paul (Gal. 3: 22). This universal state of sin means that "death hath passed upon all men for all have sinned'' (Rom. 5:12). This places every man whose sins are unforgiven in the position of l>eing eternally LOST (Lk. 19:10). This is not a popular teaching in our day, hut no man has authority to con tradict the word of Jesus Christ. Outside of Christ all are "dead in trespasses and sins having no hope, without God in the world" (Eph. 2:1,12). They are in a state of In st risibility to God, having no sense of relationship to God. Their under standing is darkened, "being alienat ed from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18). "The heart is deceitful abovt; all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer. 17:9). Out of it, our Lord declared, "proceed evil thoughts, murder, adulteries, fornica tions, thefts, false witnesses, blas phemies" ({kit. 15:19). This is a black picture, yet true to all human experience. Only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ can we find a way of -it liverance. Cod has solved the sin problem arul no one else can solve it. His pian | has always worked and still works. I ''When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the un godly. God commenuah his love to ward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5: 5, 8). "Come now and let us reason cgether, saith the Lord; though your sins be a3 scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isa. 1:18). How is this made possible? He who knew no sin bore the whole black sin burden for us on Calvary's cros:: (2 Cor. 5:21). <'He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself'' (Heb. 9:26). "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but nave everlasting ilfe ' (Jn. 3:1G). "It we walk in the light as he is in tlic iight, we have fellowship one with another, and the blocd of Jesus Christ, God's Son, vleanseth us from all sin" (1 Jn. 1:7). It is not within our province to ex plain how it is that 'the Bible plan works. We know it does work and that nothing else can s0 effectually break the power of sin. We also know as a fact in man's world, apart from religious doctrine, that we are born in sin. Let a man be providing for an unborn child. He will take care, in making his will, to bind him by conditions which will guard against that child fraudulently helping him self to that which is apportioned to another. He knows that it will not bt safe to put temptation in the way of that child, because he knows he will be born in sin, liable to sin, sure fco commit sin. He Knows, too, that he will have the power to choose right and that he will be born a responsible creature. It should be thoroughly understood that while, in the atoning work of Christ, provision is made to bring eventual deliverance from the very presence of sin and eradication of the sin principle, Scripture does not teach that by acceptance of Chris* we shall, be immediately set free from all sin ful tendencies. The Adamic natur* will not be gotten rid of entirely until death prostrates it in the dust. Its nature, however, undergoes a mater ial change through the operation of grace upon it. The believer is em powered to overcome temptation by the indwelling Holy Spirit, yet warned to continual watchfulness. To say that we as Christians have no sin is to "deceive ourselves" (1 Jn. 1:8) and prove that we have not understood Scripture teaching (1 Jn. 1:10). We cannot safely assert that the old nature has been eradicated. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall". (1 Cor. 10:12). We must ever acknowledge the frailty of the flesh and our entire dependence upon the Holy Spirit for a victorious walk (Gal. 5:16-17; Rom. 8:2, 37). When a Christian sins, he is im mediately to confess his sins to God, who is "faithful and just t0 forgive.. . . and cleanse from all unrighteous ness" (1 Jn. 1:9). If we sin, ''we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous'' (1 Jn. 2:1). "He ever liveth to make inter cession for us" and, therefore, can save us to the uttermost limit of time (Heb. 7:25). Seeing we are continually beset by sinful influences, we are exhorted to continually be looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2 1, and to ''set our affections on the things above" (Col. 3:1-3). TWO NEGROES DIE IN ELECTRIC CIIAIR 'Two Others Get Commutation of i Sentences to Life Imprisonment. Columbia, Jan. 4 (AP). ? ' The stern hand of the law reached out today and claimed the lives of two mur derern. Two others, convicted for the samo crime, were saved when Governor Richards commuted the death sen tence to one of life imprisonment. George Palmer and Sam Brown the two put to death went to tho electric chair in the state peniten tiary here declaring their guilt and protesting that their comrAdes in the death house, Sam Tolbrrt ami John Pinckney, were innocent. AM were convicted of the murder of Charley I/oy, Charleston Chines laundryman. It was not until after Palmer and Rrown were executed that Tolbert and Pinckney were told that tiny would not have to go to the death chair. No Demonstration They received the news without 5000 people whose sole job is bettering your service The very nature of the telephone business necessi tates a single inter -connected system. The Bell System accepts its responsibility for a nation -wide telephone service as a public trust. It is the policy of the System to use all incomc, beyond that necessary to pay regular dividends and maintain a surplus for financial stability, to improve and extend the service. Because of the nature of the business, speculative profits have no place in it. The' Bell System maintains in its research, engi neering and business staffs and in the Bell Labora tories 5000 workers ? in a total of 350,000 employees ? whose soul occupation is to improve the telephone art and to make these improvements instantly avail able throughout the nation. These wolkers are a guaranty of continued progress in furnishing the public a constantly improving telephone servicc at the lowest possible cost. SOUTHERN BELL TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY (Mcuryorated) marke<l demonstration. Both thanked Col. J. N. Pearman, prison superin tendent, and Pinckney requested a cigarette. Approximately 50 people, crowd n in the death chamber U> watch thj electrocution. Included in the groui that saw Palmer electrocuted were four women. A son and cousin oi the murdered man watched both ex ecutions and later expressed dissatis faction that the death sentence of the other two had been changed. The governor's letter was sent to Colonel Pearman several days ago with instructions not to b- opened until time for the electrocution. It contained provisions specifying that if any of the men changed their story as to the innocence of Pinck ney and Tolbert, these, two, weVe to go to the chair. A group of negro ministers were with the condemned nv n prior to the execution, praying and leading familiar hymns. They watched the execution. Charles Loy was kilUd last August in Charleston, his throat being slash ed with a .razor. A roundup of ne groes was started by police soon after the crime and in a little more than an hour, the four, all of whom later confessed to the crime, were in jail. IMnckney and Tolbert later repudi ated their confessions, saying they were forced to make the statements. Will Wiseman says: ''You can't choose your ancestors, but tat's fair enough. Dc.n't forget they prob ably wouldn't have chosen you." SEABOARD A IK LINE RAILWAY COMPANY Schedules From an To Camden, S. C. Corrected to September 28, 1928 Arrive From For Leave 9.06 A. M. I 12:25 P. M.x | 10.54 P. M. | 8.17 A. M. | 4:35 P. M. @| 7:25 P. M. I Eastern Cities ? Florida Eastern C'.tie: ? Florida Eastern Citi'. s ? ? Florida Florida ? Eastern Cities Floridc- ? Eastern Cities Florida ? Eastern Cities 9.00 A. x 12:25 P. 10.54 P. ?8.17 A. @4:35 P. 7:25 P. x Stops to discharge passengers from Hamlet a and to receive passengers for Savannah aiH beyond. ?Stops to receive passengers for Hamlet an n 1 to discharge passengers from Columbia and be-yond. 'ullmans, Coaches Diners. '"'or further information or reservation*, call on Ticket Agent. I WILSE W. MARTIN') f / HARNKSS and SADDLK MAKfcK WholoHnln l eather and Shoe Kinrlin n a Auto To" Maker and Kt-pairer if llsE DEALER t <11-16-1* Hampton St. IT'hoii* BH20 COLUMBIA, S. G. THE RIGHT WAY TO TRAVEL is by train. The safest. Most com fortable. Most reliable. Costs less. Inquire of Ticket Agents regarding greatly reduced fares for short trips. SOUTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM