Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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' • 9 * s THE LEDGER: GAFFNEY, S. C., JULY S, I81>7. siiVE ALL THE CITIES HOW THE MORALS OF OUR TOWNS MAY BE MLNDLD. DIG Dr. Talrr.ajte Folnta Ont tliu Way to !Mn- uiripal l*urity — Good Men Muh* Do Named at tho 1‘arty (Jaucun Otlier W»y» to Improve City I.ife. Washington, July 4.—This Herman rf Dr. Talttia*!0 discussen from a moral and rtligious standpoint the welfare of all the towns and cities of our country. His text is Ezekiel xxvii, 8, “O thou that art situate at tho entry of the sea!” This is a part of an iiupaHsioued apos trophe to tho city of Tyre. It was a beautiful city—a majestic city. At the cant end of tho Mediterranean it .sat, with one hand beckoning the inland trade and with the other the commerce of foreign nations. It swung a mon strous boom across its harbor to shut out foreign enemies, and then swung back that boom to let in its friends. The air of the desert was fragrant with the spices brought by caravans to her fairs, and all seas were cleft into foam by tho keels of her laden merchantmen. Her markets were rich with horses and mules and camels from Togarmuh, with upholstery and ebony and ivory from Dedau, with emeralds and agate and coral from Syria, with wine from Hel lion, with finest needlework from Ash nr and Chilmad. Talk about •the splendid staterooms of your Cunard and Inman and White Htar lines of international steuiuers—why, the benches of tho state rooms in those Tyrian ships wer • all ivojy, and instead of our coarse canvas on the masts of the shipping they had thu finest linen, quilted together and inwrought with embroideries almost . miraculous for beauty. Its columns overshadowed all nations. Distant em pires felt its heartbeat. Majestic city, “sitnato at tho entry of the sen.” But where now is the gleam of her towers, the roar of her chariots, the masts of her shipping? Let the fisher men who dry their nets on the place where she once stood; lot tho sea that rushes u{>ou tho barrenness where she once challenged tho admiration of all nations; let tho barbarians who build their huts on the place where her pal aces glittered, answer the question Blotted out forever! She forgot (Jod, and Cod forgot her. And while our modern cities admire her glory, let them take warning at her awful doom. Cain was the founder of the first city, and I suppose it took after him in mor als. It is a long while before a city can get over the character of those who founded it. When they criminal exiles, the filth, and the prisons, and tho de bauchery are the shadows of sueh found ers. New York will not for aOO nr 800 years escape from the good influences of its founders, tho pious settlors whose flirayers went up from the v< ry streets wl.. re n w haulca discount and brokers t shave, and companies declare dividends, und ; inugglcrs swear eustom house lies, ami above the roar of the drays and the crack of the auetionpers’ mallets is heard tho n-eriptioii, ‘‘We worship thee, O thou almighty dollar. ” The elmreh | that once stood on Wall stvet still throws its blessing over all the scene of traffic and upon the ships that fold tin ir white wings m the harbor. Originally men gathered in cities from necessity. It was to escape the incendiary’s torch or tho assassin’s dagger. Only the very poor lived in the country, tho.-" \\ ho had nothing that could ho stolen or vaga bonds who wanted to ho near their place of business, but since civilization and religion havo made it safe for men to live almost anywhere men congregate in cities because of the opportunity for rapid gain. Cities are not necessarily evils, as has sometimes been argued. They have fin n the birthplace of civili zation. In them popular liberty lias lift ed up its voice. Witness (h noaand l'is:t and Venice. The entrance of the repre sentatives of the cities in the legisla tures of 'Europe was tho deathblow tft feudal kingdoms. Cities are tho patron- izers rf art and literature—archib eture pointing to its British museum in Lou don, its Royal library in Paris, its Vat ican in Homo. Cities hold the world’s scepter Africa was Carthage, < ireceo was Athens, England is London, Franoti is Paris, Italy is Koine, and the cities in which (Jod lias cast our lot will yet decide tho destiny of the American peo ple. m-areri* In Dij Citira. At this season of the year T have thought it might be useful to talk a lit tle while about the moral responsibility r< sting upon the office bearers in all our cities, a theme as appropriate to those who are governed as to the gov ernors. The moral character of those who rule a city has much to do with tho character of (he city itself. Men, women and children are all interested! in national polities. Whey the great presidt ntial eh ction conn s, ever patriot wants to be found at the ballot box. We are all interested in the discus sion of national finance, national debt, and we read the laws of congress, and we are wondering who will sit next in the presidential chair. Now, that may be all very well—is very well, but it is high time that we took some of tho at tention which we have bee® devoting to national affairs and brought it to tho study of municipal govomim nt. This, It seems to me now, is the chief point to be taken. Make the cities right, and the nation will be right. 1 have noticed that according to their opportunities there lias really been more corruption in municipal governments in this country than in the state and national legisla tures. Now, is there no hope? With the mightiest agent in our hand, the glori- ous go: ;»el of (fi .eis Christ, shall not all our cities be n formed and purified and redeemed? I believe the day will come. 1 am in full sympathy with (hose who are opjKMcd to currying jsilities into re ligion, hut oar cities will never he re formed mid purified until we carry re ligion into jsilities. I look over our cities and I see that all great interests are to be affected in the future, ns they have been affected in the past, by the character of those who in the different departments rule over us, and I propose to classify some of those interests. In the first place, I remark commer cial ethics are always affected by the moral or immoral character of those who have municipal supremacy. Officials that wink at fraud, and* that have neither censure nor arraignment *or glittering dishonesties, always Weaken the pulse of commercial honor. Every shop, every store, every bazaar, every factory in the cities feels the moral character of the city hall. If in any city there be a dishonest mayoralty or an unprincipled common council or u court susceptible to bribes, in that city there will be unlimited license for all kinds of trickery and sin, while, on the other hand, if officials are faithful to their oath of office, if the laws are promptly executed, if there is vigilance in regard to the out branchings of crime, there is tho highest protection for all bargain making. A merchant may stand in his store and say: ‘‘Now, I’ll havo uothiug to do with city politics. I will not soil my hands with tho slush.” Nevertheless the most insignificant trial iu tho po lice court will affect that merchant di rectly or indirectly. What style of clork issues tho writ; what stylo of constable makes tho arrest; what style of attor ney issues the plea; what style of judge charges the jury; what stylo of sheriff exfeuM+ the sentence—these aro ques tions that strike your countiug rooms to the center. You may not throw it off. In tho city of New York Christian merchants for a great while said, ‘‘We’ll have nothing to do with the manage ment of public affairs, ” and they al lowed everything to go at loose ends until there rolled up in that city a debt of nearly 1120,000,000. Tho municipal government became a hissing and a by word in tho whole earth, and then tho Christian merchants saw thoir folly, and they went and took possession of tho fiullot hoses. I wish all commercial men to understand that they are not in dependent of tho moral character of tho men who rule over thorn, but must be thoroughly, mightily affected by them. lutxrrtfttn of the School. Ho also of tho educational interests of a city. Do you know that there are iu this country about, 70,006 common schools,and that tli'-ro arc over 8,000,000 pupils, ami that tho majority of those schools n!*V tho majority of those pupils aro in our cities? Now, this great mul- titado of children will be affected by tho intelligence or ignorance, the vir tue or the vice, of boards of education and boards of control. There are cities where educational affairs aro settled iu tho low caucus iu tho abandoned parts of the cities by men full of ignorance and rum. It ought not to he so, hut iu many cities it is so. I hear tho tramp of coming generations. What that great multitude of youth shall ho for this world and tho next will ho affected very much b* the character of your public schools. Yon had better multiply tho mofal a:!',', n ligious influences about tho common schools rather than subtract from them. Instead of driving the Bi- ble*Dut you had letter drive the Bible farther in. May God defend our glori ous common school system and send in to rout and confusion all its sworn ene mies! 1 have also to say that the character of officials iu a city affects tho domestic circle. In a city where grogshops have their own way, and gambling hells aro not iuterfi icd with, and for fear of los ing 'political infiueiico officials close theireyes to festering abominations—in all those cities the homo interests need to make inipjoration. Tho family cir cles of the city must inevitably ho af fected Ly tho moral character or the immoral character of those who rule over them. I w ill go farther and say that the re ligious interests of a city aro thus affect ed. The church today has to contend with evils that the civil law ought, to smite, and while I would not have the civil government in auy wise relax its energy in the arrest and punishment of crime I would have a thousandfold more energy put forth in thotirying up of the fountains of iniquity. The church of God asks no pecuniary aid from po litical power, but does ask that in ad dition to all the evils wo must necessa rily contend against wo shall not have to figjit also municipal negligence. Oh, that in all our cities Christian people would rise up, and that they would put their hand on tho helm before piratical demagogues have swamped the ship! Instead of giving so much time to na tional polities give some of your atten tion to muu.icipal government. I demand that the Christian people who havo hocn standing aloof from pub lic affairs come hack, and iu the might of God try to save our cities. If things aro or have been bad, it is because good people have let them be bail. That Christian man who merely goes to the polls and casts his vote does not do his duty, it is not t’le ballot box that de cides the election; it is the political cau cus, and if at the primary meetings of tin* two political parties unfit and bad men urn nominated then the ballot box has nothing to do save to take its choice between two thieves. Iu our churches, by reformatory organization, in every way let us try to -tone up the moral seiitiim nt in these cities. The rulers are those whom the people choose:, and depend upon it that in all thu cit ies, as long as pure hearted men stand aloof from jiolitics because they despise hot partisanship, just so long in many of our cilics will ruin make the iiomi- ostions, and rum ci ntrol the ballot box, and ram inaugurate the officials. I take a step further in this subject, ami ask all those who believe in the omnipotence of prayer, day by day, and every day, present your city officials be fore (Jod for a blessing. If you live in a , city presidt d over by u mayor, pray for him. The chief magistrate of a city is in a position of great responsibility. Many < f thu kings ami queens and em perors of other days had no such domin ion. With the scratch of a pm he may advance a bcic tlciut institution or balk a railway confiscation. By appoint- Judge, acts you in his place. Oh, be incuts he may bless or curse every | faithful in the discharge of all your du- hearthstoue iu the city. If in the Epis copal churches, by the authority of the litany, and in our uouepiscopate churches, we every Sabbath pray for the president of tho United States, why not, then, be just as hearty iu our supplica tions for til" chief magistrates of cities, for their guidance, for their health, for their present and their everlasting mor ality? But go further and pray for your com mon council if your city has a common council. They hold in their hands a power splendid for good or terrible for evil. They have many temptations. In many of the cities whole boards of com mon councilmen have gone dowu iu the maelstrom of political corruption. They could not stand the power of tho Lrit . Corruption came in aud sat beside them and sat behind them uud sat before them. They recklessly voted away the hard earned moneys of tho people. They were bought out, body, mind and soul, so that at the end of their term of office they had not enough of moral remains left to make a decent funeral. They went into office with the huzza of tho multitude. They came out with the anathema of all decent people. There is uot oue man out of a hundred that can endure the temptatious of the common councilmen incur great cities. If a mau in that position havo the courage of a Cromwell, and the independence of an Andrew Jackson, aud the public spirit- | edness of a John Frederick Oberlin, and j tho piety of an Edward Payson, he will have uo surplus to throw away. Pray for these meu. Every man likes to bo prayed for. Do you know how Dr. Nor- mau McLeod became the queen’s chap- laiu? It was by u warm hearted prayer in the Scotch kirk in behalf of the roy al family one Sabbath when the queen and her son were present incognito. Fray For tlm Foltre. Yes, go further, my friends, mid pray for your police—their perils and temp tations, best known to themselves. They hold the order aud peace of your cities in their grasp. But for their interven tion you would uot be safe for an hour. They must face tho storm. They must rush in where it seems to thorn almost instant death. They must put the hand of arrest ou the armed maniac and cor ner tho murderer. They must refuse large rewards fur withdrawing com plaints. They must unravel intricate plots and trace dark labyrinths of uiimc and develop suspicions iuto certainties. They must he cool while others aro frantic. They must bo vigilant while others are somnolent, impersonating the very villainy they want to seize. Iu the police forces of our great cities are to day men of as thorough character as that of tho old detective of New York addressed whom there came letters from London askiug for help ten years after ho was dead—letters addressed to “Jacob Hayes, High Constable of New York.” Your police need your appre ciation, your sympathy, your gratitude, aud, above all, your prayers. Yea, I want you to go further and pray every day for prison inspectors anil jailkeep- ers—work awful aud beneficent. Rough men, cruel men, impatient men, are not fit for those places. They havo uu der their care men who were once us good as you, but they got tripped up. Bad company, or strong tiiiuk, or strange conjunction of circumstances flung them headlong. (Jo down that prison corridor uud a.-k them how they got in, aud about their families and what their early prospects iu life were, and you will find that they aro very much like yourself, except iu this, that God kept you, while he did not restrain them. Ju:t oue false step made the dif ference between them and you. They want more than prison bars, more than jail fare, more than handcuffs aud hop ples, more than u vermin covered couch, to reform them. Pray (Jod day by day that the men who have these unfortu nates in charge maybe merciful, Chris- tiunly strategic, and tho means of ref ormation and rescue. Home years ago a city pastor iu New York was called to the city prison to attend a funeral. A young woman had committed a crime uud was incarcerat ed, and her mother eunio to visit her, and died on the visit. The mother, hav ing no home, was buried from liei daughter’s prison cell. After the service was over the imprisoned daughter came up to the minister of Christ and said, ‘‘Wouldn’t you like to see my poor mother?" And while they stood at the coffin the minister of Christ said to that imprisoned soul, “Dou’t y r ou feel today, iu tho presence of your mother’s dead body, us if you ought to make a vow before God that you will do differently and live a better life?” She stood for a few moinoutH, and then the tears rolled dowu her cheeks, arid she pulled from i her right hand tho worn out glevo that she hud put ou in honor of thu obsequies, and, having hared her right hand, she put it upon the chill brow of -her dead mother, and said: ‘‘By the help of (Jod i I swear 1 will do differently! (Jisl helj- j me!” Ami she kept her vow. And years ' after, when she was told of the incident, j she said: “When that minister of tin gospelsaid, ‘God bless you and helpyou to keep the vow that you have made,’ i I cried out, and I said: ‘You- hlecs me! i Do you bless me? Why, that’s the first kind word I’ve heard iu ten years,’ and ! it thrilled through iiiy*lsoul, aud it was j the means of my reformation, and ever since, by tho grace of (Jod, I’ve tried > to live a Christian life.” Oh, yes, there are many amid the criminal classes that may be reformed. Bray for the men who have these unfortunates in charge, j and who knows hut that when you are leaving this world you may hear the > voice of Christ dropping to your dying pillow,saying, "I was sick and in prison, | and you visited me.” Yea, 1 take the ! suggestion of the Apostle Raul uud ask ; you to pray for all who are in authority, 1 that we may lead quint and pcaot'ul lives in godliness and lonesty. Guii’ii Ui i>r> .nil tut It m. My word now is to all who may | come (o hold any public position of trust iu any city. You art God's repre sentatives. God, tin King ami Ruler uiri 1 ties, so that when all our cities aro in ashes and the world itself ’sa red scroll of flume you may be in the mercy and grace of Christ rewarded for your faith fulness. It was that fc'ding which gave such eminent qtuililh aliens for office to Neal Dow. mayor of Portland, and to Judge McLean of Ohio, and to Benja min F. Butler, attorney general of New York, and to George Briggs, governor of Massachusetts, and to Theodore Fre- linghuyseu, senator of the United States, and to William Wilber force, member of tho British parliament. You may make the rewards of eternity tho emoluments of your office. What care you for adverse political criticism if you have (Jod on your side? The one or tho two or tho three years of your public trust will pass away, and all tho years of your earthly service, and then tho tribunal will be lifted, before which you aud I must appear. May (Jod make you so faithful now that the last scene shall bo to you exhilaration and rap ture. I wish now to exhort all good peo ple, whether they are the governors or the governed, to make oue grand effort for tho salvation, tho purification, the redemption of our American cities. Do you uot know that there are multitudes going down to ruiu, temporal and eter nal, dropping quicker than words drop from my lips? Grogshops swallow them up. (Jumbling hells devour them. Hoqses of shame aro damning them. Oh, let us toil and pray and preach and vote until all these wrongs are righted! What we do wo most do quick ly. With our rulers, and on tho same platform, wo must nt last come before tho throne of God to answer for what we havo done for tho bettering of our great towns. Alas, if on that day it bo found that your hand has boon idle and my pulpit has been silent! Oh, yo who are pure and houost aud Christian, go to work and help to make the cities pure aud honest and Christiau! Lest it may have been thought that I am addressing ouly w hat aro called the better classes my final word is to r.omn dissolute soul to whom those words may come: Though you may bo covered with all crimes, though you may he smitten with all leprosies, though you may have gone through tho whole cata logue of iniquity; and may net havo been iu church for 20 years, you may have your uature entirely reconstructed, aud upcu your brow, hot with infamous practices and besweated with exhaust ing indulgences, God will place the flashing coronet of a Haviour’s forgive ness. “Oh, no,” you say. “If you knew who I am and where I came from, you wouldn’t say that tome. I don’t believe the gospel you are preaching speaks of my case. ” Yes, it does, my brother. Aud then, when you tell me that, I think of what Ht. Teresa said when reduced to utter destitution. Having only two j pieces of money left, she jingled the | two pieces of money in her hand aud said, “Ht. Teresa uud two pieces of mon- i ey are nothing, hut St. Teresa and two pieces of money and God are all things. ” And I tell you now that while a sin and a sinner are nothing, a sin and a sinner and uu all forgiving aud all compas sionate God are everything. Who is that that I see coming? I know his step. 1 know his rags. Who is it? A prodigal. Come, people of God, let us go out uud meet him. (Jet the best robe you euu find iu all the wardrobe. Li t the angels of God till th"ir chalices and drink to his eternal rescue. Come, ( people of God, li t us go out to me t j him. The prodigal is coming home, j The dead is alive again and the lost is found. Pl< with the ni-ws, the snints below In Hongs their tongues employ; Beyond the hides the tidiniis ko, And heaven is filled with joy. D . oosns PRICKLY 0F ASH BITTERS at intervals during the malarial season Nor ungolh e-m ('e ir j.-\ e..utuia, But kindle with new lire; “The binuer loet is found, ' they Bins, Aud strike the sounding lyre. Oman s erk Is never done, and it is especially wearing and wearisome to those w hone blood is impure and unfit properly to tone, sus tain, and renew the wasting of nervi, muscle and tissue. It is more because of this condition of the blood that women are run dow u, Tired, Weak, Nervous, Than because of the work itself. Every physician says so, and that the only rem edy is In building up by taking a good nerve tonic, blood purifier and vitalizer like Hood’s Sarsaparilla. Port he troubles l > i‘cvUnr to If'omen at change of Henson, climate or life, or resulting from hard work, nervousness, and impure blood, thousands have found relief and cure iu Sarsaparilla • Osin Tran Hlimil Purifier. .♦!; six for fti. pared only b> ('. I. Hood A Co., I,owe II, Mass, |, IJ. | , .’ire the only puis to take IlOOCl S I 11 IS w iih Mood's Sarsaparilla. A. N. WOOD, BANKER, doea u general Banking aud Exchange business. Well secured with Burglur- Proof safe uud Automatic Time J^ick. .Safety Deposit Boxes ut moderate rc.it. Buys and soils Ktoeks undBonds. Buys County and School Claims. Your business solicited. WILL SAVE YOU MONEY, TIME, SUFFERING. Don't Walt for disease to fasten Itself In your body. * bottle of Fricki.t Ash Bitters at once, keep it in the Ivus *. ‘ and whenever you feel bilious, dull, constipated, or . eir stomach Is weak take a few doses, tt will save you doctor bills, time lost in sickness and much misery SOLD BY ALL DRUGGISTS. Price $i.oo Per Bottle. 'herokoe Drug Co. Special Agents. A Big Line of Ladies’ Tans, “ Chocolates, “ Patent Leather Tans, and the latest L reea Colored Shoes JUST KKCKIVKU, and they will he Sold Reasonable. KimraEEBZTXESBK KJ. Call and See them. Yours Truly, RESIDENCE LOTS FOR SALE BY Cherokee Land Company. We have some of thf most desirable huiiL fur i< -id ■!. to- when'to he found. You can select ju»i what you want. You will not he surrounded by dis,agreeable neighbor-. Y"ii <a:. se lect it so that you will have no town taxes to pay. h i- located within ifd0 yards of Southern depot. Cheap piie - and •.* tr terms. N. II. LITTLEjOHW Mv- The national Bank of Gaffney, C.VI'ITWIv S.to.ooo. This tiiiiik is now open for Imimii.'ss .-uid -oli.-ii- ihc palron;i^i-ol t,, , »f < :t j iind MiiToiindiiig i-ouiilry. Ii i.ill .-xti-nd to lt> cusIoi.ims t-vi-ry , . n.,i ...itio!. .■ j,i h. 1st i'll t will, safi-ly. Money to loan on approved secmily. I>. C\ HOS-stSi, Oiinltier. I<\ ti. t *! m i< iccrroicA. .1 A. CAUKoM,. President ('lierokee l-'ulls 1 .1. I. '•A I’KATT. Mer*'lninl and I liner. Mfg.i’o. i lion. WM. ,1 Kl I HlIKs. l ai . t. iiuin-. - A II. 11. W II EAT. Treasurer i.iitfiioy Mfit. Co. lion. W. \\ III s\A XT Mi- .iitimdl.:..j- i-r. Wilkinsville S. C. IIE.NKA M. MeAHEN. e ,p i,i, I .\„ II. i>. WHEAT. Treasurer Gunncy Miir. Co. It. M. WILKINS. Late of Wilkins Bros., Mer chants. \V. e. CAHPKNTF.It, of Carroll A Carpenter, V iveliiints. ville. N C. o. E. \\ ILK INS. of (>. E Wilkins A. Bro o. •? ,1. tl. WABOLAW, Kec’ry, Gaffney Manf. Co. ney. S. C. Gaffney. ! F. G. STACV. Carroll A Stacy. Gaifncy. a C The Gaffney City Land and Improvement Company, Offer for Sale Building Lots in this Flourishing Town, O A. IT IT IV i C Y C I T“ V. Also Farms near by and in reach of tho schools of Lime tone 8: and of this place in lots of from 30 to lOO acres on liberal Gm rate.-. AI o Agricult ural Lunds to rent for farm purposes. For full particulars apply tt MOSES WOOD, Agent. N. B.—All trespassing on lands of this (Join puny cut! . Iren. • timber, fishing or hunting are forbidden under penalty of law. * Men Run the Government * ,i * Women Cun the* Home, * and in order tlmlthey run the home suer,--fuliv in,, n : • • 1- . • ) nice, fresh groceries. Our store is the place u, g< i tit m. Yours truly, BYARS & SPARKS, Exclusive Grocers.