Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

A GARDEN OF EDE?. A good Idea of the vlchneas ol the country, where modern farm houses surrounded with good outbuildings are, end whero tho real American lives in peaco and /prosperity, can be obtained if one will 'take an auto trip from Columbia to Qreenvllle. By going through in an automobile first hand information Is obtained and a fine country as it really la can be seen, according to a story sent out from Columbia by the corres pondent of Tho News and Courier fol lowing a trip by Commissioner B. j. Watson to Greenville some tlmo ago. The story continues ns follows: EL Jr Watson, commissioner of agri culture, commerce and industries, has an exhibit of his department at tho Greenville Sanitary Congress and Ex position this week, and he went up Saturday to install it. The trip was made by automobile, in tho car besides Mr. Watson being Messrs Simpson and SofmerB, of tho agricultural depart ment, and Tho News ond Courier's Co lumbia representative. Young Jimmle Koblnson was at the steering wheel. Party Leaves Columbia. The party left Columbia on Satur day morning at 6o-clock. A light rain was falling When the start was mode. Going out of Hyatt Park road, the Soring Hill road, which crosses tho Congareo and runs through the "Dutch JFork," of what was formerly Lexington County, but is now Rich land, was followod. Through the tcVwji of Cbapln, Little Mountain, Prosperity and Newberry this route was followed. All the way there had been rain, but not heavy enough, however, to lay the dust and make the automobiling enjoyable. Good roads wore encountered all the way to Nowberry except about fifteen miles out of Columbia lu tho "Dutch Fork," where tho roads are badly washed. It appears that no one has worked this ?treten of road In a long tlmo. Were It put in shape tho road all the way to Newberry would be first class. Breakfast at Newberry. This latter city is forty-three miles from Columbia and It was reached at 9 o'clock, a three hour's run. Here the party breakfasted and then pulled out for Clinton, passing through the towns of Klnards. Goldvllle on the way. From Clinton the run to Lau rens, ten miles away, was made In less than half an hour, and the road be tween these two thriving towns is ideal. Leaving Laurens the party cn i cored on tho last lap of the journey, passing through the towns of Gray Court, Owings and Fountain Inn, where the Greenville Hoe was struck. From this time on the rain steadily In creased and when Slmpsonvlllo was reached the chains had to he put on the wheels lor the car wau ''akkldring" so that it was impossible to make the hit's without the chains. Greenville wau reached shortly after 2 o'clock, tho party putting up at the Ottaray Hotel. Heart of Bich Country. The trip from Columbia to Greon \ ille takes one right through the heart of a rich country, one of the greatest farming centres of Cic South. Large two-story, elegantly constructed farm houses mark the residences of many farmers along the route. Nice out buildings, painted and built with the latest facilities for good farming, are seen in many places. Just above Kin ards, on toward Clinton, there stands a large two-story farm house that ri vals many fine city residences. It Is built of the best material, has many adornments and follows one to the best known styles of architecture. Near it stands tho outhouses, the barn and stables, all painted and of the most modern build. In the yard is a wind mill, which furnishes water for tho farm and house, and standing in front of the house was an automobile. Acres of wheat and oats stretch away from the house, while others acres of cotton and corn nearby stamp this as one of the best farms in South Caro lina, one that will attract Instant at tention. Houses simillar to this are encoun-^ tered in tho rural districts all tho way to Greenville, ain? in fact that there are a large number of such white people on tho farms makes this one of the finest sections in the South. Diversified Farmlug. At one place between Clinton and Newberry a modern dairy barn was just being built and everywhere there were signs of scientific and improved methods of farming and the peoplo seem to bo taking to diversified farm ing. On many of the farms were fine horses and mules, cattle and sheep and poultry, which even tho untrained eye could tell were of the best blood and strain. Evidently the work which Cietnson College and the Federal and State departments of agriculture has been doing is bearing fruit, ? most gratifying sign. The acres and acres of grain, wheat, oats and rye which prevails all along this route Is notlcable. There has probably been more grain planted this year in South Carolina than ever be fore and between here and Greenville somo fine fields of oats and wheat were seen. The grain is Just' about ripe enough to cut and Borne of the farm ers have already begun to harvest it. On many of the farms fields of vetch were seen, and still apother notieable thing was the largo number of pecan orchard^ on <route. Fairly Good Roods. The road, with the exception of the few miles in the "Dutch Fork," near Columbia is fine, except when -just near the city limits of Greenville. The four or five miles Just before entering the limits of that city are about as miserable a piece of road as one could find anywhere. In fact, within a mile of the Grenville limits Js an old red hill, full of h9les, badly cut up, and well4fcgh impassable. Some one has written in chalk a large sign which Is tacked to a tree on the side of this road, /'Isn't this a bad road? Don't you think so?" and when one has passes! over it they will give an em phatic affirmative answer to the querry of this unknown sufferer. In keeping with the prosperous farm ing country with which this region is blessed are the thriving towns and cities, Chapin, Little Mountain, Pros perty, Newberry, Goldvlle, Clnton, Laurens, Gray Court, Fountain Inn, Slmpsonvllle and Greenville, and the other Binailer places on the way all well abreast of the times. Good sttreots and side walks, modern homes, business centres which make a good appearance, all make the trip a pleasant one and gives one the idea of wondering why they haven't before taken the trouble to "see" South Caro lina. It's an instructive and pleasing lesson of the wonderful prosperity which is blessing South Carolina that one gets from this trip. A Fast-Growing City. Greenville is a fast growing city. The progress and growth of this "Gateway to Get There" in the past few years is marvellous. Tall office buildings, good hotels, fine residences are going up on every hand telling In their own way the period of prosperity. The city just getting ready for the Horse Show, Elks* Carnival, and Mu nicipal Sanitary Congress which will take place there this week. People were converging there from all sec tions, and the streets were a hustle with the preparations. One standing near any group around the hotel or on the streets could hear tales of wondjerful Increases in* real estate values and it reminded the writer very much of the real estate talk one hears in Columbia every day. The return trip from Greenville to Columbia was made this morning in six hours, the party leaving the Pied mont city at 7 A. M. and reaching Co ^ _ lumbla a little after 1 P. M., a run of j 130 miles in six hours. The day was1 fine and tne roads magnificent after J the rain of 'yesterday, and there was practically no dust to make the trav- j elling unpleasant. 1 Pcoyle 'icm Charleston who are ac customed to go to the mountains of Western North Carolina in their ma chines use this road from Columbia to Greenville, -and then on to Hender sonville and Asheville, the latter city being only fifteen miles from Green ville, and the road is good. Commis sioner Watson has placed markers all along this road which tolls the travel ler exactly where to go and how far it is, and it is just another one of his many good and useful things that he has done for the people of the State. ****************** * * * WABSWORTH SCHOOL. * * From The State. * * * *?**???> + ****??*** + Executed in 1799, the "last will j and testament" of Thomas Wadsworth "of Charleston In the State of So. | Carolina, merchant," was reprinted some months ago from the public records of Laurens county by tho Laurens Advertiser, and last Wednes day was reproduced in full in the Boston Transcript, on tho suggeston of a member of The States staff. This will, one of the most remarkable tes tamentary documents on file in South Carolina, bears certain internal evi dences that its maker was probably a member of tho famous Massachusetts family of Wadsworths, and probably its main interest for The Trans script resides in its genealogical sig nificance. Chiefly, however, the instrument has importance because of its rela ton to two great movements, the one for the abolition of human slavery, the other for free public education. Wadsworth by this will freed_ his slaves, thus taking for himself place among the first of the ? South Caro lina slaveholders to manumit their negroes. But his benevolence was accompanied with a practical sagaci ty which was not uniformly exhibited by such of his contemporlaries as also set free their bondsmen; for he directed that to each should be given, not his liberty only, but in addition r>0 acres of land, a milch cow and a pig. All of them, furthermore, he recommended to the care of "tho Society of Quakers, or Friends, re siding on Bush river, Newberry coun ty." Similar bequests he made to two negroes who# were servants in bis household. "Only an educated people can main tain a republican government." So believing, with Thomas Jefferson, and persuaded that the commonwealth was menanced by a condition ho had found prevnilllnK In the upcountry, where many white children * were I growing up In Ignorance because of the poverty of their parents, Wads, worth erected Into a board of trus tees his "much respected friends," Chancellor De Saussure and the Unit ed States Senators John C. Calhoun and John Hunter, committing Into their hands his extensive land-holdings In Laufens county, Ninety-Six district, "known as Major Duulap's battalion of the Saluda regiment," as a per petual endowment for "a free school for poor children residing in those limits." Long ago, it now appears the .in tentions of the testator, in respect at least of this modest cducatonal foun dation, were defeated and nullified, because the portion of his estate wherewith ho meant to endow the school with dissipated In llgitation, ex tending over many years?though It Is said the trust still has a construc tive existence. But South Carolina enjoys its rela tive prosperty of the present, and Its hope of the future, chiefly because In Wadsworth'8 time and afterward there were men of light and leading In the State who perceived clearly as he did that provision must be made for the widest practical diffusion of education among the people, or the commonwealth would perish'. His experessed views may therefore be taken as typical of those held by the far seeing among his contemporaries. ' "As It Is my opinion," he said, "that a republican form of govern ment is the best adapted for the hap piness tof man, it is my wish that the children so to be educated may he well grounded in such principles, that they are taught early to read repub lican treatises in order that they be more acquainted with their own rights and those of others, so that when they grow up they may feel and know their own weight and Importance in society, and be enabled to defend and support a republican form of gov ernment In Its purity which has been constitutionally guaranteed to all the citizens of America." Wadsworth, then in advocating the teaching of civics along with conven tional primary instruction, held a po sition remarkably advanced. Only in comparatively recent years have such studies been introduced into the pub lic schools, even as supplementary or side courses. France has long had a law requiring that "scliool masters and mistresses shall teach the chil dren, during the whole duration of their school life, their duties toward their famiiy, their country, their fel low-creatures, toward themselves and' toward tlo?." Ii is likely that V/ods worth had some such idea of the gen eral obligation of a teacher in the lower schools. The same basic con ception was perhaps in the mind of Professor Laurie, when he said, in the course of an address before the Liverpool Council of Education: "To the primary teacher I would say . . ,. your constant purpose must be the moralizing and humanizing of the boys and girls under your charge." Ethical instruction he rated as of supreme Importance. Much of this the child receives rather from his fel low-pupils than from his teacher. "The social factor in a republican education," as F. W. Parker has ob served, "stands above all Other fac tors in Importance. The common school is tho practice and preparation school of the nation; It Is the govern ment in embyro, the infant republic.'* Ruskin has a word on the subject, in his "Unto This Last:" "If you exam ine into the history of rogues, you will find they are as truly manufactured articles as anything else. . . . Let us reform our schools, and we shall find little reform needed in our prisons." The federal bureau of educatiou has concluded, from statistics gathered in 20 States, that the proportion of crim inals among the illiterates is about ten times as great as among those who have been instructed In the ele ments of a common school education or beyond. Blind indeed must he be who does not in this day perceive that society for its own sake, altruistic considera tions quite aside, must look to it that children do not grow up into citizen ship without at least such a modicum of education as will make them "ac quainted with their own rights and those of others, so that . . . they may feel and kno*v their own weight' and Importance In society and be enabled to defend and support ... in its pur ity" that "republican form of gov ernment" constitutionally guaranteed unto them. The Kng of all Laxatives. For constipation, headache, indiges tion and dypepsla, use Dr. King's New Life Pills. Paul Mathulka, of Buffa lo, N. Y? says that they are the "King of all laxatives." They are a blessing to all my family and I alwtys keep a box at home. Get a box and get well. Price 25 cents. Recommended by The Laurens Drug Co., Laurens, ZIP! ZANG! BANG! BOOM! Minter Company's Greatest J I Bargain Carnival | ?-begins ?- 1 1 Thursday, JULY 10th, 1913 It's Good News from a Good Store that Sells Good Merchandise at Prices a Good Deal Less. You willA find a ? Good Natured Crowd. Everybody Buying. Hundreds of Souls Made Happy with the Wonderful Bargains that we will have to offer. Remember the day and date. Be on time. Join the Happy Throng and Get Your Share of the Bargains. J MINTER COMPANY" _LAURENS, SOUTH CAROLINA_ I