out him: "His death has caused great sorrow throughout this entire community, as all who knew him to be a good neighbor, a llard-working man, a good husband, honest and kind to Qve ' ody. We hate to give up such men,."ut HIe that maketh no mistake can bind up our broken hearts and heal all of our sorrows." RUG . WILSON .ASSES - AT AiBBEVThLE HOMO Veteran Editor Conducted One News. paper for Fifty Years. Funeral Held Wednesday. Abbeville, Dec. 17.-Hugh Wilson, for many years editor and owner S t% Abbeville Press and Banner, died at his home here tonight after an ill ness of about two weeks. vtr. Wilson was born in Laurens in 1838, but moved to this place when he was 20 years of age and became the proprietor of The Banner, which he edited up to about ten years ago, practically round ing out a half century in that capacity. He was never married. Funeral ser vices will be held Wednesday after noon. Interment will be in the Episco pal cemetery. He is survived by three half brothers and two half sisters. They are: James and Robert Wilson of Greenwood and Paul Wilson of Chester. The sisters are: 'Mrs. Camp bell and Mrs. King of Greenwood, Farmers Bank Declares Dividend. At a meeting of the directors of the Farmers National Bank, held recenti a dividend of four per cent was de clared, -payable January 1st. .This. is the youngest bank in the city and is making rapid strides in its growth. SOLDIERS APPRECIATE Y. M. C. A. Lourens Boy in Training at Camp Wheeler Enthusiastic About Its Work. "The greatest work in the army is the Y. M. C. A." writes 3. 0. Wolff, of this county, who is in training in the Medical Corps at 'Camp Wheeier, Ga., to his relatives. air. WVolff is the son of 'Mr. J. H. 'Wolff, of the Shiloh sec tion. lie writes to his father, in .part, as follows:. Guess there are quite a few Laurens boys now in France as I read from Trho Advertiser. Quito a mock wedl ding you had at Shiloh! W~ell, you talk of raising money for this and thdt, but the greatest work in the army is the V. M. C. A. .Wasn't for it I don't know what 'would become of us. And think! They are worging right up in the trenches in France. Today you can get Y. M. C. tA. stationery, books, magazines and papers to read on any of the battle fronts. Who is doing it? The people at home! The bx and the sausage wore also .fine. 'W nave cer tainly been living hiirh -this week. If it wasn't for our own loved ones and the Y. M. C. A. it certainly would 'be a desolate life. To Teach Agriculture. At a meeting of the board of trus t1ej .of the L~aurens city school, an a. ropriation of $360 was voted for il purpose of procuring the agricul tu training course provided by the federal department. This donation is mide on condition that four other selipols in this district appropriate .100 each, thtis forming a group of hooJl# for one 1nstructor. The other mIs asked to join in the enterprise 2d*Piity 4Sigo, .Prospoot, Dailey dealand. 0 A Mos' NEW ALLIES STILL HO] TIVE IN WI EncouragIn,!Revew , f t9he the Secretary of War. In the West for Washington, Dec. 16.-"No element in the military situation should lead us to conclude that the initiative in the west had passed from the allies to the enemy," says Secretary Baker in his weekly review of military opera tions, made public today and devoted largely to the Gerhan advertising of an impending great offensive. "During the .period of the review ('week ending yesterday) the general military situation in the west has re mained unchanged," the review says. "iRumors of great preparation on the part of the Germans with a view to achieving some major strategic suc cess in the west continues to reach us. "Reports of massed hostile concen trations In these sectors where the enemiy poposes to break through the Frienchi front and roll back the allied line on a broad scale, are numerous. "The German higher command seeks peace through victory. The enemy is alpparently very eager to have us be lieve that he is about to win such a victory. "For the past two years the (Ger mnans have been on the defensive in the west. The bold advertising of an imposing offensive on the part of the enemy, which -while in the realm of pib51ility andi therefore should not be neglected or overlooked; must in no wise be interpreted to mean that the increased strengtht of the hostile forc es wviii result in any permanent strat ogle advantage to the Germans. "8ut'veying the outlines of the gen eral war strategy on all fronts we find that both .belligerents have'beon on the offensive during the past six months. "The Central powers . have taken the initiative in the east and Italian theatres; the allies along the major front in the west, in -Palestine, AMeso potamia and I~ast Africa. The enemy has confined his efforts to advancing his lines along the Rus sian fiont, resulting in the caipture of Riga, and then by a well conducted of fensive in :Italy, with the assistance of an. intensive political drive, gained a marked strategic success in this se'c.. tor. "The allies, in the principal theatre of operations, the west, have been able to record an almost uninterrupted se ries of tactica~l advantages, and in spite of .the concentration of a pro ihond~erous maiority of the mnet. nin RIY ONE : muyp STMAS HMIAPPY LD INITIA ST, SAYS BAKER Military Situation Made by Germans on Defensive Past Two Years. cient German divisions, have gained considerable terrain, and taken a large quota of prisoners. "In the outlying areas of Mesopo tamia and Palestine the British have driven the enemy before them, and their offensive culminated during tl; week in the capture of Jrusalem. "Though the capture of the 1oly City cannot, be held a principal mili tary objective of. the campaign so vig orously pursued by General Allenby in this theatre, the conquest of Jeru salem will have a wide influence through the Turkish empire and will go far towards reaflirming the prestige of the allied power through the Orient. "Germany realizes the danger at tendant upon the waning of her in fluence in the East pnd will therefore be more anxious than ever to conclude a sp~eedy speace as the 'wvar-map' be comes less favorable. "The raiding of German towns in the interior, more especially the industria! centers of the Rhine land, by allied aircraft, as reprisals for the repeated bombardment of opeun towns in France and Great Blritain b~y the Germans has been successfully initiated. "Reports of observers recently out of Germany, who were .present during previous alir raids state that the r'aids have had a very depressing effect on the civilian population and have heightened the gr'owing discontent among the German people, who nowv for the -first time are being brought face to face with the real war condi tions. "The armistice concluded by Rus sians with the enemy now includes the entire eastern front from the 'Baltic to the Black Sea. Negotiations are not proceeding smoothly. The German de mands as reported to us, specify, among other points, the immediate op ening up of channels of commercia' intercourse betwveen Russia and Ger many." To Preach at Presbyterian Church. Rev. C. C. McNeil, who is doing spe cial ministerial work at Camp Jack son, Columbia, will preach at the morning service at the Prespyterian chtkch Sunday. As his presence is re quired in Columbia that evening, there will be tno eveniing bervice. il!@T NAVE 1917 LICENSE 'LA'il;y Automobile Ownioers ('annot tIse 1918 license l''htes Until After ,inuary Aulonobile owiiers who have not so cired 11117 license plates and are us ing !91 p4iales instead are running a risk of heing arrested d ndlined. stal ed Chief .J. T. Crews yesterday. H14, has .insi leceived a letter fromui the state hi.-hwayi coninmissio~n calling' hri atlenltioll to the delilnlqu elcy on 11' Part of some auto owners. The liter is as follows: To the Chief of P'olice: We wish to call youir attention nmain to the fae that a nubiiher of autolo bile owners seem to have the imlpres sion that they can operate their ears during 1917 under their 1914 license, which will he mailed out from tils of lice within the next two or three days. The 1914 I icense plates can he placed oil automobiles prior to .anuary 1st, but the 1917 license plate must. also remain on the car un1til that date, and a car which is being operated during 1917 under the 1918 license plate on ly. is being operated illegally and the owner or driver enn be prosecuted for such violation of the law. We bespeak your co-operation in this matter for the balance of this month. Yours very truly, Slate liighway Department. MEN OF DRAFT AGE MAY YET VOIINTEER Infantry, Signal Corps. Medicad (orps and Quartermuster's Department Still Open. Washington, IDec. I.--Provort Mar shal-General Crowder today issued to governors now rules un1e which men of draft. age may join the colors ai their own request. White m11an11 only will he accepted and they may enlist only in the infantry, signal corps, medinl corps and quartermaster's de p'artment,. Supply conditions are such, General Crowder said, that no men can he aecepted in the coast artillery, field artillery, cavalry or engineers corps. Volunteer enlistments in the regular army by men of draft age ended at noon Saturday and they may be in ducted into service now only through their local boards. General Crowder's telegram specified these camps to which men accepted to the special ser vice open to them may be sent: Aviation section, signal corps, to Kelly Field, Sin Antonio, Texas. Land division, signal corps, Fort Leaven worth, Kan. Medical department, to Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., by boards cast of the Mississippi River. Quartermas ter corps, Camp Joseph I. Johnston, Jacksonville, Fla. Ordnance depart ment, Raritan depot, Raritan, N. J. Infantry, to Camp Green, Charlotte. N. C. HAS NOTHING TO SELL. lied Cross Distributes Gifts Without Mone'y and Without Price. "The Red Cross has nothing to sell, and( everything to give away" Is the way D)r. JTosiahi Morse, field d1iector of the Red( 'Cross, put it. T~e had r'e eilved a letter from a iady in North Carolina telling her that a soldier who had retulrnedl home on a farlough had statedl that sergeants had told their men that 1they could get sweaters from the Red Cross for $3. Dr. Miorse will write the lady that there is aibsoluitely no truth in such a statement. What the t1edl Cross has ibeen trying to dho is to see to it, as far as plossible, that each mani had a sweater. Not to give a sweater to any man51 who alrJetady hiad 0one, and 1not to make personial gifts to individutal sol diers, .hut as an organIzation it tries to have its gifts mlade by companies so that each man in the company may have a sweater. Inditvidiual citizens may make or have made sweaters for inldivliual soldiers, but with that the Red Cross has nlothing whatever to do. -The State. ('ot ton Ginings Increase. Air. C. W. MicCravy, county statisti cal agent. reports 31,698 bales of cot toil ginnied -Prior to Dee. 1st, againlst 27,207 blales ginnedc~ dulrinig the same pieriod last year, an increase of 4,498 bales. The total number of Wiles ginned during thme season last year was around 31,500, so this county has al i'endy gInned as much cotton this year as duiring all ot last year with the ginnings of the 'first Weeks of Decem ber extra. The ginhings for all of' this season should go to at least 35,000 bales. RSSIANS AND HUMS AGR[[ TO ARMISTIC Peace Negotiations to Fol low Armistice. TROOPS REMAIN IN TH E EAST ()ne( C'ondition (of thlie A mis:tice, Whieh i.eniider of iolsheit'vil.i (iact (erize' as l'iin datIte ii fit I, is that (ermnisi Shall Nt 'T'ranstifer 'roops From listern to Western 'Theatre. Bierlin, I)ee. IG.----A\n atrniistice agr( mnent betwveen the lIolsheviki g~ove^1 11et11 inl Russi a and the Teutonic al lies was signed at Ilrest-ljitovslk Sait uirday, according to an e i1ll(1al Comn 1m11nication issued today. The armis t ire becomes effective at noon Mlonday and is to remain in force until Janu ary H-. A provision in the armistice agree inent. is that jPeave negotiations are to begin immediately after the signin 2 of the arilistice. Tle text of the comnllintication fol lows: "An armistice agreement was signed of Brest- lilovsk yesterday by plenipo tentiary representatives of the Rus sian upper ariny administration on the one hand and those of the uipper army administration of Germany, Austria Ilungary, Hulgaria and Turkey on the other hand. "The armistice began at noon 'lit cehber 17, and remains in force till January .1, 1918. Unless seven days' notice is given it continues in effect atliom!latica lly. It extends to all the land, air ai a naval forces of the con mon fronts. "According .to elause 9, of the u3 ty Peace negotiatiorm are to begin imme diately after the signing of an armis tice." 'Terits Agreed Upjioi. Petrograd, Dec. It;.--Announcement was ,made today by the B3olsheviki of ficial news agency that Russia anti Germany had agreed upon the terms of an armistice. 'Trotzky on Aristiee. Petrograd, Saturday, Dec. 15.--Leon Trotzky, the Bolsheviki minister, de clared it a meeting o1 the Petrograd council of Soldiers' and Workmen's Delegates tonight that an armistice governing operations on the Russian front will -e signed today or tomor row. He added that peace negotiations would be begun immediately after the atmistice had been signed. The foreign minister announced that for a time a break in the negotiations seemed imminent because Gen. Hoff mann, the G( rIman negotiator, insisted ()n the right to transfer troops in small itits. The (German comander finally accepted thle 1issian formula. ta rismi ini any way,' Al. T1rotzky said. "Th'is