The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, March 07, 1941, Image 4
PAGE FOUR
KINGSTREE PHILOSOPHER
PRODUCER OF UNUSUAL
INVENTIONS
(By LAURA C. HEMINGWAY
in The News and Courier)
Homespun philosophy has become
rare in this age of pseudo-sophistica
tion. When it is discovered it is apt
to be found going quietly about its
business of living each day at a time
without envying another or of being
envied. Kingstree has a “home-
spun” philosopher in the person of
Bowen Elipha Clarkson.
Any day in the week, except Sun
day , of course, when you will find
him sitting in the “Amen Corner” of
the Methodist Church, you may drop
in on Mr. Clarkson at his little shop
on Mill street, opposite th? fire sta
tion. You will find him with a smile
upon his face and tinkering away at
some gadget that may be a part of
a sewing machine or of a rare old
violin. In his mouth will be his in
separable pipe. He will point out a
chair for you but he will keep right
on with his tinkering until a new
light sweeps across his face and he
exclaims “‘There! I’ve got it!”
Mr. Clarkson’s friends call his
shop “Noah’s Ark”. Things in here
are not alive but there’s everything
in the world here,” one of them ex
plained. And a glance around con
vinces you there is just about every
thing in the world there from old
magazines to clocks of ancient make.
There is almost an entire armory
composed of guns of various descrip
tions and of ages. One of these is a
Confederate musket with the date
1838 upon it. Another is a Swiss rifle
andi not long ago a native of Swit
zerland chanced to stroll past the
little shop, stopped, saw the rifle,
and immediately was seized with nos
talgia for his “Fatherland” as he
stood stroking the barrel.
* * *
INTERRUPTIONS ARE numerous
during the course of a conversation
with the proprietor of the little
shop. “I thought maybe you could
open this pipe stem so it would draw
better,” says one customer. Then:
“I want you to fix the case for an
old violin; it’s coming apart,” and
the “old violin” turns out to be one
back in 1700 by a famed maker of
violins in Paris, this fact having
been discovered some years ago by
the late David Silverman of Kings
tree, who was famous throughout
the nation as a violinist. That is
hardly out of the way before a young
negro man steps inside the shop and
stands deferentially beside the door,
IT"
THE NEWBERRY BUN
FRIDDAY, MARCH 14. 1941
hat in hand. ‘Cap’n, mah clock in
mah cyar ain’t workin’. Ah wants
you to fix itj up good.”
It is the old story of a man build
ing a better mouse trap than had yet
been built and the world beating a
path to his door, and it is not a fig
urative story, this time, but literal.
Mr. Clarkson built a rat trap some
years ago that was patented and at
tracted so much attention that the
world all but beat a path to the door
of his little shop. In fact, he has in
vented any number of contraptions
and has patented five and he grins as
he declares: “I haven’t got a nickle
from any one of them-” Then he goes
on to lay the blame upon “Luck”,
his orange sizer was declared by
Florida citrus growers as the best
they had seen but just about the
time the patent was issued along
came the freeze of ’94 when all cit
rus fruit in Florida was frozen and,
as Mr. Clarkson expressed it: “No
body would so much as mention
oranges!”
Shortly after his lightning arres
ter, which has been used hereabouts
with success was patented, a travel
ing man became interested and plac
ed the model before his son, an elec
trical engineer of renown. The son
was enthusiastic over the possibili
ties, then he became ill and died sud
denly.
HIS CONTRAPTION for removing
and replacing light bulbs in high
ceilings attracted attention, then,
came the neon lights! There was the
puzzle that he had hoped to place
with advertizers as 'a novelty, but it
was so ingenious that few could mas
ter it!
Then he decided to forget all about
patents and invented for the pleas
ure of inventing. Upon the front
door of his shop is a lock he has
made. He has sold a number of these
at two dollas each and one purchas
er at least, is grateful to him for
this invention. It saved his store
from being broken into after other
locks upon the door had been opened,
the thief made =o much racket trying
to break the Clarkson lock that he
awoke the people across the street,
who turned on a light to see what was
going on, causing the burglar to flee.
Mr. Clarkson was born October 20,
1866 on the Santee to William John
Clarkson, the son of Dr. W. W. Clark
son, who ’for many years practiced
medicine on John’s Island, and his
wife, Mary Jane Gordon.
“I have lived through the most in
teresting, and the most, thrilling
period of history,” he declares. Bom
only one year after the Confederate
HOSPITAL DONATIONS
The Newberry county hospital ack
nowledges with thanks receipt of the
following donations in February:
Mis. Ida Templeton—Two baby
blankets.
Miss Eugenia Epps — One pair
sheets and one pair pillow cases.
Bush River YWA — Valentine bas
kets of mints for patients and work
ing staff of hospital.
Willowbrook club — 20 towels, 4
cakes toilet soap, 1 can peaches, 6
wash cloths.
Zelia Ross YWA — For patients
tiays, Uncle Sam hats of mints on
February 22nd.
Trinity Club — Half pound butter,
2 dozen eggs, 2 pounds sausage, 1
quart mincemeat, 1 quart sausage, 1
quart tomatoes, 1 quart relish, 3
quarts kraut, 2 quarts beans.
Mrs. P. B. Ezell — Cake for nurses.
Miss Louise Davis—cake for nurses
Mrs. J. H. Craft—1 lb. butter, 2
lbs. sausage.
Mrs. Jim Amick—1-2 pound butter,
2 lbs. bacon.
Mr. Ralph Sease—2 pound® ham.
Mr. Joe Werts—2 pounds candy.
MARCH SHIPMENT OF HOGS
The first shipment of hogs in 1941
by the Newberry County Livestock
association will be made on Wednes
day, March 12tlh at the Helena ship
ping pens, according to B. O. Long,
president.
As usual farmers are requested to
have their hogs there not later than
12:00 noon on that date so as to get
the bids in early.
Admiral Nimilz Commissions Navy
Service School Built by Henry Ford
Auto Manufacturer Makes One of His Rare Appearances
Before Microphone
Dearborn, Mich. — When its
huge building program got under
way, the Navy faced another huge
problem, the training of men in
the highly technical duties which
crews are called upon to perform.
The existing naval training sta
tions were already full. Turning
to industry, Navy officials found
that the Henry Ford Trade
School, situated in the heart of
the Rouge plant, was perfectly
suited to such training.
Henry Ford not only offered
the facilities of both school and
plant to the Navy for this pur
pose, but also said he would build
barracks for 1200 students, mess
hall for 2000, administration
building, provision storage, recre
ation room, athletic field, a steam
generating plant.
The offer was accepted, and on
December 6, 1940, the first shovel
of earth was turned on the bank
of the Rouge River. Forty days
later the first contingent took up
quarters in the newly erected
buildings. The inauguration cere
monies were described by Com
mander C. P. Cecil as “unique in
the history of the United States
Navy—for we are dedicating the
first Navy Service School ever to
be operated in connection with
civilian industry.”
With naval officers on the out
door platform beside him, and
200 enlisted men drawn up in
front of the school's administra
tion building, Henry Ford said
that: “During the present crisis
our organization wants to do
everything possible to help
America and the President. The
Navy being our first line of de
fense, I feel that the training of
these young men will vitally
benefit our nation. And, when this
crisis is over, we can then re
claim these mechanically trained
young men in our industries.”
In turning the facilities of
school and plant over to the
Navy for training personnel,
Edsel Ford explained that his
father had established the Henry
Ford Trade School 24 years ago
“because he believed in using the
facilities of the Ford Motor Com
pany for something more than
the building eft motor vehicles.
He believed that these facilities
could also be used for the build
ing of youth.”
Rear Admiral C. V/. Nimitz, who
came from Washin' t^n to repre
sent Secretary Knr , -epted the
facilities of school r..tl plant. “I
can think of no better place for
this extension of the Navy train
ing program.” he declared. “I wish,
Mr. Ford, to express to you the
appreciation of the Navy Depart
ment for this fine demonstration
of patriotism on your part.”
The new Navy Service School
will be under the administration
of Rear Admiral John Downes,
Commandant of the Ninth Naval
District, which includes 13 states
and has headquarters at Great
Lakes, Illinois.
After explaining that the men
to be trained here come from
both the Pacific and the Atlantic,
as well as the Great Lakes, he
added: “We know that Mr. Ford
has here established the finest
school in the world for training
men in the mechanical trades.
This will be the most important
training center that the Navy has
for schooling its newly enlisted
men in the mechanical duties
which they will be called upon to
perform immediately upon join
ing the fleet.”
war came to a close, he learned early
the lessons of restraint and of pri
vation. When he became old enough
to enter school a negro was school
commissioner of Williamsburg coun
ty and his father declined sending
his son to a public school. Fortun
ately be was bom into a home where
there were Jive adults, all of whom
where educated. Two mouths before
he reached his third birthday he had
written every line in two copy-books,
and he was able to read the Bible,
when only four years old.
> • • •
“PEOPLE USE TO READ”, he
says, “and my happiest recollections
! are of the books—and I mean
BOOKS—I read from early child
hood on through life. Reading will
educate a person, provided he reads
the proper books.” He had read
every book in the library of a neigh
bor bn the Santee by the time he was
eighteen years of age, in addition to
that of his own home. One day he
went to the neighbor’s house and
found behind a door a stack of large
books on the floor. These he had not
discovered heretofore and he pounc
ed upon them. They were Ramsey’s
Universal History in thirteen volumes.
He read them every one within a
brief period of time.
Mr. Clarkson is blessed with an
unusual faculty for memorizing. He
forgets little he has read. “It may
sound egotistical”, he declares, "but
I have felt many times after talking
with these young fellows fresh from
college with their diplomas that I
would not trade my education for
theirs.”
“Yes,” he reminisces, “I have liv
ed through a wonderful period of
history. I remember distinctly the
first telephone I ever saw. I was
a boy of eleven or twelve. I had
gone to Charleston with my father.
Father asked a merchant for a cer
tain bit of information that the mer
chant could not supply, but he pick
ed up the telephone. I was all eyes
and ears.”
He enumerated the -inventions of
this last three-quarters of a century
and their influence upon men. He
thinks the present age is producing
men of as fine caliber as of former
periods but not in such great num
bers, the majority being only medio
cre. Time is at too great a premium
today to insure results from the
modem inventions in terms of char
acter.
“I’m proud of my forebears,” he
states simply. “One of them was a
signer of the Declaration of Inde
pendence. But what sets me to wond
ering is that, if they could look down
the years, would they be proud of
MR. CLARKSON is a thirty-sec
ond degree Mason and a Shrmer.
He is known in Masonic circles be
yond local confines. “Masonry is
something that is serious all the way
through, you know,” he has a way of
saying. “There is no foolishness
about it. It is filled with beautiful
languages.”
On the wall of his shop hangs
a framed letter written on White
House stationery. It is from the sec
retary of President Roosevelt, writ
ten at the president’s request, thank
ing him for a walking cane that he
made for the president and sent as
a symbol of the many factions found
in the United States that he feels
the president is drawing together
through his leadership. The cane is
unique in that it is made of two
hundred twenty-five leather washers
of graduated size, strung upon a
spring steel rod. The leather is ham
mered until it is hard as metal, then
polished until it has the appearance
of being encased in cellophane. The
handle is carved from black walnut
and the tip is of brass. President
Roosevelt’s letter expressed appre
ciation of Mr. Clarkson’s symbolism
as well as of the cane.
Mr. Clarkson presented a similar
cane to Governor Blackwood ana an
other to Bishop Kern.
FINDS VILLAGE WITH NOT ONE
PERSON ON /RELIEF
NUMBER OF TAX PROVISIONS
OPPOSED
They Work Together to Get Jobs for
Needy, Select Residents Carefully
Luxemburg, Wis., Feb. 26.—This
thrifty, self-reliant little village,
nestled at the foot of Door peninsula
in the midst of rich cherry-growing
and cattle-grazing lands, has weath
ered depression without a single re
lief case or a cent of bonded indebt
edness.
When one of its citizens is troubl
ed financially, the village rallies to
help.
That is one of the reasons why
there hasn’t been a person on relief
here in more than a quarter of a cen
tury. .
Charles L. Peters, village board
president and owner of the Luxem
burg general store, says “I’ts not
that we are more prosperous, though
the rich hairy herds and the thriving
cherry orchards did soften the blow
of the depression a bit, and it’s not
that we are smarter than other folk.
“It’s just that our people, of good
Belgain, Bohemian, & German stock,
have a tradition of self reliance and
willingness to cooperate in helping
the less fortunate to keep up. And
so we help our own.”
The village helped its own during
the earliest and blackest depression
days, furnishing work and guaran
teeing payment in emergencies of
physicians’ and hospital bills.
One fall early in the depression
the village board learned that 11 of
Luxemburg’s 468 residents faced the
prospect of a hard winter. So the
village decided to start a business of
its own and employ the men. It ac
quired cutting, rights to 10 acres of
timbered land and offered the 11 jobs
cutting cordwood at $2 a day. All of
them accepted.
The 11 worked all winter. At the
end of the season the village, in
stead of having a relief bill to pay,
emerged from its venture with a
slight profit.
The next winter only 7 men need
ed assistance and the village e.gain
acquired timber cutting rights, and
again a slight profit was realized
from the sale of the wood.
The third winter the village was
ready to continue its venture, but
none of its residents needed assist
ance. None has since.
All the original 11 had secured jobs
either in Luxemburg or in other vil
lages—mostly through the coopera
tion of their own neighbors. Peters
said that when one of the villagers
hears of a job opening he feels it his
duty to impart the information to
the relief committee.
Proud of their tradations, the vil
lagers do not welcome newcomers
who fail to conform to their ideals of
industry and thrift. Before a Lux
emburger rents a building to a new
comer or hires him as an employee,
he first is apt to consult with the vil
lage board. If investigation indi
cates the stranger has an unreliable
background or is liable to become a
public charge, his chances of becom
ing a resident of Luxemburg are poor
“This may seem harsh,” said Pet
ers, “yet we feel somewhat like a
family adopting another child. We
want only the best.”
Proposed Levies on Chain Stores,
Amusements, Fuel Oil. Cig-
arets Fought
LINT BETTER THAN CONCRETE
FOR BOMB SHELTERS
Washington, March 1.—Cotton in
stead * 1 of reinforced concrete for air
raid shelters was proposed today.
E. C. Wallace, New'York en
gineer who conceived the idea,
told members of Confress /that a
7-foot thickness of cotton would
resist the penetration of a 6,-
000-pound bomb falling from
30,000 feet, whereas a 2,000-
pound bomb falling 15,000 feet
would penetrate 6-feet of rein
forced concrete. The cotton can
be fire-proofed, it was said, so
that incendiary bombs would
have little effect.
Wallace’s idea stirred enthusiastic
interest among members of Congress
from the cotton producing states.
Representative Boykin (D-Ala) ex
plained' it in a letter to members, and
said he hoped to get a joint demon
stration by the army and navy with
the air corps dropping the bombs.
Boykins said the use of cotton for
all-purpose shelters would absorb
large quantities of surplus cotton.
Plans of the designers call for
spans <of 200 feet or more with
clear ceiling and insulated sheet
steel sidewalls. The roof would
be made of 7-foot thick bated
cotton tied in place by heavy
steel wire netting.
“Woven wire mesh,” said Wallace,
“has been approved as a means of
camouflage and this design has ut
ilized!, this method as additional pro
tection to the shelter. The design
calls for two specially woven wire
mats having a tensile strength of
220,000 pounds to the square inch.
These mats are to be separated ap
proximately 6 feet apart and sup
ported on an angle above the cotton
roof.
‘The method of weaving the top
mat and the angle at which it is
placed should deflect any falling
bombs, and if not exploded, should
retard the fall and cause the bomb
to hit the second screen on its side.
The second mat should resist the fall
of any bomb up to 1,000 pounds, and
if it is a delayed action bomb, de
flect this bomb away from the bomb
shelter.”
Mrs. J. C. Dow has returned to her
home in Lancaster, after a brief visit
with Dr. and Mrs. J. W. Carson.
Columbia, Feb. 25.—The senate’s
$2,200,000 revenue bill providing for
new and increased) taxes drew sharp
opposition today during a public hear
ing by the senate finanoe committee.
The measure would increase taxes
on incomes, ammunition, cigarets,
chain stores and amusements, impose
a tax on higher-priced candies and
boost the license for non-vending
coin operated machines. A six-cents-
a-gallon tax would be charged on
fuel oil used in combustion engines.
Fight Centers On Two
Opposition, for the most part,
centered on the amusement tax
which the senate finance committee
estimated would produce $275,000
new money and the chain store tax
which legislators figured would 1 pro
duce about $300,000.
J. S. Sims, Orangeburg theater
owner, said he had been in the busi
ness for 16 years and that it was
only since 1934 (when the state re
pealed an amusement tax) that he
had made any money. However, he
said, that during the last three or
four months since the national de
fense tax had been applied the vol
ume of admission had dropped.
Others speaking against the amuse
ment tax were George B. Hendrick
son, Darlington theater owner, George
Parr of Lancaster, Representative
Boyd Brown of Fairfield county and
R. E. Bryant, Rock Hill theater op
erator.
Speaks For Growers
Melvin Purvis, former member of
the federal bureau of investigation
and now a Florence newspaper pub
lisher, opposed the excise tax on cig
arets of four-cents on each pack of
20. Purvis contended that the tax
would affect the tobacco farmers and
have a “direct affect on the prices
paid for leaf.”
A proposedl' six-cents-a-gallon tax
on fuel oil drew opposition from both
operators of stationary Diesel and
railroads using Diesel powered equip
ment. The committee "estimated the
tax would produce about $240,000.
Frank Watkins, Anderson indus
trial lawyer, said that a public utili
ty in Anderson county which used
$10,963 worth of fuel oil last year
would have to pay $14,975 in taxes on
the oil if the tax had been in eifect
last year.
Granger Enters Objection
D. R. Anderson, representing the
South Carolina state Grange told
the committee that more than one-
third of all the farms in South Caro
lina used Diesel-powered tractors.
The tax, he said, would cost the farm
ers of the state “three-fourths of a
million dollars.”
A group of boat operators from
Charleston opposed the measure and
contended coastwise vessels would go
to ports outside South Carolina to re
fuel.
More than 15 opponents to the
Modern Alice In Wonderland
A present-day version of the Alice who stepped through the look
ing glass into a magic world, Alice Erie Beasley of LaGrange, Tenn.
1941 Maid of Cotton, is preparing to embark from Miami on February
24 on a three month air tour of cotton fashion shows in 28 major cities
from New York to Salt Lake City. Sponsored by the National Cotton
Council, the Memphis Cotton Carnival Association, and the Cotton
Exchanges of New York, Memphis and New Orleans, the Maid of
Cotton is the official fashion ambassador of the raw cotton industry.
She will be accompanied by Clark Porteous of Memphis, tonr manager;
and by Miss Ruth Witmer. Lux styliat and chaperone.
chain store tux which the committee
estimated would yield $300,000 ap
peared.
T. H. Cribb of Spartanburg, gen
eral manager of the South Carolina
Peach Association, said the tax
would directly affect the peach grow
ers and the farmers of the state.
About 55 per cent of the total ton
nage produced by farmers was bought
by chain stores, he said 1 .
Mill Management Opposes
George Howell, manager of the
Rock Hill Printing and Finishing
company, employing 2,200 persons,
said 65 per cents of mills output was
sold to chain stores. He said the
chains “will blame us” if the tax were
added. He foresaw a reduction in the
orders to South Carolina mills as did
Ray Sweetenburg, general superin
tendent of the Ware Shoals Manufac
turing company.
Thomas P. Thompson of Norfolk,
called the tax “discriminatory,” and
called the tax “discrimnatory,” and
added that the chains were interested
in the farmers and helped them sell
surpluses by creating buyer demand.
Speaks for Consumer
Earl R. Britton, legislative chair
man of the state federation of labor,
said, “I think somebody ought to
speak for the consumer.
“The chain stores have been most
kind to us and I don’t think it’s right
to legislate them out of business.”
Others speaking before the com
mittee were J. M. Denny for the As
sociation-of the Blind; George E.
Prince of the Clemson college exten
sion marketing service; R. E. Ebert,
general manager of 123 Dixie Home
Stores in South Carolina; Clyde Gra
ham speaking for the Women’s Fed
eration of Club of Florence; R. F.
Cannon, Timmonsville farmer; W. W.
Steadman representing the Ridge
Spring Peach Growers association;
John Towles of Charleston and F. E.
Lawrence of the Charleston Indus
trial Bureau.
The committee adjourned its hear
ing without reaching revenue provis
ions which would change the rate of
personal income taxes and the pro
posed tax on coin-operated machines.
BUZHARDT AT QUANTICO
Harry “Shorty” Buzhardt left
Thursday aftemon on the four o'clock
bus for Columbia, where he took a
train for Quantico, Virginia. He suc
cessfully passed examinations for en
trance to the Marine Base there.
Preston McAlhaney, who also applied
for entrance, may be admitted to the
June class.
Davis
1515-17 MAIN ST.
Motor Company
NEWBERRY, S. C.