The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, December 21, 1905, Image 3
^ ?n the, flft
Thr^"7^ the" month, and
/] Wherein the 5on of
^ || Of wedded ttaid and
w ' II Our oreat redemption |
|i^ *T?\at He our deadly j
j Andjwtfh Hi} father, v
|s^ Uhercwjfh he . wont'at
To m tF|C mid^t
AOK. HE Jolly, potbellied, roisterJj
lug old Santa Claus Is in
^ I O hot water. Preachers and
A t parents are rising up
against him. declaring that
i J he Is a fraud aud as sucli
? yfftht .to be suppressed. TLpnk heav
sporadic agitation like this can
no serious results. Recalcitrant
ts and preachers will ?>ass away.
Ciaus will endure r.anl the enu,
*j> ue uas etmureu iruui iue ut^iuiuuB.
No one can say bow old be is or at
' what period he made his flrst appearance
among prehistoric men. The
name of Santa Claus, by which he is
known In America, is the Dutch pet
name for St. Nicholas. The name
* Criss CriDgle, by which he is known
in England, is a corruption of Christ
Kindiein, or the Christ child. But the
festivities that distinguish Christmas
existed long before Christianity, and a
Jolly god of good cheer appears as the
personification of tl^e period from the
earliest pagan times. Now. the Santa
. oito-day is simply that old jolly
?-~ god sobere^TDp, washed and purified.
^ The Dionysia of the Creeks, the Saturnalia
of the Romans, the Twelve
Nights of the old Norsemen and of the
^ Teutons all celebrated the coming of
the winter solstice People then gave
~ -themselves up to all sorts of revelry
and excess. In the Dionysia the representative
figure was not the young
, Dionysus or Bacchus, but the aged,
cheery and disreputable Silcnus. the
chief of the Satyrs, or the god of
drunkards. In the Saturnalia it w^s
^ Saturn, in the Germanic feasts it was
**^Thor, both long bearded and white
Paired gods like Siieuus.
Now, although the central figure of
the Christian festival is the child Cod.
the Christ Kindiein, the influence of
long pagan custom was too strong
within Hn Krnocfe r?f tho oui'lr Phris
tians to be easily superseded. The tradition
of hoary age as thj true representative
of the dying year and its attendant
jollifications still remained
"V - smoldering under the ashes of the past.
\ It burst into new flame when the past
was too far back to be looked upon
with the fear and antagonism of the
church, and there seemed no longer
any danger of a relapse into paganism.
At first, however, the more dignified
representative was chosen as
more in keeping with the occasion.
Saturn was unconsciously rebaptized
as St. Nicholas, the name of the saint
whose festival occurs in December,
and who. as the patron of young people,
is especially fitted for the patronage
of the testival which has come to
be looked upon as especially that of
the young. At first St. Nicholas did
not supersede the Christ child, but accompanied
Him in His Christmas travels,
as, indeed, he still does in certaiu
rural neighborhoods of Europe where
tbe modern spirit has been least felt.
St Nicholas, according to the hagiologists,
was a bishop of Myra, who
Nourished early in the fourth century.
He is the patron of children and schoolboys.
It is strange that everywhere St.
Nicholas is most honored and his feast
MOTHER AND CHILD.
V^gPS^?. "? '" ' . 1
omfng of
ftattvit? z^<,
it
I thi^fhe hof)f?y"morn,
heaven'} eternal Kir^),
Virgin Mother born./
from above did brings
pes once did }tn?, U
forfeit }hould release,N \\
/ork u} a f>er[>etual t*ace Y k
$
\
^YlnrocHnf
'J
ipta (JauJ
day most observed the most pious and
instructed among the common people
know little of the legend of the saint.
He is treated with that mixture of
seriousness and frivolity which becomes
a dying myth. One masquerades
In his dress In the evening and
prays to him in the morning, and so
fulfils a duty without spoiling the fun.
Yet even the mumming has an educational
purpose.
THE GERMAN SANTA CLAUS."
In Southern Germany and Austria (.
youth possessing the necessary religious
knowledge is masked, dressed in
long white vestments, with a silk scarf
and furnished with a miter and cro
zier. He is accompanied by two angels
and a whole troop of devils. The
angels are dressed much like the choir
boys in Anglican or Catholic churches.
Each carries a basket. The devils
blacken their faces and add horns of
pigs' snouts or such other fantastic.devices
as the ingenuity of boyhood can
devise. They are girt with chains,
WU1CI1 xuey siKiKt* ur rami; iuriuuM%v.
It is thought much bettor fun to be a
devil than an angel, hence the number
of the former Is only limited to the
number of boys who are able to eomChrlstmas
Eve In Brlttanj
e"ilH
When the average visitor arrives iu
Brittany for the first time he generally
rubs his eyes to find out whether he is
asleep or awake, for he discovers a
land so novel in its aspect, a people
so quaint in manners, customs and
clothes, that it all seems like a dream
from which he will presently awake
to the nineteenth century he certainly
leaves once the coutiues of this land
are passed. Think of a low, flat country,
with a strange growth of gnarled.
queer-loosing irees, 01 sucmm
of plains with dark, surging grasses,
only now and then a low hovel of a
thatched stoue house, in which the natives
and their live stock, particulaily
the pigs, dwell together.
It is a place of little joy of living,
for the land is ungrateful, and it requires
all the energies of the husbandman
to get even the smallest return
for his work. The poverty is appalling
and beggary is on all sides. The peasants
rarely eat meat because of its
cost. They live mainly on a soggy
black Dread, which is broken up into
mand the necessary regalia. In the
twilight of the evening of December 5
the good bishop and his suite begin
their round of visits. It is the season
for juvenile parties, and almost ail the
children of the village are collected in
a few separate houses, each of which
St. Nicholas visits in turn. He enters
with the two angels, while his swarthy
followers are left to play their
pranks outside. A great silence falls
upon the children, and one by one they
are called up and examined by the
saint. This part of the evening's business
is carried on with the greatest seriousness
and decorum. Simple religious
questions suited to the age of
each child are propounded, after which
it has to sing hymns and recite prayers.
If the ordeal is successfully
pnsse?' 'he angels present it with nuts
and ? 'os. If it fails it has to stand
asid hen the exantluation is end"?l
the H
They are not allowed to approach
the good children, but may tease and
frighten the naughty ones as mnch as
they like. They do this at first as a
matter of duty. Duty Is followed by
tho pleasures whose anticipation had
crused them to enlist?pleasures which
consist in strange dances and antics,
and in pursuing the larger girls with
the attempt to blacken their faces.
Their whole appearance is intended to
be grotesque and farcical. For the on- j
tire evening they are allowed full license
in the villages, though in some I
of the towns the festival has. for good
reasons, been prohibited. For weeks
before the eve of St. Nicholas a devil 1
may occasionally be seen at the window
of some cottage where the children
are supposed to be naughty or
their elder sister is known to be particularly
attractive. It is proof of the
sound nerves of the children that no
harm comes from the ordeal.
When St. Nicholas has left the children
return to their own homes, but
they do not believe that the generosity
of the saintly bisiiop lias been exhausted.
After saying their prayers
and going to bed they place dishes or
baskets upon the windows!!!, with
their nauies written within them, and
in these their parents deposit small
presents, which their little sons and
daughters fancy he has brought.
In many places the bugbear overshadows
in importance both the Christ
child and St. Nicholas. lie appears
under different names and in different
guises. In Lower Austria he is the
frightful Kranipus, with his clanking
chains and horrible devil's mask, who.
notwithstanding his gilded nuts and
apples, gingerbread and toys, which
he carries in his basket, is the terror
of the nursery. In Hanover, Holstein
and Mecklenburg he is known as CJas.
In Silesia his name is Joseph.
Sometimes the bugbear was a female.
In Lower Austria she was
called the Budelfrau. In Suabia It
was the Berchtel who chastised children
that did not spin diligently with
rods, but rewarded the Industrious
with dried pears, apples and nuts.
The female bogie survives, especially
in Russia and in Italy. In the former
place she is known as the Baboushka,
in the latter as the Befana. Befana
is a corruption of Epiphania or Epiphany.
For it is on Epiphany. January
C. that the Italians make presents
to their children in commemoration of .
the gifts given by the three wise men
to Christ on that date.?Now York
Herald.
Th2 Sacred I^ougfy.
Mistletoe seems now Inseparable
from Christmas, but it was not always
so. The use of the mistletoe in our
Christmas festivities is generally concetK<Lto
be a survival of Druidic ceremonial.
Looking back now, we can see
that to this worship of the mistletoe,
and the wonderful cures the Druids
effected by means of it, was due
much to the veneration in which they
themselves were held. To them it was
of Divine origin, possessing powers of
healing and curing disease that gave
it the name of "curer of all ills," or
the "all-heal." The ceremonial rites
connected with the worship of the mistletoe
were performed on a scale of
great mngnitieanee, in the sacred
month of December, during the feast
that ushered in the New Year. The
time for the beginning of these rites
I was announced by the priests, who
r: the Little Carol Singers.
imf* * q tit 1
a soup made of a piece of suet stewed
iu boiling water. When the sardine is
in scasou it is added, although this tish
is generally eaten broiled, and when
the chestnut comes all hands stuff at
all hours of the day. The children
dress just like the grown folks, and
for both a single dress is kept most of
their lives for the best, while on every
day their collection of garments, save
witii the better classes, is remarkable.
But there are Interesting customs
that happen there, and have happened
for. lo, these many years, since there is
little change In Brittany. That of
feeding the poor is a significant one,
taking place on Christmas Eve, as well
as at other times. Here comes the little
ones of the poor to get their pieces
~i- loiuiH nn/1 tlm hnntio nf the
\t I UliiVU Uivuu iii*u ** ? v.
good cure distributes without prejudice
to all comers. The clank of the
sabots is heard along the stone streets
as these uufortunatc children tramp
up to the rectory, and the picturesque?
uess of the scene is emphasized by the
opera bouffe clothes the suppliants
wear.
went about shouting outside the
houses, "New all-heal, new all-heal!"
or "The New Year is at hand, gather
the mistletoe." The cry was followed
by the congregating of the people in
great crowds, to foilow the priests in
solemn procession, as all went into the
woods to search for the sacred plant.
Two white bulk were taken tor sacrificial
purposes, while the three most
ancient pontiffs carried respectively s
bowl of bread, wine and water, and a
hand of ivory attached ton wand, this
j representing power and justice. It
must have been nr. imposing proces
sion, with the ancient pontiffs in full
ceremonial costume leading the way.
! followed by the bards and priests of
various ranks, each in the costume of
i his or<fer.\,and following tbesio the people,
all eager to find the mtstic plant
that \yas a panacea against Till Ills nnd
1 the trip\R0urc? '" to all who
could
PALMETTO AFFAIRS
Occurrences of Interest From
All Over South Carolina
MANY ITEMS OF STATE NEWS
. ?
A Batch of Lire Paragraphs Covering
a Wide Range?What is Going
On in Onr State.
The Pension Commissioners.
Comptroller General Jones has issued
a statement giving the names of
the pension sommissioners in South
Carolina. Only one county has not
been reported?Kershaw. The list,
without the appointed from that county.
is as follows:
Abbeville, J. S. Gilbert: Aiken, Geo.
C. Kdmonston; Anderson. John T.
Green; Bamberg, C. R. Clayton; Barawell,
Washington Halford; Beaufort.
Dr. R. R. Sams; Berkeley, J. Calhour
Cain: Charleston, William Mathers
Cherokee, J. W. McKeown; Chester.
W. It. Edwards; Chesterfield, H. I).
Tiller; Clarendon, A. J. Richbourg;
Colleton. C. G. Henderson: Darli**gton
W. K. James: Dorchester, C. P.
Shuler; Edgefield, J. X. Fair; airfield,
W. S. Crosby: Florence, J. E
Pettigm; Georgetown, J. Harlestor
Read; Greenville, S. S. Crittenden;
Greenwood. B. F. McKeller; Hampton.
J. V. Morrison; Horry, Jeremiah
Misho; Lancaster, W. B. Bruce; Laurens,
J. M. Hudgens; Lee D. E. Durant;
Lexington, Paul Clark; Marion
F. D. Bryant; Marlboro, W. S. Tawnsend;
Newberry, W. G. Peterson; Oconee,
J. W. Holleman; Orangeburg, T
C. Albergotti; Pickens, J. B. Newberry;
Richland, Jno. T. Gaston:
Saluda, L. Rice; Spartanburg, E. F
Wall: Sumter, W. D. Scarboro; Union
N. B. Eison; Williamsburg, H. H
Kinder; York J. F. Wallace.
New Enterprises.
The Eddy Lake Cypress companv
had its capital stock increased froir
$32,000 to $300,000. The companj
was chartered in 1S99 with $20,00(
capital stock. The directors have
decided to increase the capitalizatior
a second time, having raised it tc
$32,000 in 1901 and to subscribe tc
$20,000 capital stock in the Eddy Lake
and Northern raiiwav. inis is im
company in which ex-Congressmar
Scarborough is interested.
The Masonic Temple company ol
Greenville was given a charter. Th(
officers are A. B. Carpenter, presij
dent; Geo. T. Bryan, vice-president:
D. C. Durham, secretary and treasurer.
The officers and the following directors:
J. E. Sirrine, W. M. Jor
dan. Park A. Dallis and L. S. Grandv
The Piedmont Grocery Company ol
Spartanburg was commissioned. Tc
have a capitalization of $50,000. Corporators
are: W. G. Lee and G. W.
Staples of Martinsville, Ya.. and
Brooks Rogers of Petersburg, Ya.
The following were also incorporated:
Werhltin Clothing company ol
Mullins, $10,000: Pros'peritv Drug Co.
$4,000; Southern Bottling Company,
of Sumter, $5,000: Florence Furniture
company, $2,500; Westmoreland Drue
company, of Greenville, increased tr
$4,000; J. S. Fowler company of Anderson.
sales stables, increased fron
$20,000 to $25,000; Dantzler, Iriek &
Co., Parlers. $5,000.
A Costly Case.
Spartanburg. Speciil.?After consuming
more than two days on onr
case in which the suit involved
amounted to not more than $150 damages.
that litigation ended. It was
the case of the Leesville Manufacturing
Pnmnnnv vs the Monrnn Iron
works, inviting damages as to the
alleged deficiency in the grading of a
lumber shipment. The jury rendered
a verdict of (10.40 for the plaintiff.
At the conclusion of this ease, Judge
KImrli dimissed all jurors and equity
business was entered on, and will occupy
the court's time to the end of
the present sesion.
Columbia Gets Camcgia Library.
Columbia, Special ?The mayor and
aldermen of Columbia have decided
to accept the proposition of Andrew
Carnegia to cive the town a library
costing $10,000, to be maintained by
the town at a cost of >1,000 a year.
The ladies of the Students club bare
agreed to furnish a $2,000 site and
donate the club's 1,000 volumes for
the institution.
Valuable Farm Lands.
Aiken, Special.?Farm lands in Aiken
county are getting very valuable,
if the spirited bidding and hitrh prices
produced at public sales are a sun
indication. On snlesday in Aiken :
large crowd attended the public sab
of several desirable properties. Twenty
dollars to sixty dollars per acre
was bid on the more desirable lands.
One plaee of 070 acres sold for IS,700.
Another place of 20 acres near Aiken
brought 1,200. The day's sales
amounted to 32.70.
'
Organ 700 Years Old.
William C. Carl brought back with
him from Japan a pipe organ of ancient
make which he believes will
prove a revelation to modern instrument
builders.
* - "r\/\ -14 k,.*
The organ is <w yt-ars uiu, uui, uvu.withstanding
this fact, embodies practically
all the improvements which
present day builders regard as new.
The pipes are of bamboo, and the instrument
is in a good state of preservation.
Mr. Carl also brought home
a large collection of Japanese music
arranged in modern notation. Previous
to thirty years ago, he says, all
the native music was handed down
from one generation to another in
characters, but since the establishment
of an academy at Tokio a great
impetus has been given to all classes
of music, and more than 600 students
were in attendance at that inr^;;Mna
ttfceu M Carl visit '-Seattle
* ligencer. ^
Palmetto Brevities.
The annual meeting of the board off
visitors of the South Carolina Military
academy was held and a number i
of routine matters were disposed of.
The business consisted%almost entirely
of the reading of reports. Governor
Heyward was the only members
of the board who was not present.
Senator Latimer has introduced a
bill in the Senate to build federal
buildings at Anderson, Chester and
Greenwood, and to appropriate $75,000
for expenses. This bill, if passed
will not effect the status on the new
district bill, that is in statu quo, with
better chances for agreement as to
the places for holding court and passage
this session.
Fairfield county voted on the dispensary
question, under the Brice act,
and the results is three to two in favor
of llio di<r?pncorv TTairfiol/t ia
thus the second county in the State
to retain the dispensary by vote.
The 129th annual communication of
the grand lodge, A. F. M., of South
Carolina convened in Charleston with
between 200 and .'100 delegates present.
One hundred and eighty-two
lodges were represented. Committees
were appointed and the grand lodge
got down to its routine of proceedings
without delay.
Matilda Carr, a little colored girl,
six years old, was burned so serious- i
ly Monday night that she died Tuesday.
The circumstances were such
that at first suspicion rested on a negro
woman who lives in the same
house, but at the eoronev's inquest
held Tuesday night the facts as
brought out indicate that the affair
was an accident. i
A commission was issued to the
Greenwood Savings and Trust company,
to be capitalized at $25,000. The
coiporators are S. H. McGhee, E. E.
Child, Kenneth Baker and X. A.
Craig.
The Cold Point Granite company
of Newberry was given a commission.
The corporators are: M. A. Carlisle,
Geo. X Bryan, S. B. Aull, J. A. Blackwelw
-and J. D. Davenport. Object
of the company will be to quarry rock
and granite and dress stone tfor building
and other purposes. Capitalization,
$30,000.
On Tuesday the splendid monument <
to N. G. Gonzales was unveiled in
Columbia. It was erected by volunk
tary subscriptions.
A commission was issued to the corporators
of the Bank of Fairfield
which will have a capitalization of
$30,000. The parties interested are:
W. R. DotyrW. R. Rabb, J. R. Curlee,
T. W. Traylor and others. The
bank will be located at Winnsboro.
A Tragedy at Gaffney.
J Gaffney. S. C., Special.?Friday
morning the usual quiet of the city
was disturbed, about 8.45 o'clek by
the report of a revolver, fired three
times in quick succession, followed
quickly by the screams of women cry
ing "murder." The police responded
to the call from the Piedmont Inn
As they went in a man came out
calling for a doctor. An investigation
showed that George Hasty shot and
instantly killed Mr. Milan Bennett,
musical director of the "Nothing But
Money" company, which showed here
Thursday night and possibly mortally i
wounded Abbott Davidson, the comedian
and star performer. It was
Davidson who came down the steps
calling for a doctor.
The sheriff and police arested Hasty
and lodged him in jail. The coroner
was notified and empannelled a jury.
Dr. Nesbit testified as to the cause
of death and the jury brought in a
verdict in accordance with . the facts, j
The tragedy was caused by a charge
of insult to a lady member of the
company.
Abbot Davison Dead.
Mr. Abbot Davison died at 0.23
Sunday evening. The end came while
he was surrounded by friends and fellow
members of the orders to which
he belonged.
There was one incident connected
with the death-bed scene that was
most touching. As the spirit of Mr.
Davison was taking its flight, his
" ' > " 1 it ...I,,, l.o.l Knon af
iauniui swccuicaii, v> nv? n?iii .-.vv.. .... ,
his side since he was shot down, knelt j
beside his bed and'rcpeated the Lord's
prayer. There were a dozen or more
men in the room and e *?ry one of
them broke down and we{5t dike children.
His spirit went accompanied
by the praye -s of his faithful ^ *?etlieart,
who ^uld have become Is
wife in a few days. v- <
George Hasty's Story.
When seen in the county r
Hasty, char? d with ?' -C
Mr. Ben e't_a ^ Mr. ,ed
that he shot ^ sel -that
neither of the men ..tetany
explanation and be need on
him, one with a kniTtr e otfcf
with something in his-na^ hif
did not know what. He. .A'
even nft> ? he shot he trie* ti_^J'k
loose f x them. He says vumt the
ladies lib testified knew nothing of
the aftfiir, that he did not invite Mr.
Bennett out but that he was followed
out by both of them, who came almost
in a ran. Ho says that he regretted
t'-'O occurreime very much but if he
wdd it to do over again he would
do as he did this time.
Ledger is Found.
The mystery of the disappearance
of three account books from the Union
Mills, of Union, S. C., involving large
transactions on the part of ex-President
T. C. Duncan, has been partially
j solved by the finding on Friday in the
upper room of the mill office of the
missing ledger by Mr. Clemens, who
was cleaning up, preparator&^o stocktaking.
An examination slu ved that
a number of pages, carrying > ceouuts
of special interest had been'bit out
as if by a pair of shears, amlAs the
innrnnl from which this lodJr was
i nnsted is still missimr the recovered
ledger is of practically no value in
its mutilated condition. The books
I cover transactions for the year 1903,
1904 and 1905.
. No Wooden Indians.
Baltimore board of estimates has
refused to permit a wooden Indian
to -be placed In front of a clgar.stoze.
" ^IWBHJTence Is that a wooden; Indian
Is too combustible.
^5533*
'
BOOKS tO JE ADOPTED
Important Work For State Board of
Education.
The State board of education wil
will be called upon next spring to
abopt a list of text books to be used in
the publig schools. Uniformity in the
use of books is very much desired, but
very few city schools use the same
books as other city schools or as the
free rural schools.
In regard to this matter, the State
superintendent of education, Hon. 0.
??. iuariin, says in ms report to me
legislature:
"The contract for text books used
in the schools under the adoption of
the State bord of education will expire
on July 3, 1906. The law governin
the adoptions has been amended
from time to time, until it has become
somewhat inconsistent, and it seems
to me that a general law should be
passed which will unify and simpyfy
the situation. Section 1239 of the
code provides that 'county boards of
education shall set aside an amount
_not exceeding $.300 for the purpose
of providing the public attending the
free public schools of the their counties
with school text books at actual
c-?st or exchange prices.'
"By a special proviso, ten counties
hi.ve been exempt from the mandatory
provisions of this act, namely:
Charleston, Chesterfield, Edgefield,
Georgetown, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens,
Greenwood, Lexington and Richland.
At the last session of the legislature
a bill was passed allowing township
depositories to make a profit of
not more than 10 per cent, on the cost
price of the books. Under the contract
now in force, no restriction is
put upon prices at which books may
be sold by dealers, so there is naturally
a great deal of confusion and
some dissatisfaction in the handling
of the books. To begin with, the cost
price is stamped on the back of the
, book. A township depositary may
add 10 per cent, to this price. At this,
the purchaser naturally wonders. The
dealer, I am informed, frequently
adds 15 to 25 per cent., and even more.
The purchaser then wonders again.
If it is desired to furnish the books
at actual cost, then I think the Indiana
plan is best, namely, have a State
depository to which the publishers
sell the books at the yowest competitive
bids. The State -depositories
then furnish to the county depositories
at eost, and the county depositories
in turn furnish them to the people
at cost.
"This is a good theory, but it puts
a vast amount of very difficult labor
upon school officers who have other
multituduous duties. Jt seems to me
that the plan that has been adopted by
a majority of the States which have
State uniformity is a simpler and better
one. Any purchaser is willing tc
pay a reasonable per cent, for the
handling of merchandise of and kind.
It is generally agreed thai 1U per cent,
is a reasonable profit on a staple article.
I think the law ought to provide
for a strict contract with the publishers
at a price to be stamped on the
back of each book and provide also
that the books shall not be sold anywhere
in this State above that price
It should provide also that this price
be determined by sealed bids, protected
by bond.
"The State board should have the
right to reject dhy and all bids which
are greater than 10 per cent, on the
cost price of the book. The cost price
can be readily determined by comparison
with the price list in this of
fice from other states, and especially
such a State as Indiana, which buys
books direct at a wholesale price. This
10 per cent, should then be included
in the price stamped on the back of
the book, and the publisher bound by
contract and bond not to allow dealers
to sell their books unless the}' will
agree to sell them at the price stamped
on the back. This will enable all purchasers
to get the books at a fixed
price, and a reasonable profit will
have already taken out of that price
as a discount
"If the dispository system is main?
i V it . xf :i_: _i_ i
lainea in me counues wnicii now uhvc
it, I believe the county superintendent
'ought to be allowed the same 10 per
cent, discount which is allowed to the
dealers. If this were true, I believe
tb',county superintendents in the 10
cdTThties wh^e the dspository act is
op onal would handle the books and
tins' ""ould serve as a check on the
deal* i. I think the county superinten?
.t ought to be allowed the profit
on * unt of the extra work and to
enab. to provide extra clerk hire
untfcually buisy seasons, when it is
impossible for him to be at the office.
I am informed that under the present
contract, the publishers have been
r ing from 5/ > 10 per cent, discount
-dealers on' at is now understood
to be the cost pfiee.
Of course, the county superintendet
cannot expect this discount, because
the law does not allow it; so in one
case the dealer gets a discount and in
another case the county superintendent
is not allowed to take it. It is
clear that the publisher keeps a discount
which he would be willing to
give to facilitate the handling of his
books; so the county superintendent
does the work for nothing, and the
publisher keeps pronr. it noes not
cost the &t?ite anything to allow the
county superintendent to make the
same profit which is now allowed to
township depositories and to dealers.
The dealer under the present law and
contract may not only receive a discount,
but may add as much profit as
lis can get above the so-called cost
price. Under the system which I suggest
and which is in nse in a majority
of the States which have State adoptions,
there would be a uniform,
reasonable price, which, it seems, to
me, would give very general satisfaction.
"I believe the State board of education
will handle the text book ndoptkmjuid
contracts with an earnest,desire
for the welfare of the school a 1
regard to rigid economy."
REFUGEES ARRIY1Wfr l
500 Expatriated Russian
Reach New York
MANY WITNESSED MASSMHnfl
Senator Patricia .and Ohamista1'
Brought the Unfortunate People
They Told Graphic Stories of Their j.
Experiences--Many Men Burst Into
Tears While Telling Story. y'"-.'
New York, Special.?Five hundred
refugees, many of them eye witnesses
of the massacres in Odessa and othii ^p
Russian cities, disembarked here from
the steamers Patricia and Chemnits.
Some of them told graphic and pitiful
stories of their experiences. Jews
who had themselves lain hidden in
Odessa houses while mobs searched
for them, Russian workmen of thu '
m iLfiL _i fl it . Ai - -
cnrisnan laun, sinners xrom me ion* >
roads, a newspaper reporter and. termans
who had long lived in Russia, ;
joined at Ellis Island "immigration
station Jn declaring that they had
been attacked irrespective df religion *
that their assailants were led by po- p
lice (iiguked in titifcn's clothing
and that the nasadjpys. were not race j
pei^ecution, brit' vevWutJtm
Whilo ttlling the'ii*. stories the men
sometimes burst into/tears, for .perhaps
half of the entire nutate? hod
i?x; behind them wives ao8 children who
were either dead or defcnselts* /A.
in Wuss;.ill ?itjos.
The i e v/ere thrte Jews front Ode*sa .
all of whom six weeks age weiVforced |
inti> hiding to save their livej. Alt
three a en are ov&r thirty, *
nr. 1 of hue physique. One of titem,'
Ab \"arn Chanoch,m au Odessa t nsmiiii.
told what he saw of Ike Odessa
mas e from its beginning when two
rival parades, which wero celebrating
the new constitution, rpet and began
to light. He told how little children
wcr^ thrown out of high windows, hoar -'M
Russian Christians patrolled
streets in large bands protecting Jews
while other bands of men pillaged and
murdered. Workmen and students, he
VIid, led the peace parties, white J2
disgurset police usually led the hood- *
lums. After the first two days, hs'-/vi^
and two companions escaped from the . t
city.
Two refugees from western Russia
said that there the Jew killing
was started by emptying the jails
of prisoners who attacked and stole
from the Jews. A man from the pro- ( ;
vince of Kovno, asserted that the police
themselves read in the Emperor's
proclamation of a constitution an or- "jp
der to kill all Jews, and cried this
lie through the streets.
Blow Up Factory.
.i? V" O TK? <A1>UM
iliiKlUIJ* L\J .j upctiai A. *av vvwhvw
factory here owned by Mrs. M. B. ?
Penyck and operated by the American
Snuff Company, was blown up by
dynamite early Tuesday morning. j
There was no loss of life, but the
damage to the factory was complete.
There was no insurance on the plant *
as the insurance company had only
a few days ago cancelled the policy^
owing: to the excitement oecassioned in
this locality by the tactics of some
tobacco growers. Jhe force of the '
explosion was felt for a long distance. '.if>
Several honves in the vicinity were
damaged as was the depot.
Bell Telephone Co. Sells Tampa Plant.
#w
Tampa, Fla., Special.?A meiger of
the local telephone exchanges was
announced whereby the Southern Bell
Telephone Company abandons the local
field, its plant, equipment, business
and franchises being acquired by
the Pennisular Telephone Company,
the independent company which ban
been operating here several years.
The consideration has not beeiTmadn
public. ^
Witte is Interviewed. /
London, By Cable.?The correspondent
of The Daily Telegraph at St.
Petersburg, in a dispatch dated December
10 by way of Eydtkuhnen,
sends an interview with Count Witte,
in which the Premier indicates that
Russia is confronted with the alternative
of a revolution or violent coercion.
Though the count has not abandoned
hope, he is not sanguine, and
if forcible repression should become
necessary, he will, according to the
correspondent, resign his task to other
hands.
Persians Threaten to Invade Turkey.
Constantinople, By Cable.?Trouble^
is threatening on the Turko-Persian *
frontier at points which have never
been exactly delimited. Five thousand
armed Persians threaten to invade
and take possession of a strip
of territory in the Vilayet of Mosul
claimed by Turkey. Two batallions
of Ottoman troops with three guns
have been despatched to repel the invasion.
Six Children Burn to Death.
Dubois, Pa., Special.?Six children
were burned to death at Lendsey,_p.eax
Puxsutwaney, at an earlv honr Tuesday
and William Morgan and wife
the parents, with their two remaining '
children, barely escaped with their
fives. Both the father and mother
were badly burned in attempts to
save their little ones from t' numing 1
UULLiC. ^ ^
$2,500 Jewelry Packages Disappear. I
Houston, Texas, Special.?Three J
packages containing jewelry, ftateh "
cases and works to the value of $2,500 m
disappeared from an express wagoa
Hie packages were left under the seat flHj
while the driver stepped across the^^H
street. When he returned they wcre^JH
rone. They were consigned to jew- IB
dry firms in Houstou and were about
o be delivered. A similar event or
V last week when a package va' B B
t $1,100 disappeared. |HB