The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, December 11, 1909, Image 6
CM6RESS IN SESSION.
?kv ait: AMi hoi sk hold brief
session.
Ko BuiUnena Wa* Transacted and the
Benwfton Wm a Mere Form?Very
Few Member* Were A beent and
They Spent the Day In Exchanging
Greeting* and Attending to Per*
tonal Business.
Washington. Dec. 6.?The two
housee of congress convened today
for the fire regular session of the
?bcty-nrnt congress, but the day s pro?
ceedings were In great part of a so?
cial nature and practically no busi?
ness waa transacted.
Brief as was the senate's IS min?
ute session, it was enlivened by an
unsuccessful attempt on the part of
Senator Bailey to prevent the passing
of the usual resolution that the sen?
gte meet daily at noon, suggesting
that the senate convene Instead at 3
o'clock.
Mr. Bailey said he would like to
gee the senate h'old night sessions In
order that senators might devote the
day to Individual business. No objec?
tion was offered when a similar res?
olution was Introduced In the house
A Joint committee was named by
both house* to wait upon the presi?
dent and to Inform him that congress
was In session and ready for any busi?
ness he might wish to lay before It
The president's response will consti?
tute his annual message, the reading
of which w ll consume practically all
of tomorrow's sessions of the two
houses.
The house session continued 40
minutes, during which W. W. Mc
Creedle the new representative from
the Second Washington district, who
succeeds the late Francis W. Cuah?
men, was sworn In. The greater part
of the session was taken up by the
roll-call. AI though only 341 mem?
bers respondod to their names, al?
most a full membership appeared on
the floor of the house and there were
few among them that did not have
one or more bills to offer.
ATTEMPT AT RAPE FAILS.
Negro Lodged n Ktajptrce Jail Ac?
cused of Heinous Offence.
Klngstree, Deo. 6.?A daatardly
bat unsuccessful, attempt to commit
sane "-..j, made In this county today,
?ear Bethel Church, about a half
mile from the Clarendon County line.
A little girl about 13 years old. was
en her way to school'a little before
? o'clock, when she waa approached
by a negro youth about 18 or II
years of age. Without warning, the
negro seised her and dragged her In?
to the woods near at hand, the girl
screaming and fighting. Young Mr.
Burgess, who lives in the neighbor?
hood and was on the road In his bug?
gy, heard the screams and hastened
to the scene. As he approached he
saw the little girl on the ground la
the clutch of the negro, whom he
recognised and who broke and ran
Into the woods. Mr. Burgess gave
his Immediate attention to the poor
child, who had her clothes almost
stripped from her person and was In
a hysterical condition.
si'anwhtle the alarm was spread
In the community and a vigorous
search Instituted. The news came to
Klngstree, and a party was organised
and started up the road to join In
the hunt. Before this party reached
the sceae of the attempt, Trial Jus?
tice MrErveen came up with the ne?
gro In the woods and soon had him
tied securely. Mr. McElveen, with
the help of some flve or six of his
neighbors there brought the negro
quickly and safely to Klngstree and
lodged him In Jail about 3 o'clock.
Hot* the crowd which was every hour
growing bigger, gotten possession of
the negro, It Is doubtful If he would !
have gotten to Jail. Now that he Is
lodged In Jail no violence Is appre?
hended. Mr. Burgess who went to
the child's assistance, was In time to
prevent the scoundrel from accom?
plishing his purpose. The negro
gives his name as John Wood* and
has worked at various times In
Klngstree. Great credit Is due to
Mr. McElveen and his posse 'or their
cool headed work and good Judg?
ment In bringing their prisoner safe?
ly to Jail.
HI HEM RF.lt HIT ISSl'FD.
More Than Two Million Rale* I.e*s
Than Ginned last Year.
Washington, D. C. Dec. 3.?Bureau
report Issued today shows cotton gin?
ned to Dec. 1st, 1909, 8,878.277 bales.
Ginned last year to same date, 11,
?01. Mt
Ginned to same date. 1907, 8,343.
398 bales.
Ginned after Dec. 1st, last year 2.
?11.000.
Ginned after Dec. 1st, 1907, 2,715,
?00.
The statesman out In Missouri
who nominates Roosevelt for
third term need have no fear of
new party. If Roosevelt Is renomln
ated the Democrats will heat him.
0t. Louis Republican.
KALLEY'S COMET SEEN.
________ i
Scientists Calculate That the Great
Meteor Will Come Within 14,000,
000 of the Earth.
Halley's comet, which has caused
much discussion recently in the
scientific world, after an absence of
about 75 years, was observed last
night in this city by Dr. John *R.
Hooper and other members of the
astronomical section of the Academy
of Science, through the large tele?
scope recently installed at the aca?
demy.
Dr. Hooper said the comet could
be plainly seen through the instru?
ment on the roof of the building.
Ince the moon was not shining and
there was no mist.
"It is now passing through the
cluster of stars," said Dr. Hooper,
called the Hyades, the bright red
star Aldebaran being the principal
one. It Is In the constellation Tau?
rus and when I first observed it it
was in right ascension 4 hours, 25
minutes and 30 seconds, and at
north declination 15 degrees, 54
minutes. It was moving slowly
southward and one degree west
wardly. The comet is now 220,000,
000 miles from the sun and 135,000,
000 from the earth. Its appearance
through the telescope is a round
nebulous body, with bright central
condensation that looks like a blur?
red star."
Dr. Hooper said that theoretically,
according to the calculations of
scientists, the comet cannot be seen
through an Instrument the size of
the one at the Academy of Science,
which has a 9.6 aperture.
"The comet tonight," he added,
"is much brighter than could have
been predicted. It is moving at the
rate of 1,250,000 miles a day to- j
ward the sun and Is dally becoming
brighter.
The comet was first observed by
Dr. Hooper at 7.40 o'clock.and after he
was sure he had made such an in?
teresting discovery he called In sev?
eral other members of the astrono?
mical section, who agreed that it
was the comet so much sought for.
Dr. Hooper has been watching for
the comet every favorable night,
but the recent condition of the moon
prevented the observation of any
faint objects in the heavens. Last
night the conditions were ideal for
observation.
Dr. Hooper was greatly elated ov?
er his discovery, as he says It proves
to the people that the members of
the academy are not asleep, but
keenly alive to what is going on in
the scientific world.
Dr. Hooper said that after he
"picked up" the comet again In a
six-Inch glass it appeared bright
enough, he said, to be distinguished
without any doubt. It showed
brighter up and In a clearer sky.
This was about 10.30 o'clock.
The comet has not been observed
in the East since November 15.
when it was reported to have been
seen at Belolt College, New Hamp?
shire. It was first seen September
17 through a 15-lnch instrument it
the Harvard Observatory. About a
month later It was seen at North
field, Minn., through a 16-inch in?
strument.
As far as l# known this Is the first
time that the comet has been ob?
served through a 9.6-lnch Instru?
ment which gives the members of
the academy additional grounds for
congratulations. This instrument
was acquired by the academy last
winter from Mr. George R. Vickers.
the well-known capitalist and stu?
dent of science, whose observatory
at Mont Alto was famous. It Is an
immense telescope, which looks
much like a great cannon pointing
to the skies.
The comet was observed by Dr.
Halley more than 200 years ago. Dr.
Halley predicted that it would re?
turn again. It was first observed in
September, since which time astro?
nomers have been carefully observ?
ing Its position in the sky and cal?
culating its path in order to find
out Just how near It will come to the
earth and when it will pass closest
to the sun. It Is calculated that
early In May the comet will come
comparatively close to the earth
about 14,000.000 miles?and that It
will present a magnificent spectacle
In the sky. It will appear, accord?
ing to scientific men, as a brilliant
object with a long, flowing tall, pos?
sibly 10 degress In length, as long as
10 full moons, and will stretch the
distance from horlzen to the zenith.
It Is computed that the comet will
cross the face of the sun and that
the earth will pass through the tail
of the comet. This comet, as is
well known, goes about the sun as
one of the foci of its motion In the
path of an ellipse for the same rea?
son that the earth Journeys once In
a year In Its orbit, being compelled
to do so by the attraction of gravi?
ty.? Baltimore Sun.
Colonel Roosevelt Is too remote
from the public stage to be entang?
led In tho New York custom house
scandals In which so many of his ad?
herents are Involved.?Philadelphia
Record.
REPORT ON HIGH SCHOOLS.
PROFESSOR HAND REVIEWS THE
SITUATION.
The High School Law Is Declared to
Have Had a Very Beneficial Effect
on Educational Work in South
Carolina.
Columbia. Dec. 7.?W. H. Hand,
high school Inspector, has submitted
his third annual report to the high
school board. The report is issued
as Bulletin No. 13 of the University".
It Is pointed out In the report that
the benefits of the high schools have
been more immediate and far reach?
ing than was expected. In summariz?
ing the results It is shown that the
high school law has Increased the
number of high schools, the number
of high school teachers, the salaries
of high school teachers and the num?
ber of high school pupils. It has been
the means of establishing high schools
where there were none before and of
increasing the efficiency of those al?
ready established. It has been the
means of increasing local school
levies In a large number of districts
and of levying taxes where none
were levied before.
Other results as shown are that
during the past three years nearly
$700,000 has been invested in school
buildings, completed and in the
course of erection, ranging In cost
from $2,000 to 40,000. Many of these
were built to accommodate high
schools, and owe their existence to
some measure of the high school U w.
In numerous districts the school
t-rm has been lengthened from one
to two months in order to meet the
requirements for high school aid.
In fully two-thirds of the State
aided high schools the teaching force
In the common school department
has been increased to meet the re?
quirements of the State high school
board, especially is this true In the
rural high schools.
Inspection of Schools.
The inspection and classification of
the high schools have already done
much toward the defining of a high
school and differentiating between
a high school in name and a high
school in fact. ....
Continuing the report says: "The
popular mind is beginning to distin?
guish between the work of the gram?
mar school and the work of the high
school on the one hand and be?
tween that of the high school and
that of the college on the other hand.
Ultimately the accurate classifica?
tion of high schools will automatical?
ly classify, the higher institutions fed
by the high schools?a consumma?
tion devoutly to be wished.
"In reference to reports on high
schools It is stated that the first at?
tempt at a report of the high schools
of the State was made In January,
1907, two months before the passage
of the high school law. To secure
data for this was a very arduous and
uncertain task. Mr. Hand was forc?
ed to trust largely to data gathered
by reports from the schools doing
more or less high school work. Lat?
er Investigations showed glaring In?
accuracies In the data, and it may be
admitted at once that the Inaccura?
cies, almost without exception, were
on the side of a favorable showing
to the schools. This wi s rather to
be expected. As instances, pupils
under the most liberal interpretation
not belonging to the high school had
been counted; schools reporting two
high school teachers often gave part
time of one or both to the common
schoot; more than one-third the
school counted the seventh grade as
a part of the high school; schools
with a half dozen pupils in elemen?
tary Latin styled themselves as high
schools; schools not doing the work
of good three-year schools claimed
four-year courses. However, tak?
ing these reports at their face value,
a marked advance can be shown."
Increase in Schools.
In 1906, there were in the State 95
public high schools; In 1908, under
more rigid classification there were
128. In 1909 there were 154, the
smallest of which has one teacher
giving all his teaching time to not
fewer than 15 high school pupils.
The State high school board recog?
nizes nothing below the eight grade
or eight school year, as belonging to
the high school.
As to appropriations the report to
the hoard lias to say that for the
School year 1907-1901 the high
?ChOOl appropriation was $r?0,000; the
Sate high school board aided 50 high
?Choolt, used $28,210 and returned to
the State treasury $21,790. For the
year 1908-1909, the appropriation was
ggaln $.r>0,000; the board aided 96
high schools, used $44,295, and re?
turned to the treasury $5,605. For
the year 1909-1910 the appropria?
tion Is $60,000; the board has ac?
cepted for aid 132 schools and has
apportioned $54,073. A few schools
will bo given an additional appor?
tionment contingent upon their exeel
lence shown upon inspection later in
the year.
"However hackneyed the term, the
high school is the people's college,"
says Mr. Hand In his report, "In it
that large and important class of
people who never reach the college
are to receive their training for In?
telligent: citizenship, for industrial
efficiency and for social enjoyment.
The high school offers boys and girls
unable to go to college an incentive
to go beyond the elementary school;
the high school is constantly beckon?
ing to the pupils of the common
school; it meets the desires of the
ambitious, and lends a magnetic in?
fluence to the Indifferent and the
discouraged.
"Every community maintaining 0
good high school is making for itself
an intellectual centre, and elevating
the tone of every man and woman in
it. Every pupil taking a high school
i education Is a distinct gain to the
State and to society."
A, very striking statement and one
of great importance to every citizen
of the State is the following para?
graph taken from the report: "The
common schools are suffering from
a lack of competent teachers. A j
very simple mathematical calcula?
tion will show that it would be im?
possible to put college trained teach?
ers in charge of all the children in
the common schools. For years to
come the high schools must furnish
the majority of the teachers in the
common schools. Hundreds of the
teachers now engaged In the com?
mon schools have only a common
school education. This is specially
true of the country schools.
"The high school is the very found?
ation upon which the higher institu?
tions must rest. Without it the col?
lege and universities could not exist
and do their legitimate work.
"The average community can
maintain its high school on less
money than it usually spends on its
pupils attending higher institutions,
while still doing high school work.**
After discussing many other phases
of the high schools, Prof. Hand con?
cludes as follows:
"A few people are inclined to be?
come impatient with* what they re?
gard as the slow process of the high
school development, and even to
grow pessimistic as to the outlook.
Such a view should not find one to
entertain It. The growth and devel?
opment of the high schools are tak?
ing place as rapidly as consistent
with permanency. The most lasting
monuments are those built at the ex?
pense of time and much labor. To
build a permanent system of high
schools must take time. It will re?
quire years to establish a syscem
that will stand. Everything is en
couraging; all that are needed are
intelligent direction and persistent
work.
"Not every high school in the State
has grown in efficiency as it might.
A very few have made very little ap?
preciable progress within the past
four years. Six or eight of the State
aided high schools have been to me
and to the high school board sources
of disappointment, but even in these
there are evidences of awakening. It
requires some time to arouse a com?
munity which has neglected its school
for ten or fifteen years, or has pgr
haps never had a high class school.
Your inspector believes that at no
time within the history of this State
has the outlook for better education?
al facilities been brighter. Courage
and perseverance must be our watch?
word; there is no place for half
heartedness.
"I wish to express here my genu?
ine appreciation of the support and
courtesy given me by the college and
school authorities throughout the
State, and my sincere thanks to this
board for its unfailing encouragement
and confidence.
"Respectfully,
"William H. Hand, Inspector."
MRS. TUOMEY'S EXAMPLE.
Wealthier Men and Women Would
Do Well to Follow It.
(From ? Baltimore American.)
"In the town of Sumter, in my
State, there recently died a woman
who set as noble an example for peo?
ple of fortune as could be Imagined,''
said Mr. P. H. Dunnan, of Charles?
ton, S. C. at the Rennert.
"This good woman, Mrs. Tuomey,
was not possessed of great means,
but in her will she left a bequest of
$3,000 to be held in trust by the
town council, and giving that body
the authority at each recurring
Christmas to buy gifts for the poor
Of the community. Some such enor?
mously rieh man as Carnegie might
do well to follow the policy of Mrs.
Tuomey. Whoever gives at the time
mentioned to the poor and afflicted
confers ? double happiness, for It is
the period when almost the entire
population Is rejoicing, and it is the
truest Christianity that remembers
the helpless on that occasion."
Governor Ansel will attend the
rivers and harbors convention In
Washington this week.
CASTOR IA
For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have Always Sought
Bears the
Signature of
PEAKY RECEIVES $50,000 FOK
HIS OWN STORY.
Hampton'* Maga/.lne Breaks all Re?
cords for Payments to Explorers or
Authors.
It seems probable that many years
will pass, before an author receives
a higher price for his literary pro
duct than Commander Robert E.
Peary receives from Hampton's Mag?
azine for his own story of the dis?
covery of the North Pole.
This feature cost Hampton's Mag?
azine a clean cold $50,000. No rate
per word is specified in the contract,
but it is generally estimated that
Commander Peary is receiving $1.18
cash for each word that he writes
for Hampton's Magazine. BenJ. B.
Hampton, editor of the magazine,
makes this statement:
"If you have a desire to estimate
the rate per word that will be earned
by Peary with his North Pole story,
you would be safer In placing it at
$2.00 per word that $1.20. We have
bought only American and Canadian
magazine rights, and Stokes' book
rights cover only these countries.
That leaves all the foreign rights to
sell. When they are figured up, the
totals should amount to $100,000 or
even $150,000.
"Peary is not a good business man.
As a matter of fact, he is a poor man.
I Mrs. Peary has been the business
i head of the family, and the Com?
mander never loses an opportunity
to praise her for the mariner In
which she has labored and borne the
brunt of his quarter of a century of
work In the Arctic. Peary and Mrs.
Peary have sacrificed their material
comfort to this Arctic Ideal. Every
dollar they could spare from actual
living expenses has been used to
equip expeditions, so that, when
Peary returned a few months ago,
there was mighty little money in the
Peary bank account.
Record Breaking Lecture Offers.
"The revenue from the books and
magazine work could be greatly in?
creased by lecturing, If Peary's
friends can persuade him to go on
the platform. He has had offers that
would net him $1)0,000 for the first
year's work, or more, If he would be
willing to stick to it for several con?
secutive months. He has received of?
fers from many of the leading cities
of the country, guaranteeing him as
high as $5,000 for a single lecture.
"There can be no reason (at least,
so his friends assert) why he should
not take advantage of the lecture op?
portunities and meet the people, and
let them hear Iiis story from his own
Hps.
"Up to the present time he has not
completed any lecture arrangements,
but It is believed that he may be
persuaded to do so within a few
weeks. The chief difficulty seems to
be that this man, who has been living
in the frozen North eighteen out of
the last twenty-three years, has a
genuine diffidence about exhibiting
himself to the public. Peary is a
scientist first, last and all the time.
He values his scientific achievements
as of more importance that the op?
portunity to make money. He will
do nothing that does not coincide
with his rigid ideals of a scientist's
dignity. For example, he has declin?
ed offers from moving picture men,
who want to show his Polar photo?
graphs, and offers from talking con?
cerns that want a few reels of talk
to retail throughout the country, of?
fers which amount to a tidy for?
tune."
Kates Paid Other Authors.
Just why Commander Peary re?
ceived such an exceptional rate for
his story is explained by the eager
competition for it on part of nearly
all the important publishing houses
in the world. Realizing the supreme
Importance of this, the most wonder?
ful and last of the eartn's hero
stories, they engaged In a bidding
which made figures rise mercurially.
They knew, of course, that this story
had not?like most of the world ro?
mances?been told before. It was
the most extraordinary and Interest?
ing story of fact to be told for the
first, and last time.
It Is Interesting to compare the
price paid Commander Peary with
the rates enjoyed by the top-notch
writers of the world.
Ex-President Roosevelt received
for his African hunting stories a dol?
lar a word. Rudyard Kipling is sup?
posed to receive the highest prices
paid any author of fiction. For the
English and American serial rights of
"Kim" he received $25,000. Sir Ar?
thur Conan Doyle hit one of the high?
est marks when he received sixty
cents a word for the American serial
rights of his later "Sherlock Holmes"
stories. This compares amusingly
with the rate of $2 per thousand
words?or one-fifth of a cent a word
?received for his first and generally
considered best stories.
High prices for literary work be?
gan practically with the great success
of Sir Walter Scott. The compensa?
tion for his "Ufa of Bonaparte" av
oraged $165 for each day of work
spent upon it.
Thackeray was offered $1,000 for
"Henry Esmond" and he jumped mt
the proposition. Both Dickens and
Hugo made good money, but when
Eugene Sue drew $20,000 for his
"Wandering Jew"?a novel of prob?
ably upward of 500,000 words?the
literary world gasped. Prices have
risen steadily, with the increasing
success of publishers and the growth
of magazines. Xo author, however,
In all the history of literature has
ever made so much money for each
actual word in a literary product as
will Commander Peary.
The eagerness of publishers for
Commander Peary's forthcoming
story, and the exceptional price paid,
mark one thing signally. This is a
full appreciation of this man's work
in his own age. One cannot help com?
paring the great price paid for this
story with the small sums for which
many of the world s masterpieces
were sold.
Dr. Johnson, it will be remember?
ed, wrote his immortal "Rasselas" to
pay the funeral expenses of his
grandmother. Milton sold his "Para?
dise Lost" to a book seller for $25.
Poe'8 "Raven" brought him the
grateful sum of $15. If these books
were written today would they bring
as high a price as Commander
Peary's story? Although the/ would
unquestionably net their authors
more than they did during their life?
time, they would hardly bring this
lecord price. For they war? works
of Imagination. The work of Comman?
der Peary, pure literature as it will be.
Is the rarest and most exceptional of
things written?the romance of ac*
tual adventure written by a world
hero himself.
Few of the world's heroes, discov
eters, explorers and fighters were
able to tell their own tales.
Imagine what the world would give
today for the story of the long voy?
age and discovery of Columbus as
told by himself. What an account It
would be!
From a financial standpoint Co?
lumbus' own story woild be invalu?
able were a manuscript found today.
"Set this last and greatest of stories,
more teeming with adventure and
hardship than that of Columbus
cDuld have been?high as is the price
?is cheap. It is beyond a merely
financial valuation.
WHEN HER BACK ACHES.
A Woman Finds AH Her Energy and
Ambition Slipping Away.
Sumter women knowT how the
acln-s and pains that come when the
kidneys fail make life a burden. Back?
ache, hip pains, headaches, dizzy
spells, distressing urinary troubles, all
tell of sick kidneys and warn you of
the stealthy approach of diabv ss,
dropsy and BrlghCs disease. D .'s
Kidney Pills permanently cure all
these disorders. Here s proof of it in
a Sumter woman's words:
Mrs. Louis Jeffords, H Owen St.,
Sumter, S. C, says: "1 am pleased to
say that Doan's Kiney Pills proved of
great benefit to me. [ was a victim
)f kidney complaint for over two
years. My kidneys were very weak
and I had great trouble in controling
the secretions. My back ached all
:he time and frequently I was so lame
that I could scarcely dress myself. I
at length read about Doan's Kidney
Pills and finally procured a box at
China's drug store. After using them,
the backache and pains vanished, my
kidneys became normal and I felt a
great deal better in every way. I am
Dleased to give Doan's Kidney Pills
the credit for this great change."
For sale by all dealers. Price 50
cents. Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo,
New York, sole agents for the United
States.
Remember the name?Doan's ?and
take no other._No. 9.
Farm Loans.
Loans negotiated upon improv?
ed farms, payable in annual in?
stallments. No Commission.
Borrowers pay actual cost of per?
fecting Loan. For further infor?
mation apply to
JOHN B. PALMER & SON.
P. O. Box 282, Phone No. 1085.
Office Sylvan Bldg.
COLUMBIA, S. C.
12-8-2m.
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Ttwr; four Btonl Its, $L Sold by all newsdealers.
MUNN & Co.?,B'?*"?- New York
Brauch Office. 6? F HL, Washington, 1). C