Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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*KEDH> ? \ BKTfgUI SCHOOL M#afnoi wo. 7. Hy Fn.f \Y. II. Hand, lti?|afior <?f High School*. lo the ttTtOllVi administration 01 an> s? h... | v\Hieni. expert supervision U ah*olut?-l\ necessary. Unless the organic law of the State provides for competent supervisors and against Incompeten: ones. It Is weak and un? certain, in South Caroling the whole matter of supervision Is lubjet t to the caprices and whims of petty poli? tics. Then for Instance ghSOtutS? gS legal harrier against an illiter? ate's becoming either i ? .?unt> super? intendent of edueailon or St ite Su? perintendent, and no unkindness is meant when it Is said that in a f< w unties, long since tiie carpet-bag? ger regime, men not very far removed from Illiteracy have sat In the ottlee of ?county superintendent of education No professional or educational quail Mention Is required of the holder of either of these offices, and under the preeent constitution and present mode of election of superintendents, neither professional nor educational qualifications can he required. Any elector la eligible to any elective of? fice. The briefless lawyer, the anti? quated school master, the uneducat? ed farmer, and th? over-present typi? cal job-seeking politician are all alike eligible to either office. The worst of it all IS that just such men along with their superiors, offer for superintendent, and are at least oc? casionally elected. The success of the candidate fOf superintendent of i education depends less upon his qualification for the office than upon bla ability to tell an anecdote and to mix with voters at a barbecue. In the case of State superintendent, a candidate must Join a campaign party of from a dosen to thirty oth? er candidates seeking election to | State offices. Like a traveling circus these men go from county to coun | for at leaat forty-four days soliciting , the votes of the people, not by the 1 dJacuselon of real Issues or the pro? mulgation of doctrine., so much aa by ?each candidate's telling yhy he should be elected and why his opponent should not. In this dally perforrn anoe the candidate for State superin? tendent Is usually given ten minutes to unfold to his hearers his education? al platform, if he s Id one. When the successful candidate has been elected, he I* installed Into his office for two years at an annual salary of II.SOO. from which he must deduct at least $:oo for legitimate 'ampalgn expenses. He enters upon his duties the following January". Just eighteen months later, if he is a candidate for re-election, he must leave the duties of the office to which he has SOSg Sleeted, and re-enter the traveling eir eua for another forty-four da>v. At the end 'f i ,li campaign h.. has 1.n given a total of seven hours and twenty minutes to enlighten the pss> p|| of the State 4>n matters pertain? ing to the education of e\ery child In .1. In the meantime he ha* sHhSf I.I doing some goastructive educational work, or he has been kiilini; lime. In "iih-r gage he must defend himself before the people. Just here is one ? f the rudle.d weaknesses of our present systeir; If the superintendent has been active in constructive S ?rk. he is sure to come in for harsh and unreasonable criticism by the poli? tical tricksters, the malcontents, and the mosabio ks. Uofore he has had the time to demonstrate the wisdom of his course the unwis? and the overwise are clamoring for his scalp. Some , eople will say that it Li but democratic that he should fre? quently render to the people an ae :ount of his stewardship. How we have all use.i the word denmci-.o to ?njure with* How many crimes are onstantlj * eitiK 1 ominith J in tie name, of de in oe r a \ These astute democrats forget that the trickster, the malcontent an I ihe ggggggSJOli grt not seeking light nut an opportunity to defeat I) im u ggSJSg aSSf |fi Slgt | their candidate These astute dem? ocrats overlook th? fait that it re? quires a long time for a profound idea or sehen,,? to peietrat ? the cran ?ums of u large number Ol ballot holders la strong argument in iis.lt for i wider diffusion of learning), and they further forget that ItlOOS same tricksters. BMslOOategt >n-l rnosybacks bestir themselves fur nu re SSJSJduousU than do tin thitiking . a p/?bie and progressive citizens. More? over, all observant men are familiar With the fo t that thousands of v ?I give almost no serious thought to the sel.etlon f i indhlates for Whom to SUlS We all know how danger.mi ly near we ha\ ? one t > ? |gg ting notoriously Incompetent m I to public office, because theo ean didacy was looked upon a, a JokS I r?h r g ir present Ifta I boss ?n He people expect a steady forwaid lead? ership In the office of St ite Superin tendent? What would be the pitiable eondltlon of the Stab? l'nlverslty, of dssjgsss> of tin- citadel, of Winthrop or of anv of the denomln itlonal <o| leges. If Its president or its fat ulty had to be elected every two years In a popular election? Would not the policy of tht. institution ht> wavering, timid, and fitful? Would it he pos ilbkj la tenure and to hold str?mt m< n at their htadl 1 Many of the muni? cipalities of the Stale, such a.- Co? lumbia,, tumter, gpartanhnrg, Qreen \ille. and < >raiiuehurg. have long atfo . ?und it goot wary to give as much stability as poaglbli t-? their public schools by retaining at least the su? perintendent for a guraber of years. These ?uparintendenti are elected to their poeitioai with the gndaratandlng i that their tenure is us long as they are effective and progressive. Is n<?t a Stale system of education of mole Vital cone rn to the people than any single college or the school system of any municipality? Why got exercise the sane- common sense in selecting and retaining the State superintendent of education as ex? ercised in selecting and retaining a college president or a city superintend? ent Why not let the (Jeneral As SSmbl] elect a State Hoard of Educa? tion, with a seven-year term, one ol which would expire each year; then let the State Hoard elect a BtOtS Su? perintendent for a tei m of four . irs .' The (Jeneral Assembly could be relied on to give us a good Stale I loan! as it has done in giving us judges. The board itself would he non-political, as far as it is possible to keep any elective State otllce non pm itical. and it would be stable. /lts policies would not hi subject to sud? den changes. The State Hoard would select for superintendent an educational expe: t equipped and trained for his work. The Superin? tendent would be directly responsible to the State Hoard for his success or his failute. He would then occupy a position very similar to the presidents of tile State Colleges and the super? intendent of the hospital for the in? sane. 1 aatftatpatS ihsti arguments against the proposed pian of Selecting a State Superintendent. A lew people would object on the ground that an amend? ment to the constitution would be ggcessary. To be sure it would; hut i when the constitution stands in the way of needed legislation, the only sensible thing to do is to amend the constitution. Constitutions are the embodiment of sober and prolonged study; constitutions may be Improved after still further study reinforced by experience. A few members of the General Assembly have said that such a plan of selecting a superintendent would give that body a new respon? sibility My answer is rather laconic, hut not bg pertinent: representatives of the people ought to be willing to gear responsibility; most of them at present seek this position rather than wait for the position to run them down. Some people ; re ready |0 Bay that the superhitenden' would be too far reasored from the people, <>f the one hundred thousand voters In the primary election in 19MS, it is safe to assert that twentv thousand of them could not have told on tie* morning of the election tin names of three candidates offering for the of gOS of State Superintendent. It is SMIglt) BgfS to Say that several thou? sand of these voters could not have iold a week after the election for whom they voted for that otllce. Is it too much to ask that the State Superintendent of Education be glVgg a salary sufficient to command the services of a competent man t?: the open market? That officer is paid hss than the city superintendent in Colombia, Charleston, Sumter. Spar? enburg, or Dillon, and the same as the superintendent In OreenWi od? Under our present school system, far the most Important otllce Is that of County Superintendent. In re? sponsibility and opportunity go oth? er officer approaches him He holds the key to the situation, and his strength or weakness ii everywhere f-lt. In the pgjd and at present, no other county oftielal has had as much work and responsibility placed on him for as uo an remurieiation. Con? sidering the beggarly salariert and t he iov\ esteem in which the county su? perintendent hss for long been held, one can but marvel at the quality Of service these men have rendered, in many counties men of ability and en? terprise have hold tho office and al? ways at a personal sacrifice. How? ever, our system Is such as to place the office of county superintendent in i veritable whirlpool of petty polities, The eonseipienc,? is that Often Wholl) Incompetent tuen aspire to the office, ? mi not infrequently such men are elected, ii is but naiurai that a meager h salary lowers the office in sieh a waj as to attract nun of > low order of fitness At this moment in one of the coun? ties of the siate the county superin? tendent i* heing opposed for re-elec? tion hj a teacher whose certificate hoi expired and the county superin? tendent refused to relieW it because it i ould nor he done legally, should this teacher defeat the Incumbent, 'A w in i.e i clear case of a disregard for law triumphing over respect foi law. not tin* psopls of South Caro? lina, ever boastful of their devotion to ?ommon school education, prepar? ed to admit that if our OOmmon school system Is ever to he n SUCCBS?, it must have competent and trained supervision? Are we not ready to admit thai such supervision will cost something, and are we m>t prepared to appreciate the fact that such su? pervisors as we need are m>t, as r ru ?. men willing to enter a political campaign begging for votes? r?>ll liclani may )>?? depended upon to op? pose taking the office of county su? perintendent out <?? tin campaigns, Those politicians know only too well wha? it would mean i? some of them and their friends, ami' iheir fi lends, W. n. l land. The Hobble skirt. There seems to be a crusade, na? tion wide In its scop,-, brewing against the pressnl extreme fashions In wo man's dress. The Record today i. printing elsewhere a collection of In? terviews with local and eastern min? isters on the ?uhjeoti and they are unanimous in declaring the hobble skirt, and tight dresses, tend to a de? cline in morals. We have on other occasions referred to the subject, though our remarks were inspired more or less by a Spirit of levity. The Question has a very serious side, how? ever. This was emphasized recently when the young man who murdered the little Conners girl in New York, took his life and left a note saying women's make-up had been the cause of his downfall, it is reasonable to suppose that such had been the case. It is reasonable to suppose that a weak mentality might he swayed into the commission of crime, through suggestive dress. We do not condemn the conservative styles, but the ex? tremists. We have noticed that whenever a new style is affected, there are always some who carry it to the extreme. There were so many to take advantage of the tight skirt when it lirst came into general use, that extreme styles became common, and some dresses which now provoke hardly a glance would have been con? sidered indecent three years ago. The ( hange hus been gradual. The wear? ers of the dresses evidently do not realize it. but there should he more evidence of moderation. In some < the Kastern cities the women at e wearing half hose. Five j years ago there could have been no objection raised to it. Hut half hose and tight skirts do not go well to? gether and especially when the wear? er essays to step into an electric car or automobile. If the half hose be? come common, then the extremists will bring some other style, more ex? treme, into fashion. We believe the time is auspicious for a reaction or at least a halt.?Columbia Record. llody tiiiard Heard, the Kali tor. Bpartanburg Journal, On this campaign tin- governor of Smith Carolina goes around the State. .from oounty to county, making his appea's for lawlessness, with a hired man on the stage, carrying a nine shooter. Colt's automatic pistol load? ed with steel bullets, This hired man is not paid by the governor of the Stale but rather out 01 the money of I the taxpayers. Hie not only geti $ a day for toting the gun and assist? ing his chief but he also gets all ex? penses paid. He said last night, as he displayed his gun, that he had not put In any claim for his money yet, and did not know w hether or not he would, it depended on 'clrcurs stances.1 But this man has another job too while on this campaign. He is edi? tor of the Greenwood News Sc I miter. His name Is W, P, Heard. He Is the writer of the editorials In the Green? wood paper which some people read. \V. P, Heard said that the Journal was wrong In saying that he admitted to Judge Jones thai he was armed at the meeting. He nodded his head and this can be construed, accord? ing t<o Heard, us not admitting the fact| But htter he did admit it to the reporters. H * show ed his blue steei Coll ami also hi* commission from the governor which makes him deputy Chief constable, appoint? ed to keep order <"m the platform during the campaign meetings. Editor Bodyguard Beard wants it stated for him that he is an officer of the law and has a right to carry a pistol. All right, let it go at that. But has th.- governor of the state s right to spend tin- people's money for his bodyguard? Has he n right to pay the expenses of a newspaper cor? respondent, who reports the cam? paign meetings for the Greenwood News Belm it er, out of the state's funds? Rod Spider l>nc?? Damage. it is understood thai the Red Spld? ed has made Its appearance In va? rious parts of the county and in sur? rounding counties and i- causing the farmers of this section which have been Infected serious worry, in some places the farmers have tried to pi. tit the ipread of the Insect by destroying the cotton on which it hnd made Its web, It has not yet been ascertained what the farmers in the oth.r sections at* doing to relieve their Melds of the pest. To SUCCEED PROF. TOMS. Jlio. C. Daniel, of Manning. i> select? ed by school Beard. Darlington Xewa and Press. At b recent meeting of the board of trustees of the Darlington public schools, Mr. John C. Daniel was elect? ed to tin- position of superintendenl of tio < iiy schools of Darlington. Mr. Daniel comes here from Manning, where for the paat seven years he has been the efficient superintendent. h' graduated from Wofford college af? ter which he took a post graduate coarse at the University of Chicago. He has ha?i sixteen years of exper? ience In public school work. Vir. Daniel was in the city yester? day and he is very much pleaded about being with us this coming session. He is a man of much force and of pleasing address. Mr. Toms' absence will certainly be keenly felt, but still with so efficient a man to fill his place, we feel sure that next ses? sion will be conducted along the lines of our previous ones. TYHi's ROUTS A TRIO OF THUGS. Demand His l ash, Hut Get a Trounc? ing. Syracuse, NT, Y., Aug. 12.?Ty Cobb was attacked and stabbed In the back 1 y three unidentified men in Detroit ? trly today while on his way to the rain which was to bring him and the Detroit team to this city for an exhibition game this afternoon. Cobb's agility saved him from serious inju? ries and poaaible death. His injuries are slight. Cobb, accompanied by his wife, was driving his automobile to the station when three men ordered the car to halt. The men were partly intoxicated and when the machine came to a stop Cobb jumped out and began to argue with the men. The trio then demanded money of the ball player and with the demand all three made a lunge at Cobb. He attacked the trio and then be? gan a battle royal. One man was knocked down with a blow on the chin, another began to run while the third grabbed Cobb around the neck. They clinched. While wrestling the thug pulled a knife and indicted a wound in Cobb's back. Cobb finally shook off hi3 as? sailant before he could cause any fur? ther injury. Cobb was treated here today on the arrival of the Detroit team. Two stitches were required to close his wound. \ SPENT Too MUCH MONEY. C<>ngroseman Catliu, of Missouri, t'n seated Monday. Washington, Aug, 1-.? Representa? tive Theron E, Catlin. Of Missouri, Republican, was unstated tonight as a member of the House of Repre? sentatives and his Democratic oppo? nent, who contested the election. Dat rick F. Gill, was seated amid wild enthusiasm from the Democratic side. The vote to unseat Catlin, who was charged with violation of the M'r ?ourl law governing campaign ex penses, was IL* l to 71. Gill was seat? ed by a vote of 106 to 7:?, with 29 voting present. Mr. Catlin, just before the first roll call, left the seat he had occupied in the centre of the Republican side of the House and went to his desk, far in the rear. He lifted the desk lid and. using an adjoining chair as a repository removed all of his booka and papers, Like a school hoy who had been dismissed from the school room, he left the chamber with lag? ging steps, stopping only to grasp the outstretched hands of sympathetic friends, Three-quarters of an hour later his successful rival stood be? fore the Speaker's desk and look the oath of Office. The case, throughout the seven hours of debate, was bitterly fought on both sides. Representative An? derson, of Missouri. Republican, who conducted the argument in behalf of .Mr. Catlin. made a spirited defence. The charge against Mr. Catlin was that he and his family had spent $10,200 to elect him to Congress. The Missouri law prohibits an expenditure by candidates of more than $662. other charges of fraud were mude, all of which Mr. Catlin denied knowl? edge of. lie also denied that he knew of the expenditures made by his father ami brother. il takes " politician to chew the rag and Hing mud. but it is the statesman who discusses public qucs tions bo the people can become en? lightened. Swinging around the cir? cle indulging ii Black-jaw and en? gaging in personalities stirs up men's passions, upsets their reason, and makes of them a lot of factional par? tisan.- and political Ignoramuses. People cannot get mad and act ju? diciously on grave questions. Wil? mington Star. The tenths courts ;>t the V. M. C \. are proving quite popular now that they have been completed. "GOB AND Um: ADDRESS DELIVERED BY DR. GEO. B. CROMER l\ GREEN' WOOD. Alan -, Dul| to ill-? State l.mplia-i/ed speaker Makes an Appeal i or True Patriotism in vn Election*. "Public office is u public trust, and public office is not a private politi? cal snap." "Public office Is not an opportuni? ty to vent personal spite, nor a chance to protect personal friends." Th?- above were two of the most striking sentences in the lecture on "clod and Casear," delivered at the court house yesterday afternoon by' r?r. George B. Cromer, of Mewberry, to an audience of several hundred in which were many ladies. Dr. Cro? mer spoke in part as follows: Jesus Christ, remarkable in all things, was especially remarkable for the ability He had In answering questions. The Pharisees, you re? member, were opposed to Herod and were bitter in their hatred of the Ro? man government. On the other hand the Herodlans were that class of peo? ple who favored Herod and were partisans of Caesar. Consequently when these people came to Christ for an answer to the question: "Is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar?*' they thought they had Him in a trap and that the question could not be answered without His giving offense to one or the other of these two strong parties. I Jut remarkable as he always was in His answers, Jesus Christ answered the question in such a way as to settle all doubts and to confound the questioners: "Render unto Caesar those things which are Caesar's and unto (Jod those things which are God's." Our Doktos to Caesar, What are our duties to Caesar? In the time of Christ, Caesar st( od for imperial Rome, the emperor sitting in a palace back In the Eternal city, and for the, rule of might. )n this age, Caesar stands for the rule of men. for democracy, and for the pow? er of the public. It Is a wonderful privilege to be living In a modern Christian country as we are surround? ed by all the advantages of this age, and we are quick to appeal to the State and quick to demand the rights which the State owes to us. j What do we owe to Caesar? our criminal statistics are a disgrace to humanity and a blot upon civilisa? tion, Some time ago I Was shocked and saddened to find some statistics Which told me that for every hour in every day of each of the 365 days in the year there is a murder or n homicide committed in the United j States. Think of iC And 1 have J taken the trouble to do some culcu j latlng, and l want t<? show you how ' good your chances are for * cape j if you want to kill pomebo Iv. If j there is anybody that you wish to tct rid of. you can look at these hgutee. and see if you think your dim res for escaping ate good enough for you to undertake the Job. If you want to commit a murder, ami do I commit one. your chances are better ! than three to one that yon won't be j brought to trial. Your chances are better than ten to one that you will not be sent to tin- p< nltentlary. Vour chances are better than eighty to one that you win not be hanged or elec? trocuted. We abuse our courts, but in so doing, we are locking the sta? ble door after the horse has keen stolen; we 'mihi barriers around our j property affer it has already been I despoiled. ; ml We attempt to fill'" j deep-seated heart disease by apply? ing poultices. This disease is deep seated and popular and can be cured only by deep-seated remedies. The Former. One of the great educators, Hor? ace Mann, said, "One former is worth .1 hundred reformers." He spoke the truth. One former, a man or wo? man w ho giv? s shape to character of the child in the home and in the school is better than a hundred re? formers wiu> conn- along later and endeavor by lectures to correct am? to reform the character already form? ed. In the last analysis, what le th? state ? The teacher w hips a pupil at school, and why ha - she Ihe rght to do so? The principal sa\s that .-he may do so. but who gives turn the power? The trustees say that he has the power, but where did the) g? t the right to say s.? The legislature gave the trustees a charter, and gave (them the right, but who allowed the legislature to do so? The people, the sovereign people of the land who chose the legislature allowed them this right, ami in the last analysis, you come back to the people, who ate sovereign and who are Caesar, You can go no farther back than that. '''he governor is not the State. nor ate the legislators the state, nor are the judges the State. The people com rgjse the State, and the govemoi, the legislators, and the judges ale merely those officers appointed by the people, who are the stock-hold? ers of the Bttae. On the JTtb of this month the Stockholders of the State of South Carolina will hold another meeting and will choose new offl cerg to represent then I. in the choos? ing of these officers, let us reagggg* her the oid niaxitu: Water i ises no higher than Its source. Public office S B public trtlStf and public oltioe is -? "t \ private snap. Public odice is not un opportunity ij vent petnoaaJ - n< r ? ? . to protect pertOtt" ? lend . i i >tlce many ladies pre ? and . . i.i glad to groat them as l'ltlsena, hu they are citizens who nnot vote, v u men can veto. All Of these who have their names on a Democratic club roll trill please hold up their hands, iPractically every man held up his hand.) Now. all of you who have cunty registration tickets phase hold up your hands. (Alm?.st every hand want up again.) Weil. J am glad to see that. It seems likely that you have had an - lection in Greenwood county in which you couldn't vote when you didn t have the registration ticket. Your average is better than that, found ir most places. Hut it is a democratic absur? dity that we make every man who votes in the primary take an oath to support the nominee of that primary when many of those voting have no registration certificate, and are not el? igible for voting in the general elec? tion. This is a democratic absurd ty that we suffer because we want every white man to vote. Now in the State, you can and must do either one of two things. You can submit to the laws that are made, or you can refuse to do so and suffer. You recall the brave man, Sir Thomas Moore, who in the reign of Henry VIII, would not recognize the king as the head of the church, although Parliament did declare that such was the case. Friends went to Moore as he lay in prison and tried to make him save his life by acknowl? edging Henry as the head of the En? glish Church. "Oh, ro," the brave man replied, "Henry is not the head of the church." "But," replied hi3 friends, "Parliament bus declared to." "Yes." replied Moore, "and If Parliament were to declare that God shall not rule, would that make it so." We have a remedy for conditions which are wrong, and that remedy is the ballot. I was struck by a statement in a correspondence that recently appeared in the press, 'My ballot belongs not to me, but to the State." It is my duty to vote. I have no patience with that man who is so excessively clean that he can? not touch dirty polities, even to the extent of voting. That man ought to go out and start a soap factory, or something of the kind. The ballot Is a sacred thing. It not only ex? presses your choice Ol a man to till the offices of the Siate but it also expresses your character as a man and as a citizen. It r? presents your standing as a c It Isen. The man who votes for a ba?i man knowingly is a had citizen; the man who does not vote is a dangorous citlgSfl. There are too many good nu n who are bad citizens, and some of these men are goody, goody men. There are too n any negative men, men that do nothing There is no virtue in a life of doing nothing. We have too many two-legged ciphers walking our streets. Christianity is ?omathlgg positive and it is something which does. There are two kinds of patri? otism, one which goes to the public treasury with empty pockets, grasp? ing hands to see how much can be extracted from the public offices. The other kind of patriotism is that which po< i to the public OfBee with a determination to see how much of life can be given for 'he good of the people. Building for Future1. We are not building for this gene? ration, but for the future, and we should build a state of which our chil? dren and our frlende' children may be proud. It wiil not be lontr before we caat our last ballot, but we are building for die future. We did nU found this state; it came to us from our fore fa there, and we must give it to our children, a great State, which stands for the t est ar.d highest civi? lization and government. We not only OWC it to the State to pay tax? es, but we owe :t to the atata to cast a pure and in intelligent ballot. Ami that finest of all products of Christian education, Woodrow Wil? son, in his addreas when eloeti d president of Princeton diversity gave his tope, pi! n of the Ideals of a great untvero ty ami of the pur? pose of edUCat ? n. He said: "The aim of all educi tlon is efficiency, and 1 fail to see h< v. can nave intel? lectual efficiency apart iron, mo'nl ef? ficiency." The f education is efficiency, the ot ??\il govern? ment is efficiency, and it is moral ef flclency, This is the efficiency hat is able to accomplish those things making for the betterment of our country. Let each one ol us go out determined to cast a ballot for our Siate and that this ballot will be Coun? ted one lino , and that on the side of right on tin aide of moral efficiency. Miss Fannie Stiad? of Johnston is among the out-of-town guests for the Garber-Morrli wedding.