The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, January 15, 1913, Image 6
1
I
And, ee misfortune would have lt. 1
must needs catch my heel on the edge
of one of the treads, and go sprawling
on my hands and knees; while a
poignant pain shooting cruelly
through my ankle told me that a
sprain was added to my mishap.
For a minute I lay as I had fallen,
prone and motionless; and In that
space 1 realised the foolhardlnesa of
my whole course of action. My very
Intrepidity had contributed to disaster.
Instead of accomplishing a capture 1
had cast myself, disabled. Into the
mesh of the enemy.
The Inky darkness snd profound si
tones of the piece augmented, ot
course, my apprehension. In rain 1
strained my eyes to distinguish an ob* '
Ject, my earn to detect a sound, yet 1
knew that the uncanny creature I had
followed must be cloea to me; lurking,
possibly, with raised or pointed
weapon to mete out my fate once he
made sure of my position.
The minute?It could hardly hare
more, though, as I think of It, It
ad Infinitely prolonged?ended in
a sound above and behind me. Very
softly, carefully, some one was closing
the cellar doors. Stealthily muffled
though It was, the faint creaking of
the hinges shattered the spell which
held me. and In spite of my tortured
ankle, I managed to gain my feet But
ay now the silence reigned once again
and in the engulfing blackness I lost
all sense of direction.
The suspenso of the moment was
anendurable. To atand there waiting, '
mot knowing when or from what quar
ter I should be set upon, was nervous
torment so hideous that In sheer des
peration I plucked my match box from
my pocket, drew forth a match and
?track It to a blase. As It flared forth,
he shadows In disorderly, if
porary, retreat, I made quick
chlng survey of my dungeon. To
any amassment I was apparently quite
alone.
Relieved, In a treasure at least, I
employee? another match and still an?
other, hobbling painfully about the
grimy, low-ceiled basement. In diligent
Inspection. My first thought was that
Johnson was In hiding, snd having lo?
cated me by my own lighted matches,
wslted now only an opportunity to
throw himself upon me from behind.
But I very toon discovered that be
had fled. Evidently he had retraced
his steps up the rude ladder to the
street, closing the doors sfter him to
?heck my further pursuit.
The place Into which I had follow, d
hl*n was evidently a Chinese candy
manufactory snd cake bakery. To the
right of the entrance w ?re rows of
shelves contslnlng Jars of w l.at 1
recognized aa sweetmeats peculiar to
the celestial. In a large bowl on a
rough table or counter was the gran"
lated flour with which these confec
t'ons are Invsriably powdered, and
h?re, too, wt re boxes of round, Jurr.hle
llke cakes. 1 saw now that the space
apon which 1 had fallen was so re
gtMgegd that I wondered how It was
possible for my quarry to have -cach?
ed the steps snd re ascended without
touching mo or at least acquainting
me with his movement. And 1 mar?
veled, too, that twitting my ankle as I
did. I had not plunged at a slant and
strack my bead upon one or gay
of the crowding 'shies and boxes with
which the cramped basement wag fur
My third ma'ch disclosed a narrow
door In the broad partition at the rear,
snd fancying that perhaps the e'uslve
Peter Johnson had escaped by that
means while I was getth?g to my feet,
I lost no time In seeking to Investigate
what was b. youd. 1 was somewhut sur?
prised to find the door unfastened.
Once open, It revealed a smaller end
n"*re crowded room, warm snd fetid,
Imo Which were packed no less than
half a dosen bsrre'is of mw and cook?
ed peanuts, arranged about a low
stove oc which a peanut filled caul?
dron was slowly steaming.
Curiously interesting as all this
would have been under ordinary cir?
cumstances. I experienced only a sur?
prised relief, for with my Injured an?
kle I was In SC fettig to rope w hh
even the wsakest adversary. Inde? d,
now that this easement was afford i
me. my sprain suddenly asserted Itgs If
with renewed exacerbation, iharg
twinges of pain shooting to my kn??
and demanding instant relief
In front of the low stjve I had no?
ticed a stool, ,'nd for 'his I groped
with the esgern^ss of the drowning
man sfter a straw. To my Joy I laid
hands upon It. snd drawing It nearer
ssnk down wttg a sigh of ratification
?romparable only to that with which a
Msrathon victor drops to earth gft< :
a gejtlf I ontested rsce.
Graduallv. now that my Vtlgtl vgl
removed, the psln lessened, and a
sense of comfort ensued Content
ment enfolded ? Vhtoh, if I I hot
of It a' all. I attributed. I gSJgfJC S I<
the reaction from the agony which I
had lust been suffering. I rSgMalhel
thinking that I would rest a few mln
utes and then tun? my departure m1
had entered, for I realized that cellai
doors arc fastened only from within,
and that there could, therefore, be no
impediment to my going when I ( hone.
I distinctly recall that I was COIV
?clous of a certain strange Incongruity
of situation, but could hardly coin pro
hend In Just what the incongruity con?
sisted. T kiK?w only that 1 felt plena
em ly warm and drowsy; and m?
?prained ankle hac1 ceased altogethsi !
to pain or annoy.
And then. I was sailing in an opal
boat in mldoceau, and Peter Johnson,
in oilskins, eat at the helm, with a
saturnine leer on his face, and tugged
at brief Intervals, always longer and
stronger, upon what seemed to be th<
sheet, which had become wrapped
around my throat and cheat and which,
by degrees, was crushing my Windpipe
and lunga. so that my breath came
only In sharp, shuddering, aching ,
gaspa.
CHAPTER XV.
Amyl Pearls.
Who will deny thut a sturdy
physique is a valuable asset? Had 11
not been for a deep chest, a powerful
pair of lungs, a heart without a flaw
and an underlying vitality such as li
possessed by but a small minority in
these degenerate times, I must cer?
tainly have succumbed. For, as 1
learned later, 1 had inhaled enough
carbon monoxide gas to have killed
the average man of my age, twk<
over. The stove on which the caul?
dron of peanuts steamed was a char
coal furnace, and the tiny space within
that back room was impregnated with
the heavy poisoned fumes to a dis?
tance of four feet and more above the
floor.
Flitting on a low stool, bent for?
ward over my sprained ankle, which
for relief I had raised and rested
across my other knee, I had come In
contact with the deadly gas, breathing
It without suspicion, until drowsiness
Intervened and stupor, insensibility,
and eventually coma followed.
It is customary, I understand, to em*
ploy rigorous treatment in such cases
to effect resuscitation. If I am to be?
lieve what I have been told of my con
ditiou when discovered, 1 was very far
on the way to dissolution. I was, In
fact, moribund, and in the eyes of
those who carried me from the cellnr
to an urper room I was already dead.
It Is perhaps neediest to add that no
steps were taken to revive me. Even
had I been regarded as still living I
doubt that I should have received any
other treatment.
Providence, however, favored sat. I '
was thrown Into a bunk under one of
the few open windows of Chinatown,
and a door left ajar, by accident, prob?
ably, drew across me a current of com?
paratively pure oxygen. Thus Invited,
nature reasserted Itself, and respira?
tion, which had been temporarily
suspended, gradually resumed its of?
fice.
With dawning consciousness cp.me
acute discomfort. My head and bock
ached nigh unbearably, and my ankle,
swollen to twice its normal size, shot
pains to my thigh. My tongue seemed
too large for my mouth and my throat
vag raw. Later, memory started a
train of questions and eurmUes. A
half light admitted through the open
window gave unsatisfactory answer au
to time and place. It might be dawn,
midday or evening. I might still be In
the same building Into the basement
of which I had plunged after the so
called Peter Johnsm, or l might be
miles away. Yet of one fact I was
assured. It was no longer night. Day
had come again and eight hours at
Uast must have passed since I stood
killing time on the sidewalk In front
of the restaurant In which I was to
have m< t Yup Sing.
And, as my mind chared, there
rushed in upon me a recollection of
Evelyn's apprehension and of my
promise to reassure her not latir than
eleven o'clock. Suffering as 1 was,
I hyslcally, I know r.y mental distress
at thought of how she must have
waited with growing solicitude hour
after hour for that Sipected ringing of
the telephone bell; how, Indeed, she
must, even now, be distraught, cot by
uncertainty, but by the conviction that
som?? ill?aom* serious 111?had befal?
len me, was more poignant.
In my engern? ns to relieve at oneo
this unrest which I knew to be hers
I would have risen, but my ttfOBgth
was not tonal to the lost, My muscles
refused to obey my will and I lay su?
pine, Inert, poweilcss. 1 would havo
learned the lima, but to seek my
watch, which I fondly fancied was
still In my pocket, seemed such an
enormous exertion that 1 reluctantly
gave over the idea. To breathe, to
draw air into niv lungs and expel it,
was prodigious labor, wearying me, it
appeared, to exhaustion; though with
every inhalation lucidity of thought
and. I SUppoaa, physical foree i| wall,
were being Imperceptibly augmented.
After a time I found myself listen?
ing Intently for sounds that mir.ht
prove Informntory, while with head
slightly turned I made scrupulous In?
ventory of the room In Which I was
i ribbed It was a cramped, confined
place, unplustered, and furnished with
four rough board bunks, one of v hieb
1 OCCUpled. The other three were
empty; hut In the scant passageway
aetwaei my renting place and thai op?
posite was a stool, nnfl upon the stool
the plpa snd other paraphernalia pe?
culiar to opium smoking.
Then, \. t> slowly, I bars cams to m?
a realization of the vulpine Canning Of
thes?? orientals Info whose hands I had
fnllen. I was to be found here, dead,
not from Inhalation of foul air in an
111 Ventilat.(1 ?.Dar, which might rx
<lte suspicion and provoka inquiry,
hu? from Oral Indulgence in opium, to
Which I had probably been addicted
f ?r >ears, unknown even t<^ rny closest
friends, For lbs "hop fiend" there is
Bmall sympathy, no matter what "Tils |
position, and my family would hesl- !
t?te, therefore, to prosecute, prefer- ,'
ring to avoid unpleasant publicity.
Yes; it was very clear they had
thought me dead, and so had left me ,
here unwatched and unattended with 1
the evidence of my mode of passing 1
theatrically displayed beside me. It
only remained now for some employe
or visitor to discover me and give the
alarm.
I had about reached this conclusion,
after a long and desperately trying
effort at logical reasoning, when my
straining ears detected the sound of
footsteps in the passage. The door
of the den was slightly ajar and I lay
well tn sight of any passer-by who
should glance through the narrow
opening.
Whether to feign death, or boldly
make known my recovered conscious?
ness, was for just a moment a ques?
tion. But before my sluggish brain \
could decide, choice was snatched
from me. The footsteps paused, and '
simultaneously, it seemed, the door i
swung farther Inward, disclosing, not
the pig-tailed, greasy-bloused Mongol
Ian I had expected, but a white wom?
an, tall and shapely, with hair of Iron
gray and the very kindliest eyes that
ever I looked into.
I made as If to speak, but my swol?
len tongue refused to perform its
office, and something that may best
be described as a gurgle was the re?
sult. With that she came to my side,
and for a little regarded me silently.
I felt that seeing the pipe and the
little peanut-oll lamp, she must draw ,
the natural inference, and, though
there was no reproach in her look, I
wished, If possible, to correct that
false Impression. I therefore made
effort to gesture denial, employing a
glance to Indicate the objects and a
very feeble side movement of the
head to express repudiation.
It Is possible that she understood,
but I question that she believed. I
have no recollection that she spoke a '
single word to me, and yet, when she
was gone, I felt that she would sure- '
ly return to my rescue. And I was
not misled. I suppose this partial re
lief to my anxiety resulted in a slack?
ening of mental effort on my part, for
I must confess that what followed is
very vague In my memory. I know j
only that she was accompanied by
two men, one white and one yellow, '
who carried me down a narrow flight
of stairs, out onto the street and into
a waiting cab. I cannot recall that I
spoke, but I learned afterward that
I had mumbled the word "Loyalton,"
and thither she accompanied me.
There a physician came, one whom
I had never seen before; and I was
dosed with aromatic spirits of am?
monia and made to breathe oxygen
through a funnel, by a white-clad
nurse, who also, at intervals, painted
my ankle with iodine, and, whenever ,
I attempted to speak, domineered me
in a gentle and perfectly ladylike
manner to silence. i
With regard to sending word to
Evelyn Gray son, however, I was In?
sistent; and though she had refused
absolutely to gratify my curiosity In
other respects, she set my mind at
rest on ihis point by Informing nie
tha? Miss Qrayton had called up the
Loy \ on by telephone several times
and bad Urn Informed of my condl
tion ftvg minutes after my arrival at
my chambers. I
There were times during the week
which followed when I was nigh unto
death; and when, finally, after ten
days l wai pronounced convalescent, 1
it was with the added well-worn
phrase that my recovery was "noth?
ing short, or u miracle."
it war en the eleventh day thai 1
was first permitted to see and talk
with Evelyn. My mother bad called
daily, sit ing in silence beside my
bed, hut no other visitor In all that,
to me, seemingly endless period, had
been sdml led to my room.
My curiosity **ai by low very keen
to learn what bad developed in the
Interval regarding the Cameron mys?
tery. Had be, by chance, been heard
from? What had the det? ctlve agency
reported concerning Phlletui Mur?
phy? And what, l wished to know
most of all, had Yup Sing discovered?
I was in a dr< BBlng gown, pillowed
and footttooled In a great leather
chair gwaltlng my visitors?for Mrs.
Lancaster came with Evelyn?when
their names were announced. I sup?
pose I looked ill?though, save for g
grievous weakness, I was feeling lit
enough?for Evelyn's smile as she en
tend merged instantly into an e-x
presslon of mingled anxiety and sym?
pathy. I know that with her coming
1 awoke to the truth that my desire
for information was a far lest moving
factor than my craving for sight of
her and fur the music of her voice,
and my only regret was that the un?
derstanding between us had not
reached the stage of acknowledged
betrothal; which, I make basic to
add, was certainly n? fault of mine.
Weak as I was my arms ached to ft Id
her in a reassuring embrace; yet
must I content myself with a mere
fe rve nt hand-elasp and an oral decla?
ration that I was by no means so
le? hie as I appeared.
Nev< rtheless l was delighted to see
that she gave small e\ denco of the
strain she had been under. Sa\" lor
a slight additional pallor she was still
the same wholesome-looking, thor?
oughly-poised ^irl of a fori night ago.
And my admiration for b< r took on an
added measure because of this renew?
ed evidence of her sterling courage.
"And you promised me to be dis?
creet!" she reproached! h*T smile re?
turning, her hand still in mine.
"I did not foresee iu< h provocation
to Indiscretion," I pleaded, with un
attempted gayety of tone that must
have seemed Incongruous. "To have
hi i n discreel under I be circum?
stance! would have Involved a repeti?
tion of the one m'stake for whb n you
blamed me. You don't know, of
course, why I jumped down a ladder
Into a pitch-black cellar, do you?"
"I know you were? in pursuit of
some one?a pickpocket, they say,
who had taken your watch."
"Do they say that?" I asked, inter?
ested.
"That is what Miss Clement learn?
ed."
"Miss Clement?" I queried. "Who
is Miss Clement?"
"Oh, I forgot that you don't know.
Miss Clement is the missionary who
found you in the?is It 'hop joint'
they call it?"
"The lady with the kind eyes?"
At my designation her face bright- ,
ened responsively.
"You rememoer her, then!" she
cried, delightedly. "Hasn't she kind
eyes? And she doesn't belie them,
either. She's just the dearest, most
self-sacrificing creature 1 ever knew."
For the moment we had both for?
gotten Mrs. Lancaster, and when I
would have apologized I found that \
my nurse had carried her off Into the
next room and was interestedly show?
ing her some framed photographs of
the Siena cathedral.
"And Miss Clement learned that I
pursued a pickpocket?" I went on,
when Evelyn had drawn a chair near
me and sat down. "A very clever
explanation to account for the disap?
pearance ci my watch, but not the
true one. As a matter of fact, the
person I followed was a miscreant of
a deeper dye. When I last saw him,
previous to this encounter, he was
known as Peter Johnson."
Wide-eyed, the girl s'ared at me for
an instant.
I i u BE CONTINUED)
Escaped After Fifteen Years.
*\v P. Broyles made a successful
escape after fifteen years of suffering
from kidney and bladder troubles.
Foley Kidney Pills released him and
will do just the same for others. He
says: " They cured a most severe
backache with painful bladder irreg?
ularities, and they do all you claim
for them." Refuse substitutes.
Sibert's Drug Store.?Advt.
We hope that Mr. Worthington
will make an even more worthy-ton
of Bumter than it is?Florence Times.
Hints for Housekeepeis.
?Keep Foley's Honey and Tar Com?
pound always ??n hand, and you can
quickly head off a cold by its prompt
use. It contains no opiates, heals and
Soothes the Inflamed air passages,
stop? the cough, and may save a big
doctor's hill. in the yellow pack
age, Sibert's i?rug store.?Advt.
<)\ TO MONROE, N. C.
South Carolina Western Begins Work
On Extension to Monroe,
Through the South Carolina West?
ern railroad, the new r?>ad running
out from McBee t<> Hartsville and
Florence and from Hartsville to Sum
ter, the Seaboard has secured control
of the C. M. & C, railroad, running
from McBee to Jefferson. Work has
already been started, we are told, on
the strengthening of the road and the
overhauling and putting in order of
the engines, and it is said that work
has been started on the extension of
the road from Jefferson to .Monroe,
X. C.?Cheraw Chronicle
chronic Constipation Cured.
"Five years ago I had the worst
case of chronic constipation I ever
.<new of and Chamberlain's Tablets
cured me," writes 8, F. Fish, Brook?
lyn, Mich. For sal.- by all dealers.
?Advt.
Mrs. Siedl, wit.- of Mr. A. V. Snell
Secretary of the Charleston Chamber
of Commerce, in Oklahoma tu ?.lose
up their home, previous to her com?
ing here about the first of February.
On going to Bumter Mr. and Mrs.
Snell rented their home in the West
furnished, thinking they would return
there, i ut since it is decided that Mr.
Snell remain in south Carolina, tie
home is to P.- closed. M:s. Snell has
many relatives in this part of tin
country, being connected with the
Whaleys, Baileys, and other promi?
nent families on BdlstO Island.?
< h?rtesten Post.
Cliamlierlaln's t ough Remedy.
This remedy has no superior for
c- ughs ami colds, It is pi- sant to
take, it contains no opium or other
narcotic, it always cures. For sale
by all dealers Advt.
FRANK < II W< I To S \X USE
>. INKS.
ig Ii?, to Pilol Farrell's Club for Three
ears,
Chicago, Jan. 8. ? Frank Chance,
the former Chicago National League
team's manager, today was signed to
manage tin- \> w York American
League Club at a salary and Interest
which amounts t.. 1120,ooo for th<
three years, for which he contracted
the largest amount ever paid i
has. hall player, t >f this sum .<7.'i.
000 is salary and the remainder tin
estimated value <t ?< p> r cent of th<
n< l earnings of the club.
IViglitful Polar Winds
bloa with terrific force at the fai
north and piny havoc with the skin
causing red, rough or sore chapped
hands and lips, that need Rucklen'i
Arnica Salve to heal them it make;
the skin .'"it and smooth l'nrlvale?
for cold sores als., burns, boils, s?rci
ub ? : s, cut bruises and piles i ml;
25c at Slbei l'i I >rug Stor< Advt.
EXTENSION OF PARCEL POST.
HITCHCOCK V.OCLD VPPLY IT TO
THIRD CLASS MATI Kit.
Descriptive Tugs or Printed Mutter
Ma) Be Inclosed xv ? 11 * Packugc*
For N? u Sert lee.
Washington, Jan. ?.?It is likely,
in the judgment of authorities of the
pcstofHce, to be only a short time
until books and other printed matter
now handled as third class matter
at 8 cents a pound, wdl be mad'
ma liable as parcel post matter. Steps,
it became known today, already have
be* n taken to have congress to
amend the postal act to cover this
feature.
In line with this Postmaster Gener?
al HltchCOCk decided today that send?
ers of parcel post packages contain?
ing merchandise might enclose mat?
te, descriptive of the contents with?
out affecting their classification. His
order Is an amendment to existing
parcel post regulations, which pro?
vide thai the inclusion in a package
Of any printed matter makes it third
el ass.
in rendering his decision the post?
master general held that the object
of the parcel post law was to en
courage the mailing of greater quan?
tities of fourth class matter. It was
shown to lorn that much of the mer?
chandise s(-nt by the parcel post re?
quired descriptive tags or labels and
in his decision he held that such
printed matter came within the term
"for purpose s of description" used in
the law.
STATEMENT.
Of Bartow Walsh ami \V. s. Jones,
Chairmen of Committee for Distri?
bution of Christmas Fund.
To amount received from:
Collection at meeting.148.39
Christian Church. 5.00
J. R. Ligon. 5.00
Epworth class, 1st Methodist
Church. 5.00
Eastern Star. 10.00
Baraca Class, Washington St.
Baptist Church. 10.00
Jenkins Auto Spec. Co. 25.00
The Elks. 25.00
.Mrs. R. i>. Graham. l.oo
A. M. Broughton. .25
William Broughton. .25
Herbert Parrott. L.OO
Junius Parrott. 1.00
Baraca Class, 1st Baptist Ch. 10.00
Fire Department. 10.00
W. W. Rees.
Congregation Slnal. 10.00
Thomas Wilson. 25.00
Beulah Chapter, lL A. M. lO.o.?
Knights of Pythias. 10.0'?
O'DonneII ft Co. 25.00
H, 1?. Barnett. 5.00
shrinei s* Club. 10.00
Woodmen. 25.00
Sumter Light Infantry. 5.00
Jr. Order Am. Mec. 5.00
J. C. Cooper. 1.00
11. j. McLaurln, Jr.
?Tames Shaw. 1.00
Claremont Lodge 64, a. P. M. 10.00
Lyric Theatre. 5.00
J. W. McKetver. 1.00
T. W. McCollum. LOO I
City Council, from Tourney Ba?
tate. 240.00
1651.89
Exp< ml. d.6500.69
I talance.$ 151.20
Paid Out.
Cash to:
Mrs. Bell. 2.00
Alms "House. 5.00
Miss Gibson, for sick child. . . . 5.00
1?. J! Chandler Clo. Co. 6.00
Ladies Committees, toys, cloth?
ing, etc.11.*. 1
Cash to:
Sumter Gro. Co for groceries . 26.50
W. H. Vat es. 23.25
v. 11. 1-helps. 33.30
Moses * Ire n. 26.35
\. .\. Strauss ft Co.? . . 2:1.2"?
! Le y ft Mos? s. 28. l "?
Cuttlno ?v McKnlght. 20.75
j ? ? Donnell ft Co. 26.25
Ducker ft Bultman. 27.7".
1?. J. Auid for wood. 23.25
C. \V. Smith & Co. team.. .. !.<"?
Boston Candy Kitchen, for
fruit. .". 7.7"
.1 P Commander, wood., .. 16.25
Crosswell A Co. 1 ii"?* crackers. . 4.50
Geo, i". Bp person, coal. 7.75
s i r 1111? r Dry Goods Co., order
M Iss Gibson. 2.15
Mrs. Hlnson. 3.00
I'. \. Lynam. .75
Total.$500.61?
'!*.. 1 he Public:
Having been appointed 1 ?5 Die
Sunday School miss meeting, to
tribute this fund "For Christma??,"
we have discharged our trust ind
render herewith u full statement. Tl
meeting \\ hh h appoint! ? us, 1 b> 1 ? -
olutlon 1 pro> kilns foi 1 he n ppo m
ment of a comm Ittee oi ? in hi i?> the
ministers and Kunda> School stieprin
tendents, log? t lt< r w 11 h Cit) Co >n< 1
to take ' harge of am surplus, \\i
? n
1 ?. 1:. .w Walsh,
\\. h Jones
( ?(?MM I IK 1 AI. OltC.AXIZ 1TIOX
\\ IDI.M.I? SCOPE or CSE*
FULNESS.
Xol mm eh a Stiliiulunl for Growth
of Population ? Co-ordinate the
Force* of i'ities Into Co-operative
i bit.
Coltrobla, S. C.?Lucius K. Wilson,
kn v i5 as "the foremost chamber of
commerce man In Arne iea,' has pre*
pared the following article on the
work ?'i commercial organisations
showing the necessity for co-oper?
ation :
Th?* tre nendous spread of chamber
of comm- ice organizations?of city
promotion eiforts?is one of the great*
eat pheromena of the present day.
Fifteen years ago the fingers of one
hand would have been sufficient to
number the organisations of this sort
In the United States that were well
financed, thoroughly established, and
making progress, A reasonably cor?
rect list of the associations in exist?
ence about August I, 1912, showed
4,"00 of these. Figured in percentage,
the growth has been stupendous. If
the calculation is based on the dollars
annually expended the increase is still
more startling. Seventy-live Ameri?
can cities spend an aggregate of about
$3,000,000 annually in self-promotion.
Chanibevs of commerce have done
more?much more?than merely stira*
I ulate grow th in population for the
home town. The scope of their or
j ganized efforts has spreaJ, year by
year, until these associations are tre?
mendous ethical forces in a thousand
business communities. Men are social
animals and the chamber of commerce
offered the only non-partisan, non
sectarian body in which business
method's. merchandising ideas and ^
commei i al ideas could be brocaded.
The organisations developed into
clearing uouse for business thought.
Fnext i cted things always happen
when men are brought into public
conferen? e. The "power of publicity"
is a miuhty thing. When business
men met in chamber of commerce
sessions and expressed opinions con?
cerning commercial practices in lines
other than their own they unanimous?
ly demanded the observance of a high
standard of ethics by the "other fel?
low." It Is a good tiling for a com?
munity when any group of men defi?
nitely v dee a standard of business
practices of cltisenshlp to be applied
t?> others If the hardware merchants
can refc rm the drygoods dealers, or
the grocers point a better road to the
bankers of the town it is worth while.
The great public always profits from
the light no matter who trims the
candle.
Out of much meeting together, men
harn tb<- "Art of Co-operation." A
Democrat y can not exist unless men
know s mething of it. The best part
of a political campaign is not the elec?
tion ncr the successful candidate, but
the re ex of the team work on the
people The chamber of commerce
brought co-operation into the business
Held. Until It came business men re?
garded competitors as enemies and
sought by secret means their destruc?
tion. Mankind's attention was fasten?
ed up* n those points wherein one's
-. ltish gain might be lessened by an
I other*: activity. The thought of the
busin? ss w orld was c oncerned with
! destru tive differences Instead of con
j structP ?? likenesses in lines of trade,
j The chamber of commerce In
! Ameri < have been great teachers that
I change l the slant of the business
I mind. Through organizations the
consciousness of the constructive
community opportunities have come
to cities and towns. Individual com?
mercial problems have been Solved
. nmi sse.
Transportation charges, freight
classifications and contentions with
rallroai? have been adjusted for en?
tire communities at one time. Efforts
to enlarge a city's trade territory by
both wholesale and retail merchants
have been successfully made by or?
ganized co-operation. Business theory
and practices have been Improved and
enricheC by the ex? hange of Ideas
among men who are no longer afraid
to talk a ith competitors,
Thn ugh the same medium, men
have learned to join together to da*
velop agriculture, not because they
were I rmers, but because the pros?
perity of the farmer meant collater?
al pr< sperity for them. They have
eneon raged schools, not because they
needed education, but because an In*
udligeni community is the only satis?
factory place for business. They
have found that enterprise is a state
of mind md Is susceptible to <-uiti
vnt Ion,
Th< Toadening of community spirit
is dt?- id to be a more potent force
m tb? next l" years than ever before.
Men a learning to th nix In larger
unit- The individual is multiplying
his et! i n< v The emphasis of tin
presen' is on men of constructive
thougi .
iirriagc Llcenc*' Itccord
\ n rrlag< license h is been lseue<
to st< i ben Uoyd and Va rlc tfelsoi