Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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TO ROME DEMONSTRATION WORK Ji'ST REGLN. k Mould bo a Great Mistake to Dia qestftnes Hoiuo Demonstration Work. ftdltor Dally Item. I think the county commissioners ate making a mistake to discontinue .? home demonstration work, espe lly at this time when the cry all ?o?er ths land Is more food and savi more. As a member of the Council of Defense I know how much this werk Is needed and how absolutely $ an possible It la for me and my asso j elates to do what we know ought to he done and at the same time keep our own farms running at top notch. One or morn paid uaent.s are essen tlal as a war measure, and I do not belike we can retrench at this time Without losing more than we eave. If the present agent* are not so efficient as they should be. speed them up, or secure others, but keep the food work 1 believe there has been more pro In the last few years of farm and home demonstration by bouse to house visitation than in a generation before of institutes and farm papers, iNat there are still hundreds of homes and farms to be reached, end they should be reached now. If this work Is discontinued who Is going to reach them? The work that counts la the wars, done with Individuals and small neighborhood groups, sly only critl clstr. of the work up to now is that valuable time has been lost In big in? stitutes, tome out of the county, that Sfcould have been spent reaching more homes and groups of homes In the eettaty. The best slogan that came ^to my attention last year was un oon**feusly uttered by Mr. Tiller at Ctvseterfteld Couft House last April when reviewing the work in that coun? ty He said; "My friends the work IS not done, it Is just begun." Last year's work will have to be done all over again. The county board of com mlMfoners, or any other body of clti sere who think the work is done are sit.iply mistaken. It is just begun. If as t members of the Council of De fen ee think we ran relax they are vevy much mistaken. Again and ag>ln we will do ths Same things over os t ll this war is ended, and then some mt re to adjust ourselves to changed eon dtt lone. E. W Dabbe. Ht'RPRISE AND REGRET. W|.iat the Mate Food Administration and Mate Council of Defense Thinks l>f Abolishing Home Demonstration c c f t t c ? t Mtjubers of The Sumter County Ceun- * ell of Defense. I Gentlemen There is grave danger 1 tJt? t owing to the pressing war meas urea which are demanding Immediate' c sc. on, many of our local problems C and necessities may be lost sight of. * Ar instance of this seems likely to oc- * cur in Sumter^ county. No county in <J South Carolina has been more wide* 1 awake, progressive, and loyal In de? fense measures. Tbe excellence end thoroughness of the Sumter county defense organisation, particularly It* negro work,'has been commented on most favorably in Washington and hue been used by the State Councils Section of the Council of National De? fense as a model for other States. It Is with surprise and regret, therefore, thst we heur that 8 unter county Is considering the abol ?hing ot her home demonstration agents on tre score of internal economy. Of course, no money should be wasted st this time, hut there Is a brand of H economy which is in reality great ex- U trsvagance. The question is not Can SMmter county afford home demon stratlon agent* during the coming year, but Can Rumter county afford n>i>t to have x home demonstration agents during the coming year? We fsel that the truest economy oeaslsta in conserving all forward looking and progressive agencies of production and reproduction. We sincerely hope, therefore, that Sumter county, which hss shown the way forward along many lines of defense Work, will not show the way to the rear In agricultural plans and food measures for 191*. We believe that anything you can do to prevent this will be a distinct service to Sumte* OMunrv. South Carolina, und our na? tion ^ Yours sincerely, k |01 STARR'S. H Executive Secretsry. Cntted State* W Fo.l Administration for South H Carolina. B IUsTD SMITH. ?xecutlve Secretary. Slat- Council of LB Defense ^OIToM DEMONSTRATIO!! WORK. f oewspmidrnt Relieve* it To Re a 1 ?eteto Expense. Editor Daily ft** 1 notUre that the MU"?ti?n ot *P*nl sway With the demonstration work in umter county la being agitated, ah 1 a taxpayer, I ark for specs In your columns to express my opinion. It seems to me this work is a use lees expense to tho county. As I un? derstand it, in order to continue the work the money will have to, be rais? ed by further taxation. The people are already burdened with taxes, and there Is no telling what it will be no fore this war is over. I fail to see where we get $1,100 worth of good out of the work. How much interest do the people take in it? At a meeting recently, there was only one lady present. The people are not interested enough to attend. the demonstrations. When they do go, its from a sense of duty, and not that they feel they are being benefited. I understand that one of the agents at a recent meeting had the children to sign a petition for the work to be continued. Children indeed! Why didn't sha present the petition to the ones who have to pay for this work? If this work were bel?g carried on in mill towns or among the ignorant and ur educated, it would be a differ? ent thing, but to be going among in? telligent and enlightened people, who are capable of doing their own can? ning without the aid of an agent is perfectly absurd. Even the negroes or a number of them, canned their fruits and vegetables last summer and I am quite sure they had no demon? stration agent to show them how to do it. ' This work is supposed to be done by the girls who are members of the various clubs but I have heard a number of mothers complain that they have the bulk of the work to Jo and the children get the credit. Not only that, but a great part of this work falls on the rural teacher whose salary Is very small, compar? ed with what the demonstration igents receive. I have taught in the rural schools and know whereof I 'peak. I am quite sure if this matter were brought before the voters the work would be voted out. I have talked vith a number and the concensus of ? pinion is that its a useless expense. (Miss) Alice Chandler. R. F. D. No. I. ECONOMY OR PARSIMONY? lexTetery Reardon Comments on The Substantial and Prod table Results of Home Demonstration Work. What would the county fair be vithout numerous attractive booths >f the rural schools, the domestic sci >nce clubs, girls canning and tomato dubs, and the city home demonstrat? ion club booth, and their thousands >f practical illustrations of increased ?fficiency. increased production and ?xtraordinary conservation and prac leal demonstrations of food substi utee to save meats, wheat, fats, su? rer, dairy producta, etc. to help win he war? Ask the officers of the Sumtar bounty Fair Aasociatlon and of the 'hamber of Commerce, the County ?oard of Education, and of the Burn? er County Council of Defeaeo thla mention, "who worked harder to nake the two Sumter county fairs he successor thay have been than dies Mary Lern mo n and Mies Annie {eels, the two home demonstration ?gents and thalr hundreds of rural ichool girls, rural woman of the home lemonstration clubs, and their friends ind relatives? Who worked harder than Misses Lemrion an 1 Keels to stimulate the ncreased Interest In the extraordinary production of foodstuffs, worked side '>>? side, doing a man's part, with the County Council of Defense, going to numerous whirlwind campaign meet? ings, making addreeses, distributing thousands of food admlniatration con ?ervation cards, mailing out thousands of bulletins and distributing thou? sands of packages and papere of seed, and helped to carry out the wishes of the government to practi? cally exemplify the national slogan "that soldiers win battles but wealth and food win wars," than these two young women who are marked down for the pruning knife of so-called economy by the Sumter County Board of Commissioners and the Sumter County Legislative delegation. If we must make war on some? body or something to catch up the financial deficiency of our county gov? ernment, why select the women ar.d the girls and the only two female county government officials we have? For twelve months Miss Lemmon and assistants worked for the 1917 annual county fair, and hundreds of rural school girls and women planned and worked under their direction to get up their booths which wero more than fifty per cent of the whole fair. Cm any other department of the eonnty government show a net Rain in cash results of thirty thousand dollar* IgstSaSSl wealth to the county? Il there 100 per cant, efficiency an-l economy In all county government do pa rtmenu? Did the sixty-five hundred doll ? ? "permanent road building" gasoline propelled motor truck show thlrt\ thousand dollars Improvement in th> public hlghwuys ot Hurnter county or even fifteen thousand dollars for the first six months of its use? Does It show any cash results in permanent or new roadways? Does the highway department of this county show thirty thousand dol? lars worth of new roads built during the past twelve months or since the new county supervisor and new board of county commlsioners went into of? fice? Show them. The home dem? onstration agents came across with the figures and the facts, and they de? livered the goods, the sugar and the fats. Make the officers show what they have done for their money too. Don't just "haggle" the women folks It's dangerous. Does the rural police department of the county, the constabulary forces of the magistrates, the county jail the county poor house, the county chaingang, the numerous county of? fices, show any cash returns over and above expenses, or do they all show a cold cash outlay, and some of them defleience* of annual appropria? tions? If other departments of the gov? ernment are not measured In worth by the dollars and cents, they pro? duce, net cash, why place a dollar dividend producing value on educa? tion? Why not abolish all offices and de? partments that do not show a net cash profit to the treasury over and above expenses, if this rule is to be so strictly applied to the rural schools of the county, or better still if the net cash profit to the treasury, over and above expenses is looked for, and if the home demonstration de- j partment was the only department that showed a bonaflde, visible net cash profit of $27,600.00 to the coun-I ty's Wealth as this department did do, then why carve off this wealth producing department and keep oth? ers which are a dead expense? Who worked harder, who are work? ing harder for the boys who are fight? ing and dying and for thousands who will not fight and die for this counthy to keep the seas open In order that the farmer county commissioners and other farmers can sell their cotton | for seveny-flve dollars a bale more, and their cotton seed for fifty dollars a ton more than they would be getting if these boys were not fighting and dying and going to fight and die, than the two home demonstration agents and their hundreds of associates of the canning and tomato and rural home demonstration clubs? If U pays the cities ot Sumter. Charleston, Florence, Columbia, Or? angeburg, and thousands of other in? corporated cities and town of this country to equip home demonstra? tion departments and employ horn* demonstration and .domestic science teachers, If the United States govern? ment and every State government, and thousands of county govern? ments, State, city, and county boards of education, over this country advo? cate and spend money for this kind or work, then what is the matter with Sumter county that it does not pay to teach our rural school girls and our rural women the same things that are taught to the other rural women of the United States of Amer? ica? HOME DEMONSTRATION WORK. Miss Annie Keels, Assistant County Agent, Corrects Mistake of Corre? spondent from Route S. Editor Dally Item. Will you kin/dry' give me *kpace to inform youjsxorrespondent from Sum In the same position have worked In the county two years longer than the white agent, and that she ia paid by the Jeanes Foundation, supplemented by a small appropriation from the County Board of Education. I put a petition asking for a con? tinuation of Home Demonstration work before eighteen members of domestic science classes, all of whom signed gladly and without urging. A friend of the work has so far asked twenty taxpayers to sign a similar pe? tition and nineteen have signed. I have worked not only as a home demonstration agent, but as a rural school teacher. As a teacher, I wa; never Imposed upon by an agent; and as an agent, I have been given the following help from teachers: they have reminded their pupils to bring material promised for domestic sci? ence classes; in two communites they helped with the county fair booths; and they have allowed me time to talk to their pupils. If the corre? spondent thinks this is a "great part' of the work of the agent, she is sad? ly mistaken. From the standpoint of remuneration. 1 get twenty dol? lars more per month as age t than SS teacher. The upkeep and eoHt of running a car, which I purchased for this work, and other expenses far outweigh this difference. So I con? tradict the impression she is trying to make that the work of the well? -paid agent is done by the poorly-paid I rural teacher. W>. 3, that the name of ? ray's competent colored ^itor is Dr. Lucy AnthQjftr that she and her predecessor Your correspondent must have beelc misinformed about the meeting: with I only one present. Thero has been ! no such meeting; held; probably she refers to a meeting at Dalzell on Thursday before Christmas when there were three present. This meet? ing was held on the first clear day after a prolonged spell of bad weath? er. Some of the ladies had gone to town to do belated Christmas shop ping. If the correspondent has work? ed In rural schools, she probably has taught some days when only a hand 1 ful of pupils were present. I wont into a school room not long before Christmas and only four pupils were present, when the enrollment was be? tween twenty-five and thirty. I was told that at Red Cross meetings In a rural community the attendance runs from four to six. Must the schools and Red Cross meetings be discon? tinued on account of lack of interest shown? Why did not your corre? spondent tell of home demonstration meetings with seventeen, twenty three, thirty, eighty-two or five hun? dred present? Such attendance has been secured. She should Inform herself and tell not only the bad points but the good also. I believe in giving every one a fair deal. ANNIE O. KEELS, Assistant Home Demonstration Agent. ENDORSED RY FAIR ASSOCIATION Board of Directors of Sumter County Urge Appropriation for Home Dem? onstration Work. We the members of the Board of Directors of the Sumter County Fair Association do hereby unanimously endorse the Home Demostration work and urge the legislative delega? tion to appropriate $1,500 for the purpose of continuing this work an? other year. The Sumter County Fair Association, * O. A. Lemmon, President. H. L. Tisdale, Secretary. By order of Board of Directors as? sembled at regular meeting, Decem? ber 29, 1917. AMERICAN BALLOON LOST. Drifted Away From San Antonio, Tax. With Several Occupants. San Antonio, Dec. 29.?After nearly thirty-six hours no word has been re? ceived from a balloon sent up Thurs? day at midnight from the balloon school hers, carrying Captain Paul McCullough, instructor and several students. The balloon drifted south? west and in the opinion of officers may be across the border in Mexico or lost In the Gulf. WAGE INCREASE REFUSED. Railroad Executives Pass up The Re? sponsibility to The Government. Washington, Dec. 29.?The rail? roads have definitely refused the de? mand of the organised employes for a forty per cer t. increase in wages, and turned over the responsibility en? tirely to the government. The rail? way executives here today, in making known the decision made no con? cealment of their feeling that the government operation is a step to? wards government ownership. They made it clear thatj they felt the pub? lic and stockholders would demand it. SWEDES ENCOURAGE FINNS. King Gustave Expressed Sympathy With Movement for Independence. Stockholm, Dec. 29.?Symapthy with Finland's movement for Inde? pendence was expressed today by King Gustave in addressing a deptfla jdon of Finnish publicists who pre? sented an appeal for recognition of an independent Finland. Mr. E. P. Bicker's Funeral. The funeral services of the late Edgar Packard Bicker were held at his residence on North Main street at 4 o'clock Thursday afternoon in the presence of his family and his and their many sympathizing friends. The officiating clergymen were the Rev. R. S. Truesdalo of Trinity Methodist church and the Rev. J. Bentham Walker of the Eplscdpal church. Tho floral offerings were many and beautiful. The honorary pallbearers were. Messrs. Nelll O'Donnell, Geo. F. Ep? person, C. M. Hurst and G. A. Lem? mon. The active pallbearers being: Messrs. R. D. Epps, R. L. Edmunds. J. G. DeLorme, .Tno. H. Clifton, C. L Btubbs and L. B. White. Mr. Rlcker wa"s born in Lowell. Mass.. Sept. 27th, 1854. At the age of 14 Tie came South and had made Sumter his home from that time un? til hl? death last Wednesday after? noon. Surviving him are his step? mother. Mrs. A. I.. Ricker, his broth? ers. Geo. L. Bicker of Sumter and Fred F. Rlcker of North Vassalbor ough. Me., and his widow, formerly Miss Elizabeth Kerrison of Charleston. Not Doing Roth. Nervous Employer --Thomas, i wish you wouldn't whistle at your work. Office Boy?I ain't working, ,slr. I'm only whistling.?Everybody's. THE BANTBSE BRIDGE. How the Proposition Will be Financ? ed and How it Will Directly Benefit Sumter County. Editor Rem. In reference to the proposed bridges over the Santee River, the situation, M I understand it, is that the work can be started shortly if the people of! the various Interested counties express their approval, and the necessary leg? islation is enacted. The plan, I am told, is for the bridges to be built by' funds, one-half of which will be fur? nished by the federal government If the counties affected furnish the rest. For each county to supply its quota a legislative act must be passed turning back to the State Highway Commis? sion thirty per cent or thereabouts, of the fees now paid the counties by the [ Commission from the sale of auto 11-1 censes in each county; that is, a county now gets eighty per cent of these proceeds, and under the con? templated plan, for five years, the counties will get fifty per cent. The balance will pay for the two steel bridges to be erected by the federal government, by Its expert engineers and workmen. If the act is passed the work will proceed. Under the contemplated plan 1 see great commercial advantages that will come to Sumter. The upper bridge Is to be at a point five miles from St. Paul, about twenty-five miles froui Sumter. This will make Sumter the chief point on the loute to Charles? ton from the center block of eastern counties. To travel that route the people of York, Chester, Lancaster, Kershaw, Falrfleld, Chesterfield, Dar? lington, Lee and the eastern parts of Rlchland will all pass through Sum? ter on their way down. Sumter will thus be not only a larger seller of auto supplies but it will be a greater shop? ping point, for it is by far the larg? est city In the section named. The building of the bridge, moreover, will mean the betterment of roads leading in this direction, so that there will be much more travel to Sumter Itself from the section named above than will be brought about in any other way. The building cf this bridge, too. will mean that the rich western part of the State, now cut off from us, will be open to Sumter, and here again Sumter will benefit as we are a larger community than any place there. The Plnckney Ferry bridge, free and ac? cessible at all times, will give the peo? ple of Orangeburg and Calhoun a short open road to our city. Berkeley, Colleton and Dorchester will be an easy auto trip from us, and Bamberg and Barnwell will be closer to Sum? ter than they will to Charleston. Charleston too will be brought closer to us than it now is, as the distance. I understand, will be 87 road miles Instead of the 93 rail miles. At the meeting In Columbia on No vember 6th 15 counties were repre? sented by about 60 de <; gates. The resolution to build the bridges came. I believe, from a Richlan< county del? egate, and every one was In favor of it. There is no doubt that the other counties affected will insiruct their legislative delegations to act favora? bly on the enabling legi?, it ion. At ;t small cost, indirectly V>*id. Sumte? stands to receive more c emunerativo return than any other co inty, except, maybe, Charleston. We will benent more than Orangeburg, *or being a larger community and a better mar? ket, trade will come fron Orangebun; to us; it wifl not go fr?re here to the Edisto city. It will not fco for Sumter to antagonize this section of the State by blocking a plan so be* eflcial to the whole; this is a day of cooperation, not of dividing. If thx'; people of Sumter understand the 'natter, and show that they want it, I know our delegation will lend th? ir Influential weight to the passage oi the propos? ed measure. Herber?. A. Moses. Baroum-Kppei on. On the evening of Dec mber 26 at the home of the bride'f) parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Barnum, 20 Chestnut Street, was sr emnized the marriage of their dau ghter, Alice Adeline, to George P. Epperson. Jr. The house was beautifully decorat? ed in Southern smilax palms and ferns. The parlor was lecorated In green and white. There the bride and groom with their attendants. Miss Al? pha Barnum, sister of the bride, as maid of honor, with Mr D. Bult men, as best man, Miss Lout e Epperson, sister of the groom wT.h Mr. Dyer Barnum, presented a beautiful tab? leau as the doors were thrown open to the families of the bridal party, gathered in reception room. Miss Siddall played soft and sweet, while Father D. P. Lanigan pronounc? ed them man and wife. After the ceremony the bride's cake was cut by the bride and served, while Mise Olie May Barnum presided \t the punch bowl in the reception r om, where a pleasant hour was spert informally. Although no invitations were la sued the popular yovng couple re? ceived a number of useful and hand? some presnts. . Mr. and Mrs. Bppcrie n left for Sa? vannah and other poin ! South. On their return to St mter they will be at home to their rlends at It Chestnut Street After spending months teaching the American soldiers how the war it fought, the British won by trfcf^ something different.?-Horida TV?^ ?nlonT~ ~? Everything that has appeared In the news so far goe> to show that Uncle Sam's navy gun tiers still shoot according to American precedent? Bock Hill Herald. ??' Eveiythingin the Building Lt ie All Kinds of Feed BOOTH & McLEOD, Inc. EVERYTHING AT ONE PLACE| Phonesi 10 ? 631 t The First last e of LIBERTY BONDS Have been received at The First National Bank The National Bank Of S: nth Carola Of Sumter Resources over $U )0,000.00. This Bank owes its growth to the loyal support and hearty ''?operation of its 2500 patrons. A bank is a COMMUN ITY INTER EST. Its mission is SERVICE. Its life is the Loyalty ef its Patrons. We appreciate your business and are better prepared than ever before to serve you. t ;o. ROVUNO. PrMttftnk F. E HlllllAVT