Newspapers / The Harbinger (Raleigh, N.C.) / Aug. 22, 1903, edition 1 / Page 1
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f2 . i 8i J HARBINGER ORGANIZATION. EDUCATION, ELEVATION. H 1 1 7 -'V i 7 7 . - I. 1 1 1 i ..in i ... - ' VoL 2. Raleigh, N. C. Satrday. August 22, 1903 No. 33 i . .1 Poetry. WHATEVER IS BEST- I know as my life grows older And mine eyes have a clearer sight, Than under each rank wrong, somewhere There lies the roof of right That each sorrow has its purpose By the sorrowing unguessed, And as sure as the sun brings morning Whatever is.is best. I know that each sinful action As sure as the night brings shade, Is somewhere, some time, punished, Though the hour be long delayed. I know that my soul is aided Sometimes by the heart's unrest, And to grow means oft to suffer, But whatever is, is best. I know there are no errors In the great eternal plan; That all things work together For the final good of man. And I know as my soul speeds onward On its grand eternal quest, I shall say, as I look back earthward, "Whatever is, is best." Author Unknown. A ROMANCE FROM LIFE. Bf John S. Canpbell, in Augusta, Ga., Chronicle. I DAY PARADE-PRIZE OFFERED. Portsmouth Lodge, No. 441 A. of M., at its meeting Monday nicrht. decided, bv a unanimous n , , vote of the members present, to join in the Labor Day parade As this lodge has about 135 men enrolled it should make a good appearance in the ranks. The boys were very much dis appointed at the failure of their excursion last Sunday, due to the breaking of some of the machin ery of the steamer Pocahontas, but are all the more determined that the one on the 10th shall be a success. To that end, several additional attractions will be added, notably, in addition to the umbrella offer ed the successful holder, a prize will be awarded the most hand some baby on the boat. A brass band of seventeen pieces will also be in attendance and sweet music will be rendered for two hours going and returning as well as at the landings. It is our aim to make this the most enjoyable event of the season. The fight for the nine-hour day continues to wager fi rcely in many places, and scarcely a month rolls around but two or three more reports come in of agree ments signed granting valuable concessions, and, with the excep tion of the railroad companies, nearly all report the nine-hour day as won without reduction of pay. It appears that Sweden as well as America is cursed with a Man ufacturing Association. All of the ironworkers of Sweden are locked out, in an effort to destroy unionism. Capitalists in Sweden as well as here have yet to learn that persecution breeds revolution in labor circles as well as out of them. Norfolk, Va., Unionist. Senator Simmons has made the f ol lnwinir nnnnint.ments to fill the ca- detship for the State at large at the TTnitPrl States Military Academy at West Point to become vacant upon Robert P. Howell. Jr., next June: Alexander Long James, Jr., of Laurinburg, principal, and Garry Thurman Fulghum, of Wilson, first alternate. . Salisbury, Aug. 15. Eighty-seven ohoraQ AT t.lifi stock of the First Na- oaun-vj tional Bank of Salisbury, of the par value of $100 each, belonging to tne nf io Into A. .T. Holmes, were sold at public sale to-day m several lots, 131 being the prevailing raxe 01 sale. SCENE NO X. More than twenty years ago, one snowy day in the early part of December, the superintendent of a large cotton mill in Augusta, Ga., was passing through the spin ning department, when his atten tion was drawn to a mere mite of a lad who was engaged in what is known in mill vernacular as doff- ing. A doner Doy s auiy con&isis in operating a little wagon tp and down the alleyways, stripping the full bobbings of thread from the spinning frames, and putting on empty ones to be filled. There was nothing unusual in the ap pearance of this particular boy, only to the trained eye of the superintendent he seemed en tirely too youthful to spend his happiest days confined in the unwholesome atmosphere of a big factory. "Come here, lad," exclaimed the superintendent as he ap proached the little fellow," what is your name and how old are you ?" Despite his extreme youth, this little tot acquired enough cunning to conceal his real age "Please sir," answered the artfu little imp, "my name is Clarke, and I am 12 years of age." A smile flitted over the face of the superintendent as he surveyed the little prevaricator. "What does your father and mother do ?" he asked. "Please, sir," papa is dead and mother works down in the weave room," tremblingly answered the now frightened little scamp as he nervously toyed with an empty : bobbing. Patting the little fel ' low on the head in a fatherly 1 fashion, the kind-hearted superin tendent passed on, thinking per- j haps of his own youth cursed with the same endless toil. A close observer would have no ! ticed a shade of sadness hovering in the depths of his soulful eyes as he hurried on, inspecting the condition of the work around him. Coming in contact with one of his section bosses, he asked stern ly : "Is not that boy Clarke en tirely too young to work around the machinery?" That much-feared individual was staggered for a moment with this direct question, .bull wen he knew that to misrepresent facts to his superior officer meant in stant dismissal. With the tact 01 a diplomat he met the issue, "He is rather young," he answered, "but he is a worker, and no mis take. Bevond Question he is the smartest boy in the room. I would rather lose a dozen 01 the others than to think of parting with him. Besides, he helps support an invalid sister. It would be a pity to deprive the family of his earnings." "Oh. well, then," said the su- oerintendent. as he sighed wea . . . . ... , nly, "be as lenient with mm as possible, he looks like a smart boy." Thus you see, my friends, ne cessity is a main factor as well as a service, in maintaining child hood slavery in the industrial world of America. The superin tendent had hardly reached his office, when the big bell rang out invalid girl, age, and a boy, whose thick with dirt, grease a dismissal and homeward hurried the li-tle toilers, to toss in restless slumber after a hard day's work. SCENE 2. In an humble little cabin, near the first level of the canal, a ittle familv group constituted a picture worthy of an artist's best effort. The unceiled room was bare, with the exception of a few old-fashioned chromos, a bed and several chairs of the simplest de- ;ign. Hovering around a blazing fire of oak was a woman, appa rently in the meridian of life, an possibly 16 years ot mere scrap of a thin clothing was a combination of and cotton. The girl was reclining in an easv chair, holding an old-lashioned onmer in her delicate hand, while the boy, his eyes aglow with sup pressed ambition, was crouching at her feet, answering the ques tions she was asking from the book. The woman, pale and worn with toil in the big factory, was deftly plying a needle, mend-ino- the manv holes in the gar ments of the boy. Noticing how weary she had become, the boy paused with his lesson and ex claimed : "Don't worry any more, mama. Let the holes go. If folks don't like 'em they will just have to lump 'em. That's all. By the way, mama, the superintendent asked me how old I was today." The mother was all attention instantlv. "And what did you tell him, Clarke?" she asked hur riedly, her face a picture of dread. 'Oh, you bet 1 was up to snutr, address on child labor. It was the most touching oration that ever fell upon my ears. Spark ling with wisdom and truth, yet rendered sad by a golden vein of tender pathos, it went straight to the hearts of all those so fortu nate as to hear it. Still pursu ing his studies by attending night school and reading standard au- thors during spare moments, this remarkable man was fast devel oping into a cultured gentleman. he years dotted by. A flatter ing offer of a position as overseer of spinning by a superintendent of a mill in North Augusta was acceDted. Success attended this venture and the once humble office boy, without friends or influence, had worked his way to the very head of the department which claimed him as a victim in the tender years of his childhood. The poor old mother had long since ceased to bend over the bat tern of the loom, but, alas, the unfortunate hand of fate had sped the soul of the poor invalid sister into the great beyond. Poor p-irl : little did she dream that her poor, little, ragged brother, whom she taught to lisp his A, B, C's, would some day reach a position of trust and honor so high, compared with his humble start in life. ' work out the great scheme of 1 paps using the cowhide and mak- destiny. Whether we are born ing women move arounu auu uc to endless toil or to a life of prof-'more useful in those days than ligate ease, we are subject to His . they are now. They went visit directing hand for some good ing, when allowed, in those days, I purpose. WC may UUl UUtciu ik auu vui ututgs 11 aom.iw", here, but some day somewhere, father and salvation of this coun- especially if our lives seem blight- try, smiled ano sam mat was a ed with toil we shall rejoice to good law. (I know he did, for it learn that what we thought was ! would not begin to do for women o oiirco '3c nntViinor more than a to be allowed their freedom of 'fnrnarptfr1p3n:p our snirits of sneech or use of property.) This I j n li'fo 1 nroc flnd'c rnimttv irr man flnrl 1 sublime beyond conception. woman was not known in it, be I A soft, sweet melody came cause she came in secondary. I floating out on the evening air ' am sure old man George Wash 1 and aroused him from his reve- ington was a Bible-reading being j ries. He listened intently. It and knew that a man was head was the voice of his darling wife, over all and must be respected, I Once a toiling weaver in the because God made man first out big factory, but now a beautiful of the best dirt he had, and I sup queen of a happy home, she was pose it took about all he had, as a fit fwnnaninn fnr the man who man is a big; thing. So, when won in the battle of life, even God decided to make woman, he though the odds were against had no good clay, and had to take him. any scraping he could find, there fore she is a small affair, and should be so considered, and after thinking over the way those old gentlemen levied, especially Mr. Solomon no man could much blame him, as women are an in ferior set, and it would take a And I mama," answered the cunning little rascal. "I told him I was 12 vears old. He did not seem to believe me at first, but when I told him papa was dead and I j had to work for a living, he pat-, ted me on the head and called me a fine little fellow." A tear stole down the mother's face, as recollections of happier days came trooping into her mind, j Concealing her grief, she gath ered the boy in her arms and said : "Be a good boy, Clarke, and do your work well. May be some day you will become a great man, then your your mama won't have to work so hard." "I trv to be good, mama," answered the manly little fellow, "out today Frank Smith stuck a pin in me, and I just had to paste him in the mouth." "But you must not fight, my boy," said the mother, while she inwardly gloried in the fact that the little fellow could take care himself. "I am good to those who are good to me." With judgment far bevond his tender years, the little fellow continued : I am so anxious to learn, so I can be a boss, when I grow to be a man' Thus through the years ot his childhood Clarke Livingston toil ed through day and studied his books at night. Fighting his way, inch by inch, from the en tangling meshes of poverty and endless toil, to win in the end a position of honor and trust worthy of his highest ambition. SCENE 3. A dozen summers had waxed and waned when we again find the puny little doffer boy devel oped into a strapping young man and promoted to the position of second boss. No gaming house or saloon claims him as an hab itue, for his whole life is devoted to a worthy ambition. He is the moving spirit of the spin ners' union, and is sought out by all for the benefit of his sound advice and unerring counsel. I remember one night in Hicks' brick hall, hearing him deliver an SCENE d In a picturesque little cottage, surrounded by a wealth of flow ers and situated in the suburbs of a thriving factory town of the State of South Carolina, a well dressed gentleman, with a kindly face, had picked up the morning paper, and was-carefully cleaning a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles as b settled back in an easy chair to scan its columns. "Ah, mother," he exclaimed, "I see the Georgia Legislature has defeated the child labor bill. What a reflection on the intelli gence of that grand old common wealth." homely old soul, whose back was bent with years of toil and whose locks were white with the frost of time, paused in her pleas ant task of needlework, and look ed upon her son, a world of admira tion gleaming from her aged eyes : "Ah. Clarke!" she spoke in a tender tone, "that subject carries my thoughts back to the old days when you, a mere infant, worked so manfully to keep starvation from our door. Suppose the law had prevented you from working ; what would we have done?'' "Rest assured, mother, an All wise Providence would have come to our rescue. But in those days children of tender ages were employed all over the coun try. Now. progressive Slates like South Carolina prohibit the em ployment ot small children, and get along just as well, or better than they do in Georgia." "Not to change the subject, Clarke, but I want you to promise that some day we shall again visit Augusta and view the old laminar scenes so dear to my heart. I want to see the old mill, and the little cabin where we spent so many happy years." "Yes, mother,, any request you ask shall be granted," answered Clarke Livinston, once an humble doffer boy, but now the superin- THAT SCALUWAG LEGISLATURE AND WOIVIAN Poverty Hill, N. C, Aug 21. Mr Editor : Sir : I am a con- 1C11U1 SCL, CU1IU It WUU1J tinual reader of your paper, and onnA mav to make one j , j i- r tt 1 j . u. tninK you are uoing muuu iui guess ne naa an eye iu uusiucaa your organization and the work- and knew the quality of the clay, ing people in general, but there ' And I tell you, Mr. Editor, God is&one thing you should think had a big respect for we gentle about, and that very seriously, men, as it took something over because it is a most awful serious nine hundred women to De equai question to us gentlemen, who to one of we gentle i en, showing feel the sting of being let down a little. True, it ain't very much of a let down, but enough to make them to be inferior beings, and we should so treat them. There is another matter we should look it o i;h1p iin'rrmifr.rt.ihle for the after before the next Legislature, present and poor prospects in the I and that is to nominate no man future for we gentlemen, and a j who will not promise faithfully liolt dimilrl Up Iliads. ATI rl the to make a law demolishing that sooner the better. Should it con-. vile law made by that carpet-bag I f'nue, some other fool women Legislature, a set of low-uown I will benn to feel the importance nincompoops, who didn't care I . . . & . 1 .! .! 1, 1, of being tree to express an opin- now we geuucuicn lijiuux utit ion when it suits them ; and when were treated ; and, again, we allowed in a small matter, there must see the most important is 110 telling where it will stop, ' newspapers and get them to and I say it should be nipped in promise not to mention anything the bud before it gets too much about those fpbl women, as they hold Women folks must be kept', will be killed out by silence in subjection like they used to and not being heard from, we flav; when a man ' gentlemen will get protection 'could whip his wife and make and can do as we please. I tell Mier do as he said, and she could you. the women must be kept in off tr a mno-istrate and subiection, and not allowed to get out a paper for him, because , know that George Washington o r . . ..... . j t ee r ' J . 1,a the law was his by right ot being ana jen lavis appiuvcu ui iuc the boss of the house, and head of old law. If they found it out the family; besides, our gmtlemen they would turn loose those socie of humanity and brain, whom we j ties and we gentlemen would olotorl trt mate laws for the safetv : have more trouble than we are of the country, made a law, say- after, and they would begin, not tendent of the largest cotton mill in the South. Lighting a cigar, he strolled out through the open door upon the porch, lost in reve- ries. He was dreaming 01 tne 01a days, so full of toil, yet withal so happy, when the superintendent of an Augusta mill patted him kindly on the back and called him a fine little man. Ah, well; he thought, "man proposes, but God disposes" to ing we gentlemen (?) could whip our wives : also made a law that as soon as we married any rich girl her property was ours (we gentlemen) and she had not a dol lar, but must "come to us and ask we bo ses for that same money," and if we did not give it, she had brain enough to say nothing, as she was even told the law, and that it would be carried out. Therefore, we had not the trouble this young generation are having since that low-down, carpet-bag Legislature changed these laws and gave a woman more latitude and allowed her to spend money foolishly -besides, that sane dis graceful Legislature gave her a a chance to waltz over to some infernal magistrate, who was fool enough to issue a paper, and then the sheriff would come around to pay his respects to we gentlemen and a hearing would be had, and iust apt as not we had to pay out monev to keep out of trouble of that same low-down law, while she. that very woman we had hit, could laugh in our faces, and dare us again to hit her, or she would enforce that low-down law. Now, Mr. Editor, you know that is humiliating, after know ing and seeing our grandpaps and only to fuss about the condition of the streets and flying paper, but would soon have we gentle men before the police, just as if we were some low-down being. They must be kept in subjection, I tell you, in this State I will ask your aid, and hope you will be true to the boss and head of the house, and not allow any of those fool women any space in your paper. This thing of being claimed as the husband of that Mrs. Matildy Jane is a serious insult, and it her man and my woman find out this mistake, and not being fully in formed, there might be trouble, as things have changed, and we are about to get one mouthful of law to protect we gentlemen, and the only hope is to buy up the newspapers, judges and lawyers, and if we fail in that, we are in a bad fix, because those women are a set of wild varmints, and unless ve get them scared of us or the law, it is best to hold both over them for our safety. "Zip." The Confederate veterans of Ca tawba County held1 their first areneral reunion at Newton last week. The number of people attending was esti mated to be from 5,000 to 7,000.
The Harbinger (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 22, 1903, edition 1
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