THE COMMONWEALTH
Published Tuesdays & Fridays by
The Comincnwealtli, Inc.
Scotland Neck Bank RMg.
Scotland Neck, N.U.
be. converted 'into useful citizens. 'beans on those poor acres of yours.
Talk it shout it let it ring from ; They will- help the land and make first
every housetop: Our lands must be class hog feed.
cultivated and made to produce more!
Entered at the Postoffice at
Scotland Neck. N. C, as Mcornl
class matter under Act of Con
gress, March 3, 1879.
I
Subscription Rates
One Year $1.00
Six Months1 .50
Three Months .25
(In - Advance)
It is the only solution.
For years we have been robbing the j
farm to feed the city, and the farm
has just about reached the point where
j it can no longer be robbed. j
j ' It is time for our leaders to get to- '
j gether and outline a -plan whereby we
: may rob the cities and feed the farm ,
j ; with men. j
j j Everybody would be the gamer
i the fanner most of all.
All articles submitted f r 'pub
lication must bear the a.ithor's
name, not necessarily f o publi
cation, but as a guarantee of
good faith.
All drafts, checks, money or
ders,. &c, should be made payable
to The Commonwealth, I.h-..
Friday, January
REDEEM
I AM THE UNIIvIPROVED HIGH
WAY (By II. G. Andrews)
(In the William Penn Highway Bulle
tin. Copyrighted, 1916 by the William
Penn Highway Association)
I am the unimproved highway.
My name is Mud!
The foot that pattered in primeval
UPPER BERTHS
The upper berth is not, primarily, a
place of rest. c It's a .xmble. Like po
ker and marriage and storage eggs.
The main idea of the Upper is first,
to see if you can get in' it and second,
to stay there till morning without
breaking you. neck.
The chances are $2 a piece. and 100
to 1 that you lose. If you win you pay
the porter a quarter. If you lose, you
pay your own funeral expenses.
j Life in the upper is just as calm as
! life in a bathtub on a flagpole in a cy
I clone.
If you insist on trying to sleep in
one, put your clothes to bed and hang
j yourself on a hook.
j The only right way through is to ap
1 proach it a-s a purely sporting proposi
, tion. Take a lot of life insurance and
THE WASTE
AND MEN
place:
slime gave me birth. i a long breath and make a night of it.
Unchanged while the ages passed, I
Time has but served to I
One great, supreme qacstioi is con
fronting the American people loday, a
question that overshadows ail others of
the moment and that is the much dis-
,i have endured.
1 increase my infinite variety. Earth (
born, and without a soul, yet have I
lived. From the beginning have I i
been man.'s enemy. i
A dust-colored python am I, stretch-
:THE WHAT CHAM A COLUMN:
" GETTING UP
Getting up three hundred and sixty
times a year as we do, a person -would
we 'd
tyr':
used to it.
But
we
cussed one of how to reduce the cost of ing my length across the hills, waiting j
my time to crush endeavor. j
T hrvvfi snared caravans that left !
bleaching bones in lands now desert.
Empires have fallen because of me.
I have turned victories into routs;
I have trapped mighty leaders and have
crushed armies.
I am without faith; and those who
trust me I deceive.
Today I am fair to look upon; tomor
row a steaming bog.
I add Difficulty to Distance.
With Isolation do I conspire to un
living.
There is but one answer:
We Must Redeem The Waste Places of
Our Country and the Waste Men
Pood speculators arc responsible for
much of it, but waste places and waste
men are responsible for even more.
Is it a matter for wonder that food
-supplies are held at almost famine
prices when we are confronted with
the spectacle of hundreds of thousands
of men tramping the streets of cities
and towns, doing nothing and produc
ing nothing, while within a few hours
think
don 't.
Not even with bellboys alarm clocks,
cold water, wives waiting breakfast
and oilier pernicious inventions to egg
us on, we don't.
Folks have been getting up ever since
the world began; and they don't like
it any better now than they did the
morning Cain slew Abel.
It 's just as easy to keep a good man
down as it is to get him up.
About the only way to keep from
gettink up is to lie down and die. And
Hospital, where Dr. Kirby is head phy
sician. The house where Thaw was found is
within a short distance from the street
where Thaw was in an automobile acci
dent last May. A damage suit institu
ted against his mother, the owner of
the machine, brought Thaw here last
Monday to defend the action.
Report of the Condition of
THE PLANTERS & COMMERCIAL
BANK
At ' Scotland Neck in the State of
North Carolina, at the close of business
Dec. 27, 1916.
RESOURCES
Loans and discounts
Overdrafts
Banking Houses
Demand loans
Due from National Banks
Due from State Banks and
Bankers
Cash Items
Gold Coin
Silver coin, including all mi
nor coin currency 1,943.02
National Bank notes and oth-
erU. S. Notes 7,693.00
$159,690.17
2,248.23
2,111.93
14,643.31
3,280.13
19,635.43
5,891.11
551.00
THE CENTERS OF BUSINESS AT.
TRACT THE STRONG
"Get where the money is," was the commonplace remark of a
successful, man 1.he other day. In other words, associate yourself
with successful people if you expect to succeed. Shun hockers or mi.
successful men or women.
Just as soon as you dcide to become a student of this school
you command a close, personal interest that encourages and follows
you in every move you make toward' your Business Success.
"It is the preparation you make TODAY that FILES TK1
CLAIM on a position TOMORROW." Big dividends follow an in.'
vestment in this school.
Write today for the finest catalogue ever published in this
KINGS BUSINE
RALEIGH, N. C.
-OR-
COLLEGE
CHARLOTTE, N. C.
$217,687.33
$15,000.00
joint the endeavors of man. I tug at
walk of any of them lie broad acres of the wheels of the grain cart, that bread j
land that are idle because there are ma7 be dear- 1 hamper those who
none to cultivate them? i ould feed .the race. I am an enemy;
that doesn't
Lazarus.
always work. Look at
Let us stop hanging the high cost of
living onto the Avar. It may have had
something to do with the skyrocket
rises, but very little, because we are
exporting less than heretofore, a hun
dred million dollars worth less in 1D16
than in 1315.
We may twist and squirni and wrig
gle all we please, but wo can net es
cape the fact that the law of supply
and demand will regulate the cost of
which we consume.
And, equally, we can not escape the
fact that millions of acres of land are
idle because hundreds of thousands of
men would rather go hungry in a city
than live on the fat of the land on a
farm would rather beg at the back
door3 of city dwellers than to ride in
their own automobiles on country
roads.
Harsh words, but true!
We read of Congress appointing om- J
raittees to investigate
of living."
cf church and school. I mire the heal
er on his rounds and delay the coming
that little ones may die.
I am a disrupter of home. I speed the
first-born to the cities when I am fan
to see; and when he would return I
face him with my forbidding depths.
I minister to Bitterness; and lay a tax
cn all the world. There is none who
Jives who does not pay me tribute.
When men ploughed with a crooked
stick I was there. When the ancients
covered me with stones I slipped away
to other lands. I am the oldest Lie
that lives today. Men count me cheap.
I know the price they pay who count
me so.
I am the unimproved highway.
Mr name is Mud!
Total
LIABILITIES
Capital stock paid in .
Undivided profits, less current
expenses and taxes paid 6,995.31
Dividends unpaid . 16.00
Deposits 194,945.22
Cashier's Checks outstanding 130.80
Accrued Interest due deposi
tors ' 600.00
El
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irSl 1M C--.W, n , -v r-m mm J?.. H Vgl
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a lvioc
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income a
It is far better to work hard to save a part of it than
to strive to live in a style beyond your means. If you want
to avoid vain regrets in your old age save some of ycur
THE COST OF HIGH LIVING
The success attending the boycott on
eggs and turkeys serves to remind us of
tne lurm cos i the remark of a recent writer who ven-
But about the only "in-jtured the opinion that it was not so
vestigating ' ' that is done is to see how ,
much the high cost of living as it was
much money can be extracted from the I tlie cost Qf higll iiving that was trou
public till in the shsne ox '
tee expenses.
i
If you want to know why you are
paying so dearly for the supplying of
your table just step into a car and
f-pend one day in driving around to the
farms of the township. Question the
farmers aild see how many would like
to employ more help IF TIIEY
tomaui- : jiing the country at this time.
That writer placed his finger on one
and use your own
allowing others to
COULD GET IT.
Then go home
brains instead o'
think for you
If every idle man in this state could
be put to work on a farm during the
coming summer the increase in the
yield of foodstuffs for the state would
1 o so staggering as to be almost be
yond belief.
And yet we sit around and blame
politics, and the poor old overburden
ed war, and every other thing except
the' rhht thing.
We repeat, food speculators are
1 artly to blame, and they would be in
jail if we had the energy and the to
of the sorest spots in our domestic
economy.
We are the most extravagant people
on earth.
Fifty years ago our fathers would
have sworn mighty but 'righteous oaths
iiad
Bui
we
age to put them there
neither.
The middle man is the hog and !
should be kicked out into the pen wita
his brothers. But we are too indiffer
ent to do the kicking.
The commission man will rob you
blind even if you have no eyes. And
we turn the empty sockets for another
t- -e
The railroad - demands its pound of
flesh and takes two. And all we do is
to groan.
These things nil have their bearing,
but they are email as compared to the
law of supply and demand.
Thousands and thousands of men and
women and children are living in squ
alor and want in cities of our imme
diate section of the country. They
are strong men, capable of enduring
f.ny hardship on the farm. But they
are not on the farm and probably no
one has ever mentioned farm to them.
Why can't the farmers of this sec
tion at least get together and devise
way3 and means of bringing these half
starved people to the country where
they can bo put to work tilling the
soil where they can LIVE instead of
EXISTING?
It might eost a few dollars to get
them here, but the waste places would
be cultivated and the waste men would
anv been guilty of our cxtrava-
ganee. They lived in a manner that '
we of this day would consider the ex- j
treme of hardship. I
Our grandmothers, could they come
back, would be thoroughly scandalized
at our profligate extravagance, and yet
the strange thing to us is that they
managed to extract about as much hap
piness from life as we do if not a lit
tle more.
It has been said that the luxuries of
one generation are the neeesitics of the
next.
If this be true the outlook in a few
generations is truly appalling. Given
all our luxuries a3 their necessities,
with proportionate luxuries of their
v-i of which we have not yet even
(hi-T.-jied, to what gigantic extent will
extravagance have been reached?
j.jie picture is not a promising one.
In fact, it is by no means attractive.
It has been said that an European
peasant's family would live in com
fort on what the average American
kitchen consigns to the swill barrel.
And we haven't a doubt of the truth
of the assertion.
Here's the Americans-pace: Mr. and
Mrs. B, worth half a million, aspire to
live on the same scale as Mr. and Mrs.
A., who are worth a full million. And
Mr. and Mrs. C, with only a quarter of
a million, would keep pace with the
B's, who have half a million, and so
on down the line.
Really, isn't it time for the sober,
intelligent citizenship of the country to
call a hp.': on the useless, senseless and
even idiotic extravagance of the age?
There is an end to every string, and
the American people are a mighty long
way from the beginning.
OAK CITY ITEMS
The funeral services of Mr. J. L.
Hies, who died Saturday, Jan. 6, at his
home, took place at 1 o 'clock Monday
afternoon in the Baptist church and
was largely attended. Rev. T. J. Crisp
conducted the services which took place
in the family burial ground at Mr. J.
L. Iiines farm. During the service
jorgs were rendered by a selected choir.
The pall bearers were as follows:
Honorary: Messrs. R. W. Salsbury,
Bake Council, Lewis Johnson, J. T.
Savage, John Bennett and Jno. Daniel.
Active pall bearers, L. T. Chesson, B.
M. Worsley, J. C. Ross, John York, Tom
Johnson and Nat Brown. There wTere
many handsome floral tokens of respect
and esteem.
Mr. Hines was taken ill with pneu
monia, Thursday Dec. 28 of which he
practically recovered. Complications
of another kind set in, which caused
his death in nine days after his illness
began.
Mr. Aaron Haskett of Port Norfolk
has been with Mr. J. L. Hines the past
two weeks.
Mr. N. C. Iiines and son of Cary have
been in town this week.
Mr. Templeton" of Cary was here a
few days this week.
Mr. Frank Cartwright of Caitwright
Wharf, Va., is npending a few days at
r 1t.-ivi,o Ifro T T, TTlllflo
f ! ' V '.111' VIS i T . ' - " ii, . .
Miss Grizzell Baldwin of Soeky
Mount left for her home Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Waverly Holmes of Bel
haven are spending a short time with
Miss Jefferson House.
Total , $217,687.33
State of North Carolina County of
Halifax, Jan. 8th., 1917.
I, O. J. Moore, Cashier of the above
named Bank, do solemnly swear that
the above statement is true to the best
of my knowledge and belief.
O. J. MOORE Cashier.
Subscribed and sworn to before me,
this 8th., day of January 1917.
J. S. Shields, Notary Public.
Correct Attest :
S. A. Dunn,
Stuart Smith,
Directors.
m
m
C3
earnings NOV.
4 Per Cent
arteray
lowed in Saving
paranent
nrr- .1
) E3
111 . fl . 0
If
Report of the Condition of
THE BANK OF HOB GOOD
At Hobgood in the State of North
Carolina, at the close of business, Dee.
27, 1917
RESOURCES
Loans and discounts
Overdrafts
Banking Houses
Due from State Banks
Bankers
Gold Coin
CLAUD KITOHIN, Preside;
m
E51
m
E3
m
O.J. MOOEE, Cashier U
HI
$25,481.95
1,330.71
2,363.07
and
Come to
21,859.38
45.00
US Jmk
ENTENTE WANTS PEACE NOT
FROMISES
LONDON, Jan. 12. Premier Lloyd
George, speaking in the Guild Hall yes
terday afternoon said Emperor William
had told his people that the entente
allies had rejected his peace offer. The
Emperor did so, he said, to drug those
he could no longer dragoon. We had
rejected no peace terms, the Premier
said, and added:
"We were not offered terms but a
trap baited with fine words. It would
suit Germany to have peace now on her
own terms.
We all want peace but it . must be a
real one. "
The Premier said the allies were of
the opinion that war was preferable
to Prussian domination over Europe.
The allies had made that clear, he said,
in their reply to Germany, and clearer
still in their reply to America.
Silver coin, including all mi
nor coin currency 666.92
National Bank Notes and oth
er U. S. Notes 2,627.00
Total
LIABILITIES
Capital stock paid in
Surplus fund
Undivided profits, lees current
expenses and taxes paid
Deposits subject to check
Time Certificates of Deposit
Cashier 's Cheeks outstanding
55,374.03
5,000.00
2.500.00
312.80
7,533.0-j
62.S5
for your
HARDWARE
from
a
Total 55,374.03
State of North Carolina County of
Halifax, January 5, 1917.
I, S. L. Ilyman, Cashier of the above
named Bank do solemnly swear that the
above statement is true to the best of
my knowledge and belief.
S. L. HYMAN, Cashier.
Subscribed and sworn to 'before me,
this 5th, day of January 1917.
W. D. Hyman, N. P.
Correct Attest:
R. J. Shields',
K. Leggett,
S. D. Bradley,
Directors.
and the
FAEMMER ' S NOTES
(By Donald McCluer)
Land is like a bank account, your de
posits are very easily overdrawn.
While thinking over your crops for
the summer plan to plant some f soy
HARRY THAW ATTEMPTS SUICIDE
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 12. Harry
K. Thaw cut his wrists and throat in a
private house on Walnut street west of
52nd street here and was taken to St.
Mary's Hospital, according to Captain
of ' Detectives Tate, who has been
h searcains tor him.
According
whereabouts were learned
nouse was surrounded.
When detectives entered the place
according to Tate, they found that
Thaw had cut his wrists and throat.
Lieutenant Scanlon, of the detective
bureau, said that Thaw was found in
the house shortly before 2 o'clock.
Scanlon said that he had learned that
while Thaw was unconcious he was ex
pected to live.
Thaw, Tate says, asked that Dr. El
wood Kirby, a well know nphysician
be sent for. When the doctor arrived
he ordered Thaw'removed to St. Mary's
PECULIAR ACCIDENT TO MR.
FORBES
Hobgood, Jan. 10. Mr. W. H. Forbes
foreman for Mr. J. II. Heath, who has
charge of the logging camp of the Ar
ringdale company, met with an acci
dent today that might have been fa
tal. Mr. Forbes was on the log wagon
when the tongue jerked up and hit him
on the top of the head cutting a gash
several inches in length and knocking
him off the cart. He was also bruised
about the face and body, though he
did not lose consciousness.
Mr. Heath hurried the injured man
into Hobgood where Dr. K. Leggett
took seven stitches in the scalp and
bound up his other wounds.
The accident occurred in Martin
county, about three and a half miles
from Hobgood, and, though the wounds
were exetremely painful Mr. Heath
stated the injured' man 'did not lose his
nerve all the way to the doctor's -office.
Mr. Forbes is a native of Camden
county and had only been on this job
two weeks. ,
BERNARD ALLSBROOK
FIRE INSURANCE
Scotland Neck, N. C.
Office Phone
Residence 'Phone
122
121
--jm 40mmferM up.
WEEN YOU COMB INTO OUR STORE AND ASK FOB A
TACK HAMMER WE DO NOT TRY TO PERSUADE YOU THAT
YOU OUGHT TO HAVE A SLEDGE HAMMER TO DRIVE A
TACK. - WE WANT TO GIVE OUR CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY
WANT AND DO NOT "BORE" YOU TRYING TO FORCE ON
TO YOU SOMETHING YOU DON'T WANT.
COME IN AND EUY YOUR HARDWARE FROM US ONCE;
WE WILL TREAT YOU SO THAT YOU WILL COME AGAIM,
BECAUSE
OUR HARDWARE'S THE BEST; IT STANDS THE TE
Josey
Hard
Co
PIONEER HARDWARE DEALERS
SCOTLAND NECK, , NORTH CAROLINA.
THERE ARE IN THESE GLZM
fg 218,585 BLACKSMITHS EM
218,400 rTr 185 2i
E ANVIL CH0RU5 t0
NORTH END DR UG STORE