1.00 a Year, in Advance. "FOR GOD , FOR COUNTRY, AND EOR TRUTH . Single Copy, S Cents VOL. XL PLYMOUTH, N. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1900. - , ; " NO. 47. the poet to ills wife's eves, s Oval and largo and passlon-puro Anil trray and wise and honor-sure ; Holt as a flying violet breath ' Yet calmly unafraid of death ; Thronged, like two doye-cotes of gray doves. With wife's and mother's and poor-fo Ikes' loves, And home-loves and hlh fflory-lovcs, And sclonce-loves and Btory-lovea. And love for all that God and man In art or nature make or plan, And lady-loves for spider luce ' And broideries and supple grace. And diamonds and the whole sweet round Of little tliat large life compound, And Iovoh for Ood and Goers bare truth, And loves for Magdalen and Kuth, Dear eyes, dear eyes aud rare completo JSeliiK heavenly-sweet and earthly-sweet, I marvel that Uod made you miue, For when he frowns, 'tis then ye shine I Sidney Lauier, "My Springs." HILL AKP'S LETT Ell. Blue Mountain, Miss. Some good people called me over here and I came. Mv wife said I had better bo, for the winter waa at hand and the family needed clothes and Bhe was obliged to play old Santa Claus, .is usual, and provide some Christmas gifts for the children and grand-children. That is a good part of her life and happiness pleasing the children, bhe never for anything for herself. She don't have to. " The girls tell me what she needs and I surprise her with it if have the money, and if I haven't strain my credit and get it anyhow. Professor Lowrey called me here to talk to his college girls, for he is a noted fidncator and has 260 eirls out here in the woods and is building up an insti tution that is the pride of North Missis Bippi. He got four other towns to join him in the call, and so 1 lectured in Tupelo last Mcnday night to a large audience in a large house and found wnrm welcome. It is wonderful how these old towns are looming up and taking on new life. Twelve . years ago I was in Tupelo and I thought it was pretty dead, I had only . about 100 people out to hear me then, and this time there were near 400. Prosperity has done it. Ten-cent cotton and cotton and a cotton mill has done it McKinlev had nothing lo do with it Last night I was bill 3d for Ripley a nice old courthouse town nor far away The evening betokened a storm and by nieht the lightning was Hashing incea nantlv all around the horizon and the thunder pealed heavilv. Country peo i le bebame alarmed and hurried home, tor everything seemed ominous of com ine trouble. There seemed to be some thing in the elements that was brooding over us. and sure enough tnere was The courtroom was about half full of people who had dared to venture out to hear me. Suddenly the storm came with fearful fury. There was an awful roaring sound from the southeast that was like the sound of many waters Vmahad the audience into a solemn silence. I did not take the platform but waited. In a few minutes some wild, excited messengers came rushing up the Btairs and called for the doctors and other help, for the cyclone had come and torn up everything in the suburbs and killed men and women and children The nieht was intensely dark, but the men rushed to the rescue in haste and the lecture programme was broken up in a twinkling. Everybody hurried to their homes or to the scene of the dis aster. What an awful thing is a cyclone What a merciless thing it is! How quickly it comes and as quickly goes leaving swift destruction in its track Happily it gives no warning, for the terror and apprehension would be worse tnan aeatn. mis mormug wb rejuiueu to learn that nobody was killed, though marv were badly wounded. Some houses were wrecked and blown away and many were unroofed and some were set on fire. One man was lifted up and carried away and thrown to the ground in the woods, with only a tew bruises How strange that so few people are killed bv a cvclone. It seems provi dential, and this morning the question d.scussed at the breakfast table was whether God or the devil was the author of these terrible visitations. One said that the spirit of evil was still on the arth and was ever contending against the fcpirit ot good, aud . this spirit it brought famine, pestilonce, fires, storms md all disasters. . Another said that all these things came from natural causes and that neither God nor the devil had any ag"ncy in them. Another quoted ! from Job where the Lord delivered him , over to Satan, who was going to and fro nnnn the earth and walking up and down in it. He afflicted i tb awfully but was not aliowed to take his life Another quoted from the Savior's words when He said: "Think you that those upon whom the tower of bdoam fell worn wicked above all people? I tell you nay, but unless ye repent ye shall perish." Professor John Fiske, a very great and learned man, has written little book called. ."The Mystery "Evil." I have read it twice and found but little comfort or philosophy in His argument is that evil is of divine creation and designed to illustrate and exalt the good. That but for Bickness we wouid not appreciate or enjoy good health. But for an occasional famine we would not enjoy the blessing of abundant food, and but for sin we would not enjoy heaven. His book leaves you just where It found you, and the mystery is still unexplained. We know that God loves His creaturee, and that is enough. Not a sparrow falls-to the ground without Ilia notice, and He did not wisn to destroy mneveh. where there were 600,000 people and much cattle, . "And much cattle." That was always a very significant ex pression to me. Well, I had to come here from Kipley by private conveyance. We had a good team, but the road was tearful, for it had rained nearly all night. Mr. Pit- ner, an old Georgian, had the lines and did not anticipate trouble, but when we got to the river we found the lowlands flooded on both sides for a quarter of a mile, and after we crossed the bridge the horBes plunged suddenly into a washout and submerged us into deep water. It flowed into the buggy and over it and up to the cushions, and for a time we. were both alarmed for fear of a collapse. But we got out of it safely, and here I am with a valise full of wet clothes and no change for tonight. Here I am at the college and will have to stand up before two or three hundred pretty girls tonight. Fortunately Mr. Lowrey is about my Bize and says he will lend me some garments while mine are being renewed at the laundry. Hard, hard, indeed, is the contest for freedom and the struggle for Christmas money. Cyclones and Hoods are pursuing me and disturbing my tranquillity. But "ne thing more may come which cannot fight, and that is a Methodiet revival, for like a cyclone, they are terribly in earnest and always break me up. Old Simon Peter Richardson says in his book that the Methodists are all fire and the Baptists all water, and some others are all wind. I hope they won t all come upon me at once. But I am still hopeful and trying to keep calm and serene. Tonight I shall be inspired with the presence of theee college girls and for au hour or bo wiJ be the cynosure of their beautiful eyes YeB, the cynosure, lhat word comes from two Greek words which mean the dog's tail, and so I will be the dog's tail of the fair assemby. Professor Lowrey's father was the brave old soldier known as General Lowrey who succeeded to General Claiborne as com mander of that corps in the Army of Tennessee. He is buried near here, and I shall visit his grave. I go from here to Pontotoc, the oldest town in tue state, where the Indian agency was located and the chief of the Chickasaws lived. From there I go to New Albany, and from there to mv own home, where there is always a light in the window for me and many happy ones to greet me. jjill arp. Western N. C. Conference. Greensboro, N. C, Nov. 27. No action was taken at the Methodist Con ference, which adjourned yesterday, with reference to the action of Barbee & Smith, book agents. There was movement to secure an expression from the conference, condemning Barbee & Smith, but Bishop Morrison urged that no action be taken, and that the whole matter be left to the next General Con ference. His advice was taken. It is well known that Bishop Morrison has not hesitated to "ring clear" against isarbee & bmith 8 deception, lie says that the General Conference may be trusted to do the right thing. The full statistical report, presented by Rev. R. M. Taylor, is as follows: Local preachers, 180; members, 72, 014; infants baptized, 1,607; adults baptized, 1,477; Epworth Leagues, 91; members. 3,529; Sunday schcols, 711; teachers,' 4,912; scholars, 48,329; amount for Conference claimants, $5, 000; amount collected, $3,986.82; foreign missions, $12,989.20; domestic missions, $0,225.96; Church extension, $2,631.33; American Bible Society, $396,063; support of presiding elders, $11,635.79; support of preachers in charge, $85,932.87; Bupport of bishops, $1,498.63; number of societies, 823; number of houses of worship, 725; value of houses of worship, $891,245 indebtedness, $39,507.02; number of pastoral charges, 184; number of par sonages, 133; value of parsonages, $156,763; indebtedness, $11,880.09; number of districts, 11; number district parsonages. 6; value of district parson ages, $9,800, number of charges dam aged during past year, 4; amount of damage, $1,565; value of school prop erty, $3,904.33; endowment; $3331,750. The conference decided to buy fifty five shares ot the Christian Advocate, published at Greensboro. The .next" session will be held in Gastoni. Earth Opened Up and Team. Swallowed John Newton, a prominent farmer residing at Petro, Tenn., had a narrow escape of his life a few days ago. lie was plowing in a large field near his house when the earth suddenly opened and his team was swallowed, up, he barely escaping going down with the team. The field has been in cultivation for over sixty years, and never before has such a thing occurred. Newton was plowing with a double team and both horses went in the pit. A num ber of neighbors at once set to work digging, and after some time secured the team, but one of the horses had to be killed. It is supposed that a large underground waterway waa the cause of the cavein, but none was discovered in the chasm. One theory is that it marks the outlet of the lake on the mountain near by which seems to be bottomless and that the outlet is in the brd of the Tennessee river. GENERAL NEWS. The Europeon powers have assured the United States that they not desire to impose upon China conditions with which she cannot comply. Hon. William J. Bryan, while in Chicago, said he would soon be heard from on the proposition to reorganize the Democratic party. The police of Hoboken, N. J., have received a letter alleging the existence of a plot to assassinate President Mc Kinley. The writer of the letter gave in his communication the name of the alleged chief conspirator, which the police refuse to make public at this time. President Kruger landed in Mar seilles, France, on the 22nd, amid im mense enthusiasm and boisterous de monstrations by the French people. He made a speech and thanked the people for their interest in the Boer cause, and their reception of himself and declared that bis people will not surrender or compromise. United States Senator Cushman Kellogg Davis, chairman oi tne com mittee on foreign relations of the Sen ate, died at his home in St. Paul, Minn., on the 27th, after an illness of two months. He had suffered greatly dur ing his sickness and gradually sank away, being unconscious for several hours before death and so far as known, Buffering no pain. The report 'recently circulated that the Pennsylvania railroad interests were about to absorb the Southern rail way system has caused much talk and comment among local railroad men. It is the general opinion that the story is only a wild rumor from Wall street and has no foundation. The Southern rail way system during the last year has had a great-era of prosperity and ib now in a strong condition financially brought about possibly by the reorgani zation or manipulation of J. Pierpont Morgan, the great financier of both the Pennsylvania and Southern systems. The Southern Railway is distributing among shippers the new freight tariff, which has gone into effect. The book is the most complete of its kind ever issued by a railway company, and in its arrangement the convenience of the shipper is the thing aimed at. It is a veritable shipper's guide, and all points reached by the Southern aud connect ing lines find place in two well ar ranged lists the alphabetical and di vision. Another great convenience to the Bhipper is to be found in publica tion of class and. commodity rates. The book is complete in every detail. Pleased With Negro Labor In Cotton Mill. Charleston, S. C, November 31. After the annual meeting of the stock holders of the Vesta Cotton Mill, held in this city yesterday, it was announced that the owners of the property were well pleased and satisfied with the operation of the mill with negro labor. About two years ago negroes were em ployed entirely in the mill and the experiment has been thoroughly tested, with the result that the stockholders are of the opinion that their judgment was wise. While the mill made money laet year no dividend was declared, as the money was used in permanent improve ments for the plant. A party of prom inent capitalists from the east who have money invested in the mill came here to attend the meeting and they were evidently impressed with the idea that negro labor could be made a success. They expressed the belief that the prop erty would pay better hereafter, as the negro operatives are now familiar with the handling of the delicate mill ma chinery. Before the reorganization of the Vesta, mill negro labor was given a short experiment, but it did not seem to. work well. After the property was sold, howeyer, and reorganized under the name of the Vesta company, negro labor was used altogether, and this has proved successful, as shown by the for mal announcement from the manage ment. Stamp Taxes are Going-, so the Re publican Say. The sub committee of the Republi can membership of the ways and means committee has not yet completed the draft of the bill to reduce stamp taxes but is making progress. It is understood that in addition to reductions heretofore mentioned, the increase of 60 cents per 1,000 on cigars will be removed; also that the stamp taxes on steamship tickets will be taken off, because the revenue received does not justify the difficulties of collection. Members of the committee have been asked to remove the stamp taxes on foreign bills of exchange and bills of lading, and it is possible that the mat ter may be reopened. The tax on par lor car . seats and sleeping car berths will remain. The most important 'changes in the present law will be in schedule B, which practically will be wiped out and which includes medicines and proprietary ar ticles. Ihe tax also will probably be removed from conveyances, mortgages, etc. Thesa, with the abolishment of taxes on expreBS receipts, telegrams, bank checks and some other stamp taxes will, it is said, secure the reduc tion of $30,000,000,whieh is the amount agreed upon by the treasury officials anc' the committee. STATE NEWS. 1 Charlotte is to have a new $200,000 cotton mill. i The Henderson Herald suggests Hon. F. M. SimmonB for chairman of the National Democratic Executive Com mittee. Guy F. Wooten, a Winston boy, member of Company G, Twenty-eighth Infantry, was drowned in the Philip pines on the bth mst. A negro hospital is to be established in Winaton-Salem in connection with the Slater Industrial School. Mr. R. J. Reynolds has contributed $t,000 toward it. The Legislature which meets in Jan uary will be composed as follows: Sen ate: 39 Democrats, 8 Republicans and 3 Populists; House: 101 Democrats, 17 Republicans and 2 Populists. It will mark the passing of Populism in North Carolina. While hunting near Reidsville, Satur day, Will Rankin, 18 years old, in shooting at a covey of patridges, lodged a full charge of shot in the brain of Wright Smathers, Jr. son of a promi nent Bockingham county farmer, kill ing him almost instantly. The Democratic State Committee, at a meeting September 5, f dopted a reso lution creating a committee to draft a bill to be submitted to the Legislature for a legalized primary for white voters. Chairman Simmons this week appointed as the committee Heriot Clarkson, Thomas J. Jarvis, Thomas W. Mason, Cyrus B.Watson and James S. Manning. It turns out that the man who has Bet the cotton mill employes in Ala mance county at enmity with the mill owners, their lifelong friends, is a Mas sachueetts man, J. F. Thomas, who was building a bridge at Haw river for the Southern rayway. Thomas and three of his men beat a non-union cotton mill employe. He and one man were arrested. The other two fled. Now Thomas and the man arrested wit'i him have fled the State, leaving their bonds men in the lurch. Ilryan Writes Now Tor Pay Only. William Jennings Bryan says that he has ceased giving interviews to news papers promiscuously or individually. He is now writing for pay. This policy, he says, he adopted at the close of the campaign and he intends to continue it till some matter of great and imme diate portent to the nation or to the policy of its present managers renders his opinion necessary or advisable. When sedn Sunday Mr. Bryan was jolly and talkative till approached on some question of public interest, when he immediately became silent. "It is like -the case of any newspaper editor," said1 Mr. Bryan. "He writes what he thinks but he will not write it without the money. I am not writing for the money, but I will not write with out it. If I were to discuss subjects of importance I should wish to do so only after consideration and study and I should'wish to prepare careful statement at my leisure. If I should be willing to give interviews on all these questions the newspapers would keep me busy practically all the time and I should find when 1 came to write for myself that I had printed much of it before." Mr. Bryan said that his second reason for declining to discuss in the newspapers such subjects as he reduction of federal representation in certain of the southern states proposed by the Republicans was that he never believed in discussing a thing until it was existent or imminent and that no action had been taken in that matter as yet. "It is a nuisance." He said, "to be continually discussing matters which never come to pass." , Ilural Free Delivery. Baltimore Sun. In hia estimate for the forthcoming fiscal year the Postmapter-Gensral sets aside the Bum of $3,500,000 for the extension and maintenance of the rural free delivery service, a branch of the general postal scheme which has devel oped into magnitude and importance during the last few years. While it is essentially a losing venture it is never theless a convenience of broad scope and justified in most cases by the circumstances of its creation. The tendency toward suburban residence among taxpayers of moderate means which has been manifesting itbelf more strongly year by year has also developed an extension which carries some of the suburbanites pretty well into the country. Electric and steam railway service has kept pace with this natural se quence of urban growth and has fur nished conveniences equal aImos to those enjoyed in cities. It seems proper, therefore, that free delivery in the rural sections Bhould be installed where con ditions warrant it. The year about to cloBe has brought nearly 4,300 rural routes, and plans now formulated con template the establishment of about 4,500 more during the next year. It is apt to prove costly, but the resident out side of the city limits who enjoys so many other conveniences is beginning now to expect free delivery of his mail. "Junson has developed into a con firmed kicker, but his wife can handle him every time. He kicked last night because his dinner was cold." "What was his wife's play ?" "She made it hot for him." The Voice of Humanity Charlotte Observer. It is gratifying to note that the West ern North Carolina Conference, m ses sion at Greensboro, adopted, Saturday, a memoral to the General Assembly in behalf of enlarged accommodations at the State Hospital at Morganton. The The number of insane persona 'in . the district of this Hospital, who need, its care and treatment but for whom ac commodations cannot be found, is closely estimated at five hundred. Some of thes.i wretched people are in county jails; others are in homes for the aged and infirm ; others still are confined at their own homes, an unutterable burden upon their families, a constant source of anxiety, a constant menace to others of the same household. The very best possible is being done at Morganton with the means at hand, but after all is said and done there :i not room for these hundreds, these unfortunate chil dren of the State, who should be there. Many of them could be restored to lives of usefulness; others who might not be restored to lives of usefulness; others who might not be restored are-tax-payera or their people are, and it is hard that they should be denied the care which they help pay to provide for others. The voice of humanity spoke through this memorial adopted at Greensboro Saturday. It is more than an appeal for humanity; it is at the same time a cry for justice. It is with the representatives of the people, Boon to assemble at Raleigh, to heed or to disregard it. . Osteopathy. The Augusta Chronicle gives a piece of encouraging information in connec tion with a very interesting explanation as follows: "Rev. Sara Jones says he was cured of his recent serious illness by osteO' pathy, without drugs or any other me dicament. Wherefore, he hopes that when another bill is introduced before our legislature and passed, as happened at the previous session, Governtr Cand ler will not veto it and deprive practi tioners of this new healing art of a proper license. Osteopathy is, esaen tially, the manipulation of the human skeleton and its incidental environ ment. The contention is that many diseases originate from dislocation of the bony structure, and, this derange ment being skilfully removed, the malady caused by it disappears. The discovery of osteopathy was by a regu lar allopathic physician who was pro nounced to be suffering from chronic heart disease and incurable. One day while in his parlor he felt a twinge around his heart and thought If he could only roll some solid substance un der his left shoulder blade it would re lieve him. Glancing at the floor he saw a croquet ball and, prostrating him self on his back, he rolled it as he de sired. Something seemed to snap in his anatomy and, upon rising, found his disease cured. This led him to in vestigate and finall to the osteopathic practice." Disquieting News liroiu China. It is becoming apparent that the Ministera of the Powers are finding it difficult to arrive at a plan of rehabili tation of relations with China. The question of degree of punishment for the leaders of the rebellion, and the question of indemnity presents the cer tainty that China will have to borrow money. And of course that will give influence to the nation that lends it to her. Again, Russia has already gained territory in the North and this arouses the jealousy of Germany and England. Nothing is so much to be dreaded as a Buspension of hopes of peace and a general "grab" for parts of the troubl ous Empire. The United States is hop ing to win favor and power by kindneBS and consideration a worthy part to play. We hear of rebellions and plots and sedition. No one really knows what are the relations of the Empress and the Emperor; nor do we know what a day may bring forth. RaptiMt State Convention. The Baptist State Convention, which meets in Raleigh December 5, will be the seventieth annual one. It met here last in 1892. Rev. Dr. R. II. Marsh, of Oxford, will preside. The number of church members with this conven tion is 167,000, an increase of 7,000 over last year. There are 140,000 negro Baptists in the State. The contributions for foreign, State and home missions during the year aggregate $4;,000, an increase of $5,000 over last year. This does not include educational collections. All the Baptist educational institutions are flourishing and 1,200 students are flourishing and 1.500 students are at tending them. They include Wake Forest College for Young Men, the Baptist female University at Raleigh, Oxford Female Seminary, Chowan Baptist Female Institute and 49 acade mies, some of the latter having as many as 300 students. First Lady (off for a journey) I hope we ve got tne right train. Second Ladv I asked 17 trainmen and 93 passengers if this train went to isiannvme, ana they au said yes; so I guess we're all right. The length of the average public school term in the South ia about one- halt oi what it is in the north and we6t Many a man is compelled to take married life according to directions. A CHINESE STATESMAN'S WAKN- Ho Yow, In Leslie's Weekly. Of course any man will fight against the inyasion of his own country, but you must remember that in the interior of China are millions or peaceful people who do not even know that there is a war in progress. We have aa yet only 4U,uuo regular troops, and all the rest are irregular fighters. But even these 40000 are poorly paid, and we have no pension system. They are poorly equipped and poorly drilled. Just wait until the allies have established garrisons m Tientsin, for instance. Then you will Bee our people taking careful note of all that goes on. They will drill; they will copy modern methods and arm them, selves in modern style, and in the end they will overthrow and massacre any garrison, however strong. The European nations cannot place strong enough garrisons to hold down these millions of people. They may hold them now just for a little while, but as soon as the Chinese shall be sufficiently civilized foreign occupation will not only be impossible, but the Orientals will be a menace to Europe itself. I believe that the allies themselves will see this and that they will acknowl edge the futility of attempting to hold this immense country. As soon as one province shall be subdued another will rise, and bo on throughout the eighteen, when it will be time to begin over again. It does not require a statesman to see the futility of that. It can never be accomplished not with millions of. money, nor, I was going to say, in millions of years. To sum up, China is a tremendous force, dormant now, but she is exceed-, ingly quick to learn and amazingly intelligent and imitative. Her people love their country more, perhaps, than any other nation in the world. They, have not yet been stirred and they do not understand true fighting methods; but when they do, look out, for there will be a new force in the world, and if the powers remain in China, whose territory they seem to covet, they will rouse a force which not all the power in the world can put to sleep again. The allies make a great mistake if they think that China will tamely or ulti mately submit to being sliced up. She is dazed now, but she will awaken, and nothing in the world can stop her then. North Carolina Furniture. ' Ualeigh Times. Mr. J. Elwood Cox, of High Point, in an interview with a Times man Btated that there are 23 furniture factories at -High Point, and all are doing --.well This has been a development of -the; past 10 years, for m 1890 one could ; almost count on his fingers the furni ture factories in the State. It is in the ' development of such industries that the State is enriched and made prosperous. If we devote all our capital and energies to the manufacture of cotton, when a depression comes in that industry it means serious loss. But if our indus tries are diversified it would take the most Bevereahd far-reaching depression to cause disaster. Mr. Cox himself has J 1 I 1L. II i 1 i - tbe manufacture of shuttle blocks;.' and he probably makes more of them ; than any other man in the South. . A Woman, Though Only "20, Die ,'b Old Are. Miss Fannie O'Kennon, daughter of Peter O'Kennon, died at her father's home, in Matoaca, near Petersburg, this morning. Miss O'Kennon, the doctors say, died of old age although it was in April that she celebrated her. 20th birthday. Her case was remarkable. She had not grown in stature since she was 2 years old, and her faculties at the time of her death were those of a child. She was two feet, two inches tall, and could speak only such words as she was able to articulate at tbe age of 2 years, bhe played picture books and toys, and in all her actions was a perfect child. Her face was wrinkled like that of a woman who had lived many years. Her case has attracted the atttention of physicians for some time. Ground to Death by Engine Wheels. Charlotte, N. C, Nov.' 26. Mr. Er nest L. Adams, a brakeman on the South Carolina and Georgia extension railroad; was ground to a pulp under an engine at Catawba Junction, S. C, about 4:30 Saturday afternoon. Mr. Adams was riding on the cow-catcher of the freight engine, preparing to make a coupling, when he slipped, in some way, and was instantly killed. The pony-trucks and driving wheels passed over his body and his mangled form, lifeless, waa drawn from under the engine. This death is a particularly sad one. It has been less than three' weeks since Mr. Adams was happily married to Miss Lillian Starr, of Blackaburg, S. C. Grover Cleveland may be named by the Democrats of New Jersey aa their choice for United States Senator from that State. There id some talk to that effect among Democratic members of the legislature. Mr. L. IS. Wheeler and Captain Ilopkiru, of Lrxinton, have iur chas.'d the Paraxon Iit.i Ston, in AslievilK', frorj Mr. lUxUr Shorn well.