Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-02-17
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY II, 1881.
Progress.

In16 Will tonR Do remembered as an age OF
material and moral progress The spirit Of
i enterprise 10 abroad in the land and i.s in-
auenoe Is seen on every hard. Not only is
more attention given to the comforts Of homo
and the family, but improvements in agri-
culture have made rapid progress 10 tho past
ton years. increasing our crops. improving
our lands and agricultural implements, mak>
ing labor moro effeotual in prediction. The
close Of the war found us poor in resources
poverty to wealth with individuals is rugged
and difficult at first and grows moro easy,
90 with communities aud States. In the
short period of human life no individual Gun rise
from poverty to actual wealth, unless by some
rsiky and fortunate speculation, and whenever
II happens in such cases, tho individual is
enriched OF tho expenao Of his fellows.
Labur is capital and capital is wealth, and
hence labor is wealth. Labor, however,
cannot create wealth in the legitimate walks
of production in single generation, but
wealth thus obtained is tho accumulated pro-
ducts Of the labor of several generations.
Wealth obtained by speculation is but tho
transfer of existing values from man to man,
but whom acquired by labor it is ts creation
and is I'm addition to the general wealth. It
Is the genera! rule that person spends q
large half of his manhood in getting q start,
that is, in laying by q fow thousand dollars,
but when this is accomplished the road to
wealth is easier, many avenues of making
money being open to the moneyholder not
accessible before. The same is true # CONS
munities. A country starting poor requires
years Of industry and economy before active
progress begins, but when onco tho country
begins to hold surplus of money over the
wants of tho people, enterprises before con-
sdered ethiopian become real and of easy
attainment. For years our water powers,
great source of wealth in tho Eastern States,
have been singing On idle lullaby to the for
ests they traversed; our timber of every yar~
ETY. and value has stood silent sentinels Of
the changing seasons, and our mineral re-
sourcess, which may be valuable, have lain
hidden in the secret chambers Of tho earth. We
have frequently given them passing thought,
realizing at the time there was not yet
enough Of capital in tho country to prompt
any active steps towards their development
and utilization. This is giving place to q
new order of things. Our productions arc
annually increasing. Money is accumulate
ing in the country, and it is stirring up en-.
terpreos in the way of Investment. This is
readily aeon in the starting Of factories at
Williamson and Charleston, and in the pro-
jecting Of similar enterprises in almost every
county Of tho State. Our mineral resources
are attracting active attention, as seen by
the report Of tho Commissioner of Agricul-
ture, while nearly every enterprise promo
tive of wealth or comfort is being agitated.
In this connection wo anticipate no small
results from tho enclosure law in tho i'm
provement of stock and the bringing into
cultivation large tracts of unproductive land,
not now profitable.
Our progress in morals is equally visible.
Education is attracting greater share of
attention and schools and colleges are more
numerous and better patronized. Laws
restraining and preventive Of crime and
whatever conducos to crime are being adyocat
ed and adopted. Tho last Legislature in this
State, under the pressure Of c wholesome
and intelligent public opinion, not only made
it amisdemeanor to carry concealed weapons,
but restricted the salo Of liquor to incorpo-
rated cities and towns and in them subjected
lss sale to heavy license and stringent regu-
lasions. This was q step long advocated by
many amid bitter opposition, but finally
adopted at the public demand. Tho oppo.
nents of the liquor traffic are by no means
Satisfied, but will continue their warfare
until loyal prohibition is secured. This may
be remote, but tho time will doubtless come
when it will be granted, not only in this but
IN oil the States. The warfare is begun ac-
lively in the North and West, and across tho
waters the samc spirit Of prohibition is being
awakened in the old world. In our own
State the victory gained last winter has
whetted tho opposition and we would not be
surprised at the presentation to Tho next
Legislature Of petitions signed by ono hun
dred thousand oilizens of this State asking
the passage of a strict prohibitory law
Already petitions are boing circulated with
this view and the press and pulpit on this
subject are largely in accord. On this and
othermoral subjects the public mind is being
exercised with an interest mover before known
and not even anticipated by tho strongest
advocates Of temperance. The mission Of
the ministry and total abstinence societies
has heretofore been frui' less, but it has be-
como the work Of all lovors of peace and
order and is progressing as tho mission of
tho great moral world.
The Raleigh Ncws says that Mr.. A. F.
BiSzell, Of Laurinburg, N. O., last year
cultivated so acres in cotton with three mules.