The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-31

ment OF N1nety~Slx ASSehDAc HI
POpe's Hall to Witness Most De.
lightful Exhibition, on Friday
Evening, March 26, lsS6...Nearly
all OF the Young People Of the vii.
la~e Take a Part, and Each Con-
tributes His or Her Full Share to
the Pleasure Of the Evening.
A school exhibition generally excites the
liveliest interest among the people nvlng I'm
the immediate community IN whlcn ltls nelG.
School last Friday night was no exception TO
the rule. Every family IN the village, IN
which there were children of the schoo; age.
was represented In the actors on that deilght-
ful occasion. The hall had been elaboratey
decorated with pictures notices and iestoons
of evergreens and flowers, arranged with q
view to ;s the fe ebes, sge: o. of
pleasure to the taste of the most cultivated
and refined.
Towns in their infancy receive an impress
prominent. Years ago Col James H. Rice
opened good school In town. Then Captain
H. F. McCaslan took charge OF dt. and con.
Quoted IL in such way us to awaken 2 stlI
people became permanently impressed WHO
the necessity Of good school, and they nave
institution. In later years number OF thor
partly for the reason OF the Sooo Scnool NacIt-
tiles which we're always present; Ihese men men
in turn made their impress on the mercantile
interests of the town as a trade.centre: Sacn
men as F. NJ. Pope, q; T. Jackson J.. r. fnii-
lips, j. T. Miller. K P. Quarles. E N. Lips
como, John A. Moore, E. Osborne, A. s. Os-
borne, s. NJ. Davis. and a host OF others went
to work with public spirit and such an en-
ergy as to make the town famous lor lts many
mercantile advantages, and since that time
it has ever held an important place in the his
tory OF South Carolina.
While they were at the full tide Of prosperi'
ty the proposition to build railroad from Au-
gusta to Laurens Court House. came sin,ulta-
ne0usly with the desire for q new county with
Court House at that place. AS either pro-
ject needed the whole energy of any people,
they let go the railroad enterprise. and press
ed the Court House movement With such en-
ergy as TO agitate the whole State from one
side to the other. In the meantime the Green
woed people succeeded In inaugurattng q rail-
road enterprise which was afterwards crown
ed with success. The completion Of the Au;
gusta and Knox wi lie railroad gave Greenwood
rious to the mercantile Interests of Ninety
Six The act OF the railroad in dscrlm mating
against the place impressed the people wa4h
the injurious effect such course would ul-
tinately have on the town, and hence gave
rise to dissatisfaction ON the part OF the peo-
pie who were so devoted to the best tnteresas
of that place. Snsrting under the operations
relief from the authorities OF the Columbia
and Greenville Railroad Company by pre-
seuting their grievances In person 10 the au-
thorities, and after naany delays and long ae-
ferred hopes, this little town, in her giant-t1Se
strength determined tn be free from oppresS-
ion, and to enjoy transportation facilities
which should not be inferior to those enjoyed
s st so and they resoved to make
effort to build railroad which should lmme,
<liately run from Augastato Greenvitte, and
whcn should run arRm sne and
TO the Valleys beyond. The people Of the diff
terent townships alonsAthe line OF the propos-
ed road from Greenvilie to NineLv-Six were
five per cent OF the entire property was
cheerfully voted with notable promptness and
with praiseworthy Hberality. The ibonds
were signed last week and are now In the
ket. He and Hon. F. A Conner were to start
to the money centres dast Monday morning,
and we presume they are now OF on thelr
snission. A number Of contractors, with hun
sredS Of hands and the requisite number OF
mules and carts, are pushing the work o coma
lletion, and it is said that the track from
cross ties and iron within ninety days from
this time, and the rtrad against which tncy
complained will now he a bidder for carrying
the iron and machinery for u road which Will
townships in Edgefieid county along the line
OF the road from Nlnety-Six to Augusta have
had elections ordered, and 1t Is confidently
predicted that no township in old Edseaeld
promises so much Of good TO them and to the
whole country. If the Edgefeld townships
respond favocably, in less than three months
from to-day, hands will be shoyeling dirt
along the Martinstown wagon way rom Nl1e-
ty.Six 10 Augusta. 1t will not be forgotten
that The people intend to take the cars l9to
dollar to her. bet 1t waH be remembered that
the people OF that city have given their prom
Use to send the cars owcr the mountains with
The exams,e and determination Of the peo-
pie ef Ninety-Six should inspire more preten-
ifous towns to greater efforts. Abbeville, for
instance, should bestar herself We haye al
ready waited too long, and now, If we expect
to preserve what little of life there remains IN
the town, we should act at once-act with the
2iwinG present There seems COW 10 oe
ot a great through line from Monroe, IN North
Carolina to Athens, in Georgia, and as Ab6e-
VILE Is directly on the line, the road: If built
as not not stand idly by, that other towns may
take from us, at great cost. what we may have
almost for the asking: The older OF our citi.
village made thirty-tive or forty years ago.
The people of that town knew that they were
directly on the line between Greenville and
Columbia. They withheld aid, and the road
was diverted to Greenwood. Surely, Laurens
and Greenwood have each received their re:
ward. For thirty years Laurens was a dead
village. and her talnble-down, weather-beaten
houses testified that her commerce was gone
and her people discouraged. Greenwood, on
the Otser hand grew apace, ana is Today tne
most favored town in all the state. Abbe-
willie has quietly looked on while two roads
have been diverted from her gates. Let US
then not fold our arms and allow this last and
only chance for ASt evile-the Monroe, Chcs-
ter, and Athens roud-to be diverted from US,
or to die because of our inaction. This Is
our last and only chance. II we lose that we
are done forever. Such road as Is now pro-
posed, would have indefinite extensions at
either end, and those extensions would con-
fer the greatest benefits to every town alohg
ats entiEe length.
Ninety-SiX by her boldness and self:assert-
i've power will not only get railroad, but
will at the same time endow her school for all
time to come.
The farmers of the neig hborhood, catching
and the railroad builders, associated them
selves together as Il Stock Association, organ-
iZed and held their first meeting last August,
at which more thoroughbred and fine graded
than were ever parked together at any one
time on any one ground in the state of south
Carolina. This movement, which has added
renown to Abbevitle county, was lead by such
G. T. Jackson. William johnson, and a host
OF others whose names VIC do not know,
But really, the reader must excuse MS. We
have digressed. We set out to give tho pro.
gramme of the Ninety-six High school eShi-
6itiOn.
We present the pieces of some of the schot-
ars. but from the very nature OF thlngs we
mus omit the pieces OF others. rms Is from
to another, for in fact, some of the finest
pieces and some of the very best acting have
received mention only by name:
Alta few minutes past eight O'Clock four lt.
amy that ever adorned a hearthStone or gave
pleasure to Il household, appeared. ana each III
turn delivered her share OF the salutatory, as
follows: