The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-02-13
What Others Say.

IHE SlA-SHOOTER.- elloIt 10 pe
ing made in the Legislature to modify
the law against carrying pistols.
Some claim that the penalty is too Sc
we're, and operates against the eXecu-
ton of the law. The discussion in the
Senate is said to have developed con-
siderable opposite to any law what
ever against carrying this deadly wea-
pom. The opposers of the law base
their argument on the personal liber-
ty dodge" already worn threadbare in
the interests of the liquor traffic.
There is fitness in things when the
saloon and six-shooter are supported
by the same argument, since the same
class who contend for the personal
liberty" to 60 armed with the pistol al
so want the personal liberty" of the
saloon. If the law-abiding citizen
ever under any circumstances needs
the pistol it is when the necessity is
forced upon him by the class who
ought not to be trusted with such dead
ly weapons. The best protection the
State can give those who need and de-
serve it is to disarm those whose law
lessness makes the pistol dangerous to
society. The peaceable and law-abid-
ing citizen, however, does not seem to
be the man the personal liberty"
statesmen are so anxious to protect
The man whose cowardice and vicious
habits make him rely upon the SIX
shooter for protection (?), seems to
have in the estimation of the siX-shoot-
er advocates monopoly of the right
to "personal liberty" No one who
has carefully observed the difference
between the state of society in this
State before and after the law went in
to operation can deny the beneficial et-
fects of the law. We do not advocate
unreasonably extreme penalties, but
the punishment should be sufficient to
make the law effective. AT this writ
ing the Senate has already passed an
amendment so modifying the law as to
make imprisonment discretionary
with the jury. This may or may not
pass the House. But of one thing we
feel assured, the beneficial results of
the law since it has been in force have
been so great, and the sentiment in ia
vor of the prohibition has grown so
strong, that the time will never come
when it can be repealed.
join the st. Louis ADVOCATE in
its opposition to the entire class OF
hymn-books of which the "Gospel
Songs" is a fair representative. These
wishy-washy doggerel songs and cho-
ruses are taking the spirituality out OF
our services, and worship is losing Its
true flavor. We spent half an hour
not long since, while waiting the COM
ing of q congregation, in looking
through one of the collections, and
were surprised to find how thoroughly
worthless it was. Not one in ten OF
the new hymns had the least merit
The only redeeming quality of the col
lection was that it contained thirty OF
forty of the old hymns which have
stood the test of a hundred years
How any one acquainted with the
hymns of the Wesleys, and Watts, and
Cowper, and a few other names, can
tolerate such stuff as these so-called
popular hymn-book editors and pub
fishers provide for US, we cannot un
derstand. The evil has acquired great
est headway in the Sunday-schools'
The secret of the matter is that there
is money in the publishing of these
new books.