The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-08-18
BILL ARP BANKS ON BRYAN.
PURE IN LIFE AND POOR IN THIS
WORLDS GOODS.
"A Mans Habits and Prejudices Con.
troll Him For the Most Part.


Ben Franklin said that man was 9
bundle OF habits. Somebody else said
he WAS bundle of prejudices. 1t is
fair to say that his habits outlive his
prejudices. Mine have, know. My
order of life, my daily routine, my
1000 and clothing, my time to go to
bed and to rise in the morning, hold
me faster than they did thirty years
ago. Habit comes from the Latin
word haeboo," to hold-to hold fast.
| can't hoe or chop left-handed. I'm
consciously L dress and undress the
same way every time and always put
on my left shoe first. When my good
friend, Major Foute, lost his right arm
In battle he was young and soon learn
ed to write with his left hand. If I
were to lose mine now do not believe
would ever learn to use my left. 1
am too old aud the habit has held me
TOO long. 1t is hard to teach an old
dog new tricks. Brutes are subject to
the same force. had an ola mare
who contracted q habit of letting the
bars down to get into another field.
and she would let them down to get
out OF good pasture into bad one.
But [ feel sure that / have got over
some OF my prejudices. Daniel Web
ster told his people they had conquer
ed everything but their preiudiccs.
Nothing but old age and reflection
Will conquer them. They arc hard to
give up, for most of them are born with
US: Our religion and superstition and
political faith as general rule, are
inherited. Like father like son, like
mother like daughter. If the old man
shakes piece of silver coin at the
new moon or makes a cross mark in
the road when he turns to go back.
the son will do it, too. If the mother
will not begin garment on Friday
the daughter will not. And so it is
with our religion. | am u Presbyte-
have just as easily been Baptist if
they had been. Or could have been
a Methodist or an Episcopalian. 1t
does not shock me to say so now, and |
hope it does not shock anybody else.
Sectarianism abOunds in prejudice in
herited more than acquired frOm ra-
tiOnal methods. One Christian faith
is about as good as another if it suits
the Christian. l would hot proselyte
any of them If L could. l would not
disturb the peace of a Methodist family
oy seeking to draw away a single
member OF it to my church. like my
church not because | believe it to be
the best, but from long familiarity
with its mode OF worship. I feel moro
at home there. Tho Presbyterian
habit has got hold o. ne just like the
Methodist habit ha. rot hold of Father
Wikle. In fact | believe u better
service could be made up by calling
out the best things in all tho churches.
For instance, the Methodist'anl Epis-
Copal communion service is more
solemn and impressive than ours, and
so is kneeling or bowing in prayer.
EniSpnnul
rising up and sitting down--the other
churches have too little. l would like
to see the Litany adopted in all the
churches and hear every child Join in
the responses.
But of all the prejudices the strong
est and most unreasonable arc of q
political nature. Political intolerance
is not tempered or toned down Chris
tian charity. Bitter partisans may
appear to be friendly, but at heart are
enemies. When q prominent one dies
his political foes thank God for that
much. Those who covot the Offices
will use all kinds OF hypocrisy to get
them. What makes the matter so
ridiculous is the absolute ignorance OF
the masses OF these partisaus concern
ing the principles Of their party.
When David Bennett Hill straightened
up and said, :" l am Democrat % his
uttcrance was echoed from million
throats all over this oroad land. What
did he mean? ! am sure | do not
know. 1t has been nearly fifty years
since | cast my first vote and it was
for Democrat. But there were no
such issues then. The great question
was whether the Federal government
should make appropriations for inter
nal improvements or not. Up to that
time no rivers had been cleaned out
and no postotficc Or public buildings
built in the interior cities. But now
every muddy creek and every two
horse town must have an appropria-
ton. Free trade was once an issue
but it is not now.
Tariff reform and protection have
been occasional issues for fifty years
and more, but sometimes the parties
compromise on incidental or accidental
protection. The Republicans claim to
be for. protection, AID Mr.. Mckinley
championed a bill through that did
protect his party friends and left out
those who were not. He took of the
duty on manganese and ruined the
best industry we had in this region.
A company had invested $500, 900 in
this county in that business and was
paying out $4,000 week for labor.
Everything in Cartcrsville prospcrcd
tSbu NO CoulN pay ouE llOblo uoUtS WIN
alacrity, and even pay our doctors
bills and our preachers their salary.
But Carnegie wasn't happy and got
the tariff taken off and then got all
his maganease from South America
and the West India islands. The
collapse came here, of course, and the
business was abandoned. That's the
kind of protection we got.
But what is q Democrat now? Some
times consequential gentleman who
bankers, after an Office will swell up
and excla'm 81 am a Jeffersonian
Democrat" and the editors have
nest egg In Jeffersonian Democracy
and hatch it frequently What is thatp
His biograrher says the most material
article in h., political creed was that
1.-THE will of tho majority must govern.
This may sometimes err, but its errors
are honest, solitary and short-iived."
There is no special Democracy In that
All parties indorse it. Jefferson said
that difference in politics was not
reason for the removal Of competent
and faithful officers and nc did not
remove but very few while he was
President, and those were for mis-
conduct.
But now the Democratic Doctrine is
to t1rn the rascals out and every Office
holder Is presumed to be a rascal.
tried in vain tC make these modern
political garments fit Thomas Jeffer-
son, but they won't do it. In his day