The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-07-07

bright writers should not be found who
can write up scenes Of success, of energy
and valuable adventure SO that they
! shall be made quite as attractive to
Tom. Dick and Harry as are the scenes
Of vice or sensuality or blood.
At certain periods cf history this has
been made perfectly clear. Some CT us
are old enough to remember the out
break Of the civil war. 1t happened in
many large cities that, with the intense
excitement which swayed men, when
volunteers were fccking to the recruit
! ing Offices, when the first companies
were being rapidly marched to the regl-
mental headquarters, and when regl-
ments themselves were yying with each
other as to which should go to the front,
this excitement, va ,ab1e and true, was
enough to disp1ace La the minds OF Grim
inals the petty excitement which IN
peaceful times led them to tumble with
false keys or door locks or watch as
sneak thieves in peoples halls. The
commitments in the police and munlcl-
pal courts were very materially reduced
! in the weeks of high excitement. when
men and women had something better
Ito think of than the working out of the
miserable problems of sensuallty or vlo-
Hence. Without anybody's meaning 1t,
evil was really overcome by good In
snch instances. And such illustrations
are enough to show what may be done IN
any community where the leaders OF
public opinion choose to devote them
selves to the suppression Of crime before
crime has begun.
| I myself was guest Of the city OF
| Pawtucket on the brilliant occasion
when it celebrated the centennial OF
cotton manufacture. This was on a love
| " autumn day. The streets were bright
! with decoration. The movement of well
/ disciplined troops everywhere was her
aided by the music of some of the finest
regimental bands in the world With
all this temptation to the boys OF the
! CITY who were released from work on
! that day and those who were released
from school, I found, really to my sur
prise, somewhere between so and 100
such boys, ragged perhaps IN their dress,
in attendance in the great reading rooms
of the Pawtrcket Public library. Iasked
Mr.. Sayles, with some surprise, what
| was the mas ISM by which he draws
| them, and he showed me in reply the
immense piles that he had Of bound
| volumes Of illustrated newspapers. He
! told me that it made no difference to
the average street boy whether the
newspaper we're ILLUSTRATION Of Paris
Of ten years before, or whether 1t We're
the last number of Rarper's Weekly.
The average street boy likes to look at
pictures, and if you will give hin. pic
! lures enough he Will come and look at
them, even though the streets are blaz-
ing with bunting or alive with military
music.
In this single detail, itself Of no great
importance, is an interesting suggestion,
which venture to repeat for the benefit
cf these who il hundreds Of cities OF
/ America are trying to set an influence
over boys who are very apt to so to the
docs. EDWARD Z. Hale
There is a prevailing idea that the
negroes are q thriftless race and that
they have no promise, Of future be-
cause Of their lack Of business ability.
But statistics show otherwise, and those
given below are valuable as indicating
quite remarkable growth in property
holdings, everything being considered.
They are slowly awakening to the needs
Of education, ard yet despite these facts
tie outlook for the negro il America in
one sense is not very bright. The sta
tistics of the increase Of population are
unfavorable, and the race is growing
more slowly every year.
The following statistics as to the dl-
versifed wealth Of the new negro in the
| Union has been given out as Official: In
Alabama, $40, 120, 137; Arkansas, $9,-
SO, SAG; California, s4,4l6,e3s; Col
orado, s39, 400, 527; Connecticut, $780,
170; Delaware, S1,320,196 Idaho,
S16,41l; Illinois, II, $50, 562; Georgia,
| SIS, 1876. $50; Florida, $500, o44; In
diana, s4,4o4, 524; Iowa, s2.750, 400;
Kansas, s4,296,544 Kentucky, s10,-
976, Al; Louisiana, s19, 918, ,63l; Maine,
$196, 1872; Maryland, $40. SS2, ,130; Mas
sachusetts, $1,000, 524; Michigan, s5,-
900, ,122; Minnesota, s1,21o, 259; Mis-
sissippi, Sc 742,340; Missouri, sS, 1885,
474; Montana, sl32. 41s; Nebraska,
! 50, $50, 900; Nevada, s276, 200; New
Hampshire, ss31,7 New Jersey, ss,-
637, ,S32; New York, $40, ,s43, 1913; New
Mexico, sSo5, 244; North Carolina, s13,-
5s1,7 North Dakota, S84, 10l; Ohio,
SIS, $50, 900; Oregon, s93, 500; Pennsyl-
yania, SIG, 73o, $50; Rhode Island, $3,-
] 74o, 900; South Carolina, SIG, $50, 121 !;
| Utah, $50, 500; South Dakota, S136,
7e7; Tennessee, S11,446,292; Texas,
$50, $50, 995; Vermont, S1,112,731 Vir-
ginia, SO, 1882, 900; Washington, $685.,
5l5; West Virginia, Sc, 796; Wis