The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-01-06
THE EDITORS LEISURE HOURS
Points and Paragraphs Of Things
Present, Past and Future.

this country during 1897 little more
than in 1895 but not quite SO much as
in 1896. The new railway built in
1897 was 1888 miles, In 1896 it was
1897 miles and in 1895 it was 1922
miles.
The old folks of long ago-the very
best and best educated by reason Of
travel-would feel their heads swim if
they could bodily come back and see
the whlrl of travel of this last decade
of the nineteenth century.
1t has been three weeks since we left
in this column any footprints of our
wanderings-aroundi in @leisure hours. -
The financial statement OF the county
monopolized our entire front page two
weeks before Christmas, for there was
so much rush of work Just before the
holidays that we could not put in an
extra with our force. Then skipping
last week to give printers little rest,
made up the three weeks that our
readers have not known anything of
our "leisure hours
So far as we now see we shall be able
to keep up our accustomed work for
this column and we may continue to
call 1t leisure"
The French people are said to be
very fond of the Marseillaise, that
wonderful air of their home land.
One writing about it says that in an
audience of 5000 people the chorus
was led by young men who did not
look at the notes and so familiar was
it to them that many did not even
have notes.
Americans do not pay great deal
of attention to our national air and we
believe that during the past year we
had OCCASION to make mention of the
fact in this column, and also to con-
trast this with the fact that the Eng
lish are quite fond of their national air.
While it is not probable that the
South ever will drive the North out OF
the business of manufacturing cotton !;
it can not be denied that there is q
growing strength in this industry
South. The manufacture OF cotton is,
of course, a gigantic business and
touches the interests OF other countries
than ours. but the South's chances for
great improvement in the business are
very good.
A dispatch cent recently from Char
Iotte to Boston says that the question
of mixing the races in cotton factories
will not trouble the cotton manufact-
urers in the South for quite awhile
vet and If ever it does come the ma
tural drowsiness of the negro will be
80 much added to by the din and hum
and beat of machinery that he will not
be a desirable operative even in mills
where only colored labor is employed.
With every new national admins
tration there are verify swarms OF place
seekers about Washington. These
calculate only for the immediate fu-
ture, Tor the most part, leaving the fu-
ture of even few years to provide for
itself.
To be sure, it is nice, thing to get
into department place.
The work must not be very hard
and the pay is pretty tair, and withal
one feels quite comfortable in such a
position. But there is really sad
feature to the prospect of such FORUM
ate ones, especially of young men for
those who have made observation at
the nations capital that is worth re-
gardlng, give it as their opinion, that
when young man once becomes iden-
tilted with the department work ard
remains at it some considerable time
he becomes untitled for anything else.
The progressive ladies of Westfield.
Ind, issued "Womans Edition" OF