The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1899-12-20
HOW TOWNS GET THEIR NAMES.
Biii Arp Takes a Tour and Observes
Many ThiDgs--DuH Towns and
Progressive Places.

Progressive Places.
How ephemeral is fame. This wor
Is Of Crock origin and literally mean
Tor cay and was applied to tn
lives OF certain Insects. It's meanlnI
mas oroadened and now 1t is applied t.
lie or fame or wealth or happiness o
anything that 10 Of brief or uncertain
duration. was Illuminating abou
this because l havo been down t
Bsrnesville and Thomaeton, two pros
porous towns, one Ia Pike and the
other In Upson county. inquired o
several good citiz3ne who MIR. Upson
WAS and they could not tell. Finally
an old genSleman said that be was 4
member OF the legislature from Ogle.
thofpe county and WAS very greA,
and good man and died early, and the
Legislature Of which he was member
made new county and nemel il for
hlK1. But now there is not one man In
O hundred In that county that knows
anything about him. | did not fpd
any body who knew what Mr.. Thomas
tho town Was named for. Just 80 did
not tind anyone at Barnesvillo who
knew what Mr.. Pike that county was
named for. So | had TO wait till got
home and examined my books and |
learned that Zsbulon Pike Was great
colder in the war of l8I2-that before
tnat he explored the Tar west, and was
the hrst man to discover and ascend
that very high mountain which has
ever since been called pixies Peak"
Tho town OF Xebulon took his Chris
tian pame or rather his Jewish nnme,
Tor Zebulon was the sixth son OF Acob
anu his descendants became eailOrs.
Nobody could tell mo who Bnrnesyiiile
was named for. Nobody cares very
much who any town or county was
named for. The present seems to be
sll that concerne 10, and the HE toric
part will sooptpass into oblivion for the
old men are nearly oil dead. Not long
ago | road how an Engliehman was
walking about tho beautiful cemetery
OF Gettysburg and met u Confederate
veteran there and said TO him:
These grand monuments and grave
stones will forever perpetuate the mem
ories of the brave men who fell, but
fear your Confederate dead will soon
pass into oblivion unless you give
them cemeteries and monuments like
these No." said the veteran, "Ours
will last as long us these, for overy
stranger who comes here will naturally
ask the same question that you did
Who killed ali these people who are
buried here ?"
AS travel over the South can tell
a prosperous town from stagnant Oh e
by the wheels that are turning, the
smoke stacks and the hum of machi-
merry, or the absence OF all those
Barneeville Is forging ahead and 60 is
mile already and are building more.
Tnomaston can boast OF having the
oldcat cotton factory In Georgia for 1T
was built Ia 1888, and has boon added
to In later years, and now is erecting
another With capital of 100000.
Everywhere are Visible the signs OF
progress and business activity. The
new hotol recently built by Mrs. Sand
wich Is gem OF beauty and reminds
the traveller OF Florida and the tropics.
All around are to be seen new re-
sldcnces OF modern architecture. The
auditorium nearly completed 10 mar
vel OF Grecian beauty. An electric
plant lights the now hotel sud MANY
homes and will soon light the streets
OF the little city. Mrs. Sandwich |
established this plant and owns it.
just ponder IL q moment. A woman is
the foremost factor In the advancing
progrens OF a newborn city. Now II |
they will lot her tear down the old |
ante bcllum courthouse and erect a |
new one she will do it. But she can't |
vote-when 10 this fossiliferous relic Of
a past age to be reformed The dirt |
lest negro In this town has vote in
selecting It's ruler, while a widow who |
pays the highest tax Is excluded. All |
but one OF the toachers In our public |
schools are women, but they have no
voice In anything except the privilege
OF teaching our children. The Hard |
wick bill Is dead, and the maxim is to
IL Of Ho l,,N L.
bill would have been to place the bal
lot box just where the jury box is now
In every county there is commission
OF honorable men who select the men
who are fit to serve On the jury and
their names only are placed In the jury
box. Men of bad moral character or
exceeding ignorance are excluded.
We have known instances whore mon
of considerable wealth were excluded
because OF their notorious vices. The
right to sit upon jury and try cases
involving life and liberty or property
il Of far moro Importance than ths
privilege Of voting. Thon why not
urge the ballot box as we'll 80 tho jury
box. Many good negroes would bo put
In ana some bad white men left out. |
am not afraid Of being left out. Reader
are you? Tho ballot has got to be
pui kou III oohS hClo 1Io outy
twonty counties that local option has
not succeeded in driving out whisky
and ealoone and In nearly all OF these
twenty tho white vote would expel
them, but negroes and vasabonds and
saloon owners override the will of
large majority o. the people. In Spald.
Ing county 1t VAS admitted that ne.
groes carried the day and killed the
much wanted reform. If the mothers
and wives and sisters could have voted,
the majority for prohibition would
have beon overwhelming. Who doubts
IT. II 1t is not considered proper for
women TO vote in political matters
surely they can be trusted In moral
measures that affect the welfare OF
their husbands and sous and brothers,
and also in all educational organiza-
tions-why does not some mem Ger Of
the L. gislature with great big heart
and brain champion this reiormp Tho
people are ready for 1t and will soy q
Daniel has come tn judgment.
Our Thanksgiving Is over-wo had
o turkey that had been stall-fed, but
my wife and | were invited to a good
kind neighbor's and the girls to
another neighbours, and our turkey has
beon respited. He has been gobbling
all the day, but hears no response from
neighboring coops. [ would be sorry
for turkeys If they were sorry for them.