The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-02-19
Bill Hrp'S Leffor
written for Tho Consti,ution)


tonight. Oh! tho pity Of It. for am tired
and homesick. 1 am not calm and serene
I was at Laurens last night and found
good friends. who made the lingering
hours pleasant but all the time was
comforted with the thought that 1t was
my last day away from my numerous
wife and children and grandchildren.
left the hotel at o'clock this morning
and walked at a lively gait down TO the
aenot 70 take the early train for Clinton.
whore 7 was TO intercept the SeabOard
ror Atlanta and then for home. But the
train for Clinton did not come and no.
body knew when 1t would come. walt
ed until half-pass Z o'clock-and time
was feeting: went back up town. hireo
a liver, stable man 70 drive me over 10
Clinton by $50 o'clock TO catch tho sea
board. The road was awful. but tho
horse was good one and / knew ms
could make the ten miles I'm two hours
ana 7 <elt happy on tho way. We dld
mako = and as 1 stepped on the platform
7 felt proud that 1 had not waited on
that belated train. But. OIL |haI " ia"
v,as there. my countrymen. when t4le
arert told me the segboard was IN d
wreGx and could not get here until late IN
the day and perhaps later.
Wen. here 1 ammo garden 10 GIG m
no children 10 1rorc with and nothing 20
do hut ruminate Yes. ruminate upon INC
trials and crosses and dlsappointments o.
th,s sublunary world and I find my
SELF humming that plaintive old sohs'
pity the Sorrows OF a Poor Oh Man
But this preface Is the shadow-the u'iN
side of the picture. and now viii
brIphtan ND and look at the other side anu
feel ashamed Of myself. for after al my
dlsappointment IS only for n day anu u
10 not as bad az war nor sickness hoI
death IN the family. And, besides. an
a CLINTON, the loveliest FA.aSe o. ~
main. Yes. clinton, where | have host
or kind friends who are glad to see me
and youIdent be sorry that / am Del2ted
here n I was not so sorry for myself
ycos here two DAYS ago and had n rear
ovation a large audience and love FEAST
after the lecture In this little town o.
? 200 people + had 100 out to near ana 70
greet me and many OF them were from
the country and some came seVeFAI AilleS,
for the night was lovely and the luii
moon er1tIad upon everybody and every
thing. The women turned out IN lorce'
for they do love to see and hear a man
who mas been subdued By matrimony and
does not claim 70 be one OF tae lords OF
creation-a man who helps his wife 10
nurse the children and plant the hoWers'
q man who. away in the dead OF night,
will let his Wife rest and steep wAlle ne
walks the room IN his night gown with a
teethlrg child In his arms and sings MS
little songs until his eyelids droop ana
his legs get weary and his thoughts say
YOU are a little darling and 1 wouident
take a million dollars for you-but !
wouldent give a nickel Tor another. A
fond father has none 10 SELL but doesent
want 20 bug. but q true mother gives glad
welcome to all who come and Is even
happy IN the prospect
While in clinton 1 was the guest of
Mr. Barley. the banker and mill man,
model gentleman OF the old school whose
rnaxims are truth and honesty. whose
sons and daughters are Ike olive pants
around his table and have never given
him q moments grief or anxiety. Ana
now that they are all grown up and
established IN their own business. lie has
adopted several hundred factory children
and is delighted every day 10 visit hem
in the cotton min and place his hand
kindly and gently upon their heads rs he
passes them At the spindle or the loom
lie has built for them q church and en-
Moved q preacher and established sun
Iav school and f. has awakened IN MS
bosom new love for his fellow creatures
and he IS growing young again This cot
ton min runs 1000 spindles and 40 looms
and has prospered ever since 1871. when
II WAS completed. The stock is at
premium OF 90 per cent and its surplus
earnings arc all invested IN charging its
capacity and Increasing ITS products
Now think OF 4. Here is q mill that
manufactures only n fine grade OF cloth
and consequently only consumes about
900 bales OF cotton. tie has now on hand
enough cotton to run until next Decem-
her and II was all bought for cents per
pound. lie has orders ahead at fixed
prices for all the goods he can make this
year. His goods are already sold at "a
cents a yard and 1t takes - yards to
weigh n pound Now counting for loss
IN weight Of 10 per cent he is getting .
cents a pound for the cotton that cost
him cents. Labor and machinery does
the work and the cost of that depends
upon the man and the management The
mill owners can grind that labor down %
4 starvation price If they choose to. but
Mr. Bailey assures me that i IS possible
and practicable to pay these operatives
good living prices and provide good, COM
Portable cottages and a garden and fuel
and all the necessaries and many Of the
comforts OF life and stin leave good
profit for the stockholders. Now why
can't every town in Georgia do likewise2
The traveller is hardly ever ont Of sight
Of smokestack over here in Carolina. L
am just from the good old town of Lau-
rens only ten miles away. and they have
a mill there with 5000 spindles and 500
looms When every county spins ami
weaves all the cotton II grows then VIII
the south be truly independent.
But the most beautiful feature OF Gin
ton is the orphanage-the Thornwell or
phanage-that In twenty-five years has
developed from 4 little plain building
with rooms for twenty orphans into a
lovely village Of rock-built. solid. hand
some houses two stories high and in the
best architectural design and where 200
of the fatherless or motherless children
reside. No one would ever suspect that
this village was an orphanage that was
built on faith and charity and for all
these years has been maintained in the
same way. ] visited and inspected every
tenement and was delighted. 1 tel you
that these orphans are not orphans very
long after they get here. They are put
to work and ia school and soon learn To
do their share in maintaining the in
stltution. They are put to printing, car
pentering, shoe making. painting, en-
cheering, farming. dairying. dress-mak-
ing, cooking and everything else that
helps to run a household and everything
IS methodlzed and goes on like clock
work \ happier. brighter looking flock
OF children 7 never saw. They dress neat
Il,