The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-01-13
-HE VISITS RELzER. Sc
Bill Arp Lectures "a That Thrills
Little Town
larger Ttan Cn~rterevine Rorpere
Ouu Place - 1900 nnhahftarta
withont any omcers Lav-
yera, Editors or se1oonas

A few days ago I received a letter
from a friend and it was post-marked
Pelzer. He said / was wanted there to
talk to the people, and he ventured to
ax the day and the compensation for
loss 0f time and waste OF tongue. Ihad
never heard Of Pelzer nor could i hndit
on my Anticipated map. But did find
it on one Of later date, and supposed it
was some small village that had q cot
ton mill and a dam on the Saluda and
some tenement houses. Nevertheless,
I accepted the cali, for the offer was
liberal. The next mail brought a sim
liar invitation from Piedmont, another
mill town, only six miles from Pelzer.
So I journeyed from Atlanta to
Greenville, and there changed cars for
my destination, which was only 20
miles away. It was night when I
reached the place. My good friend, Mr..
Padgett, who is the democratic post
master, took me to his house. had not
seen the town, for it was quite dark.
What is the prospect for an a~udience2"
1 inquired. "Very good" he said. 81
think you will have several hundred
people out to hear you" 'lNhy, how
large is your town? What is your pop
ulation?" "About 1000" he said. l
was amazed. A town twice as large as
~Cartersville, and never heard Of 1t, and
il is not on my map. He explained by
saying that it wa only IL years old,
and had four large cotton mills that
employed over 1000 operatives, and
consumed nearly 100000 bales Of cot
ton, and the company owned some 5000
acres of land, and all the houses and
stores and churches and several miles
of the river. 'Did you advertise me
pretty well?' 1 asked. "Oh, yesl' he
said. "We church folks told it to every
body we met, both in the town and in
the country, and they all said they were
coming" publish it in the papers?'
said 1. "No, no. We have no papers
here, and no printing office. We didn't
even have a poster or a handful, but
we talked it a good deal" Well, I lis
tened and wondered, and my confidence
was shaken. After a bountiful supper
and a little mixing up with the chill
dren, we went to the large church where
I was to hold forth, and found it already
pretty well filled. In a brief time /
stood before more than 500 people, and
vas inspired to make my best effort,
for I had an orderly and attentive con
gregation, and we all fell in love with
one another. I never have had a more
gratifying lecture occasion. Next
morning was spent in viewing the city
and the mills and the library. The mer-
chants carried immense stocks in large
stores, and there were many nice resi-
dences for the managers and heads of
the various departments, but they were
all built and are owned and leased by the
mill company. This company owns and
controls every foot of land and every
thing that is on it, Capt. Smythe, Of
Charleston, is the king, the car, a big
hearted, brainy man, and everybody
respects and loves him. He is a son OF
that celebrated Presbyterian minister
of Charleston who, during mis- minis
terial life, was q notable man in reiig-
iOus circles. I remember that he was
one of my fathers friends. "Who is your
mayor?' said /. eve have none; no may
OF nor aldermen, nor municipal corpo-
q AeAcAAg III ALIA&AA4 MI B0LAGGa C4JLn
Smythe runs the town. Everybody who
comes here for employment is investi-
gated carefully. His antecedents must
be good or he can't stay. We have no
lawyers nor editors; don't need any.
We allow them to come in and look
around 'Did you know that 1 was
a lawyer2' said I. "Oh, yes; but we
learned that you had quit the practice
and reformed, and so we invited you"
II don't see any negroes about here,' -
said I. "No, we don't want them.
There are a few, but they live outside.
Some of them cook and wash for us, but
Capt. Smythc don't want us to mix
with them or depend upon them. He
wants everybody to depend upon them
selves as much as possible "And so
you have ruled out lawyers, editors and
~negroes?" "Yes,'' said he, ian. there
are no saloons or blind tigers OF ciga-
~rettes." "How about doctors ?' 1 asked.
"Oh, of course, we have doctors; yes,
we have two doctors and one dentist
and four preachers, all select, and one
photographer" The company has a
good public library and pays a man to
keep it.
I visited mill No. 4, an up-to-date mill
in all respects. 1t is operated by cleo
tricity that is generated two miles dis
tant at some falls of the Saluda river.
This mill amazed me. No coal and no
steam. It is 1928 feet wide and 52s feet
long, and is four stories high. In one
great room I saw 10000 spindIes turn
ing. In two others there were 1,40O
looms. It requires 1,1O0 operatives TO
attend IT, this mill, and it takes $4,000
bales Of cotton for a years supply. Just
think Of it. The superintendent, Mr..
Guy, had the elevator to stop about half
way up between floors so that 1 might
have a good view OF thu machinery, and
the busy boys and YtFls Il this spin
ming room. THIS ROOM Ne called bis
children's room; DOT the children's
room, but my ohildreh's room, he said.
Scores of little chaps not more than ten
years old who Isukea their love for him
They were the brightest and ~healthies,
children I ever saw IN a mill, and earn
&c. or - % No.