The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-08-30
BENNErrsvnLE, 5 2. FIIfpAY, AUGUST 80 lgol
WHEN THE EARTH ROCKED.
Thousands Flooked to the Altar for
Prayer.

| ~SASSbesANsS - AVSAASN w WV NAAeRA AVA
Prayer.
"Thcre ip something unoanny about
an earthquake ehook," said o gentlo.
man who had experienced seismic dis.
turbanoea and tho terror caused by
thom. 'Tho sensation" ho continued,
'pauaed by tho quivoring and ,,oking
Of tho earth fills evory fibre OF a person
With ave. saw this forcibly illuutrat.
cd at the time Charleston was wre oked.
| That earthquake shook was preoopsible
throughout Goorais, boing especially
notioosblo in the middle part Of the
| State.
Tho night Of the earthquake there
| was Methodist oaTpmaotlng in pro-
gross ct Bluff Springs, noar Il Hobulon.
rhoro Was q great crowd at tho moel-
ing, and tho people didn't sotm to be
in very roligiouS franc of mind. Tho
preacher delivered an eloquent aor-
mon on death and tho judgment, and at
its CLOSE converts wero invited to the
ALTAR. But tho people didn't tako kind
ly to tho invitation, and only thrao or
four wont up to bo prayed FOX. Tho
minister begged tho pooplo to como for
ward, but his appsals foil on deaf osrs.
Bsok somo distance from The sand tho
young peoplo wero chatting 40 uncon-
oornodly as il tho Issues Of tino and
otornity had not boon pfosonted thom.
Tho minister soomod to bo disoour-
aged by the ooldnoss of hio hoarers,
and wss on the point Of closing the
Rorvioe. But just as no was about
TO pay lot US pray, the first
slight shook WAS folt. In an instant
everybody under tho stand beoame
az still AZ death itself. Faoes
blanohcd and eyes werc oponed wide in
terror. No one at first soemod to roalis
what had oausod tho earth to rook as If
in spaam. With the coming Of tho
next nhock, however, some realized
what it meant and tho cry Of 'oarth-
quake was hoard.
Hardly had tho dread word boon
uttered whom there WAS rush to the
mourners bonoh. l novor saw such q
stampede in my lifo. In less time
than it takes to write the altar was sur.
rounded by hundreds who. wsro dazod
witho torror and crying on the Lord for
moroy. A third shook oams while
those frightened were at the altar, and
it came noar throwing some Of them
into nonynlsiona.
"The minister was tho only one who
seomcd not to be frightened, and he
began praying in tones that had a.
quieting cffeot upon the people. But
1t was hours before calm was restored
and foar banishcd. The quivering Of
tho Garth had something 80 uncanny
about it that tho people wore ready to
boliovo that the end Of time was at
hand. I..9
Il shall never forget that soene Of
!, 900 persons, who had boon deaf y to-
the appeals Of the pfeaoher, heaing lid iin
EStefror to the altaFS WHOM they foitsthe
earth begin to roc
, M Ss aSss9 s1ss 81 " y NJ Il
Tho census bureau Thufsd az mad 8
public the mortality statistics for' the
year 1900. w. a King, chief Of the,
vital statistios division, says: Tho
most important feature OF the result
presented is found in the deorease in
the general death rate in tho reRistra
tion area Of 1.8 per 1000 population,
docroase Of nearly 10 per cent. and
the docrease in tho rates from the par
tioular disoaseB to which tho general
dooreaso is due.
The effeot OF tho advances made in
medical soionoe and sanitation and in
the preventive and restrictive measures
onforood by tho health authorities is
still more strikingly shown in the oom.
parative. rate for tho registration cities
Of the country taken together. La
1890 tho doath rate in 271 registration
citios oi 5000 or moro population was
Il por 1000; in 1900 the rate was Is. 6
per 1000 in 34l oities Of 5000 popula.
tion and upward, reduction Of "a per
1000. l1
Tho decrease in tho gonoral death
ratio, and in the ratos due to diseases
most frequent in tho carly years of life,
on ono hand, and tho .inoroase in tho
ratos to those diseases occurring
gonerelly at advanced agos, on tho
other, inesn also inoreasod longevity.
Iho average ago at death in 1890
Was 3l.l years, in 1900 it was 35
years. Tho total numbor OF deaths re-
ported in 1900 vas 1,039, 094; in 1890
| it wss 84l 40"
Tho total deaths in the southern
States fer 1900 aro as follows: Ala
bsma 25;699; Florida 6432; Georgia
rs 94l; Kanuucky 27,03l, Louisiana
20.955; Maryland O,422; Missiehippi
2O,2 ,25l; Missouri 38,084; North Caro-.
lina 2l,068; South Carolina 17,166;
Tennessee ~. .572; Toxas 81, 100; Vlr-
ginia 25 .252.
Portland, Orc, with death rate Of
80 por 1000, shows tho lowest NOR
tality, snd Shreveport, La with 45 s,
tho highost.