The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1901-10-03
THE ED1ToRs's LEISURE HOURS.
Points and Paragraphs Of Things
Present. Past and Future.

present. Fast and Future.
AS matter of news to those inter
ested We are able to chronicle the TACT
that in the great yacht race Saturday
between the Columbia and thu Sham.
rock, the Columbia won the race o1
thirty nautical miles by 80 seconds.
The practice Of hazing at college is
rapidly growing into disfayor and
rightly so. The following from Chari-
ty and Children is an interesting item
touching that subject:
1--WE are told that at Davidson Col
lege the sentiment is so strong against
the brutal practice of "hazing" fresh
| men that the students themselves ex-
pei the hazers from the classes With
out carrying the matter to the faculty
at all. All honor to Davidson! 1t is
not brave nor manly to persecute
those unable to defend themselves,
and a gentleman will never do it."
It has been said many times that
Legislators are afraid of "yaller dogs. !"
Many a man has spoken sneeringly of
the Legislature On the subject of dog
laws; and indeed SO many sharp things
have been said against timid legislators
there is little room for more. We Clip
the following, however, from the
North Carolina Baptist.
"We hear about North Carolinian,
who is getting out of the state because
Of the worthless, Troublesome ours.
He wants to raise sheep and North
Carolina is an uncertain place for the
business so long as the right of way is
given to the "yaller hound" In prefer
ence to the profitable sheep. The ay-
erage iawmaker is powerfully afraid
of the dog question when he gets to
Raleigh, because the floating vote
back at home is powerfully fond OF
dogs. A man who owns three or four
hounds does not want legislator talk
ing aboutstaxing those hounds and the
hound goes untaxed. North Carolina
could be great sheep raising state.
1t is shame on us to let a loafing,
worthless, sheep killing dog thus drive
capital out of the state. More sheep
and less dogs would be pretty good
days work when our legislature meets
again"
The whipping-post has long been
abandoned, and some say 1t Is barba-
rous and ought never be brought
back. We have long been of the opin-
ion that there is virtue in the whip
ping-post and we be!ieye in many
cases it would be wise to have certain
crimes punished in this manner. The
Fort Worth Register speaks thus of it
from Texas:
"Public sentiment is turning In the
direction of corporal punishment for
certain class of offenses. The whip
ping post was put out of use many
years ago because its use had been
abused. It was considered that the
public whipping Of a man so degraded
him in his own estimation that he
ceased to try to be respectable citizen.
So the Jail took the place of the whip
ping post. Now we send culprlts to
jail for week or month for minor
offenses. They are thrust in an atmos-
phere Of crime, and 1ningle with other
criminals. They are taken away from
productive labor, and become burden
upon the public, which pays for their
keeping In idleness. Which Is the
better for them and the public, the
whipplng-post or the jail?
The Legislature set apart October
18th of each year as North Carolina
Day to be observed in the public
schools of the State. If the 18th day
of October falls on Saturday Or Sunday
another day may be chosen, and as
October 18th falls this year on Satur-
day, State Superintendent I. F. Toon
has chosen Monday, October 14th, as
North Carolina Day. This day Is in
tended to celebrate or in some specific
way accentuate in the minds OF the
pupils in the public schools some lead
ing event in North Cardinals history.
It is very important matter and the
public school teachers throughout the