The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-08-06
The Sumter Spirit.

1 was thinking the other day OF
the many splendid things have heard
about our town before and since |
became her citizen. So many times
i have heard the Sumter Spirit" re.
ferred to in praisewOrthy terms
have wondered what is meant by :he
Sumter Spirit"
Within recent years Sumter has
taken two forward steps, the abolish
ment of the legalized sale Of strong
drink and the establishment of the
Y. NJ. G. A. The passing OF the dis
pensary was the result of q profound
conviction that it was a positive NOR
al evil fraught with fearful conse-
quences for our citizenship, especial
ly our boys. Our people had reached
the place where the responsibility for
the welfare of their boys could not
longer be neglected. They said that
morals and citizenship were worth
more than money. They believed too,
that they should not tolerate an evil
from which others at distance and
helpless suffered. They never said
that the evil could be entirely de-
stroyed, but they did say that the re-
sponsibility for its evil should no
longer be placed at their doors.
And so they voted out the dispen-
sary. This was the Sumter Spirit
part. But our people were not
satisfied. Now that he dispensary was
gone they would have something in
its place.
With the story, therefore, Of the
splendid and generous spirit of our
citizens. out of which sprang our Y.
M. &. a. we are all familiar. 1t is
the expression of our sense of obli-
cation to our boys and of our desire
to help them, to be clean and pure.
The spirit back Of it is worth more
than the spirit back Of any financial
enterprise among us. 1t is worth
more because it means more for the
upbuilding of our city. We walk
West Liberty across Sumter and
point out TO the stranger our Y. NJ.
G.. A. and proudly say: There is the
real Sumter spirit" Should the dis
pensary come back. l wonder how
many will proudly point it out to the
stranger and say There is the sum
ter spirit" Though this should be
done a thousand times, | shall never
believe that to be the Sumter spir-
1t. TO believe so would make me
hang my head in shame. The legal
lied sale of whiskey is the spirit of
ruin and greed. 1t is the spirit
which leads men to barter flesh and
blood for gain.
OF course we need money. But
sumter, town and county, can bet
ter do without gold than men, So
dom and Babylon had plenty of gold
but they lacked men. Big stores and
public buildings and perfect forms of
government can't alone make a town
1t takes men, high minded, noble men
who know their duties and dare
maintain" But men come from boys.
Our boys are i'm our hands. If | vote
for the dispenSary to come back
have no right to say that my boy
shall not visit it. | shall vote against
the legaliZed sale of whiskey because
| don't want my boy soon to be able
To say that by act of mine he found
ny to my neighbor the right to put
within my boys reach that which can
possibly do no good, but which can
most certainly ruin him. If the dis
PcnSary is right, every church and
good citizen of this town and coun-
~ should support it--run 1t for the
revenuc-if YOU please If it is wrong,
Main street pild ten feet deep, gold
can not Justify i. We cannot build
our town with blood. If we under
tax" IT we shall riot i'm blood.
Woe to him that buildeth Il town
with blood and stablisheth a city by
lniquity.' Heb. 2:I2.
Better "a thousand times had our
state years ago washed her hands
ni the Who'll" business. How much
sham" ana rcproach we should have
been spared. ilcrc are some things
worth more than gold.
j. ;. Tolar