The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1913-05-22
"Our Country.,.b sEf.Ssss.

The following paper, read before
a book club by Miss Mary Swami, has
been handed us for publication:
"The most beautiful land that hu-
man eyes ever beheldn" exclaimed
exclaimed Christopher Columbus, as
he looked for the first time upon the
coast of the New World: My time
is limited to five minutes. 1t seems
rather singular to me that during
the last few months of study, we
have spent so little time in the study
of our own great country. | have
chosen for my topic, Our Country"
The exclamation of Columbus was
prophetic. Manyireasons have been
given from time to time for our ma
tional pride. 1t seems to me the
following ten are indisputabfe::
|. Liberty to speak, to write and
to print. 2.f1'E..s y .;5s...E
2. No hereditary aristocracy.
8. No: State church. .l......s slyi y -
4. An avenue open to merit with
out distinction Of birth.
5. Ayast country which is await
ing settlement. ~
6. Ur:oidd wealth in and under.
the soil that awaits development. .jT
T., Universal suffrage. +. c.i:,
8. Universal education.
g.. A new country and a people
that look to the future and MOTTO
the past. =" 80
10. The spirit of a peoplernnbrok-
en- by ages of oppression, and. with, a
hopefplness that knows no limit;
Surely everyone will agree with
me that the people of a couptry are
its, best, assets. Where in thu, mill
tary annals Of the world can W. find I
those. who are greater and finer than
Lincoln, Washington, Jackson a and q
Lee, Where in in all '!ll. history H can We
find apother. SUCH genius as Eds Edison
who, by consensus Of opinion abroad
as well as at hons, stands at the : head e a{
Of the list of the ten greatest # living
men? # you will permit me ne to use use
an oyerFworked expression, !! will VI FAY
that, in the eyes Of the world g!rl 7 the the
most impressive feature of our counf
try is its, immensity-what country
has such vast geographical lines. such eh
mountains, such rivers, and, such ur un- :
limited resources in every way? Dr
Alphonso Smith humorously explains
our tendency to exaggerate by the
bigness of things. that confront us
on all sides and quotes a foot aote
from one Of Cooper's novels, The
novelist wrote, a p man a / hitEcheda i hi bis
horse to a locust" The Frenehman
knowing only the insect by that name q rt
and having large idea Of the pro-
portion of things in America wrote:
"Locusts, insects (soutinels) grow to
such cli SIZE Il Z III H. America that horses 'afe
Frequently hitched to their dead
E;.,hs na-..-r re.ja;rt. '-atss
AS the little Benjamin in the fam
lily of nations, the child Of the worlds
old age, it seems to me we have taken
some progressive steps in literature,
science and art; but the great dam
ger is that we shall allow that
vandal, commercial spirit to engulf
US; still, with a hopefulness that
knows no limit and the luck that Bis
marck said was peculiar tofools, babes
and the United States, we may yet
accomplish things commensurate
with the exclamation of Columbus:
"Esta es la TERRA mas hermosa' que
ojos hayon risto." (This is the most
wonderful land that eyes have seen).
Let us not feel that our ideals as
women or as club members can ever
become too high. While it is true
that mere ideals can never accom-
plish anything, it is equally true
that unless ideals exist they can nev-
er be attained. Most of the great
things of the world have been ac-
complished by those whose visions
were broad and whose .sympathies
were large. .-..- -..-..,--.7.
fear have transcended my time
limit, but IN closing Ishould like to
I e. ~