The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-12-20
SOUTH CAROLINA POLITICS
Social Consideration A Most Import.
ant Factor.
EXPLANATION OF CLASS DIVI-
SION

SION
Much Harm Has Been Done by the
Pretentions of Ambitious Climbers
Who Seek to Elevate Themselves
by Ridiculous Claims of Superiority
Greenville Piedmont.
| have an impression that the pre-
:eding chayter was not an adequate
to handle in it. | do not like to make
two bites at cherry, but this seems
to be case where it ought to be done.
Far more than those who have not
studied the subject realize, class feel
ing created the bitterness of the early
days of the Tillman movement and
accounts for the strength of Bleas-
SIM So, let's delve into that matter
'nore deeply.
Once upon a time l had an alter
cation with fellow who got furious
~ angry with be because he forced
NE to tell him that he had said that
which was not so. He Indignantly
exclaimed, "I'll have you to under
stand, sir, that l am gentleman"
That gave me his measure and, with
out rising or taking the trouble to
get in position to facilitate rising,
smiled sweetly at him and remark
ed: 81 have lived in this world 43
years and I have never yet felt it
necessary at any time to inform any
Body that l was a gentleman" He
fairly foamed at the mouth, but |
had no further trouble with him.
Pedigree is more erratic in human
lty than in animals. Il horse or dog
is more apt to breed true to ances-
try than a man. Some of the most
contemplate specimens of the genus
homo, masculine persuasion, l have
ever known could boast and did boast
of aristocratic ancestry. And then l
nent and action showed they were Of
gentle birth and high breeding" but
who never said so. For such aristo-
Gratis | have the highest respect, not
| because Of what they are. I can
| not find words with which to express
| NY contempt for the man who, a lit
tie less than nothing in himself, yet
| feels himself better than others not
of equal lineage because of what his
| sorebears were.
| My own creed is very simple. 1t is
fully expressed in the old saw, each
| tub sits on it's own 0ottom," and
leathlcssly set forth in Burns's
for a. that" | value a man for what
he is and not what he has, of either
worldly possessions or ancestry. Sew
eral years ago there was powerful
story in the Saturday Evening Post.
Its central character, David Grief
| won the fortune of young chap
whose head had been swelled by COM
ing into that fortune. He agreed to
| give the fortune back if the young
fellow would serve as his factor on a
onely South Sea island for a year, an
island where only one vessel touched
| and that only once year. A further
| condition was that each morning and
evening during that year he should
repeat certain sentences Grief wrote
out for him. l only remember one
of those sentences, but it is SEN
tence that every man could profit by
memoriZmg. 1t was: every man is
rs good as any other man, except
when he thinks himself better"
One of the most cruly democratic
men l have ever known was an lta-
lian nobleman; the biggest snob was
a young scion of an old South Caro-
lima family that had run to seed by
the time it got to him. He did moth
ing. fle thought he conferred IA
vor upon the daughter of an immi-
grant, who by thrift and industry had
accumulated fortune, when he mar
ried her and permitted her to support
him in the idlcness he thought gen
tcel. They tell a story of an impecun-
.ious young fellow in Charleston who
married rich girl. When, in the
marriage ceremony, he repeated the
words, with all my worldly goods |
thee endow," his father whispered to
an Old crony with whom he was sit
ting There goes my sons bicycle"
That was about the case with the
snob of whom I am writing.
In these chapters I have tried to be
perfectly frank and have shown N.Y.
self no more tenderness chan I have
others. Liquor drinking has no more
bitter foe than I. That was not al
ways the case. l quit drinking a
number of years ago because of what
| had seen liquor do to- other men,
1t ruined and finally took the life of
one whom l regarded as the ablest
newspaper man South Carolina has
produced during my time. That is
just one Of many cases of which, have
PERSONAL knowledge. I must have
had an iron head and copper-lined
stomach, for it never seemed to both
er me.
Politics makes strange bedfellows
and so does drinking. was in
Charleston on visit many years ago.
hard-drinking friend, who loved to
forgather with anybody Of a similar
tankage, welcomed me as if | were
long lost brother. Before noon he
toon me to an exclusive club and we
did not leave there until near the
leaving time OF NV train tbo pavt