The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-05-04
HagOOd News and Views

| farmer and wide-awake colored citi-
zen of our community / went to Raft
ing Creek colored Baptist church Sat-
urday afternon, April 27 to attend the
closing exercises of private school
which for years without any outside
help they have kept up. This is the
same church where five Sundays ago
they made up a purse of a hundred
dollars for their faithful and aged
pastor. Rev. Theodore Diggs.
Some Sumter people were there in
the persons of p. G. Bowman, Mrs.
SOlomons, e. /. Reardon and A. C..
| Phelps. / was late i'm arriving anti
heard only the last named make a
| ringing speech, but heard good re-
ports Of the others. Mr.. Phelps was
followed by our own c. ]. Jackson.
At the close they sold quite number
of Liberty bonds the gleanings, this
country having been we'll reaped
through the efforts of Messrs. jack
son (white) Westberry and Tom
Wright (Colored). Just how many
bonds were taken we have not learn
ed, but several hundred dollars worth
we know.
This man, Tom Wright master of
ceremonies for the occasion. does
things. There being no colored school
anywhere in reach Of the many, very
many children he organized q pay
school several years ago which has
! been kept up to this date He has no
children save the several he has adopt
ed. one of whom is in Morris College.
The war is making us understand
that: united we stand, divided we
fall The spirit of cooperation is good
at all times. in all places and circum-
stances.
| A lot of folks saw the spent meteor.
some being excited over it, thinking II
an omen Of something to come. a sort
Of handwriting on the wall. Some
years ago while teaching school be-
low Lynchburg, we with Mr.. DAN
iel Kirby witnessed one such, only we
saw the meteor when it blazed; maxi
ing noise similar to a rocket. Like
this last, it left a trace of cloud or
whatever you might call it. Had we
been disposed, our futile imagination
might have conjured UP some fear.
full omen in that
Capt. Bell of West Kershaw told
the writer that on one occasion, riding
along through Alabama near to Selma
one evening, he heard a roaring as of
train Of cars, and Looking in the di-
rection of the noise, he saw huge
meteor. which fell forty miles away
with report as Of heavy cannon.
Years and years ago. before you and
| discovered America. there was a
great metoric shower, when people
went wild with fright.
In the morning Of the last GEN.
tury there was a dark day, so dark
that the writer's father got lost in the
yard.
Court was in session in a certain
town. and when one cried out excited
ly that the judgment was come the
presiding officer ordered lights, saying
IF it is judgment I want to be found
at my post"
Don't let us get excited. We can
see signs, omens every day if we look
for them. We can easily become like
the boy who ground at a. hand mill
till a late hour at night never think
ing of burglars till he had finished.
when he discovered he was surround
ed by them with no one near to help.
Investigation proved them to be bush
es, stumps, etc.
Miss Eloise Sanders is quite sick.
Ed McEachern, one Of our fine VOL
unteers. was at home from Camp
Sewer the other day, a splendid speci-
men of young manhood. Ed is a
good fellow, who when at home did
not spend his time fishing and loiter-
ing, but at hard manual labor.
How many of us realize what Mr..
Goldberg said to us the other day;
that we may count ourselves fortu.
nate if we can come out of this war
with what we now have? 1t is to be
hoped the war will not be an unmix.
ed evil to all of us. Many useful les
sons are being brought home to us by
it, and we will be the poorer il we
do not profit by them.