The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-02-06

pications for admission than could be aecommodas-
ed with existing equipment. Schools for girls es-
pecially have experienced great influx of rev
students.
Cotton mills also have emerged from the lean
years into period of great fatness, which they are
sharing with their employees. Mills that never paid
dividend for decade have raised wages and are
distributing profits to stockholders Some have been
SO prosperous, in fact that like other corporations
they are cutting down their excess taxes by ex-
pending great sums in concrete roads and sidewalks,
until the mill villages, which formerly were dreary
wastes of mud in Winter and dust in Summer, now
look like fine new suburban additions. Fortunes
have been made by the foresighted in cotton mill
stocks. bought at 25 cents the dollar and sold
we'll above par.
Agitation by the negroes for "social equalitv,
sporadic in scattered communities under the foster
ing care of newcomers ne'er do-wels inspired by
imported literature, has not lasted long. Equalty
of opportunity, as reflected in their dealings with
the banks, has more than offset any false social
doctrines and kept the minds of the colored citi-
zenry on their legitimate business. The real has
vanquished the dream, the pride of achievement
has secured artificial unrest. Florence, who cooked
my breakfasts when I was in grammar school, has
no thought of Bolshevism while her farm is pro-
ducing ample potatoes, peas, corn and chickens for
her own use and seven bales of cotton to provide
her pin money. Many negroes will clear $4,000.
- All of which is one disadvantage of prosperity
from the town dwellers point of view The Wa
CONS no longer come to town laden with chickens,
eggs, butter, turnp greens, and pumpkins Small
change obtained in the past by the sale of such
duot
impecunious sovereign grown suddenly of vast
wealth. Town people search pleadngly for food
and pay unheard of prices without murmur
1 saw the changes, and knew in my heart that the
days OF, old gone. My regret was buried in
my satisfaction at the prosperity of my friends,
while privately debated whether I should under
take to become farmer or join labor union in
stead of laboring hopeessly and without profit at
newspaper typewriter in the city, One thing saw,
however, which seemed to say that something re-
NAMED 70 remind of the past. 1t was covered
wagon, like the old prairie schooner, which had
come down from the mountains of the Blue Ridge
with the sweetest apples in the world. l saved my
pennies when lad to buy chestnuts from such wa
gons, and once, when I objected that some of the
nuts seemed to have holes, the canny mountaineer
soothed my fears-and made sale-by saying
there had been lot of nails under the trees, and
undoubtedly some of the nuts had fallen on them.
Now in the midst of all the changes spied at
cross street. the canvas top of schooner Surely,
here was something with which could establish
contact -
Eyes, Sir, we used to get 20 cents peck for
apples, but we get rs now," the mountaineer was
saying. ,"We are $50 miles from home, and gasoline,
you know ~~
/ passed sadly on. AS crossed the street saw
the snub nose of popularpriced automobile stick
ing out in. front of the bowed schooner top"