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FLORENCE, MISS., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 1910. Well, kind readers, we have had the spell of weather and the damage! You all know as much, and more, of the late awful season the cotton and corn belt has experienced, better than the writer does. Our reading tells us that there is wider destruction of the cotton plants that were above ground and that oil mills have been wired to hold up crushing cotton seed that the sufferers may obtain seed to replant. Nothing like this has occurred for forty years. Many of the older citizens of beat 1, will regret to learn that Mr. Harrison ‘Taylor, the oldest citizen of Jackson, died last Sunday. He was carried from his shop one day last week to his comfortable home, when the end came in the presence of all his surviving children. He was 87 years of age, had pursued his advocation in Jackson for 64 years, as a mechanic; and as a citizen, and a man of a quiet turn and of generous heart, he was popular with both old and young. He was, at the hour of his death, the oldest citizen in that city; his remains were laid to rest Sun day afternoon. ‘There arrived in Jackson, last Friday, a man by the name of Chas. W. Thatcher, called the Apostle of Good Roads. His mode of conveyance was in a pretty well worn road wagon drawn by two small mules, leading a little burro tethered be hind the wagon. It is said that he has been traveling the public roads of the country in this manner for from 3 to 5 years past, all at his own expense. It seems that he has made the study of road building a hobby,and being a very intelli gent gentleman, people delight to hear him talk of his experiences, and listen with interest to his lectures before an audience. It seems that Mr. Thatcher seeks to address gatherings of young people at schools and college mainly, in doctrinating their minds with an interest in the subject of good roads, and thus bring about fruits of his labors in lecturing, some future day. It is said that in traveling from Me ridian to Brandon he found the worst roads he had yet seen in all his travels. He seems to fully understand what it re quires to make roads real good, even with material lying along side. He ad vises with road overseers and all others concerned on the subject of good thorough fares. This man will certainly sow good seed as he travels and talks. One main thought Mr. Thatcher is harping on is the building of a boulevard by the United States government from the lakes on the north to the gulf waters on the south. This boulevard aims to be a well made roadway of one hundred feet width, sixty feet of it to be for actual travel. Laid in the middle, while the twenty feet on each side is to be planted in useful nut-bearing trees—notably the Pecan—and the whole be made smooth and uniform the entire route. This is certainly a grand undertaking. But the day will come when such great con veniences will be demanded by the people for econmy and comfort’s sake. And be it known this is a day of big things. Big grey hounds are plowing the sea from shore to shore, big money is now go ing—when it goes at all—into big enter prises, big rail roads are spanning the continents; big dreadnoughts for sea-fight ing are being launched, big business estab lishments are being reared to the clouds, big exposition on top nearly every year or two,big canals,cutting continents in two for the big sea going vessels to go through, are being dug out, and a world of other constructions and transitions of big types and grand scale are fast materializing; and the young people who fail to in telligently catch on to a knowledge of these big doings now as a start in big movements is in its prime, will find themselves handi capped for lack of adequate knowledge in time to cope with the onrush of all these big things when under full swing. Study your lessons, boys, white boys, and you will have knowledge as men when, grown. The four state educational institutions: The University of Oxford, the A. and M. College, near Starkville, the I. I. and C. at Columbus, and the Alcorn A. and M. at Port Gibson will all do away with the separate boards of trustees on May 1st and all come under the management of one board of nine members which will con trol the interests of all four. The gov ernor will appoint the nine members of the new board very shortly. The Baptist people here have made up their minds, and the wherewithing, to send their pastor, Rev. W. S. Allen, to the Southern Baptist Convention which meets May 1xth, in Baltimore, Md. Nearly all the Baptist preachers in Mississippi are expected to attend this grand annual convention of the Baptist churches, along with delegations of laymen selected to represent the different churches and as sociations. Delegates from every south ern state and from outlying islands where regular missionary Baptists have organized churches, compose this conven tion. Prof. W. N. Taylor, principal of Steen’s Creek High school will attend the State Teacher's Association in Meridian which meets Thursday to Saturday. He will be accompanied by Misses Mary Collins and Meddie Tucker, two of the five school girls selected from the Rankin county as sociation’s contest in spelling. These ex celled Rankin girls are pupils of the school here, and they will engage, with the other three contestants in the great state spelling contest at the Meridian convention. A Rankin county girl won last year at the Natchez convention, in the individual con test, and it is devoutly hoped a Rankin contestant, boy or girl, will bear off the honors again, for this year. Some kitchen gardens are bop at times with the Irish potato by This 4pest.can destroy a whole itch o HE unalone Some “gaise watch of pate hand picking to Seka or the bug, which method is very tedious and ‘takes much time. Some who have many rows of po tatoes ung. a, liquid, or dusty poison. It akes any of these methods to save’ that’ necessary article for the table, or else, there will be none. Just at this time when the tops are young it is well to examine them occasionally, by simply walk ing along the rows and glancing down carefully. If the vines are in danger you are apt to find, now and then, a white— striped bug about as large as a full grown cow tick, and of a grayish color. This bug is the mother of all the trouble. Mash it completely. Then turn up a few of the leaves where you find her and you will find a small bunch of sickly yellow looking soft eggs. These, if left alone, will soon hatch and produce the soft red dish bugs that eat the tops up and you lose the fruit of your labor. These must be destroyed to save the crop. If the looking for the female in time has been neglected too long you will find in time the nasty pests all over your potato tops. Then you resort to hand picking and mashing, or use parts green in liquid or dust form, sprinkling it over the plants. We have seen a whole patch utterly de stroyed from pure neglect; while across the road we found a patch with not a bug anywhere in it. As to the origin of the bug, it is hard to say. But a farmer down in Simpson county called our at tention to the idea that this bug can be found largely on the little nettles found in old fields, and he supposed they bred and thrived there, and fly to the most convenient Irish potato patches to subsist and propagate. Some suppose they come out of the ground near the potatoes. We don’t know about that. Anyhow, if you wish potatoes out of your patch for your table, destroy the pests if you are infested with them. The little city of Lake Charles, La., met quite a catastrophe on the 23rd, by a tremendous conflagration which destroyed three fine hotels, the Catholic Knights hall, the Lake House, the Drew building, City hall, Chrstian church, Bourdeaux market, Braden warehouse, and scores of small stores, shops, office buildings and several hundred residences. The fine new Cal casieu parish court house costing several hundred thousand dollars, with all of the tax-collectors records and part of the re cords of the clerk’s and assessor’s office, was destroyed. ‘The loss roots up to about $2,000,000,000 and about 20,000 people made homeless. The Catholic Convent, which contained several hundred inmates, was totally con sumed. The inmates and the sisters in charge, were given shelter in the homes of the Catholic people. This terrible con flagration started in the opera house on Rival street. Those homes which escaped the fire threw open their doors to those now rendered helpless and homeless. According to late news from Jackson, the New Orleans and Great Northern rail road, which has been entering Jackson's union depot on the S. C.’s tracks for four or five miles, ever since its cars began to run to Jackson, will begin the laying of a track of its own into the city on the route it first planned—which is, up the south eastern part of the city and on Commerce street and on the east of the old capital building. This N. Q O. G. N. railway, is the Goodyear road, running down on the west side of Pearl river, to New Or leans. The State Democratic Executive Com mittee is called by the chairman, C. L. Lomax to meet in Jackson at 12 m. Friday, May 6, to consider the requests of Senator Percy and ex-Gov. Vardaman for a primary to be held next November for the voters of the state to say which one of these two gentlemen shall be senator of the United States from near that pri mary, if it be held, till the legislature meets again and elect for the long term. It is intimated that Gov. Noel will fight the holding of this primary. But we shall see later what will be. Mr. Charles Thatcher, the good roads apostle, delivered an address in the court house at Jackson on Monday night, but did not have as big a crowd to hear him as he hoped for and should have had. But, anyway, he made a very interesting talk, full of good common sense and reason, on the subject of road building Mr. Thatcher takes the position that it is a great public duty of the people of this section of the country have yet to perform. They have been asleep to their natural resources and their own interests in having remained idle so long. They had the best of road building material in their sand and gravel and clay, and which is put together in the proper proportions and mashed down with a fifteen ton roller would make as fine roadway as any coun try could want. The main thing in buildi ng a piece of road is to get rid of the water and make the crown of the road of such material that water will met and can not soak in or stand. That once accom plished the problem of good roads is solved. Two extremes of life and circumstances met on our streets here one day last week which an observing and reflecting human could not fail to notice and remark upon. Two strangers—wagons drawn by a pair of mules each met here. The occu pants of one of the vehicles were a fairly aged gentleman, a tolerably young man, a young woman and a little girl. The wagon’s body was covered and arranged for comfort in travel, and contained camp ing m''* packed away. The vehicle was a good cme and the two mules were a match of sple id black mules, well harnessed up.. Upon inquiry we found that this party were from Oklahoma and on the way south to Florida—just taking a trip —they said in foreign accents. Their appearance indicated well to do and in dependent people. They said they were not moving, had property, back yonder s in the west, but they were just taking a trip. Now, the other picture is a ramb ling contraption on four wheels, covered over as the cats reat did not learn rayee by two common poo Bes Sei tolerably ‘Safely harnessed, Suet soceyineh te Pe ran, two is of” us,” he vietel he divesion of route was north, just the opposite of | Edited by R. A. WHITFIELD other. By hints and suggestions, he is Lee to be making his living as he goes. He said he was a confederate veteran and was shot four times‘in the war. He dis played a hollow spot in his cranium made Ley pieewit a yankee''shell. How far north he aims,’he did not say’ The head of the first crew walked to some stores and bought a few needful nick-nacks with ac tual cash ‘money; the other codger said to a kind Hearted’ merchant: “If I had the money I would ask you the price of them canned peaches.” The merchant handed the poor fellow the can well wrapped up, and presented it, with a lot of crackers, to him, and off went the man. What his mules and two cars are to have for their eating at the next meal time, we have received no intimation. Both these two outfits represent the two main phases of human conditions, and yet they did not journey together; for one went his way, the other his, but just the opposite. But, at last, the grave will bring both to the same level. Although we have not been formally notified as a newspaper by the secretary of the school board of trustees of Steen’s Creek High school, of the fact, we have been informed that the trustees have elec ted Prof. John Buchanan, of Blue Moun tain, but at present a senior student of Mississippi College, as principal to succeed Prof. Taylor in charge of our fine school this fall. We have not, as yet, been in formed about the gentleman, his quali fications, and the terms of the contract between him and the school authorities, but we are willing to wager our head our school men have landed a fine teacher,— one who will undoubtedly fill the bill as principal here. ‘An all important event will, a little over 15 days, engage our attention and enlist our interest as patrons and pupils. The commencement exercises of Steen’s Creek High school will soon be to hand. We here give the program of that all im portant occasion: PROGRAM OF COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES. May 18th at 8 p. m.—High School Elo cutionary contests. May 1gth at 10:30 a. m., commence ment sermon—by Dr. H. A. Jones, of Gulfport, Miss. May 16th at 8 p. m.—Musical recital. May 76th at 10:30 a. m., Graduating Exercises, and the annual address—by Rev. J. C. Carpenter, of Jackson, Miss. May 26th at 8 p. m.—Annual concert. ‘Po this ‘concert an admission fee of 25 cents, and of 15 cents, will be charged, to be paid at the door. It is interesting to know that at this commencement there will be graduated the largest class of all the years of our fine school. There will be fourteen of us fine young men and young ladies as ever opened a text book, to face a vast audi ence and say a sad farewell to their Alma Mater. The names of the graduates at the commencement are: : ; Jodie W. Byrd, Mamye Modena ‘Dear, Fee Sue Evans, Ernest te Ma Robert Leroy Lane, John Didlake Martin, Ruth Adalina Pierce, Meddie Louise Price, Aileen Rogers, Luther ,Dud ley Sandifer, J. Neville Stewart, Thomas Webb and Wallace Carroll Williams. .. “Uncle Ben H. Edwards is dead!” These were the sad words told on our streets on Monday morning. We here, in sert a fine and touching eulogy on the Tie of this good man, handed ‘us by his friend, John L. Evans: = DEATH OF 5b. H. EDWARDS. “His youth was innocent; his ripe age marked with some act of goodness every day. And watched by eyes that loved him, calm and sage, Faded his late declining years away. Cheerful he gave his being up, and went to share the holy rest that waits a life well spent.” The above lines apply beautifully to the life lived by “Uncle” Ben Edwards. He was holy and totally unselfish and gave his life more for the happiness of others than for himself. He had lived 15 years beyond the time allotted to men by the Psalmist, and his whole life was marked by some kindness shown to somebody. He was not really sick, but the cord of life had wound off and the Master called him to “come up higher,” and he just folded his hands and fell asleep in the arms of Him who said: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” . BIOGRAPHICAL, Benj. .H Edwards was born near Balti more, Maryland, May 9th, 1825, and died at his home about two miles out from Florence, April 24th 1810,—thus making him near 85 years of age. He came to Mississippi at the age of ten years, and lived here till his death. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Ken dall, in 1849. Of this union were born 13 children, five of whom are living, and five dying in infancy. His eldest daughter died in 1895. He had been a member of the Meth odist church for many years. The bal ance of his children survive him together with his sainted wife who is only waiting for the summons from her Master to “Come up higher.” “Uncle” Ben was a veteran of two wars —the Mexicans and the Civil war. He was with Jeff Davis at Buena Vista, and was honorably discharged when the war ended. He is probably the last of the “Old Guard” of the Mexican veterans in Rankin county. As stated above, he was also in the Confederate army, serving in the 46th Mis sissippi are. He might truthfully be called one of the pioneers of Mississippi. He knew Jackson when there was not a brick house in the village—as' Jackson was then. ey Seune la ce SoeinudaecaE the d eg loved sat” Feapaied hi aes guheet d Se ow ere to We emery Hla ae
Newspaper Details
Brandon News
Brandon, Mississippi, US
Thu, Apr 28, 1910
Page 8
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USA 17 Feb 2026
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