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MOTHER
Of “Abandoned Baby’’ Had
One Sympathizer
In Mr. W. F. Smith Who Remem
bered That We Humans
Can’t Afford to Judge
One Another.
j
The death of George I. Seney
Thompson, adopted son of Mr.
and Mrs. E. Thompson of Flo
villa, has brought back to mem
ory many recollections of the
abandoned baby which was cast
from the train by its mother,
many years ago.
The following article was writ
ten by Captain Smith at that
time and published.
Mrs. Thompson'has kindly con
sented for The Progress to repro
duce it from her scrap book.
The article follows:
No occurrence for years has
caused more comment in this sec
tion than the finding of the baby,
thrown from the train near
Frankviile. The many expres
sions of condemnation that we
hear heaped upon the unfortu
nate mother, has prompted the
writer to submit a few thoughts
for consideration.
When you exclaim: ‘ ‘lnhuman
wretch;” “heartlessbrute;” “de
mon in human shape,” “she
ought to be burnt,—she ought to
be hung,” and many other such
expressions, have you stopped
to reflect? Have you thought
what could have been the circum
stances that worked together to
produce this deplorable deed?
The writer knows nothing of the
lady accused, and never heard of
the family until this fearful
charge was made against her—
Neither do I have anything to
say as to her guilt or innocence,
but I am convinced from the
surrounding circumstances that
the destruction of the babe was
not intent.
I have no defense to make for
the conduct that lead to this
lamentable act, but I do make
issue with the society that hangs
the poor frail victim, and acquits
the real “demon” who meditates
the destruction of virtue—while
virtue and innocence is wrapped
in slumber. If the mother has
only abandoned her Offspring,
what less has the father done?
What do you know about what
might have been the seductive
influences that worked the ruin
of the creature, whoever she may
be? Oh! says one, —“I could for
give her crime if she had cared
for the babe.” Don’t you know
that babe was a barrier to her
finding shelter? Where would
she lay her head? Whose door
would have been thrown open to
the mother with an illegitimate
child? I hold with contempt the
law of society that shuts its door
upon, and drives to suicide the
poor frail victim, and opens wide
its doors to the demon who will
fully and intentionally seeks to
ruin. To one of the equally
guilty is opened the road to fame,
wealth, position and pleasure.
To the other is alloted shame,
degradation, want, insult and
misery, through a life of torture
that can 6nly be surpassed by the
tortures of hell itself. If the
poor frail creature in an unguard
ed moment falls, where does she
find shelter? If she can find no
sympathy under the parental
roof, to whom will she look?
What course is left to her but to
seek shelter where the eye of vir
tue never falls? What is it to her
to hide her shame? Its 'her all.
It is. existence to her. It means
a chance to reclaim —a chance to
.atone; a chance to approach and
ask pardon of that Supreme
Being who shows more mercy
than hardhearted mankind.
Suppose this might be the his-'
tory of the poor creature that is
guilty of the crime now under
discussion. Can any one imag
ine the torture the heart suffered
before it was wrought up to this
deplorable deed? The very fact
if trying to hide her shame is
proof that she had been a child of
drtue, and desired to remove the
barrier and make her return to
the fold. Then imagine her
feelings, when driven from the
eyes of virtue, clinging to life by
seeking shelter in the only place
shelter could be had.
SAILOR’S LIFE
As Told By Bob Mitchell
Formerly of Jackson
Talks Most Interestingly of Life on
Water—Says Navy is Ex
cellent Place Gut a
Tough Proposition
Discharged from the United
States Ship Prairie and naval ser
vice of the United States, R. J.
Mitchell, a former resident of
Jackson, is visiting friends £nd
acquaintances in this city.
In talking about the sailor’s
life, Bob said:
“The navy is an excellent place
for a young man, provided he is
capable of standing and under
standing restrictions. But I
would not deem it advisable for
any young man to enlist. There
are good and bad points abont
the navy, but in the majority of
cases most men in the service are
discontented.
‘ ‘The life is at times hard and
monotonous, but if a man is gift
ed with good sticking qualities,
he will in course of time get ac
quainted with the duties that are
required, and will gain advance
ment provided his deportment
marks are good. ,
“At the end of four years he
receives an honorable discharge,
which makes it easier to advance
himself if he desires to remain in
the service.
“Pay and promotion is good,
and there are more privileges
given to men of good conduct
than he would otherwise receive
in civil life.
“I was aboard the United
States battleship Kentucky three
years and at times it was pleas
ant. We visited a few foreign
ports and travelled over a great
deal of water. But if I knew
then as much about the navy as
now, without the experience, I
would make it a positive fact
that I would stay out.
‘‘l have accustomed myself to
the life and my chances for future
advancement and promotion is
good, and I will reenlist as I have
almost learned the firsthand have
a few chances to better my sal
ary.” R. J- Mitchell.
SENATORIAL IMEM WILL
MEET AT WIGWAM, JUNE 9
The Twenty-sixth District Sen
atorial committee held a meeting
in Griffin last Saturday, presided
over by Chairman R. D. Ogletree,
of Butts with Douglas Glessner,
of Spalding, acting as secretary
protem.
It was decided that the senato
rial convention be held at the
Wigwam at Indian Springs, at 11
o’clock on Tuesday, June 9th,
and that the candidate receiving
the largest number of votes in
the primary to be held in Butts
county on April 1 be allowed to
name the delegates.
(COMMUNICATED.)
MORMONISM
Explained By Elders Who
Were Here Recently.
Continued Revelation Funda
mental Feature of their Faith
—Says Joe Smith Prophet
Like Ezekiel, et. al.
“Mormonism” is talked about
more than any other religious
denomination in the land and yet
at the same time it is, perhaps,
the least understood both in re
gard to its teachings and its com
prehensiveness.
The designation “Mormonism”
is a misnomer -the proper namp
being the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter day Saints.
The teachings of the church
are expressed in its “Articles of
Faith, ’ ’ yet no creed is announced
as a complete code of its belief.
While the members hold that the
doctrines of the Gospel are un
changeable they accept the prin
ciple of continued revelation as
a fundamental feature of their
faith,
As to the comprehensiveness of
its teachings th eye is within the
pale of the church a place for all
truth —for everything that is
“praiseworthy, virtuous, lovely or
of good report.”
The old sectarian idea that in
the great hereafter there will be
be but two places for the souls of
mankind- heaven and hell with
that same glory in one and the
same terrors in the other is wholly
unscriptural in the light of divine
revelation. We teach from the
scriptures that there are varied
degrees of glory and that some
degree of exaltation will come to
all who have not forfeited their
right to it. In the 16th chapter
of Matt, and 27th verse we read:
“For the son of man shall come
in the glory of his Father with
his angels and then he shall re
ward every man according to his
works.” Paul speaks of three
general degrees of glory—“the
celestial, the terrestrial,” which
he compares with the sun and
moon, respectively, and another
with “the stars,” and then he
adds: ‘ ‘So also is the resurection
of the dead. ”(1 Cor. 15:40-42.)
Those who enjoy the celestial
kingdom, which is typified with
the glory of the sun, are those
only who keep the commandments
of God,— obeying the principles
and ordinances of the Gospel as
prescribed in Holy writ, and be
come members of the church of
Christ.
Every one will suffer the pen
alty of their own sins, but after
they have paid the ‘ ‘uttermost
farthing,” they will have the
privilege of progressing on to per
fection.
The mission of the “Mormon”
Elder is to preach the Gospel of
Christ. We do not take it upon
ourselves to come on these mis
sions but are called by the head
of our church whom we revere as
a prophet of the Lord. We are
hot called for any definite period
of time, our mission may last
from 6 months to 3 years.
“We believe a man must be
called of God by prophecy and by
the laying on of hands by those
who are in authority to preach
the Gospel and administration in
the ordinances thereof.” The
new Testament is replete with
passages showing that this way
prescribed by Jesus, himself. In
order that a man might be called
“by Prophecy and by the laying
on of hands” the sam * organiza
tion that Christ established must
exist. We read in Eph. 4: 11-13,
“that he gave some, apostles; and |
some, prophets and some, evan
gelists, and some pastors and
teachers.” their purpose being
for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ,
and that these officers should re
main “till we all come in the uni
ty of the faith and of the knowl- ]
edge of the Son of God.” Hence,
the necessity of such an organi-.
zation today. And as God revealed !
His mind and will to these officers j
the meridian of time, so also doesj
He in this dispensation, this being j
His means of communicating with
man. Furthermore the scriptures j
say, “Surely, the Lord God will
do nothing, but he revealeth his
secrets unto his servants, the
prophets.”
If God revealed his mind and
will to people in one age of the
world and not in another He
would be a respector of persons,
and thus unreasonable, besides
directly contrary to our concep
tion of the unchangeable justice of
| God. For Peter says, “He is no
j respectoi of persons but in every
nation he that fears God and
works righteousness is accepted
with hirm”
We do not receive any renumer
ation whatever for our services
but going as Paul did ‘ ‘coveting
no man’s silver or gold Dr ap
parel.”
We travel two by two as the
Elders did in the days of the
Savior, “freely we have received
and freely we must give.”
We hold Jos. Smith as a proph
et of the Lord, the same as we
do Isiali, Ezekiel and Malachi or
any of the ancient prophets and
as these prophets had a special
mission to perform so also did
this latter-day prophet through
whom the Lord restored to earth
in these last days of the Gospel.
He was the instrument in the
hands of the Lord in translating
the Book of Mormon which is a
history of God’s dealing with the
aboriginees of this continent,
who inhabited it from the year
600 B. C. to 400 A. D., of which
the American Indian is a rem
nant. S. W. Golding,
Aubrey F. Tolton.
WHY IS THE WOMAN WITH
THE DOG?
The lap-dog craze is reaching
a stage of extravagant absurdity
that invites comment. /'ls His
Highness the dog nowadays satis
fied with the old fashioned dog
house made from a “goods box”
carpeted with gunny sack? Not
much! Cablegrams bring the
news straight from the gay
French capital that the modern
dog-kennel is in its way, quite as
' fantastic and elaborate as the
make-believe castles on French
confectioners’ wedding cakes.
They are built from wicker,
enameled to match the prevail
ing tones in the complexion of
his dogship, hung with rare
stuffs and complete in tne, slight
est detail, even to the gilded
fence that keeps the pampered
pet of the family within his own
fines.
And a fair retinue of servants
he has to attend him, says the
April New Idea. Society women
are vying with one another in the
attempt to outdo anything that
has been done to provide these
canine pets with luxurious sur
roundings. One French woman
has a special bonne to tak - charge
of her bull-terrier, just as if he
were her own baby. It is quite
the thing in Paris now for each
dog to be provided with a special
nurse, even as if they were in
fants of the blood royal! Dog
go-carts are on sale, and tiny
blankets and silken sunshades.
When he takes the air on the
boulevards a smart maid wheels
him, and carefully sees to it that
he isn’t exposed to drafty cross
ings. His livery and harness are
made from the same material as
gowns of his mistress. His jew
eled dog-o Jlars are. set with real
gems. In the case of some of
the dogs, one loquacious corres
pondent declares that special
trousseaux, embroidered by nuns
in the finest linens and softest
nainsooks, have been provided,
and these dogs go forth swaddled
in silken hoods that a real baby
with open-and-shut eyes might
bo proud to include in its layette,
wheeled by a nurse who sees to
it that the bottle of warm milk
is given to it at regular hours.
Merchants should not send
out of Jackson for their jobwork
when they can get the same
quantity and quality at our office.
I DEFENDS
Record of County Board
of Commissioners
Hr. Asbury Wants to Pay Debts
of The County But
Insists on Doing
so Legally.
Mr. Editor:
As there is some discussion and
misunderstanding concerning the
county affairs, please allow me
space in your paper to state the
financial condition we found the
county in when w r e came into of
fice, what disposition we have
made of the same, and our reason
for it.
In round numbers we found
the county in debt $30,000.00,
and but $10,000.00 in the treas
urer’s hands to pay with. We
continued to issue warrants for
the county’s debt as long as the
funds of 1906 lasted, and when
the funds of 1906 were exhausted
we refused to issue any more
warrants on the county for the
debts of that year 1 , upon the
grounds that we had no legal
right to levi' a tax in 1907 to pay
a debt of 1906 of $20,000.00 which
is almost equal to a year’s taxa-
tion.
When we refused warrants to
the Jackson Banking Cos. for the
sum of $16,500.00 for borrowed
money, their president and vice
president came before us and in
sisted that we issue warrants for
the amount due the bank. We
teld them, as we understood the
law, we had no legal right to is
sue warrants for 1906 after the
funds of that year were exhaust
ed. Feeling we had no legal
right to pay the indebtedness of
the county, we asked the presi
dent of the Jackson Banking Cos.
to carry the question to the peo
ple, and let them say, how it
should be paid without any cost
to the county or the bank. In
stead of going before the people,
they entered suit against the
county, together with 10 per cent
attorney’s fee, claiming that
there was a tax levi in 1906 suf
ficient to pay the debts of that
year, which was not true by al
most $20,000.00 but if this had
been true the debts would have
all been paid.
Against these pleadings, we
employed council for 10 per cent
attorney’s fee rather than fold
our arms, and make no issue in
the case, as the president of the
bank asked us to do and let them
take judgement together with 10
per cent attorney’s fee.
The Supreme court has decided
in this case, that the bank must
look to the tax levi of 1906 for
the debts of 1906, sustaining the
position we took in the case, but
want to say that we stand ready
to pay the indebtedness of the
county when a legal way is pro
vided. Respectfully,
H. G. Asbury.
NEGRO SENT TO GIIAIN3ANG
BY FLOVILLA CITY COURT
In Flovilla city court last Sat
urday, Judge Preston sentenced
Will Marks, colored, to ten
months in the chaingang as a re
sult of his being brought to trial
on charge of cheating and swin
dling.
Will had bought about $75
worth of goods from R. L. Allen
Trading Cos. with Hessian White,
colored, as his security, and<on
failure to pay the debt, White de
cided to make an example of him
and caused his arrest. *