Newspaper Page Text
PAGE FOUR
DIKMUDE ONCE
BEAUUIFUL CITY
NOWJ RUINS
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 28.
Among the European towsa that
were before the war, but which a long
continued hail of shells and explos
ives have swept away, is Dixmude, a
months’ long center of the Flander’s
battle theater. This city, as it was in
1914, is described in today’s National
Geographic Society statement:
“Dixmude, the melancholy little vil
lage of yesterday and the ruins of to
day, was once a brave, wealthy merch
ant city, with more than 30,000 inhab
itants. In the days of its prosperity
it was a port for large ships, and the
products of many countries filled its
warehocses. In those days, it was a
strongly walled and bastioned city,
and its well-trained citizen soldiery
knew how to uphold the honor of
their thriving port upon the sluggish
Yser. The German invaders, however,
found no evidence of the old-time fails
and fortifications, mor of any Yser
quays.
“Dixmude just before the war hast
ened the final process of its oblitera
tion, was a decaying village of 1,100
people, with grass and weeds growing
in its sleepy streets and in its large
Grand Square, that square roomy
enough to hold in comfort a mass
meeting of twice the town’s popula
tion. This large square, the splendid
Church of St. Nicholas, that stood upon
it, apd some solid, old, stone houses,
lining the crooked streets, remained to
bear testimony to Dixmude's earlier
importance.
“Much of the city’s splendor was
wiped out by the soldiers of Ghent and
Bruges in the middle of the 16th cen
tury. During 1553, enemy troops burn
ed 300 homes, the palatial build and
corporation halls and the chateau at
Dixmude. Its walls and the palaces
of its merchant princes were destroy
ed long before the present war.
“When Dixmude became one of the
key positions in the Flanders cam
paign, it was a substantial quiet vil
lage. The martial and mercantile fame
of the town had spread. Its c'hief re
nown was that of its superior butter
and eggs, and that of the singing. O' 1 ,
better, trilling competition of its blind
finches. The natives snared these shy
birds and that they might sing un
disturbed by the presence of inlook
ers .they were blinded by the searing
of their eyes with hot irons. These
singing competitions between the
birds were held on holidays, and
money prizes were distributed for the
sweetest trilling. Accomplished birds
often brought their owners large sums
More than 1,000 trills in one hour by
one of these sightless little finches was
a Dixmude record, and as proud a one
to the burghers there as is a baseball
pennant la an American city.
"The town was mediaeval in appear
ance. Many of the houses had windows
screened by heavy, rust-eaten iron
bars, and heavy, one-piece shutters.
I Some of them were very ancient, and,
thus, valuable memories of Europe's
struggles. St. Nicholas Church, an
imposing structure with a Gothic tow
er, was the town’s principal boast, and
its interior contained some exquisite
ornamentation work, patterns carved
in stone as delicate as rare, handmade
lace. The altar screen was prized a3
one of Europe’s marvels.”
ANNUAL EXCURSION !
Seaboard
Railroad
To Savannah and Tybee
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16TH
SIX DAYS ALLOWED IN
SAVANNAH
4
Tickets good on day or
night trains going and re
turning. Round trip rates
as follows:
AMERICUS $4.00
BuntiDgton, Leslie, Cobb, and DeSoto
$4 00.
Trains reach Savannah 8:35
p. nr. and 10 a. m.
MORE NEW VOILES
15c, 25c, 35c, 50c'
The prettiest patterns yet shown. Plain and colored grounds,
the new plaited effects, Floral designs in delicate colors. You
should see them to appreciate them. Prices no more than for
ordinary patterns.
More New Colors In that Good Silk
Hose at . O V/CIS.
made of the same high grade silk as regular dollar stockings, but
boot length.
new sf/nA/j>/iA new
SILKS U/tWMMf** NECKWEAR
Legislation Meeting Gentler Sex
Considered By Twenty-Two States
SUFFRAGE, PENSIONS,
EUGENICS, DIVORCE
ALUISIOEREB
(By Associated Press.)
NEW YORK, June 28.—Equal suf
frage and other legislation affecting
I
women figured prominently this year
in the discussion of a large majority
of the state legislatures. The ses
sions of most of them have now come
to a close and a summary of their ac- j
tivities collated by the Associated
Press discloses that the question of
woman suffrage came up for delibera
tion in twenty-two states, and that
divorce laws, mothers’ pensions, wo
men police, minimum wage, eugenic
marriage and other subjects relating
to women, were considered in twenty
seven states.
The legislatures of seven states
adopted resolutions whereby a consti
tutional amendment giving women
equal suffrage rights with men will be
submitted to the people at the fall
eledtkms either this or 'next year.
They are Massachusetts, New Jersy,
New York and Pennsylvania, in 1915;
lowa, South Dakota and eWst Vir
ginia in 1916. Tennessee adopted a
similar resolution but it must also be
passed by the next succeeding legisla
ture before it can be submitted to
the voters. So did Arkansas, but the
resolution was ineffective, because of
a provision of the state constitution
which forbids more than three con
stitutional amendments to be submit
ted at one election, and three had al
ready been filed with the secretary of
state.
California adopted a resolution de
THE AMERICUS DAILY TIMES-RECORDER
claring that woman suffrage in that
state had been an unqualified success.
Alabama will consider the question at
an adjourned session to begin July 7.
In twelve states woman suffrage
measures met defeat Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Michigan,
New Mexico, North Carolina, North
Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont
and Wisconsin. Three votes defeated
the measure in Indiana. It was pas
sed by the Senate with only three votes
registered against it, but a motion in
the House to call the bill out of com
mittee failed to carry, 46 to 49.
Three votes also killed the measure
in the Texas legislature, where it was
introduced in the house. A two-thirds
majority, however, was required to
pass it and the suffragist supporters
claimed a great gain. The resolution
did not reach the Senate.
Eight votes defeated the bill in the
Assembly of "Wisconsin and there was
a bitter contest on the question in
Monatana where, undaunted by the de
feat of their cause at the general elec
tion last year, the suffrage adherents
renewed the fight. In Delaware a pro
posed constitutional amendment was
defeated decisively in both houses; in
Florida in the lower house; in New
Mexico and North Carolina it died in
committee. In Michigan a proposed
amendment to the constitution giving
women the right to vote for presiden
tial electors and all officers of educa
tional nature was never reported out
of the Senate committee. The General
Assembly of Connecticut declined to
send the measure to the next Assem
bly for ratification.
New Mexico, however, passed a law
providing for the appointment of wo
men on the governing boards of state
institutions in the discretion of the
governor. North Carolina enacted a
bill making womn eligible to become
notaries in the state and giving them
the right of petition in certain in
stances. Women may become notaries
by a law passed also in Tennessee and
serve in the state on school boards.
Pensions for mothers’ came up for
consideration in eigheten states. In
eight—Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New
Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma,
Tennessee and Wyoming—legislation
for this purpose was enacted for the
first time. In two —Texas and West
Virginia—mothers’ pension measures
were killed. In tb<e rest the present
laws were amended or amplified.
The new Kansas statute fixes the
maximum grant to needy mothers at
$25 a month to be paid at the discre
tion of county commissioners. The
New Hampshire law- limits payment
to $lO a month for a dependent moth
er having one child under 16 years
and $5 for each additional child. The
legislature appropriated $16,000 for
the first two years of the law’s oper
ation.
The New York statute applies to
widows with a child or children under
sixteen who will be allowed the same
amount as it would cost the state to
support them. The Montana law ap
plies to fothters with children under
fourteen and whose husbands are con
fined to a state institution or are phy
sically incompetent; the Nevada law
to widows only. In Oklahoma, both
widows and mothers whose husbands
are insane or prisoners are eligible to
the benefits of the law, the compensa
tion being $lO a month for one child
under fourteen and $5 a month for
each additional. The Wyoming law is
similar. The law in Tennessee ap
plies in counties of 50,000 population
or more and having juvenile courts.
The act was not made mandatory. Six
teen is the age limit and $lO and $5
the compensation. Washington pass-
ed a bill making here mothers pension
provision somewhat less liberal.
California, Colorado, Conneitiiut,
North Carolina, Nevada and West Vir
ginia acted on divorce laws, California
amplified hers so that judges were
granted power to call in the District
Attorney where fraud or collusion are
suspected. Colorado amended hers so
that a decree shall not be issued until
six months after the divorce has been
granted. Connecticut added incurable
insanity to the list of grounds for di
vorce before the courts. Previously
this cause had to be taken to the leg
islature. North Carolina passed a
measure changing from ten to two
years the period required to establish
desertion, but the act met such a
storm of protest that itw sa repealed
the next day. Nevada returned to her
law the six months’ residence clause.
West Virginia created in each county
the office of “divorce commissioner, *
with power to investigate divorce
suits, appear to trials, examine wit
nesses and defend the interests of the
state to prevent fraud and collusion.
The Senate of Indiana passed a eu
genic marriage measure, but it was de
feated in the House. Legislation to
promote healthy marriages and check
the social evil was enacted in Ver
mont. The law requires all physic
ians to report cases of social diseases
to the state board of health which is
empowered to prescribe quarintine
regulations.
Labor laws for women were enacted
in Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts and
Wyoming, Maine wrote into her stat
utes a fifty-four hours a week law for
both women and boys under sixteen
working in mills, factories and laun
dries. It stipulates that such employes
shall not work more than nine hours a
day unless for tihe sole purpose of
permitting a shorter schedule for one
day in the week. Massachusetts leg
islated to prohibit the working of wo
men and children overtime for the
purpose of making up for the time
lost on a legal holiday. Wyoming en
acted for her working women an eight
hour day; and both maximum hour
Continued on Page 5.)
Canning Time Is Here
Can up your fruit and vegetables. They w ill come
in good next winter. We can supply you with the
following:
MASON FRUIT JARS. IMITATION CUT
GLASS, JELLY GLASSES
1 QT. TIN CANS WITH WAX
SEALING STRINGS JAR RUBBERS
ALL KINDS AND SIZES
WILLIAMB-NILEB CO
Successors U Oiin A. Williams Co.
LAMAR STREET OPPOSITE POWPOWTCB
Farm Loans made |
at six per cent in
<■ h m —hm w w teres*. Partial or
nllllEl r* I# full payments al
-IVII llml §4 V lowed. Without
IVII llu| V bonus. No yearly
J|y JH JL installments requir
ed.
J. J. HANESLEY,
—— 329 Lunar St
The bestflfaere is in *
p Life ffsttfance'
W* absolutft secure
Mutual Benefit ft Insurance Co.
Newark,N. J.
W 1 • LIMIT ON ONE RISK, $75,000.00
0016. jA. DAVENPORT & CO.
Agents
HERBERT HAWKINS
Insurance And Surety Bonds*
Specialty—Autos at 2 per cent
PLANTERS BANK BLDG* Pbone No. 18$
MONDAY, JUNE 28, 191?