The Henry County weekly. (McDonough, GA.) 18??-1934, April 30, 1909, Image 3
GEORGIA NEWS HI PARAGRAPHS. Governor Smith has written State Treasurer R. E. Park a letter author izing him to distribute the money ac cruing from convict hire for the first quarter of 1909, and the last quarter of the lease, amounting to about $93,- 000, to those counties which did no. take convicts under the old law. Gov ernor Smith takes the view that since the near beer tax fund has in creased to more than $200,000, theit Is no necessity for retaining this mon ey in the treasury for the expenses of the prison department. On the oth er hand, it is said the prison commis sion thinks the near beer tax should be used to purchase a state farm for the white convicts, and that as much as is necessary from the amount re ceived from convict hire should be re tained for the expenses of the peni tentiary department. It is said to be the governor’s purpose to draw a war rant for the amount at an early date, and direct its distribution in accord ance with the custom prevailing un der the lease plan. The bureau of animal industry of the United States department of ag riculture has finally consented to re turn to the work of destroying the cattle tick in certain Georgia counties, wtih the understanding that the state will co-operate in the work to a rea sonable extent through appropriations and otherwise. The department, how ever, is not going to wait for that,, and with a view to arranging for ini mediate prosecution of the work in five north Georgia counties which have been recently quarantined against infected cattle, Dr. E. M. Neibbert, rerpesenting the depart ment in Georgia and South Carolina, had a lengthy conference with Assis tant Commissioner of Agricultuie R. F. Wright. It is the understanding that the work is now to be prosecut ed in five north Georgia counties, Stephens, White, Habersham, Fannin and Franklin. Any infected cattle found in these counties are to be put in quarantine and the premises clear ed of infection. Moreover, the coun ties themselves are to be strongly quarantined against cattle coming in from the outside. The state has em ployed a number of inspectors, but has now only a very small fund for this purpose. The government bu reau, however, will put at least two experts on ihe work, and it will be prosecuted with all possible dispatch. Governor Smith has addressed a letter to the railroad commission urg ing that body to order a reduction of 5 cents per 100 pounds in the rates on cotton shipped from interior points to the Georgia ports. The governor call ed attention to this matter in connec tion with the port rate hearing which is to come up before the commission in May. He stated that in his opin ion the rates on cotton from interior points to the ports are now unrea sonably high, and he considered a general reduction of 5 cents per 100 pounds. The commission may take the matter up in connection with the port rate hearing, but in view of the importance of the question it is alto gether likely that a special hearing upon it may be had. The number of famous artists who are to sing at the great Southern Mu sic festival, in Atlanta, May 4, 5 and €, has been increased until they now number sixteen. Of these who have been recently added, Geraldine Far rar is one of the most celebrated and popular. She is the one American singer who has risen to a popularity in Europe equal to that of any Eu ropean genius. She began her train ing when she was just twelve years old, at the age of ninetene she was singing before the emperor of Ger many and winning his enthusiastic applause. She has now returned to her native land and will appear for the first time in the south. The oth er additional singers are Zonatello, the great Italian tenor; Antonio Scotti, the greatest baritone in the* world; Ricardo Martin and Mary Lansing. It has been decided to disband Company 1, fifth infantry, national guard of Georgia, known as the Ath ens Guards. Adjutant General A. J. Scott has already ordered the com pany to turn in to the state all of the military property in its posses sion, and the formal order of disband ment will be issued within the next few days. General inefficiency is giv en as the cause of disbanding the company which has been long in the state service. The Guard were in spected by Major F. L. Palmer on March 30, but it is stated the com pany has ben in bad shape for some time. So far as it is known now, this is the only company in the state which will be disbanded as the result of this year’s inspections. The board of trustees at a meeting in Thomaston made selections of the plans for the rebuilding of R. E. Lee Institute and Auditorium, which was recently burned. After thorough ex aminations of some eight to ten plans submitted the plans and specifications of Architect Eugene C. YVachendorff of Atlanta were adopted. According to estimates that will be placed officially in Bradstreet’s com mercial reports, the population of Macon is conservatively placed at 50,000. The change will come in the next feports that will come in the early spring. The programs for the five concerts of the Southern Music festival in At lanta, May 4, 5 and 6, have been completed. They include the most popular as well as noted musical com positions that have ever been written. Owing to the fact that such a large number cf opera singers are to take part in the performances, each pro gram is full of variety. It is said that the festival will he a summary of the greatest music than can be heard in the biggest opera houses all over the earth. State may Stamp Out Rabies by Dog Muzzles. Atlanta, Ga. —If a plan for muzzling dogs for the period of one year, sug gested by Dr. J. Edgar Paullin, in charge of the Pasteur department of the state board of health, in a paper read before the Georgia Medical As sociation at Macon, is carried out by legislative enactment during the com ing session of the general assembly, it is believed that, rabies and hydio phobia can be practically stamped out in the state of Georgia in a short time. Dr. Paulin's address w T as received with great enthusiasm by the mem bers of the association, and a resolu tion of Dr. Eugene Smith of Atlanta to authorize the committee of the as sociation on public policy and legis lation to support and strongly urge the passage of a law at the next ses sion of the legislature for the muz zling of all dogs was passed by unan imous vote. The alarming increase of rabies in the state during the past year makes necessary some such legislative en actment as that suggested by Dr. Pau lin, more than 500 cases of rabies communicated to persons by the bites of rabid dogs were treated by him in the Pasteur department of the state board of health during 1908. This number does not include those (for it is sad to relate that there are such), who ignorantly rely on the supposed power of mad-stones and die in the vain search for relief from such methods. So thoroughly did the paper read by Dr. Paulin voice the sentiment of the association that a vote of thanks was passed by the organiza tion, with the request that the ad dress be published in such form that it may be disseminated broadcast to every nook and corner of the state. That rabies is rapidly on the in crease throughout the state of Geor gia and throughout the entire nation cannot be doubted. Thi-s appears to be conclusively proved by a recent report of the United States Public Health and Marine Hospital Service on the subject of hydrophobia. Dur ing the past year, Dr. Paulin has ex amined the heads of between 500 and 600 dogs, fully 60 per cent of which showed unmistakable signs of rabies. The muzzling of all the dogs in the state for one year, it is claimed, will practically wipe out rabies in the state. In this particular it is sug gested that each city sell a muzzle to the owner of every dog instead of charging a dog tax and in this way as much revenue can be raised as by the tax system and much more good can be accomplished. During one year all the cases of rabies in the state would be developed and exterminated by this method, it is claimed, if a rigorously enforced law is back of the movement and every dog is muzzled. As Georgia lias South Carolina, Tenessee, Alabama and Florida as neighboring and adjacent states, ra bies would undoubtedly be introduced into the state by border passage. This be prevented by legislation for muz zling in every state or by quaran tine. Georgia Railroad Seeks to Increase Passenger Rates. Atlanta, Ga. —General Manager T. K. Scott, General Passenger Agent A. G. Jackson and Major Joseph B. Gum ming, attorney for the Georgia Rail road and Banking Company, appear ed before the railroad commission, and presented argument in behalf of the company’s petition asking permis sion to increase its rate of passen ger fare from 2 1-4 to 2 1-2' cents per mile. Among other things, the officials showed that last year the lessees fail ed by $290,000 to earn sufficient rev enue to pay the annual rental of $600,000. The commission heard the arguments made, and postponed fur ther hearing of the case until Thurs day, May 13. In the meantime the secretary of the commission was in structed to send out notices to all the cities and towns on the line of the Georgia Railroad in order that any who may desire to do so may be heard in opposition to the railroad company’s request. Governor Smith Net a Candidate for Any Office. Atlanta, Ga.—Governor Smith will resume the practice of law after he retires from office as chief executive of the state. That much is now known positively, from statements which the governor is said to have made to intimate friends. ”1 am not a candidate for any of fice, and do not contemplate enter ing any contest,” the governor is re ported to have said to a friend a few days ago, while telling of his plans for the future. But it is known that the governor will continue to take a lively interest in the affairs of the state and will iet himself be heard from time to time on such matters as he considers re lated to the welfare of Georgia. Extermination of Cattle Tick Planned by State Department. Atlanta, Ga. —Following the confer ence of the cattle raisers, dairymen, planters and cotton seed crushers, held at Athens, where strong resolu tions were adopted, calling upon the citizens of the state to co-operate more strongly with the State Col lege of Agriculture and the State Department of Agriculture to induce more cattle raising in Georgia, it will be of great interest to learn that the federal government will lend its hand in this undertaking, too. Heretofore, one of the great plans to the industry has been the ravages made in certain sections of the state on cattle by the pestiferous cattle tick. THE JPULPIT. AN ELOCUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY DR. C. F. J. WRIGLEY. Theme: Spiritual Blindness. Brooklyn, N. Y.—Dr. C. F. J. Wrig lev, rector of Grace Church on the Heights, preached Sunday morning on “Spiritual Blindness.” The text was from Luke 4:18: "He hath sent me to recovering of sight to the blind.” Dr. Wrigley said: The text is part of a quotation from the prophesy of Isaiah, viz., “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, be cause He anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to proclaim release to the cap tives, and recovering of sight to the blind. To set at liberty them that are bruised.” When one studies that passage, says a modern writer, it recalls the famous tent of the Arab chief; when folded it could be car ried in the hand; when opened it sheltered his tribe. The passage con tains the keynote of the teaching of .Tesus, and it shows how unerringly He selected the very heart of the Jew ish system upon which to found His own. It shows us the profound truth of His statement, that He came not to destroy, but to fulfil the Law. Many years ago a modern infidel philosopher of a shallow kind pointed out the fact that Moses had made some mistakes in figures, and also that he had hot been very well in structed in science, or he would have constructed a different cosmogony from the one found in Genesis. This same philosopher failed to point out the pregnant fact that the Law of Moses was built upon the great ele mental principle of mercy; that it stood for liberty and order; that it had taken (as Munger says) a nation of slaves, ignorant, barbaric, besotted in mind and degenerate in body, and by a shrewdly adapted system of laws lifted it steadily and persistently upward and bore it on to ever better ing conditions and always toward freedom. He forgot to mention that from first to last, and from centre to circumference, it was a system of de liverance from bondage, disease, ig norance, anarchy, superstition and despotism. Jesus Christ, wiih His keen spiritual vision, sees what the other fails to see. When He rises in the little synagogue at Nazareth, He quotes the elemental truth of the Mo saic system, and says this is your charter of liberty, and I propose to make it the charter of the world’s freedom; freedom from ignorance, superstitition, sensuality, sorrow and pain. It is remarkable again that the passage quoted from Isaiah has a double meaning in every paragraph. The poor may be thogc poor in pocket or poor iiusoul. The slaves may be slaves cf a worldly master or slaves of their own passions. The blind may be blind of body or blind of spirit. Which does Christ mean? Undoubt edly He means both, for the Saviour never emphasized suffering without calling attention to the fact that suf fering came from sin. He cared for bodily wounds, but His great sym pathies went out to the sin-sick soul. Now, blindness, like lepresy, was a type of sin. The blind were not only disbarred from the priesthood, but were not allowed to take part in the Temple service. Blindness, like leprosy, was supposed to be incur able, except by the direct act of God. Blindness was therefore a type of sin, because sin could only be cured by the direct act of God. Sin was spirit ual blindness, because sinners had always been marked by dull spiritual apprehension. Abraham in his day had been able to see Christ, and to see the city having foundations. The spiritually enlightened under the Mo saic dispensation had been able to see Christ in the ancient ordinances, and the prophets had cried out against their countrymen, who were more stu pid than the ox and the ass, because these creatures knew their makers and the owner’s crib, but the children of God did not know their Father and could not find their Father's house. St. Paul, when he had found it im possible to make his people receive Jesus as the Messiah, declared them to be spiritually blind, and then made some remarks about spiritual blind ness that apply very well to the men and women of our own day. Now, it is to this large class of spiritually blind people that Jesus ap peals, in all His miraculous works upon the blind. He heals the blind in body to show that He can heal the blind in spirit. He heals the type, that man may believe that Hecanheal the really blind, viz.,theblind in soul. Moreover, it is extremely interesting to note that in every separate instance where He uses His supernatural power to heal the blind, He teack.es us some important lesson concerning the relation that exists between God and His children, and how all men, if they will, may be healed of spirit ual blindness. Notice the first in stance: Two blind men meet Him at Capernaum. They knew their need, and cried aloud for help, and the Saviour did not appear to notice them, and when He did not notice, they followed Him persistently, fol lowed Him into the house and de manded help. It is a case like that of Jacob at Peniel. The antagonist of the patriarch would not bless, and, therefore, he would not let him go. It was a certain faith, a faith that grew stronger as the apparent indif ference of God became more dread ful. It was a case of the Kingdom oi Heaven being taken by violence. These men give us a picture of those who have known what it is to see, and who can appreciate what it means, if anybody can give them the power to see again. They have known the meaning of goodness, and of spir itual vision, and they have known the unhappiness of evil and spiritual darkness, and they want to be lifted out of darkness into light again, it there is anyone able to accomplish that miracle. They feel themselves helpless, and so this faith, as they hear of the power of Jesus grows, and when He apparently neglects them, it becomes a compelling faith, which gains whatever they wish. This miracle is nothing less than an eternal provision to the soul that is separated from God, and knows that it is so separated. It is the divine promise that such a man may have whatsoever he will. “As yet ye have asked nothing in My name; a«k and ye shall receire, that your joy may bo full.” The next instance is that of the man born blind. It is an entirely different case and yet a typic-1 one. The man is hopeless. He has never been able tc see. He has never heard of a case where a man born blind has been made to see, and so he does not consider the question. He settles back into a grim acceptance of his sorrow. He does not ask to be healed, and because he does not ask, Christ offers, just because of the man’s hope lessness and ignorance, Christ Jesus offers in mercy. Here is the charter for our missionary work among the ignorant and hopeless. Many of them do not know their need, all are hopeless, hut that is no reason why the Christian church should withhold its merciful ministrations. It is of tentimes the man who laughs at re ligion and disbelieves in its power that needs it most, and a religion based upon the quality of mercy can not refuse to give even that which is not wanted or asked for. The Sav ious put clay on this man’s eyes and bade him go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man was more humble than Naaman. He made use of the means which Jesus suggested and re ceived his sight. He is a type of the hopeless man who does not believe that his spiritual blindness (if it is blindness, because he has never been able to see and does not realize what spiritual blindness really means), can ever be relieved by the simple things which Jesus provides, prayer, worshin and sacrament, and yet in his willingness to try them makes his act of faith, and is ushered out into a new world of glory and beauty of which, heretofore, he has never been able even to dream. He becomes a partaker of blessings for which he has not asked, and of benefits pro vided freely by one whom he has not known. On the other hand, the blind man of Bethsaida is not only hope less. but faithless. He is brought, to Christ by others, and because Jesus does not want to reject him, and can not cure him. He takes him by the hand and leads him out of the town. He takes him away from his familiar surroundings and daily associations. He lifts him out of the rut from which he had been unable to extri cate himself. He takes him into the solitude, just as He takes men now into the solitude and loneliness of sickness or trouble or poverty or un just suspicion, or pain, and in the solitude tries to build up their faith, so that, they may be healed. This is the only miracle of healing which Jesus performed where the recovery of health came by degrees, and this was caused by the man’s slow devel opment of the faculty of faith. Jesus touched his eyes, but sight did not come; he saw men as trees walking. It was an earnest, however, of what Jesus could do, and it gave the man confidence and his faith became more perfect, and Jesus touched his eyes again and he saw things distinctly. It is the story of the tenderness and gentleness with which Jesus deals with the spiritually blind, who are faithless as well as hopeless. And lastly, there is the story of the Blind Bartimaeus which carries with it such a weight and wealth of sug gestion for ourselves. It is the story of a man who wanted to come and be healed, and was hindered by others. How often that is true of those who really want to be healed of spiritual blindness. A man’s foes are those of his own household. Jesus was wounded in the house of His friends. It is often only by persistent perse verance and by disregarding those who should help him that a man is healed by the Saviour of his spiritual blindness, as Bartimaeus was healed of his physical infirmity. I wonder how many Christians realize the tre mendous responsibility they assume when in any way they stand in the light of the man who is looking for Jesus Christ. The man or woman belonging to a Christian church who deliberately sets aside the methods of that organ ization for deepening the spiritual life is hindering others from becom ing Christians. What a wonderful opportunity for good we are throwing away when, on the ground of cour tesy to others, we practically abandon our principles and cause our brother to offend. Blind Bartimaeus was healed in spite of hindrances of oth ers, and men become Christians in suite of our inconsistencies, hut what an opportunity we are casting aside, and what responsibility we incur, when we diliberately make truth ap pear unreal or undesirable. To preach recovering of sight to the blind; to preach thw- Gospel to the poor and deliverance to the captive, read the Saviour in the Nazareth syn agogue, and as He read men were as tonished. But why astonished? It was only a quotation. Yes, but He spoke with power. That is, His words were convincing; but why con vincing? The same words had been heard many times before. They were the words of truth, you say. Surely, but truth has been preached through the ages. What then was it that as tonished men? We answer, the fact that Jesus saw truth in such a way that other men coming in contact with Him could not fail to see it also, and see it in its completeness. We see truth, says Mozeley, in a frag mentary way, and fragments of truth are not convincing. Jesus saw it in its completeness, and when a man sc s truth in its completeness he must follow it. There is no other way for him to do and remain sane, and so it was just because Jesus could so present truth that men must see It and believe that His great mission was to preach recovery of sight to the blind. The Source of All. When we see the million rain drops of the shower we say, with rea son. there must be one great sea from which all these drops come. And when we see, as it were, countless drops and countless rays of goodness scattered about in the world,'a little good in this man, and a little good in that, shall we not say, there must be one great sea, one central sun of goodness, from whence all human goodness comes? And where can that centre of goodness be, but in the ■ery character of God Himself? '-’“v. Charles Kingsley. The Stamp of Civilization. The mark of civilization is the In dividual man, his rights and his re ■pousibiHil’?* >Rev. Ccrtlami My»r». LABOR WORLD. A clockmakers’ union was recently organized at San Francisco, Cal. In Sweden the government has or dered a general census of the unem ployed. A co-operative company has been organized by workingmen of Brook lyn. N. Y. The state of trade is bad in the larger towns like Stockholm and Malmo, Sweden. A movement is under way for the organization of a pipe trades council in Minneapolis, Minn. The awards of the umpires in the coal trade are adverse to the miners, both in Scotland and South Wales. Statements have been made that Ohio coal mine operators are consid ering making inspection of their mines daily. The Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, granted the women members of the National Protestant Church a vote in church affairs. The recent Socialist congress, in Paris, has greatly strengthened the hands of “King” Pataud and the Gen eral Confederation of Labor. W. E. McEwen, Duluth, member of the United Association of Plumb ers, for- many years secretary of the Minnesota State Federation of La bor, has been made State commis sioner of labor of Minnesota. The twenty-second annual repor* of Oscar S. Straus, Secretary of Com merce and Labor of the United States, has been issued containing the laws relating to labor in every State in the United States, together with Court decisions. The Canadian Department of Labor in reviewing the industrial conditions of Canada says that the recent immi gration restrictions are having a good effect and that labor conditions were better at the end of 190 S than they were at the close of 1907. ■■ 1 ■ SPORTING BREVITIES. President Taft has become an hon orary member of the Eastern Yacht Club, of Boston. Stanford has in W. M. Wyman, a sophomore, a quarter miler who 13 good for fifty seconds. Robert H. Bryson, of Indianapolis, was elected president of the Ameri can Bowling Congress in session at Pittsburg. “Jack” Johnson and Stanley Ketchel signed articles to fight twen ty rounds at the Colma A. C., in San Francisco. Only fourteen men reported for the first day of track work outdoors at Syracuse, and Tommy Keane said it was disgusting. “We hope that Coach Copland will have as good success training the track team as he had with St. Ives,” says the Daily Princetonian. Commodore Arthur Curtiss James, N. Y. Y. C., has ordered a bark rigged auxiliary yacht of 201 feet over all. She will be built at Quincy, Mass. Yost says he won’t have any spring football practice this year, because he doesn’t think it does any good. The other coaches seem to favor it, how ever. Gunners of the New York A. C. de feated the representatives of the Crescent A. C. in a twenty-five man team shoot at the Travers Island traps. * The gross receipts at the Gotch- Mahmout wrestling match at Chicago were $38,823. of which Gotch re ceived thirty-five per cent., or $14,- 088.05, and Mahmout $9705.75, or twenty-five per cent. The record pike of Great Britain was caught with rod and line on the Hampshire Stour recently. The fish was forty-five Inches long, twenty four inches in girth and weighed forty pounds when taken out of the water. Say Old Man Stole 73 Horses in Last Three Years. Kingston, R. I.—Charged witithav- Ing stolen seventy-three horses in as many towns in New Jersey, Pennsyl vania, New York and Southern New England in the last three years, Al bert Fuller, sixty years old, with many aliases and no known perma nent abode, was indicted by the Grand Jury here and held for trial. The police say his scheme was to hire livery horses, drive out of town and sell them, without-making any re turns to the owners.