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Banks County Gazette. VOL I.—NO. 45. Wriden for TriE Gazette. GEORGIA PINE-CLAD HILLS BY ISAAC POWELL TABOU. “Good night!” spoken once below the skies, Where the Geogia pine>clad hills arise, When the stars looked down from their azure blue. And the midnight moon its glory threw On the white, white sands of a silly street, Yet pierced iny heart with its melody sweet, “Good night!” “Good night!” Oh, me! for a thousand times It hath been said in many otherclimes, By other tongues, and by words divine, But uot yet with a voice like thine. The stars siood still in their heavenly lit-ht, Aud with golden ears caught our soft “Good night.” “Good night!” “Good night!” “Good night!” ob! that word hath broke On the listening car like a lightning stroke, When spoken by lips that trembled so On the edge of the aucieut Jordan’s flow, And the asking eyes were closing in sleep, To waken no more*, no more to weep. “Good niglu!” “Good night!” “Good night!” thro’ the lonely years That will vet bring to us their sorrows and teat's, Canst thou never forget that sweet, sweet time When, under the sky we heard love’s rhyme. And trembled under their sllverv light With our hearts and our lips we breathed “Good night.” “Good night!” A Burning: Question. The most important question that confronts the people of Banks is that of prohibition. It is no question of expediency of 'dollars nnd cents. It is a burning moral issue that none ean dodge or evade. There is no middle ground, either we conquer, or we are conquered. The fight will soon be ujam us. Sometime this year there will be held an election on this issue in Banks. It is my purpose in this article to suggest when and how and why I think it ought to be held. When the last election on this question was held in this county the leaders of the pro hibition side said that the best way to carry the election would be to have the election just as soon as pos sible after the petition was handed in, without discussion of tue question, believing that the whisky men being apathetic would n t turn out at the polls. The result is well known. As eome of us believed it would be, the whisky men were energetic and ag gressive, turning out eu masse to vote, whilst many that might have voted a dry ticket stayed at home. Now as to the next election. Let it be held in the latter part of the summer, after all the protracted meetings have ended. There will then, as it always is, be a better moral tone throughout the country, and men will be better prepared to vote intelli gently. Next, let us have a red hot cam paign throughout every district in the county. Men of intelligence, men of learning, to go upon the stump and present this great, live issue, in such a light that men cannot, shun the truth, but must see the right, and see it in such a way that they will dare to vote right. Believe me, such a question as pro hibition cannot lose by discussion. Throbbing, bristling with truth, it is such truth that will uplift the cause and in doing so uplift men. It can stand discussion, because its argu ments are unanswerable. Whisky never tries to meet it face to face and refute its statements. Whisky always fights on the defensive, be cause it has no arguments that are aggressive. I say let us have a full, free, exhaustive discussion of the subject, and I believe that I under stand the people of Banks well enough to predict that they will march grandly to the polls and bury whisky forever. Let* me add by way of foot note that I have known of two of the most intelligent citizens of Georgia saving that they would like to take part in the campaign. So if Banks county can’t furnish enough smart men there are plenty good ones outside ready to strike hands with us in this thing. W. A. Haems. Charles Lamb, looking back upon his childhood, wrote thus as a warn in to others: “Could the youth to whom the flavor of his first glass was delicious, look into my desolation and be made to understand what a dreary thing it is when a man feels himself going down a precipice with open eye and a passive wiil, to see his destruc tion, and not to have power of will to stop'it, and yet to feel it all the way emanating from himself, to per ceive all goodness emptied out of him, aud yet not be able to forget the time when it was otherwise—how he would avoid the first temptation to drink!” A fine story is told that when Goethe had become famous a very young man glibly asked him: “What is experience?” Goetoe’s answer was this: “Experience, my young friend, is that experience which a nun expe riences in experiencing his experi ence.” The young man turned on his heel with the remark: “You are a tool.” Years after he came to Goethe and acknowledged that his too fresh question had received the only poesi hie answer.—New York Sun. No one really likes us the better for being faithless to our ideals. \Ve do not succeed in pleasing those about us, and we lose the invisible society of the ci'y of God, which is only for "the faithful,” those who are true to the best they know. Slang. Editor Gazette: As an observer of persons, places .and things my mind has been wrought up on the above subject, and what 1 write is for our serious meditation. The definition of slang as given by our dictionaries is: Low, vulgar, mi nut orized language. Now is it pos sible that we are given to the use of expressions in our every day conver sation with all classes of both sexes that are low and vulgar? Observer is obliged to admit from w'bat he hears that it is true. Why is it that even school bred young ladies, and I might say college bred too, will put aside the chaste English of our language and 1130 in its place slang expressions? Let me mention some of them and how do they sound to the ears of people pure in thought and chaste in speech? “I got there;” “He went back on me;” “I got away with him.” There are a thousand others like these men tioned, but these are enough to let your readers understand by illustra tion wliat I am writing about. I don’t accuse all of prefering this unauthorized language to the true and pure, but there are some who use it intentionally, knowing at the time that it conveys a vulgar thought. I would like to warn the pure and noble young men and young ladies of our land against it, for it is drag ging its filthy self slowly along until our homes are being made impure. This language finds no place in pure literature. It has no place in the authorized dictionaries of our land, but it comes from the low walks of life where the ignorant and de based exist. In saloons, around gambling tables and other dens of iniquity the slang expression origi nates. The evil of this language is first to call forth a disapproval from cultured, refined people, and when one gets into the habit of using such they are embarrassed in the presence of such people. A person of pure language and good conversational powers is a bless ing wherever found. Talk, talk, talk is not conversation. The Bible says: “Let your conversation be without hypocrisy,” that is, sincere. In an other plr.ee we are told that our words are to minister grace to hearers. It nOMER, BANKS COUNTY, GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY. M ARCH 18, 1891. is a blessing to sit down and engage in conversation. So when you have you feel that your thoughts are pure, your mind elevated, your heart in spired. Let us not take language of the saloon, the stage, the gambling table, but from the pages of pure lit erature. Let us learn our speech and then we will entertain, instruct and benefit in heart and thought those with whom we converse. And why spend money for our chil dren to study the languages and reap for our hearing slang from lips shaped for pure speech? OItSEBVER. The boast having been 'made that no graduate of Vassar college had ever been divorced from her husband, a crusty old bachelor of an editor wishes to know how many of the graduates have ever secured husbands at all. lie ought to be impaled alive on hair pins. Some papers discontinue on expira tion of subscriptions, and some con tinue until orders aro received to dis continue. If a classification is made it will be found that those papers which appeal mainly to the lower tastes of their readers, to their love of news (daily papers), their love of ex citement (story papers), or their love of beauty (literary and art journals), generally do not trust their readers; while .tlioso who appeal mainly to their higher instincts, to their love of home (country weeklies), or their love for God (religious papers), do trust their subscribers. There is no inflexible rule, hut the general custom is as stated.—Christian Patriot. The impostor who usurped the throne of Persia resembled the mur dered Cyrus in every thing save the loss of his ears, and his wife only could make the discovery. We may feign and seem religious, nun eves, deem ourselves so; but the uncover ing of our home life, wife and chil dren could tell a tale which perhaps will be untold until the books are opened. Not to be pious at home is not to be pious at all. It lias been said: “We are still ruffians and churls at home long after we are counted saints abroad.” A Cure For Doubts. Much of Christian doubts arise from having nothing to do hut pon der over one’s feelings. John the Baptist never doubted until he was thrown into prison, where he was deprived from active labor. When Dr. Marshman was a young man at home, he was frequently the subject of doubts and fears. But he went to India, where he was engaged nearly thirty years in active labors. On his return home, Wm. Jay said to him: “Well, Doctor, lio,v about doubts and fears now?” “I haven’t had time for them,” was the answer. So the best cure for doubts is active wort. Ye doubting ones, quit thinking about yourselves, an<l go out visiting the sick, the poor and needy. Carry that hungry woman some bread, that naked child some clothes, and try to com fort the sorrowing ones Go to church, sing and pray, and you will find the comforting light of assurance stealing in upon vour heart.—Raleigh Christian Advocate. One of the most useless of all things is to taken deal of trouble in providing against dangers that neier come. How many lay up riches which they never enjoy; to provide for exigencies that happen; to prewot troubles that never come, sacrificing present comfort and enjoyment in guarding against the wants of a pe riod they may never live to see.— English Brewers* Plan. It is said that the English syndi cate that owns the Chidago breweries has decided not to advance any money ro saloon keepers to obtain license. This may result in the closing of many saloons, for without the help of the brewers hundreds of saloon keepers will be unable to raise the money required for the license. But is any one foolish enough to suppose for an iustant that this would decrease the amount of liquor-drinking in Chicago? These brewers are not killing their trade. They have no such intention. They know more about this titan many temperance men do, for they are aware that the number of saloons is no criterion as to the amount of liquor sold and drank. They simply propose to reform a very questionable method in vogue among the brewers and freeze out the impecunious fellows now in the business, knowing very well that their places will be speedily filled by men who can pay for their license, and also pay for their beer. This will put their business into better hands, and insure better collections, while at the same time they of a thousand or more men, who at best are risky cus tomers, —Roekforn (111) Monitor. Paul said, in substance; "I can suf fer all persecutions and perform all labors that come to me as the apostle to both Jew and Greek; and I can pass through every trial, overcome every temptation, endure every sor row, and perform every duty that eonstituwjs the discipline of my soul for glory.” He meant to teach that each saint may liavc from Christ the strength that will make him equal to the “all things” in his life work— equal to all, however hard or difficult, that is within the seopo of duty. John Wesley wrote: “My brother Charles, amid'the difficulties of our ■early ministry, used to say: ‘lf the 'Lord would give me wings, I would fly.’ 1 used to answer, ‘lf the Lord Lid me fly, I would trust him for the wings.’” Neither the most arduous duty nor the keenest affliction can overtax the strength that Christ sup plies.—J. M. Walden, D. U. There is no class of professors that God lias so little reepet for as those who serve him periodically. And there is no class teat do so little in the cause as those that wait for the annual revival to fit the harness to them. God loves and honor him who strives to show, by his dailv and hourly walk, that he bears branded on his body the marks of the Lord Jesus. We are to daily take up our cross and tollow him.—C. W. Bibb. “I have drunk whisky every day for thirtv-liive years,” remarked a gentleman of sixty, rather proudly, “and I don’t see hut I have as good a constitution as the average man ot my age; I never was drunk in my life.” He was telling the truth; but to learn the whole truth you would have to study his children. The oldest a young Indy, had perfect health; the second, a young man, was of a remarkably nervous and ex citable temperament*, as different from his phlegmatic father as possi ble; the third, a young lady of seven teen, was epileptic and always had very poor health. Did the father’s whisky-drinking have any thing to do with these facts ? The instance- may be duplicated in almost every commu nity. Think over the families of your acquaintance in which the father has long been a moderate drinker, and observe the facts as to the health of the children. Getting Heady to bo Happy. Too many of us are looking for ward to happiness in the future years instead of getting all the enjoyment possible out of the present. It is well to remember that the time never will come m this world when wc shall have every thing we want, just where and when we want it. The only way to be happy is to enjoy all we have to the utmost as wc go along. It is right to lay up for old age in youth, light to prepare for a rainy day, but it is not right to bend all our energies to this end, and put off until the future the happiness we might enjoy every day. It is far too common too us people working and saving, denying themselves all recre ation, and many comforts, to lay up money to buy more land, to build a larger and finer house, or to save for their children, thinking that when they have accomplished this they will be happy and begin to take comfort. The hoped-for point may never be attained, or if it is, sickness or death may have come first, and the dear ones whom we expected to be happy with may be gone forever. How much better to use some of the good tilings of life as we go along, to make our humble homes ns cheery and bright as possible now, instead of waiting for a better house? Don’t starve to-day, either body, mind, or soul, thinking that you will riot to morrow. Don’t hoard and scrimp through all the best years of your life, that you may he generous in your wills. Life is uncertain, and it is better to make your children happy while they are under the home roof— to call to that home evey agency which will make their lives sweeter and better, than to deny them these that you may' leave them a large bank account when yon are gone. Don’t keep the parlor shut up and live in the kitchen, unless you want the hoys and girh to be anxious to leave you. Take tL.e to read, to rest, and enjoy the society of friends. Especially take time to enjoy the com panionship of your children. It will only be a few years at best that they will be with you, and these ought to be years of happiness to both you and them. If we are ever happy in this life we must enjoy what every day brings us. We must be grateful and glad for all the good which comes into our lives, and patiently bear our trials, believing that all, if rightly used, will fit us for the enjoy ment of perfect happiness hereafter. —Exchange. There may be times and occasions when stimulants arc necessary for the sick; but we fear all physicians are not as particular ns they have need to be. In the autobiography of Harriet Martineau she informs the public that, having to work at night, her physician told her she must not allow herself to be exhausted, but to take some light wine before she went to bed. “You have a cupboard there at hand, keep a bottle of hock and a wine-glass and help yourself when you feel you want it.” She thanked him, but observed, “If I took wine it should not be when alone, nor would I help myself to a glass. 1 might lake a little more, and a little more, till my solitary glass might become a regular tippling habit.” We believe some physicians never prescribe al cohol for their patients; others do, and thereby have sent some of their patients to a drunkard’s grave. Ought not physicians to he very particular about advising stimulants of this kind? It is tremendous responsibility they take upon themselves.—The Southern Churchman. Fret, worry, anxiety, the habit of anticipating evil; crossing bridges be fore we reach them; the permission of foreboding fears about the future; ail that attitude of mind which broods over tiie mistakes of the past and dwells on the shadows which coining events may cast, rather than on the love and will of God—this is care. The Greek verb indicates not that we must keep casting it, but do it once for all.—-The Tongaloo Quarterly. Tlie Greatest Gift. Suppose you could endow your child with but one supremo gift, what should it be? Wealth? No .that cannot purchase intellect, cannot buy character, cannot insure from change, sorrow, death. Power? No, that too often corrupts and enslaves its possessor, debasing the spirit it ought to exalt, while it has never yet made a man a blessing to his kind if un supported by a character weakness could not conquer. Genius? Brill iance of mind? Grace and beauty of person? A world-wide renown? No, these are desirable gifts, but not one of them is the gift supreme. You would wish to bestow something SINGLE COPY THREE CENTS, more precious Ilian wealth, more commanding than power, more ser vicable than beauty, more satisfying than intellect, more enduring than re nown; and if you were wise you would find that more excellent gift in the spirit of fidelity to God and man, that spirit which enfolds within it the love of right, of truth; of good, and which is the one thing needful in fulfilling the proudest prophecy of the soul. As it is, do you not covet earnestly this gift for your child? Then try and make your desire a reality. When Luther’s baby was brought to him by the nurse the great reformer’s blessing was; -‘Go thy way and be good. Money I shall not bequeath thee, but I shall leave thee a rich God who will not forsake thee.” Do the same by your child. Surround him with ail the influences of a godly home; let him come daily under the sway of your own worthy character and example.—Exchange. Kingly Politeness. As an instance oi true politeness it is told that a poor Arab going through the desert found a spring of spark ling water. Accustomed to brackish water, a draught from this sweet well in the wilderness seemed*in his simple mind, a fit present to the Ca liph. So he filled the leather bottle, and, after a weary tramp, laid his humble gift at his sovereign’s feet. The monarch, with a magnanimity that may put many a Christian to the blush, called for a cup, and drank freely; and then with a smile thanked the Arab and presented him with a reward. The courtiers pressed ea gerly round for a draught of the wonderful water, which was regarded as worthy of such a princely acknowl edgment. To their surprise the Caliph for bade them to touch a drop. After the simple-hearted giver had loft the royal presence, with anew spring of joy welling up in his heart, the monarch explained his motive for prohibition. “During the long jour ney, the water in his leather bottle had become impure and distasteful; but it was an offering of love, and as such I accepted it with pleasure. I feared however, that if I allowed an other to taste it, he would not con ceal his disgust. Therefore .it was that I forbade you to partake, lest the heart of the poor man should be wounded.”—Voice. Failures And Failures. We except to the proposition, that every preacher who seems, for a time, to fail of success in his work, is nec essarily to be censured. Judged by this standard, the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ was a failure. We should not be impatient of results. We have in our mind some fields, in which preachers have generally failed. Our itinerant system sends to such sections frequent changes of paeach ers. Men who have been efficient elsewhere, fail of accomplishing great results there. In judging of any preacher’s work, we should take into consideration the field in which he labors, and the general character of the people whom he serves. We know some fields in which John Wes ley, or Martin Luther, or St. Paul, would, probably, not aceompliih great things. And our brethren, who cul tivate these unpromising and unpro ductive fields, are not censurable for their failure to bring in reports of great things accomplished. We have often had a feeling of indignation as we have heard some brother com mended for liis line report, from a well cultivated and developed circuit, while the equally faithfvl and labori ous preacher, who has served an un appreciative people, hauled over the coals for a poor report. There are some preachers who will fail every where, and there are some places where every preacher fails. In the first instance the fault is in the preacher; in the latter it is the peo ple. And those who pass judgment would do well to discriminate.—Ala bama Christian Advocate.