The commercial., May 26, 1922, Image 6

About The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?

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THE COMMERCIAL
Marshall & Baird, Union City, Tenn.
Entered at the past office. Union City. Tennes
see, as second-class mail matter.
FRIDAY. MAY 26, 1922.
Democratic Ticket.
For Sheriff J. W. (Wntt) Cherry
For Trustee Armour Ratlin"
For County Court Clerk R. H. Bond
For Circuit Court Clerk J. N. Ruddle
For Reuistet W. J. Edwards, Jr.
For Representative.
BRATTON We are authorized to an
nounce S. R. Bratton as a candidate for
re-election as Representative from Obion
County in the General Assembly of Ten.
nessee, .ubject to the action of the Demo
cratic party.
For Floater.
CHAS. CLAIBORNE. We are author
ized to announce Charles Claiborne of Dyer
County as a candidate for the Democratic
nomination for re-election as Floterial Rep
resentative for the counties of Dyer. Lake
and Obion, subject to the August primary.
Governor McMillin's Address.
The address made by Ex-Gov.
Benton McMillin to the City High
School graduating class last Thurs
dcy night was. along the lines appro
priate to such occasions, however on
this occasion considerably enlarged
and augmented. Mr. McMillin spoke
only once with reference to political
affairs, and that was as Governor
he was particularly a friend of edu
cation, further ng the interests ot
the people of Tennessee by forcing
the enactment of the uniform text
book law.
The remainder of the speech was
on the value of good books. Com
mencement is a term that is little un
derstood until the passing of ye.ars
finds us taking a retrospective view
of life. We look tack on what ure
we have made of the time. We real
ize then the importance of useful
books or the misfortune in the lack
of these things.
Mr. McMillin proceeded then with
his review of a suitable library. First
is the Bible, the greatest book ever
written, compared with which all
other works pale into the common
place. . In proverbs we have r.lmost
a universal education, as well as the
inspiration which reveals the glories
of life everlasting. No education is
complete without the Bible and no
life reaches its zenith without God.
The prophecies, the proverbs, the
revelations and the gospel dispensa
tions are all an infinite conception
in prose while the Psalms of David
are poems supreme. The greatest
logician of any age was Paul and his
life and works are more vital and in
teresting to the human race than all
other works outside of the Bible com
bined. Mr. McMillin seemed to be espe
cially familiar with the scriptures.
He is also a student of other litera
ture, but in his advice concerning
English literature The Commercial
would like to make a few sugges
tions. No doubt this class considered
it a privilege to have so great a man
as the speaker on this occasion to
recommend a course of study and re
view. Therefore with the man, time
and the place it is important that the
proper recommendations and the
proper impressions be made.
In the first place Mr. McMillin
eulogized the works of Shakespeare,
and in this he was undoubtedly cor
rect. But as a great actor once said
of a world-famed actress, "All is not
pure gold"
If Lord Bacon is not the author of
Shakespeare's works and Shakespeare
is himself the author, then we must
bear in mind the fact that Shake
speare was a strolling actor, so the
commentators say, and that while he
wrote imperishable and prophetic
drama and verse he was of that class
whose moral standards are not ebove
criticism. This is not said to dis
courage the reading of Shakespeare,
but to point out the fact to discrim
inating minds. It should not have
moved us to make this suggestion but
for the fact that Mr. McMilliu was
rather severe in the criticism of Dick
ens. True Dickens was profusely ag
gressive in his references to America
after his first visit to this country
In Martin Chuzzlewit he has Martin
and Mark Tapley marooned in a mo
rass of swamp, which he sarcastically
refers toas the Eden of America,
while these visitors upon our shores
pass thru the stages of swamp fever,
Again, Dickens ridicules the early
New Yorker as a provincial and a
raw product of nature. But In after
years he humbly apologizes. He is
also censured for his conduct towards
his wife, but how much of this is
more than gossip none will ever real
ly know. If we are to take, these
things seriously then Lord Tennyson
should be excoriated for an ugly tem
per. It is said that Lord Tennyson
was so rude to a visitor of the com
mon ranks as to ask him to leave
his house on the asseveration that
there was nothing in common be
tween .them.
Mr. McMillin's .favorite poet,
3urns, was in his carl7 youth a free
lover. So was Lord Byron a man of
i the world, 'men wny single out
Dickens for castigation. Neither the
works of Dickens nor any of the other
authors mentioned should suffer for
their personal delinquencies. The
sensuality of these works is the sub
Ject of criticism. And here we have
to make a comparison strongly fa
vorable to Dickens. Dickens' mind
did not seem to run to the weak
nesses of the flesh. At least they
were not reflected In his works. On
the other hand he was probably the
greatest character sketch writer of
any period of English literature. But
neither this, his humor or pathos,
was the crowning star of Dickens'
authorship. It matters that he did
create living pictures of human char
acter, but the great outstanding work
of Dickens Is the political and civil
reformation of England the banish
ment of the parochial school, the
madhouse, the debtor's prison and all
their concomitant evils. What Lord
Protector Cromwell was to the gov
ernment of England, Dickens was to
the English people. Dickens was not
only a literary genius but he was a
benefactor to the entire English race
But enough of comparison. We
now wonder why Mr. McMillin's pro
gram of reading is not more varied.
He mentioned, besides the Bible,
Shakespeare, Byron, Dickens, Burns,
Washington Irving very compll
mentary, as he should have been,
about the American author but
beyond these he said very little or
nothing.
Advice to pupils about what to
read embraces a large territory. Mr
McMillin did not profess to be famll
iar with modern literature, and the
writer will have to admit extreme
limitations along these avenues. The
rule he laid down was that, unless
a book received favorable Comment
from the reviewers, or unless it pro
voked a discussion of counter claims,
it is safe to let the work pass un
read. But to us it seemed, that a few
more well known books should have
been included in the address besides
history and current literature. One
of these books is Les Miserables. This
book is a combination of fact and fic
tion, history and government. A mas
ter mind created the work. He was
a man of letters, a student of govern
ment and above everything that is
interesting to an American he was a
democrat. He wrote about the French
ideas of law that led to the French
revolution, and in doing this he
created one of the most remarkable
characters in all fiction Jean Val
Jean. Robert Ingersoll once said
that the greatest work of fiction, ac
cording to his judgment, was the
Tale of Two Cities, by Dickens. This
was also a work inspired by the
French revolution. But in our opin
Ion a court of literary Judges would
award the palm to Victor Hugo. No
man, no matter how often he has
read the book, ever reads again with
out some new impulse or respect for
the author.
Another book quite different is
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.
Where is there a child of God or a
student who does not value this
book? It is as fascinating as a stand
ard work or fiction. At the same
time it is an allegory of Christian
experience more strikingly visualized
than any other work of like character
in existence.
Then there are others there are
many. But these are the more im
portant. We might make a choice
of a few of our own. We might sug
gest Hawthorne and Foe, also we
might say something of the South's
fine pens Grady and Sidney Lanier.
But the discourse on Shakespeare
by Mr. McMillin was indeed interest
ing. His reference to the fact that
Hamlet had set scholars to contend
ing, without solution, the manner of
the Dane's conduct whether there
was method in his madness or that
he was really overcome by the force
of circumstances. ' The advice con
veyed in this work and Hamlet's so
liloquy were commented upon. This
drama was probably made more fa
mous in America by the great expo
nent of the character, Edwin Booth,
whose reading of the soliloquy is
never to be forgotten. By far the
greatest sample of wholesome advice,
seems to us, was that of Polonius to
his son, Laerte3, which runs this
wise:
"Be thou familiar but by no means
vulgar
The friends thou hast and their
adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops
of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with
entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledged
comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel; but, being
in,
Bear't that the opposed may beware
of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few
thy voice:
Take each man's censure, but reserve
thy Judgment. ;
buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich not
gaudy: k '
For the apparel oft proclaims the
man.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and
friend; - , .
And borrowing dulls the edge of
husbandry.
This above all to thine own 'self be
true;
And It must follow, as the night the
day,
Thou canst not be false to any man.
5
III
Get the Axe. "
We are reproducing a portion of
Gen. G. T. Fitzliugh's speech. It is
good reading. But we are taking all
that we are able. It strikes home
goes to the very heart of things. Gen
eral Fitzhugh seems to have come to
a conclusion which Congress and of
ficial government have failed to
realize. The government has a pay
roll of 917,000 people. General Fitz
hugh proposes to cut this in half,
This is fine for campaign purposes',
but will Mr. Fitzhugh face the storm
of ridicule and hisses that will cer
tainly fall upon his head if he enters
Congress and makes the attempt. Con
gressman Fuller, one of the biggest
men in New York State .tried it and
the whole House turned on him with ;
withering sarcasm. Congressman
Blanton, of Texas, called their hands
and got a wholesale bath of profani
ty for his pains. Mind you, Demo
crats as well as Republicans are in
the political fleshpots. President
Wilson's administration was not free
from this censure by any manner of
means, notwithstanding ne was a
most distinguished President. The
only President probably since the
war who has made any appreciable
effort to reduce, administration and
government activities was Grover
Cleveland, and what they did to him
everybody" knows. All this high
sounding stuff about centralization
and State sovereignty is not easy for
the masses to understand, but when
you begin to talk shop they open
their eyes. When you say cut out
the hordes of cake eaters and grafters
and reduce the taxes they know what
you mean. When you say let five men
do what ten men are hired to do it is
easy to understand. When you say
stop the organization of commissions
and bureaus, the appointment of
committees and the investigation of
everything the opposing party does,
anl reduce tb.033 we have already to
an economic working basis, then the
constituents have an idea what you
are trying to do. They don't care
whether it is State sovereignty, cen
tralization or what it is. They know
that the more the government en
croaches upon the substance and ,the
rights of the people the less there is
left for the people. They know that
the increase of taxes at the present
rate will soon become burdensome
and confiscatory. We know that the
government is following the lines ex
actly that have prevailed in old gov
ernments. First a free country and
an agricultural independence; then
process of reducing the farming
classes by the promotion of special
interests and a taxing system which
bears on agriculture; then tenantry,
feudalism, serfdom, etc , and finally
political chaos and national decay.
The pork barrel and the fleshpots
must go if democracy is to prevail.
$5
ANNOUNCEMENT
New Motor .Service for Funerals
In order to conduct our business with
the most modern conveniences and
equipment, and to offer you perfect
service and the finest funeral equipage,
we recent!' purchased a motor hearse.
The illustration will give you some idea
of the rich beauty of this new funeral
car. It has all the dignity, the refine
ment and the quiet elegance which the
most solemn occasion demands.
The graceful hand-covered drapery
the clean, simple lines and the beauti
ful lustrous finish, make, it unusually'
impressive. t
.This hearse was built for us by the
Sayers & Scovill Co., who have long
been known as the makers of the finest
funeral vehicles in America.
We will be pleased to have you call and
inspect this new addition to our equipment.
Harpole-Walker Furniture Co.
Funeral Directors
Union City, Tennessee
Whitesell Harpole
Phone 354
J. L. Ranson, Jr.
Phone 432
Office Phone
99
Two Officers of New Land Bank.
Election of Lee Gibson as general
attorney and of J. W. Brantley as
secretary-treasurer of the Louisville
Joint Stock Land Bank by the direc
tors of that inrtitution, recently or
ganized, was announced.
Mr? Gibson formerly held the same
position with the Federal Land Bank
of Louisville, while Mr. Brantley has
been cashier of the Federal institu
tion. The directors announced that
completion of the organization and
official personnel is being achieved
rapidly.
The Louisville Joint Stock Land
Bank was formed about ten days ago,
but the institution already is func
tioning. 1
President Walter Howell, of the
Louisville Joint Stock Land Bank,
who resigned as president of the Fed
eral Land Bank of Louisville to ac
cept his new position, stated that
the institution he now heads is in
receipt of a great many inquiries
about loans on farm lands from many
points in Kentucky and Indiana. He
said that there is every Indication the
farming element of these two States
is taking a great deal of interest in
Louisville's new bank and in the fa
cilities which the new institution
will afford the rural sections.
Mr. Brantley, prior to locating in
Louisville, was engaged in the "bank
ing business at Troy, Tenn., for a pe
riod of fourteen years. He first was
cashier of the Bank of Troy and later
cashier of the Citizens Bank of
Troy. Louisville Post.
. III!
NON-RESIDENT NOTICE.
Carroll P. Wilson et al vs. R. L. Da
vis et al., Chancery Court, Obion
County, Tennessee.
In the above styled cause it appear
ing to the Clerk and Master from the
bill of complaint, which is sworn to,
that the defendant, R. L. Davis and
Victoria Davis are non-residents of the
State of Tennessee, so that ordinary
process of law cannot be served upon
thetxi. It is therefore hereby ordered
that the said above named defendants
appear before the Clerk and Master of
the Chancery Court of Obion County,
Tennessee, on or before the First Mon
day of June, 1922, that being a rule
day of said Chancery Court, and make
defense to the said bill, or the same
will be taken as confessed by them,
and the said cause set for hearing ex
parte as to them. It is further ordered
that publication of this notice be nude
four consecutive weeks in The Commer
cial, a weekly newspaper published in
Obion County, Tenn.
This May 1, 1922.
GEO. A. GIBBS,
Clerk and Master.
By Nelle F. Marshall, D. C. and M.
Pierce & Fry, Sol. for CompPt.
Costly thy habit a3 thy purse can
Go to Corum's
Drinks in Town.
for the Coldest
Now
Redpath
Chautauqua
The 100
Program
7 BIG 7
DAYS
Chautauqua Week
Here June 21-28
A Permanent Job.
Bergdol has discovered that, while
there's such a thing as an ex-service
man there's no such thing as an ex
slacker. Nashville Tennessean.
Notice to Bidders.
Sealed bids will be received by the Mayor and Board of
Aldermen of Union City, Tennessee, at their office in the City
Hall, until 7:30 P. M., Wednesday, May 31st, 1922, when they
will be publicly opened and read. .
The work will include;
(IA) 31042 square yards concrete paving,
8870 cubic yards excavation; or
(IB) 26350 square yards asphalt; or asphaltic con
, crete; or rock asphalt; or bitulithic paving; on
( concrete, or on macadam or on telford, founda
tion. 4690 square yards water table,
96 1 0 to 1 1 090 cubic yards excavation; and
(2) ,9540 lin. ft. curb and gutter,
3286 lin. ft, drain pipe with inlets, manholes and i
junction boxes.
Plans and specifications for the above work can be seen at
the office of the City Recorder in Union City, Tennessee, or at
the office of the Engineer, J. H. Weatherford, 64 Porter Build
ing, Memphis, Tennessee. Copies may be had from the . En
gineer for f 10.00.
Payments will be made in cash. Certified check or bidders
bond for ten per cent to accompany bid. Construction bond
full amount of contract.
The right is reserved to reject any and all bids.
This May 1 7, 1922. J. W. WOOSLEY. Mayor.
W. D. KEISER, Recorder.
Passenger Fares Reduced
For Week-End Tickets
Between AIT Points on
Mobile fe Ohio R.R.
Tickets sold each Saturday and Sunday, beginning Saturday, May 6th, and
Sunday, May 7th, during the months of May, June, July, August and Sep
tember. One anif one-'hird fare for the Round Trip, minimum St. 00
Tickets limited returning to teach starring point by 12 o'clock midnight Mon
day, immediately following date of sale. N , .
For tickets and further information apply to '
W. W. LOVELACE, Ticket Agent.