May 27, 1910

“Speak nothing but good of the dead” is a maxim we often hear. But we are not so sure the aphorism should always be observed. I knew a man lower down in the count—he is dead now—who was the laziest man I ever knew, black or white, with perhaps one exception. He had a nice farm with good buildings, two fine children and an extraordinary excellent wife. I have known this man to sit in the house at night while it was snowing fast and lament that he would have to get up in the morning and make a fire and no kindling wood in the house. And he would not get any in, and would be compelled to get up the next morning and go out in the snow after it. I left his home one spring in the latter part of March. He had a splendid crop of corn the previous year, and it was then nearly all in the field. He was at loggerheads with nearly all his neighbors and could net none of them to help him with his work—or in reality to do his work for him. There were one or two colored men who came to his house to play checkers with him, and then he would get them to work a day or two at a time, and not much longer, for this man with his laziness was also poor pay, and the colored men wanted their money or its equivalent when the work was done. Under these conditions he was forced to work some himself, but at last he quit gathering corn altogether, and went to a nearby store and bought powder and shot and went to shooting crows, of which I never saw so many in any field of corn. What eventually became of that field of corn I never knew. How this man died I am not informed, but his death musty have been sudden, as he was too lazy to have taken any time for the change. This reminiscence is called up by seeing coarse fodder in a field near town at the present writing.

The forty-third session of the Sussex County Bible Society met in Goshen M. E. Church on Thursday of last week, and was called to order by president Macklin. The session of the morning was opened with devotional exercises, after which, after which the appointment of committees was made. In the afternoon the reports of vice-presidents of the several districts were read. The election of officers were as follows: President, E. J. Windsor of Seaford; Secretary, Charles R. Jones, of Georgetown; Treasurer, George W. Jones, of Georgetown; Depositorian, W. W. Vincent, of Georgetown. Vice-presidents: Broad Creek, H. C. Lewis, Laurel; Broadkiln, W. W. Crouch, Milton; Baltimore, I. J. Brasare, Selbyville; Cedar Creek, Otis Reed, Ellendale; Dagsboro, Charles R. Davis, Frankford; Georgetown, R. H. Houston, Georgetown; Gumboro, George E. Harrison, Millsboro; Indian River, D, W, Lawson, Georgetown; Lewis and Rehoboth, G. P. Tunnell, Lewes; Little Creek, James D. Spicer, Laurel; Nanticoke, Isaac J. Morgan, Bridgeville; Seaford, Robert J. Allen, Seaford. No invitation being extended to the society for its nect meeting, the place will be selected by the executive committee. In the evening the Rev. Mr. Herold of Lewes spoke on the “Bible as the word of God.”

Supervisor of streets Mustard has laid the concrete curbing on Union Street, south of the bridge, and as he always does everything else, had made a good job of it.

On Monday excavation was made and tiling laid from the M. E. Parsonage across the road to connect with a culvert, and drain the waste water to the branch west of town.

Frank Leverage has bought of Mrs. Lizzie Wilson of Lewes a farm near Waples Mill and proposes to make it his future home.

RMS Celtic, date unknown
RMS Celtic, date unknown

Miss Lillian Cade of this town, and president of the Sussex County Union, sailed from New York on the steamer Celtic[i] last week, for Glasgow, Scotland, as delegate from Delaware to the World’s W. C. T. U. Convention.

David Clendaniel, who has been ill at his home near town with pneumonia, is so far recovered as to be able to be out.

B. F. Gray has sold a part of the old Governor Hazzard residence to a colored man near town, who is removing it to a lot nearby.

Several of our colored people have made their annual excursion to Bridgeville to pick berries. They might get work here, but distance lends enchantment to the view.

The Strawberry Social held in School Hall on Saturday evening by the young people of the M. E. Church was well attended and a financial success.

Schooner Ella Call
Schooner Ella Call in winter dock

Schooner Ella Call has had her repairs completed and will load with clay at the Warrington pits for Philadelphia.

John Ponder and C. E. Bacon have been elected delegates by St. John Baptist Church of this town to attend the Protestant Episcopal Diocesian Conventions that convenes in St. Philip’s Church, Laurel, on Wednesday June 1st.

Sussex Trust, Title and Safety Deposit Company building on Federal Street ca 1910.
Sussex Trust, Title and Safety Deposit Company building on Federal Street ca 1910 (Douglas Family Collection, courtesy Milton Historical Society)

The Sussex Trust Title and Safe Deposit Company stands No. 5 in the United States and No. 1 in the State of Delaware, on the roll of honor of the trust companies of the Unites States with like amount of capital stock.

A number of Milton people were out on Wednesday night looking for the comet’s tail though which the earth passed between 10.30 and daylight. They saw no evidence of anything unusual or extraordinary.

Otis L. Goodwin is on a business trip to Chicago.

We are informed it has been decided to hold a camp meeting at Lavinia Camp ground commencing August the 21st. There is some work to be done to the tents before the eventful day arrives. Many of them are as now and want straightening up. Some of them want all put under them; and there is much to do but it won’t take long when the people get ready and go to work with a will to do it.

The work on the new buildings under construction appears to progress slowly along, while on others there is a marked advancement this week. The building of S. J. Wilson & Son is now having the foundation put down and William Mears has removed his barber shop into his new building and commenced work therein.

[…last paragraph unintelligible…..]

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[i] The RMS Celtic was one of four transatlantic-class passenger ships built in Belfast by the Harland & Wolff Shipyard for the White Star Line. She was launched in 1901 on the Liverpool – New York route, saw service as an armed auxiliary cruiser and troopship in World War I, resumed passenger service in 1920 after being refitted, and finally ran aground in 1928 and subsequently scrapped.