IHE OHI'IIANS’ FUIEX!).
Mny ii>5 1S^5.
'I'lno Cok(;e)it of Mrs. StnidleA-’s
sc.liool, under the direction and in-
stnietion of Miss iiinnie Kittrell,
tvill take place at the Orphan
Asylum, oil tiieyovening'^of the
2Stii imst, at 7.J- o’clock.
BIOMU ABOIlr TSSS! TKIF.
Mot'the'least pleasant feature
of our recent ti'ip, u’as the great
kindness manifested towards the
orphans by the children at the
i ariou.s places at wliich we stoji-
]ied. The most difficult task we
liad to perform was to meet the
requests of the kind little g-irls
and boys for some of the orjihans
to stay' with. them. In this re
spect the demand was entirely
bey'ond the supply', and we wore
often seriously puzzled in trying
to coinjily'with these, urgent so
licitations without appearing to
lie ]iartial. The children, too,
generally eaino to the Concerts
])rQpare(l.,t.o ta.ke an active part in
the'contrihutions to the orphans,
liy' bringing with them a part, aiid
sometime,s all, of llio.ir candy, top,
and.niarble fund to go into the hat.
The ladies, too, w'ero exceed
ingly kind and attentive to the
children wdicrever wo stopped,
providing for their comfort in ev
ery possible way', and thus re
lieving the Stew ard of much anx
iety and trouble. At Battleboro
a numlier of ladies, among whom
we reiiiemher the names of Mrs.
llosaJine'Stewart, Misses Etta and
Bottie Mayner, Mrs. Ered. Tay
lor, Miss Kate Taylor, Mrs. Irene
Herbert and Mrs. B. B. Guion,
made up a number of garments-of
neyy uijiterial for the fpTls; a very,
timely' aiid ivelcorne present. A.t
inaiij other places the ladies wore
])articular]y thoiightfulf or the
comfort and convenience of onr
little hand, for which we were
very' gratefiih
Indeed, every body', young
and old, ladies a.nd 'gentlemen,
seemed anxious to manifest their
g.'ood will wheroTcr 'we went.
Such an alniiidance of presents
were bestowed upon the childi’on
that the purchase of two add:-
tioiini trunks was necessary' to
])ut -thcm in, and wo were often
obliged to ciiterfero to prevent
the- children makiiig themselves
sick by overcliarging their stom
achs.with nick-nacks and confec
tioneries that were sometimes
rather injudiciously bestowed uji-
011 them. . . ■ ' - .
We should like to make special
acknowlodg'ment' to every' friend
along the rout for the care mani-
festwi to make our trip pleasant
and successful, but it would malce
such a long list tliat wo should
not have room for it. To the of
ficers of tlie two Railroads over
W'hich ivG traveled were wo in-
deb.{od ■for many' courtesies, for
which' we desire tp'otfor thanks.
Wlienovor wo become ivcary'
of the labors and monotonous'
ronthio of honi'e duties hereafter,
we shall ask lio more ivelcorae re-
laxafioa -t'lian to nia-Jce- a similar
exciirsipii over lljo sanio line and
mcet.A'itlTtho same kiiul I'rionds
and vyann rcctq'itimi that render
ed our i'ocdnt Iriri so pleasant.
AISEAO.
The citizoi is of Cuml '.orland have
from the first been lilieral sup--
porters .o.f (lie-orphan ivork. Sev
eral times tiio v,’ay has sec-nieal
very' dark before us till -day-light
broke-ip-from Fayetteville. The
(..-lunhi-rhuiid orpiunis-anf making
good progre's,-'-,.' an'd wi? inijie to
s -Oil bal k s'ome u.seful citizens in
grateful relnni iov tho coiisiaoit
kindness of tliuse noble and gen
erous pet.qdc.
StNITTESO.
riJE OKPIIAW ISTMJM A’l' OX-
FOtEIJ, IV. C.
The above is a very- .good min
iature representation of the main
liuilding of the Oxford Orphan
sksyliim, formerly St. John’s Col
lege, a huildin'g well' adajyted to
the use for which it was original
ly' intended and that to yvhich it
is noiv apjiropriatcd. Itocmipies
a position near the nortliern lim
its of the totvii of Oxford, on a
gentle eminence, siirroimded by a
splendid grove of while oaks, and
is one of the most heautiful loca
tions for an institution of the kind
in tlie State.
This building was erected some
Iw'enty-fi-ro years ago by the
(.Irand Fodge of Masons of North
Cai'olina, and was intended for a
College of high grade. Owing to
tho war, w'ant of proper endow
ment and other untoward cirenm-
stanccs the intentions of tlie Fra
ternity wore never realized, but
schools of very high grade -' were
kej)t up. in it for a number of
years. But it became apparent
to the heiievoleut order under
w'hoso auspices it was organized,
that the capital invested in it was
not doing as much good as it
might if otho.rwise emjiloy'cd, and
hence, at the meeting of the
Grand Lodge in December, 1872,
the sniiject of making some dis
position of tlie property''was in
troduced in the sliajio of a resolu
tion foi- its sale either to the State
or to private individuals.
To tins resolution the present
Superintendent offered a substi
tute setting apart tbo building a.s
“an Asylum for the protection,
training and education of indigent
orphan chiklreit.” The proposi
tion was adopted and the resolu
tion, as amended, passed, the
Grand Lodgd appropriating five
hundred dollars to aiil in tho en
terprise, the balance of its snpi-
port to be derived from charita
ble donations.
Tho jireseut Superintendent, J.
11. Sliils, was elected to the' posi
tion ho now holds, .at-th-at session
of tlaa Grand Lodge, and has bt'cn
reelected at each succeeding an
imal coinmuuicaiioii'since.
- Steps wei'e immediately com'
inenced to cany cut the w'il-l and
inteiifion of the Graji.d Lodge,
.and on tho 20th. day' of February
1873, th,o fii'st three orphans wore
adihintod into tho institution.
Since tlion two hundred and sixty-'
seven of the indigent and helpless
orjilians of the State have been re
ceived, many' of wliom have been
instructed in the rudimeiits of an
■English education and sent out
to good liomes wdlh a fair ]iro.s-
pec-t of success in life; mam,' have
been rcfnr.ici! to tiieir relations
whoso condition iiavo .so improved,
as to enable them to fake care of
them, and there are now onobim-
dj'cd and sixteen at tho Gxibrd
Asylum, and tivenl'y-fonr at the
branch at Mars liil'l, uinle-r the
care of the institution.
Since its organization the j\ av
ium lias pissed th-rongh a,)inG
prosperous and some gdoomy ex
periences, but the children "h.ave
never been reduced to absolute
suftoTiiig for food, alfliong i the:©
have ■ been times 'when sucli
condition might liave been seri
ous apprehended by tbose not
having a strong faith in the prov-
ideiice of God and a- firm reliance
upon the Christian charity- of the
people, especial!}-- -that “ charity
whicli acts as a cement in bind
ing together the -niembers of the
churches and the benevolent so
cieties oftlie'day. The past win
ter and pregent spiring has been,
perliap.s, the harde'st season
through which tlie institution lias
passed since its o'rgaiiization, but
its pro.spects are now becoming
somewhat brighter.- The Grand
k'laster’s circular to tlie Lodges
and the kindly offices of the State
press in lii'ingiug the condition of
the Asylum before the public," are
producing- results which we hope
ivill-soon relieve its friends from-
tlie anxiety tliat has for some
months weighed them down.
AVhothcr this property will
eventually he taken hold of and.
made a Ktate institution for .tlie
care of that h.elpless class, which
should be a.s pecnliarly the sub
jects of .state charity as any other,
reinaiiis to bq . seen. 'V\^e believe
it will, because religion, humani
ty' and State, interest all douiaud
it. No appropriation could prom
ise a better return to the State in
good and useful citizens, on the
ono liand, or prove more efiectua!
in damming up tho sources of vice
and crime, on tho other.
CEXXEJSiViA t
From what ire see in the pa
gers ti)roingho.nt this and adjoin
ing States, wo -are led to conclude
that the centennial celebration of
tl.ie “Mecklenburg Declaration,”
which comes off to-moiTOw in
Charlotte, will he a grand affair.
It is no infringement of the char
acteristic modesty of the good'
people of Lhe’'State thus to claim
and to celebrate ivliat tliey are
justly entitled to, that of being
the descendants of p.Htriot.s who
w--o.re'tuo first''to declare their sep-
ai-ation from a government that
recognized only- to opipress- and
tyrannize ovor thorn. IVe hojie
the iveatiier and everything else
may- bo favorable to the occasion
to-inorrois', and that the tire of
patriotism may bo so enkindled
in tlie' breasts of our pieople, os-
pcc'ially' of our young men, as to-
induee I'bem to revere tlieir'
inotlier Btato more, stop at home,
stand by her ,in her p'resent strug
gles, am! aid in placing her wlie-re
she belniigs—in the front rank of
her sistej- commonweidlhs.
My fatlier WT.rstiio ISfu'iii VYiinl.
.My tuoflK-r's! naiiu' W'tittT)
Pursiui \V)iif.T liinrricil thi'iii,
kill.! I'm timh' pr^ny
Perliaps the girls and, may-ho,
old ladies, too, who I'ead tho Oii-
CHAXs’ FitiEXD, would like to hear
sometliing, about tho beginning
and progress of the art of' knit
ting. '\Ve believe tho ladies gen-
eraiiy- do not like' knittiiig as well
as tliey' do some other kind's of
liousehold work, but many of
them, who are ind'ustriousiy in
clined, keep knitting on liand to
fill lip odd moments with emploj'-
uient, and to take .along with
them when they go a-visiting, be
cause it is a convenient hind of
work. This custom, liowevcr, is
mostly''observed in the country—
seldom or never in to-wns or cities.
At what time the art of form
ing garments by the continued
looping of a single thread, was
first practiced on the contient of
Eurojio, is not exactly kno-«ai,
but w-e learn from history that
knitted stockings, or hose, as thet-
were at first' called, rrere first us
ed by our Engli.sh ancestors
about the reign of Queen Eliza
beth. Prior to this time the peo
ple of England, even the king
and his nobility, wore hose of
clotli cut to fit the foot and leg
ami somed together. Howell, in
ins History' of the World, say's
that King Henry' the VHl con
tinually' wore this hind of hose,
“e.xcept there came from .Spain,
by' chanc-e, a pair of silk stock
ings.” We are told by the same
historian that King Edward, son
of Henry', tras presented’by' his
merchant with a pair of long silk
stockings, and the present “was
much taken notice of.” Mrs.
Montague made a present of a
pair of black silk stockings to
Queen Elizabeth, and she was so
pilea-sed with them that she would
ivear no cloth hose afterward.
The. cloth hose which preceded
knitted stoe-kings, c-overed not on
ly the feet and legs, but the
•whole of the lower part of the
body. As intimated above, the
art of knitting was known on the
continent a long time Irofore it
■was introduced into England.
Buchanan, in bis history of in
ventions, mentions an association
or “guild” of knitters in France
as early- as the year 1527, 'which
shows that the art had been in ex
istence long before that period.
The first mention of stocking
knitting in England dates about
1590. William Lee -who -was ex
pelled from St. John’s College,
Cambridge, for getting marrierl,
found himself in such reduced
circumstances a.s to be dependent
npfm the proceeils of his wife’s
stocking knitting, mainly, for
subsistence. He set about the
invention of a machine by wlsich
tbo work might be more expedi-
tioirsly' perSirmed. He succeed
ed in iirventing a machine, but
met w'ith little success or encour
agement in his 'native country,
and tmrk his machine to I’raiice.
What encoisrageineiit ’nc met with
we are not told. He died in 1610,
and his workmen took the ma
chine back to England, w-here,
after a time it was noticed and in
troduced into use in London and
vicinity, and soon after into Not
tingham, which place, from then
until the present time, has been
noted for tho vast amount of its
manufactures in this line. Vari
ous improvements have .since been
made on tliose “stocking frames,”
as they were called, a ml last year
there wore over fifty' thou,sand of
them in operation in. England,
and in Nottingli.aiu alone forty
thon.si'i'.id persons were employed
in tills branch of m.amifactui-'c;..
At 'first t!-io.so tnashhica only
iiKido tlie ])laiu flat web, from
whicli the stockings rv'dre cut in
the proper .shape" and seWed to
gether. Iniprovemouts were af
terward made by which a circu
lar rreb was knitted, and the heel
and foot were formed. These in
proved machines were introdneed
into the United States by a Ger
man wlio settled in Connecticut
about 1835.
Many' improvements have been
made in this industry since tliu
introduction of the old Lee ina-
cliiiio. In 1831, Timothy Baily
succeeded in 'q)])!)'ing jjower to
the old machine of Lee, since
whiciy time'^jhe .prodncliou of
hosiery h.as been changed from a
domestic to a factory industry',
and numerous articles besides
hosiery ai-e produced by' their,
I'Je have no doubt that knitting
machines wiU soon become , s
common in private houses as sew
ing machines are now, which will
give tlie ladies, especially motlu rs
of large fmuilios ot boy's, another
broad shoe of an incoming do
mestic millouruiu.
K©T SSf A tHJKS!
The Steward of the Orpliart
Asylum has never bewi ambitions
of laiving “a handle to his name
he has sometimes been called
“Captain” and even “Colonel,”
by casual acrjuaintances who
seemed to tliink it the correct
thing, fashionable and all that,
for every' man to he designated
by' some high sounding military
prefix, but he uevov had the least
just claim to sudi distinction and
never desired to have. A great
many years ago, the I..egislatur@
of North Carolina gave him a lo
gal right to put J. B. .after liis
name when attached to certain
ominous documents, but this was
when he wa.s young aud uuei-
porisncsid, and ha looks back up- ,
on those days with uo feeling- of
elation.
B-ut the Toisp.ot Tramcr^t of
last week gives him another anel
a moi-e honorable title, -when it
says Mr. Moore, Assistant
Superintendent of the Oxford Or
phan Asylum,” &c., to which pre
fix he has no claim at all. if his
deportment at Toisnot was such
as to make a favorable impression
he is glad, but he is not a liev-
cmd. The Stf^ermiefiihnt is fre
quently addressed as “ Rev.,”
thougli not in orders, and lie has-
1 lerefore n otilied the pub he thrrmgh
the Feiexb to that efibitt, b'ut it it
be necessary that someViody Imre
must have that distinetion, tlie
Steward tui-ns it ovei- to liim,
hoping, however, that none of our
gixid natiired in.stitutious. of laaj-n-
ing may dub eitlier of us with
D.D. without further and more
particidar inquiry'.
Two fiew' jiarlor amusements^
are thus doscribed : Two jilayers
are closely' blinded with a band-- .
age made of their qiocket-haiuF
kerchiefs. Each one i» provided
witif a saucer full of cake or
cracker crumbs, which is held in
the left hand, and a spoon wliich
is held in the right hand. Ashcet-
is spread upon the floor, upon-
which the players sit, and at a
given signal they' begin to feed,
each other. Their efforts to find-
each other’s mouths with their
spoons never fail to afford much.
sport. Another amusing experi
ment is to try' to blow out a can--
die blindfolded.. The candle is-'
placed upon a fable,- up to which'
a jilay'or is led--; he then walks-
back- six steps, turns- round three
times, and walks forward as near- -
ly' in the direction of tlic candle'
as pHissi'ble,, and tries to-blow it-
ont. If he happens-to wander to
the wrong' jia-rt of the roi m,, the
offect of tlie bloiving is very
funny.