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THP^ ORPHANS’ FRIEND.
Wednesday, July S, 1§T6.
Under a charter by the Gen
eral Orphan Aid Society of North
Uarolina, Orphan Aid Society,
No. 1, has been organized in Ox
ford. It started with seven mem
bers and six more were initiated
last Saturday evening. Another
meeting will be held at the Or
phan Asylum on this (Tuesday)
afternoon. Any who may wish
to become members may hand
their names to the President, Mr.
J. W. Hays, or to the Secretary,
Miss S. L. Lee. The initiation
fee is 50 cents, and each member
pays 5 cents a week.
COMiHEJVCEMEJVX ORATORS.
Dr. Hiden expresses the opin
ion, “that if Trustees and other
College officers will let it be
known that the speaker selected
for the occasion will have his ex
penses paid, and will receive $50
for the address, they will find no
difficulty in getting excellent
speakers for such occosions ; and
an address that is not worth $50,
ought not to be delivered at a
college commencement.”
Dr. T.'ilmage very kindly came
down to $200 for his sermon and
oration at Trinity.
Asheville, N. C.,
' ’ I
June 21st, 1876. )
My reports of receipts for the
Asheville Orphan Asylum, to
June the 5th, including the trip
to Yancey and Mitchell, was ac
cidentally overlooked by the boy
that takes the mail to the post
office, and while I thought it was
on its way to the columns of the
Orphans’ Friend, it was lying
snugly among other papers on
the office desk, and there it lay
until my return from Haywood,
after the flood. I sent it to-day
together with reports of receipts
to June 20th.
I would like to withdraw m}^
mind from the stern and unpleas
ant realities connected with my
recent trips through Yancev,
Mitchell and Haywood counties,
in description of the beauty,
grandeur and romance of the
scenerj', so striking to one passing
through them, on eveiw mile of
the Journey ; I would like to re
produce in pen-pictures, the al
most terrifying sublimity of the
overhanging cliffs, faced with
rugged rocks and crowned with
spruce, balsam and mountainpine,
while the base and crevices along
the sides are ornamented with
fringes and boquets of the moun
tain-laurel, (rhododendron) and
the beautiful and variegated ivey,
interspersed with many species of
flowers and flowering shrubs,
prominent among which is the
calacanthus or sweet shrub. I
would like to recall and describe,
for the benefit of those who have
never seen them, the life-inspiring
beauty and freshness of the rills
as they come leaping, dashing,
splashing adown the steep decliv
ities, rivaling ever}'' erratic move
ment of the “waters that come
down from Lodore the roaring
and rushing of the rivers and oth
er largo streams, as they dash
over then- rocky lieds, as if run
ning a race against time, or con
tending for a wagor with some
other streams, as to which shall
first pour Its waters into the gulf
or ocean.
I know I could not do justice
to these things, but then it would
be pleasujit to depict something
of the feelings and impressions
they inspire in one who has the
good fortune to travel among
them. One draw-back to those
u ho would attempt a true and
accurate description of our moun
tain scenery is, that, while view
ing it, the mind is so absorbed—
the whole soul so wrought up to
admiration and ecstacy, that it is
out of the question to write so
berly and in detail in regard to it,
and when retired from it the
memory loses much of the finer
touches of the picture that go so
far to render it entrancing.
Let all our eastern friends, who
can do so, take a trip to the W est
this summer and see all these
things for themselves. They can
get board at almost any of the
better class farm-houses, and all
the towns and villages have good
hotels, where they can get the
best of fare—fresh meats, milk,
butter, good bread, fruit &c., they
can drink the coolest and purest
of water, and live, altogether,
about as cheap as they can at
home.
But I intended to say some
thing about my trips, with our
singing band, through some of
the counties adjoining Buncombe.
The list of contributions will show
that we were not very successful
in that direction ; but the kind
ness and sympathy of the people
wherever we passed, towards the
orphan work, with one or two
exceptions, was unbounded. Hard
times ; the short crops last year,
and the consequent scarcity, have
prevented those we visited doing
as much for the orphans as they
had the will and desire to do.
Another thing that operated
aginst us was, the people of this
part of the State are not informed
in regard to the orphan enter
prise. It is all new to most of
them, especially those off the main
thoroughfares, and much labor
and patience and explanation will
be required to bring the claims of
the orphans properly to their con
sideration. To do this there
ought to be an agent especially
and continually engaged in the
work. An officer in charge of the
internal, every-day management
of the Asylums can not do it
without neglecting other and very
important duties. But I will drop
this matter now as I intend to
enlarge upon it at some future
time.
The children with me enjoyed
the trips amazingly. On the trip
through Yance} and Mitchell the
the boys boast of having killed
eight snakes and a ground hog.
(I believe I have mentioned this
before.) In the late trip through
Haywood, they didn’t kill so
many snakes, but one day, when
we had but a short drive between
appointments, the boys went fish
ing in Jouathan’s Creek and came
in with a string of mullets and
hornyheads about a yard long.
There has been a fishing mania
among them ever since.
The more striking features of
our Haywood trip embracing
“hair-bredth ’scapes in flood and
field,” and other (to us, at least,)
interesting incidents, I will re
serve for another and separate
communication, as this one is al
ready about long enough.
I will only add that we shall
not be able to take another ex
cursion in some time, owing to
the destruction of roads and
bridges by the late freshet.
James H. Moore,
Steward.
Asheville, N. C., )
June 28th, 1876. }
My trip through Haywood
count}', with incidents pleasant
and otherwise, will form the sub
ject of the present letter.
Haywood county lies west of
Buncombe, and, being longer
from north to south than Bun
combe, reaches down and forms
the western bounJary of Tran
sylvania, also, while a little corner
of Jackson separates it from the
South Carolina line. Its county
seat is Waynesville; its principal
water courses, Pigeon River, fed
'by Fines Creek, Jonathan’s Creek
and Crabtree., T h e Balsam
mountain and some other consid
erable elevations, that have only
local names not recognized in the
maps, are partly in this county.
On Tuesday, June 6th, in
charge of the Orphan Singing
band from the Asheville Asylum,
I started for Haywood. Our first
appointment was at Hominy
Creek, near the headwaters of
Hominy Creek, in the western
part of Buncombe county. Here
we found excellent accommoda
tions prepared for us, and at night
a large crowd attended the enter
tainment. The collection was not
large, but a subscription of arti
cles “in kind,” for future delivery,
was made, and was quite liberal.
Wednesday, after dinner, we
started for Locustfield. At ’Piirn-
pike we met Dr. Russell and Mr.
Curtis, acting as a committee of
the good friends of that locality,
who conducted us to the hospitable
mansion of Mr. John Renno,
where we were all quartered tor
the night. A large crowd met us
at the church at night and the
largest cash collection taken up
that we got during the trip.
We remained at Mr. Renno’s
until after dinner on Thursday,
and then started for Pleasant Hill,
crossing Pigeon River at what is
called the lower ford, to reach it.
We all found a fiome with that
excellent Christian gentleman and
active Mason, J. B. Buchanan,
Esq., who, with his pleasant com
panion and intelligent children,
did all they could to make us com
fortable, and succeeded admira
bly. The collection at the enter
tainment that night was small,
because the people there, like
those of many other places, are
hard pi-essed by the scarcity of
provision.
On Friday morning we recross
ed the Pigeon, went up the river
and crossed the upper ford, for
our appointment at liethel. Some
kind friends had arranged for us
to get dinner on the way, but, not
being apprised of it in time, we
passed the place and, no doubt,
missed a good dinner. The
mishap, however, was fully com
pensated, for we found a large
field of splendid strawberries by
the road-side, of which the chil
dren gathered about a gallon, and
a lady, Mrs. Mann, furnished us
sugar, milk, butter and warm
corn bread, with the necessary
supply of plates, spoons, knives
&c., by which we were enabled
to enjoy a splendid lunch in the
cool shade of the trees near the
spring. Arrangements were
made for us at night at Mr.s. Ed
wards’, where we all stayed to
gether and fared sumptuously.
The entertainment at night was
well attended and the collection
a fair one considering the times.
On Saturday evening we reach
ed Waynesville. The Steward,
of the Masonic Lodge had been
appointed to meet us and assign
us homes, and to attend to our
comfort generally, all which he
performed in ttie most satisfactory
and courteous manner. Our en
tertainment at night was witness
ed by a crowded house and every
thing passed off pleasantly, but
the collection was not as large as
I had anticipated. This was ac
counted for, in part, by the fact
that it was the close of court
week, when many were wearied
out by their labors and the tur
moils of such occasions, and did
not attend. I expect to be able to
give a better report of Waynes
ville before long.
We enjoyed the hospitality of
friends until after dinner on
Monday, having attended Sab
bath school in the morning and
services at the M. E. church, at
5 o’clock in the afternoon Sunday,
and started for Richland Valle}'.
We went there, gave the promised
entertainment-and, on Tuesday
morning went on ’toward our next
appointment at Shady Grove.
Our frieud and brother, F. A. M.
Boyd, had made arrangement for
us all to stay with Mrs. Howell,
an excellent widow lady, near the
church. The house was crowded
at night, but the collection was
small. Our reception and treat
ment, however, was cordial and
kind. It was here the boys
caught the long string of fish,
mentioned in a former letter.
At Crabtree we stayed with a
kind family of the name of Me
Cracken ; gave a concert at night
in the academy building, which is
used also as a church, and took
up the third best collection ot the
trip. We shall remember the
good people of that locality with
pleasant emotions, and hope to
visit them again. Our entertain
ment there was on Wednesday
night.
It had been raining every day,
occasionly, from the time we lelt
Waynesville, and fearing (what
actually occurred) that the water
courses would become impassable,
1 wrote on and called in the ap
pointments for Fine’s creek, San
dy Mush and Leicester, and star
ted, on Tuesday morning to re
turn home.
Then began our real troubles
and difficulties. We had to pass
along the banks of Pigeon for
sjveral miles, the back water
from which, becoming deeper and
deeper, soon stopped our course.
Then we tried a rugged moun
tain road for several miles and
got back to tlie river higher up ;
crossed Beaver Dam bridge near
theriver, which bridge, we learned
afterwards, washed away soon af
ter we crossed. We were soon
headed by the back waters of
the river and had to take to the
hills and mountains again. The
roads or ra her blind paths, wei e
so rough and dangerous that the
children were obliged to walk,
and the rain constantly pouring
down, made them “as wet as
drowned rats.” About 4 o’clock,
p. m., we reached Mr. John Ren
no’s, where we stayed Wednes
day night before, as we went out,
and where we were most kindly
welcomed, dried, fed and bedded,
and had a splendid opportunity
of drawing a contrast between
being out in a heavy rain storm,
cold and hungry, among the al
most pathless mountains, and
snugly housed, warmed and dried
by kind friends who seemed con
stantly solicitous lest they should
leave somethnig unthought-ofthat
would contribute to our comfort.
On Friday morning we started
on the home stretch—twenty
miles to go and the obstructions
of Hominy to encounter. After
many hardships and no little dan
ger, (which, however, I did not
allow the children to share, as I
sent them around the bonds of the
stream instead of taking them
through the fords in the wagon,)
we reached the French Broad,
three miles from the Asylum, and
found it hopelessly impassable,
for how long we could not guess,
as it was still rising. There was
nothing to be done but to seek a
friendly shelter, which we soon
found under the hospitable roof
of Mr. William Reynolds, who I
lives near the bridge, where vve
stayed, feeling perfectly at home
until Sunday noon, when Mr.
Tom Clayton set us over the
nvei in his light skiff, “Emma ”
and we footed it to the Asylum
leaving wagon, horses and' bag
gage on the otherside. On Thum
day, temporary abutments havino-
been thrown up at the bridge, I
got everything over safely, thank'
ful that through all the difficulties'
we encountered no loss or acci
dent of any kind befell us.
James H. Moore,
Steward.
From the Presbyterian.
YOUR WAIVT.
Where is the satisfied man?
We never yet saw that one who
could seriously say, “ I have all
that I want.” The world teems
with unsatisfied souls. They are
all striving and laboring for that
which always seems to be be
yond their reach. The poor man
thinks, “ Ah, if I were only rich,
I would be contented.” But when
we see the rich man, we hear
him talking of what he has not,
and of what.he needs in order to
being happy. Go where you
will, or to whom you will, there
is always something wanting.
We think that this “ somethino-”
is worldly good or comforts. But
did you ever consider the signifi
cance of Solomon’s greatness in
the history of this world I God
set him up in that high place of
worldly grandeur and luxury in
order to teach us a lesson which
we have been slow to learn.
What did not this man have?
There was no stint nor lack of
anything that heart could imag
ine or crave. He enjoyed to
its full everything that there is in
this world to enjoy. And yet af
ter III , he said, “ Vanitv of vani
ties, all is vanity.’' In'this lase
God has taught us that man can
not possibly be .satisfied with any
thing, or all, that this world can
give him. That is the lesson.
And yet there is a satisfaction, in
obtaining which, we will say “we
wait no more.” What is it 1
Turn to John vi: 35, and y( u
read the words of Jesus : “ I am
t e bread of life ; he that cometh
to me shall never hunger; and he
that believeth on me shall never
thirst.”
Our great want is Jesus Christ.
Therefore He said, “I am the
bread of life.” We never think
that our tables are provisioned,
unless we have bread. Put every
thing else there, but if bread be
wanting we notice and feel its
absence. So give a soul every
thing else, but it it has not Jesus,
there is no place. And in this
He is suited to al. All want
bread. All must have it-—-must
have it always. We use it
throughout a life-time, and yet
never get tired of it. It suits all
men, and all tastes, and all cir
cumstances. So, too, of “water.”
Jesus is the living ivater. In this
He is suited to all people and
conditions. Water will quench
thirst where nothing else will.
Now just as God made the bread
and the water essential to our
comfort, so He has made Jesus.
He made us for Jesus, and He has
given Jesus to us. Try all things
else therefore. But you will nev
er be satisfied until you have re
ceived this great gift.
The troubles, burdens, unsatis
fied longings of the many hearts
in this woild all grow out of one
source—they do not know Jesus;
or, if they know Him, they do not
know enough of Him, and do not
have enough intercourse with Him.
H.