Thursday, September 24, 1931.
ELABORATE ABBEY
10 IMMORTALIZE
SOUTH'S LEADERS
Calvary Churchyard Now In
ternationally Known as
"Westminster Abbey of
The South."
By J. B. HICKLIN.
\ memorial tablet honoring the
v,v of Jefferson Davis, first and
•'
1,. , anient of the Southern Con-
W-)
jvi v, was dedicated in an elab
,,it: cti't'inony at Old Calvary Epis
;ial church, at Fletcher, N. C., on
Q., u lr>-. September 13, 1931. The
d»dicatci y services drew large dele
, ~r ; o n: of members of the United
1 iu 0 of the Confederacy and
c y r . r> from all parts of the south,
t'.jrcises were under the aus
, of the North Carolina Division,
l\ D. C.
The Ascription on the marker un
cled rads as follows:
-.JEFFERSON DAVIS
"President of the Confederate
States of America, Soldier,
Planter, Author, Statesman.
Bom June 3, 1808, Fairview,
Kentucky. Died December 6,
1880. New Orleans, Louisiana.
He was a statesman with clean
hands and pure heart, who serv
ed hi? people faithfully and well
from budding manhood to hoary
a?e."
Three immortal additions were
nie to the distinguished company
o? southern artists last summer
ten markers were unveiled to
Hssiy Timrod. "Laureate of the
Confederacy;" Robert Loveman.
(ffiiuert poet, and Orren Randolph
feith. designer of the "Stars and
Sirs."
Rev. Clarence Stuart McClellan is
the originator and founder of the
"Westminster Abbey of the South."
Plans sponsored by Mr. McClel
lan call for the addition of monu
ments to southern leaders each year
until the great concourse that play
ed outstanding parts in the shap
ing and making of the section have
all been recognized. This will in
clude leadership and outstanding
achievement, in all lines poetry
and literature and statesmanship,
s- well as other great figures pro
duced by the south.
It i= a great dream that Ivlr. Mc-
Ciellan has visioned, and it. is al
ready coming true. The public re-
i MORGAN P. BODIE
♦ COTTON BUYER
} Specializing In
Staple Cotton
1 Next Door to Blanton's Cafe.
I FOREST CITY, N. C.
The prcof of the pudding* Is always in the
eating. .
Biltmpre ice Cream
IS PURE AND WHOLESOME
No gums or starch
We think it the best that can be made.
Eesides the regular flavors we have two
specials this week —
PISTACHIO AND BLACKBERRY
Try our Cottage Cheese, Creamed
Buttermilk and Butter.
Sold only at •
Peoples Drug Store
Rexall Store
Phone 28. Forest City, N. C«
sponded almost instantly to his sug
gestion of building a great "outdoor •
Westminster Abbey of the South"" j
at Fletcher, in the most gloriously'•
beautiful section of the land that is l
called Dixie: Every state will be
called upon to memorialize the
names of their most beloved sons
and daughters. A great many of,
them have already done so.
Plans call for the conversion of
the great church ground at Flet- ;
cher into a memorial garden—a
thing of artistic beauty as well as I
of historic interest. The Abbey is !
already taking shape, although the;
development is still in a nebulous'
shape. But the picture of it -as it;
will be is very clear in the mind of !
Mr. McClellan, and he delights to!
explain it to those who will take tho !
time to stop and listen.
"The Westminster Abbey of thej
South will have fulfilled its noble j
purpose by placing before the eyes I
and minds and hearts of coming j
generations the great ideals of the j
South; its songs, its poetry, its i
books and prose and their writers,!
statesmen every bit of history
that is meaningful for the future." i
Mr. McClellan explains.
Sitting with him beneath a mag
nificent white pine, one of the hun
dreds that make the tract one of
the beauty spots of the "Land of
the Sky," one may catch a glimpse
of this remarkable dream and,
glancing down the vista of years,
behold a shrine that will be visit
ed annually by thousands from
every corner of the globe.
Old Calvary church nestles in a
tight little valley of the pine-clad
hills of western North Carolina 10
east of Asheville on the Dix
ie highway between the middle
west and Florid,a. Many of the
thousands of tourists who pass the
quaint spot behind beautiful sweeps
of lawn dotted with boxwood and
shaded by giant oaks and stately
pines, even now pause to admire
the place and examine the monu
ments.
Built in 1859, two years after a
few devout Episcopalians of dis
tinguished South Carolina families,
such as the Rutledges and Blakes,
had effected an organization, the
original structure still stands. The
stained glass windows, pride of the
country-side 70 years ago, are fad
ed, but the stately spire remains as
of old, as straight and as firm as
the day the last workman clam
bered down from the tip and
looked well content on the job.
The church stands a monument
to the work of devout hands, loves
labor in the service of the Lord.
Its very brick were pressed by
hand in Fletcher and the congrega
tion shed Christian sweat in its
completion.
The pioneer house of woi'ship of
Episcopal faith in the region, many
of the denomination's most illus
trious leaders of America, and no
tables of national and international
renown in the world of letters and
the canvass, have occupied the
gnarled pulpit.
During the War Between the
States the church was used by Con
federate troops as barracks. In
the churchyard still stands an open
i Wesley an Church
Revival Under Way
« Revival services began in the lo
cal Wesleyan Methodist church, Sun
day. Rev. M. R. Harvey of Cherry
ville, is assisting Rev. J. L. Bolen,
KvvXy;: . jKaSy
: yM
REV. M. R. HARVEY
the pastor. Rev. Mr. Harvey is an
able minister, with about twenty
years experience as pastor and
evangelist and song writer It will
be pleasantly remembered that Rev.
Mr. Harvey was the minister who
successfully aided Mary Hudler,
kidnapped by Gypsies, in finding her
people in Pennsylvania, recently.
j afr shed built by Confederate cav
, alrymen to shelter their horses.
I Tales of the headless horseman,
j who haunts the shed, and the fair
j young maiden who meets her Con
j federate lover at the old well hard
;by still cluster around the place.
The churchyard proper contains
j 24 acres, mostly wooded land, while
) the rectory property just across the
j highway contains eight acres—thus
; providing abundant space for carry
j ing to completion the Open Air
| Westminster Abbey of the South,
jln the little graveyard made en
I chantingly attractive with shrub
i bery and flowers sleep many of the
j Rutledges, Blakes and other prorn
i inent Carolinians.
The uniqueness of the Abbey lies
largely in the character of the indi
vidual markers. Each is a large up
right native granite erected in its
original condition, even to the moss
which frequently clings to it. On
the front there is a bronze marker
of most attractive design bearing
the name of the person honored,
dates of birth and death, and some
significant statement about, or quo
tation from him or her.
There is a poet's corner, musi
cians' corner, statesmen's corner,
artists' corner and benefactors'
corner. Approximately identical in
height, the stones are all different
in contours of rough surfaces, and
erected in rows beneath the dense
shade of beautiful white pines and
widespread oaks. The whole is being
separated by drives and the
churchyard proper by a high laurel
hedge, giving it an air of privacy
almost as complete as if it were
enclosed within a stone wall and
underneath a roof instead of a can
opy of rustling leaves, splashed with
the blue of the sky.
In this connection ft is signifi
cant that no corner is provided for
the south's military leaders. None
will bo, for the originator of this
idea believes that keeping war his
tory and war heroes in the back
ground is one of the most effective
way of training future generations
away from war.
True there is a monument to Rob
ert E. Lee, but it honors his mem
ory rot as a great warrior, but as
a great leader in education of the
young men cf the south after the
War Between the States, in which
he played such an important role.
"To foster prejudice and keep
aflame the heat of the Civil War,
to create sectionalism and to carry
on some phase of history that
should be entirely forgotten are ab
solutely foreign to my dream for
this Abbey," declared Mr. McClel
lan. "I recall Lee's last words, 'Lay
aside all these local animosities and
train your sons to become Ameri
cans." With that statement Lee
passed from ;i great Confederate
chieftain to a great American.
"The nucleus of my idea," con
tinued Mr. McClellan," is the Rob
ert E Lee monument near the
m?.in entrance of the grounds. This
is the motif of my thought. Lee is
her 3 depicted mounted on Traveler
journeying into the south. It is
Lee facing a new day, the day of
**~al greatness as president of
Washington and Lee college, later
FOREST CITY (N. C.) COURi£R
I to become ashington and Lee
jLniversity. \\ e k ere commemorate
| not Lee the fighter, But Lee the
I educator. That was the true Lee.
[He cometh to his own' says the
j tablet. That is true, and so we want
i all the noble -men and women of
; the south to come into their own.
My plans call for a bronze life
| sized statute of the Southern Negro
Mamnry!" exclaimed Mr. McClel
lan. I want to see her with her
big, wide, white, well-starched
apron, her turban, her calico dress
and I wish to see her seated in an
old-timey rocking chair as if be-j
fore some great open fire-place in j
a leg cabin on a windy night with j
spooks prowling about in the dark, j
I want to see her hands hard with !
toil and her face a spiritual!
face recalling some of those ex- |
quisite spirituals of her race. I j
want to see all old fashioned flow- ;
ers a-growing marigolds, holly— j
hocks, sunflowers, black-eyed Su— l
sans. Zinnias, four-o'clocks, verbe-;
nas, forget-me-nots, delphinium,
all the flowers the Old Mammy
used to love.
"A typical log cabin near this
statute is to be fitted up with pic
tures of the southern poetry-writ
ers, musicians, statesmen commem
orated in the out-of-doors Abbey,
and their books and old chairs and
tables and rugs and clock, cradles'
and old beds to give the atmos
phere of the Old South."
To be memoralized in the Abbey
as rapidly as the necessary funds
can be raised by groups interested
in preserving their names are:
Frank L. Stanton, Paul Hamilton
Hayne, George Denison Prentice,
Philip Pendleton Cooke, Richard
Henry Wilde, James Mattews La—
gare, Henry Rootes Jackson, Mir
abeau Bounaparte Lamar, Lucius
Q. C. Lamar, Alexander Beaufort
Meek, Theodore O'Hara, William
Gilmore Simms, John Re"b c n
Thompson, Abram Joseph
(Father Ryan), Severn Teackl:
Wallis, James Barron Hope, Mar
garet Junkin Preston, Edgar Allen
Poe, Edward Coate Pinckney, John
Esten Cooke, Thomas Nelson Page
and a host of others.
"When the memory of these im- 1
mortals has been honored with'
granite markers," explained Mr. [
McClellan, "I want to see the Ab- j
bey developed further with little j
paths winding in and about clumps j
of ornamental trees and flower beds ,
and artistic benches along the •
paths. As one saunters about he j
can see and read the memorial tab- j
lets. k
"And I want this abbey dedicated
by the singing old Old Negro spir
ituals by trained negro singers on
some moonlight night in the sum
mer. Can you get the picture? Can't
you feel it?"
Among monuments already dedi
cated are those of Daniel Decatur
(Dan) Emmett, composer of "Dix
ie;" James Whitcomb Riley," the
poet; Stephen Collins Foster, com
poser of "Swanee River"; William
Sydney Porter (O'Henry), short
story writer; Sidney Lanier south
ern song-bird; Joel Chandler Har
jris, creator of "Uncle Remus";
I Francis Orrerry Ticknor, Georgia's
I great poet; Francis Scott Key, com
| poser of' "The Star Spangled Ban
| ner;" Edgar Wilson (Bill) Nye, hu
| morist, and John Fox, Jr., novel
ist.
In the picturesque vestry room of
Old Calvary hangs one of the rar
j est portraits of Robert E. Lee in
existence, for which he sat during
the war. Ic presented the Ab
bey by a daughter of the great gen
eral as a start towards a collec
tion of canvasses of the youth's
great, in conjunction with the mon
uments.
Strange to say, it remained for
an easterner to conceive the idea
of honoring the south's heroes in
this beautiful way, for Mr. McClel
lan is himself a New Yorker, of
the family of General George B.
McClellan, of the War Between the
States fame.
He was graduated from New
York University and Union Theo
logical Seminary in New York City
and is known as a writer on his
torical subjects. Of exceedingly re
tiring and modest disposition, so
far as his personality is concerned,
he talks little of himself.
After spending considerable time
in California and Texas he came
to Fletcher seven years ago to be
come rector of the old and fash
ionable church. His whole interest
now is bound up in his dreams 01
the Westminster Abbey of the
South, and his enthusiasm is high
ly contagious.
Stag Paint. One gallon makes two
Farmers Hardware Co. 1
FLORENCE MILL NEWS
Florence Mills, Sept. 22.—Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Toney, spent the week
end at the home of his father, Mr.
E. M. Toney at Sunshine.
1 Mr. Everett Toney, and mother
spent the week-end at Mr. W. H.
Whisnants.
%
Mr. and Mrs. Esper Sisk and chil
dren spent Sunday in Shelby.
Mr. A. C. Hudlow and sons, Claude
and A. C. Jr., Mr. Horace Hardin
and J. D., Mr. Charlie Greene and son
Earl motored to Asheville, Sunday.
The children and friends of Mrs. j
Green surprised her with a birthday)
dinner Sunday at the home of her I
Did you know . . .
We do general automobile repairs—
any make of car? We do. All work
guaranteed.
CARS WASHED AND GREASED
Quaker State and Pennzoil Oils.
FOREST CITY MOTOR COMPANY
W- 1 1 ■ I --
ROMINA |J=q
FOREST CITY
WEDNESDAY - ISc DAYS - THURSDAY
She stood in her husband's way because she loved
hiftn too well!
"THE BARGAIN"
Philip Barry's Prize Play with
LEWIS STONE, DORIS KENYON
CHARLES BUTTERWORTH, UNA MERKEL j
Wednesday—Everybody 10c—Thursday
FRIDAY and SATURDAY
"
Introducing the he-man of the hour!
TOM KEENE
New western star, young and full of pep, in
"SUNDOWN TRAIL"
Two-fisted, hard ridin', straight shooting Tom in the
greatest action thriller that ever made you gasp.
Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 28th-29th
Heigh ho everybody, Here comes
DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, JR.
In the snappiest, breeziest, gayest romance that has
ever hit the screen. N
"I Like Your Nerve"
They're together again. Doug. Jr., and
LORETTA YOUNG
The screen's most adorable love team
COMING! COMING! COMING!
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i
F FINE JOB PRINTING C 'PHONE 58
Programs
Prompt Service £ ) d y o 7ume. your
daughter, Mrs. Lawrence Penson.
, Mr. and Mrs. Weldon Towery and
j Mr. and Mrs. Hoy Raymond and chil
dren spent Sunday afternoon at the
home of Mr. Towery's father.
| Mr. Odum Rupp and Mr. D. Taylor
are on the sick list.
We are glad to know Mrs. Neigh
bors is improving.
Mr. M. G. Godfrey of Kingsport
Tenn., spent a few days last week
at the home of his father.
Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Phillips and
children and Mrs. J. P. Richards and
children motored to Charlotte, Mon
day on business.
For recreation and health,
play golf at Dixie Golf Course
51-lt.