THE PIN EH URST OUTLOOK.
PLEASING IMPRESSIONS.
D. Allen Willey's Interesting Description ol
North Carolina Resorts.
COSMOPOLITAN POPULATION.
- One of the most interesting articles
that ever appeared in the columns of
The Outlook is the following by Mr.
D. Allen Willey, which was originally
written for Salmagundi, nearly two years
ago; it is reprinted for Outlook readers
in the confident belief that it will be of
interest to all who are interested in Pine
hurst :
It is about this time of year (in early
December) that many a good New Eng
land family begins to receive letters bear
ing a Southern postmark. They come
from towns with all sorts of names, but
-riot a few have the word "Pine" worked
into the title somewhere. When you
come to think of it this little word has
an attractive sound. It falls .pleasantly
-on the ear. It makes one think of the
pine trees, with their health and rest-giving-
properties the tall, straight
giants of the forests, from whose grace
fully waving branches comes an element
that rests the tired brain, checks the
cough of the consumptive and brings to
the invalid in general permanent relief.
Away back in the past, the grandfather
'.will tell you how he took some com
pound of the pine tree for the complaints
o prevalent during the long New Eng
land winter (for the medicinal products
of this wonderful species are innumber
able) ; but down in the Southern forests
nature has formed a great sanitarium
where relief comes to the sufferer in the
most attractive form. Here and there
throughout the South are scattered
resorts where one can get the benefit of
-the piney woods and be supplied with all
the comfort and luxury desired. Yearly
the tide of tourist travel includes these
places, and this fact accounts for the
' many r letters postmarked as we have
described.
Two of the most popular, Southern
Pines and Pinehurst, N. C.,'are especially
interesting to New Englanders for the
r reason that they were founded by the
' hardy descendants of Puritans and sires
' of Plymouth Rock, and the good old
customs of the "mother country" are
"carefully preserved here in the midst of
' the sunny Southland.
4 Southern Pines, the oldest settlement,
has been in existence only about ten
: years, yet in that time it has drawn a
population which includes people from
every State east of the Hudson river, as
well as New York and Pennsylvania.
Pinehurst owes its existence to the enter
prise, public spirit and broad philan
thropy of one man Mr. James W
, Tufts, of Boston. We might tell the
story of its origin right here. Mr. Tufts,
who is a millionaire, while traveling in
the South a few years ago, stopped at
Southern Pines. He saw what his coun-
. trymen had accomplished to make this a
model community socially and morally,
and how the. climate, character of the
soil and other conditions formed a happy
combination for the cure of pulmonary
and nervous diseases. Mr. Tufts became
interested. He walked over the vine
yards and orchards. He studied the
methods of life, lie figured the expense
of living here. Then he rode around the
country and picked out a spot for a new
town.
After he had returned to his Boston
home came the announcement that Mr.
Tufts had bought several thousand acres
of land in the big pine forest, and would
have a settlement of his own.
Suppose vou decided to make a trip to
these communities in Dixie land. You
can reach them from Boston in twenty-
four.hours over a through route that is
direct, with its Northern connections.
A iourney to the South is usually
thought of with discomfort, as it is gener
ally supposed one must spend at least two
or three days to reach a place which is
"frost-proof": but this is an error.
Located in central North Carolina about
seventy miles west of Raleigh, Southern
Pines and Pinehurst are really among
the most Northern winter resorts in the
country, being twelve hours or a whole
half day's ride nearer Boston than
Florida and the Gulf States. The all-rail
route, too, is interesting and historic,
tha train passing through Washington
frame of croquet played in January any
where north of Florida; yet this is one
of the winter amusements at the Pines,
as well as lawn tennis and other outdoor
sports. On the porches sit invalids tak
ing in the bright sunshine, imbibing
health and strength with the air they
breathe. In fact, you notice a dryness
and ozone in the air as soon as you
arrive. Perhaps you cannot explain the
difference, but you know there is a differ
ence. Somehow you feel as if a new life
were being infused throughout your sys
tem, and as long as you remain beneath
those piiie trees the feeling increases.
Medical authorities say it is due to the
pine forests, to the altitude of the range
of hills on which these pines are located,
to the dryness of the atmosphere, caused
by the perfect drainage, to the absence
of any malarial elements and to the con
tinuation of clear weather, the sky sel
dom being clouded in the winter. While
a fair amount of rain falls in this section
of the South during the year, it is imme
diately absorbed by the sandy soil which
is several feet deep, keeping the air as
dry as in Colorado, but not having the
injurious effect due to the very high ele-
J I-B 1 ir far;
m9 sr is
nd Richmond, as well as Baltimore,
Philadelphia and New York. At Wel
don, near the border of North Carolina
and Virginia, the train starts for its des
tination direct, hauled by a massive loco
motive at the rate of forty to fifty miles
an hour; quite in contrast to the "slow-
going" Southern methods, as they are so
often miscalled in the North. After
what seems a very short ride the train
stops and you are at Southern Pines.
It is a strange and picturesque scene.
As far as the eye can reach are the tall
trees which give the name to the place.
They stand like sentinels over what
appears to be a never ending stretch of
sand as white and as clean as that you
play with on the seashore. Here and
there are fallen trunks of trees, and a
closer examination shovvs many carpets
of pine needles, so fragrant and dry that
one could sleep on them all night with
out any apparent injury.
Perhaps it was snowing when you left
New England, but there is no snow here.
Though the mercury may have been
close to the zero point in Boston, you
see men walking around without their
overcoats, or wearing possibly a light
garment, while the ladies have dolled
their wraps. It seems strange to see a
vation of Colorado.
If you desire to take a stroll over the
gently sloping hills, you will soon come
to miles and miles of grape vineyards
and orchards stretching away in all
directions. Most of them were planted
by the thrifty New Englanders, who
have found by actual demonstration that
this earth will produce abundantly some
of the choicest varieties of-grapes, ber
ries, peaches, pears and other fruit. It
ripens very early in the season, so far
ahead of the Northern products that the
fruit growers can sell it in Northern
cities profitably. It is odd to see a man
on a December or January day at work
or directing the work of a colored hand
in his orchard, while his New England
cousin has snow over his farm, perhaps
up to the fence-tops. Yret this, is just
what is to be seen by the visitor to the
piney woods of North Carolina at this
season of the year.
While the great majority of the people
came here on account of their health and
had no idea of engaging in horticulture,
they found it pleasant exercise and
profitable diversion while taking nature's
medicine. It is a fact that not a few of
the ruddy faced, hearty looking Yankees
one sees at Southern Pines came to the
place but a few years ago thin and
enfeebled from disease, and in some
cases given up as beyond cure by the
doctors. When they saw what benefit
they were gaining here, they purchased
land, sent for their families and decided
to make their home in these Carolina
pine lands. Every year others follow
their example, and thus is this section
steadily increasing in population, in
addition to being the Mecca of hundreds
who come every winter to escape the
cold blasts of the Northern season.
Even the trolley car is not lacking.
Get on board near the Seaboard Air Line
station and you go whizzing through the
woods seven miles to Pinehurst. Then
vou see what Mr. Tufts has accom
plished. It is a model town, laid out by
an engineer and adorned by an eminent
landscape architect with trees, shrubs,
vines, etc. Several rows of artistic cot
tages, finished and furnished with every
convenience, as well as beautiful hotels
and casino are to be seen, and all tilled
with guests. The buildings and streets
are lighted with electric lamps and have
a perfect system of sewerage. A deer
park, also recreation grounds, are pro
vided for instruction and amusement, for
Pinehurst is intended strictly as a health
and pleasure resort. The cottages are
rented furnished.
And there is a moral feature to be con
sidered which too often is absent at other
resorts. That love of religion, honesty,
freedom from profanity and purity of
heart and mind handed down through
generations of New England families is
to be noted everywhere in these commu
nities. They are governed by a set of
reasonable laws, which prohibit liquor
selling, gambling or viciousness of any
sort. At the same time the regulations
are not extreme or too severe.
Altogether these colonists of happy
people, sheltered by the stately pine,
seem like two New England villages
transplanted to Carolina. It is pleasant,
very pleasant, to stay among them a sea
sou and talk over the old days of the
North with them, for the stranger
receives a hearty welcome from all,
whether he come to live and die here or
to spend a few weeks for re3t and recreation.
Twenty-fill h Anlversary of ihe Weddlns
of Mr. and Mr. J. M. Robinson.
The guests at the Lenox and other
friends of Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Robinson
planned and executed a very happy event
in the shape of a reception at the Lenox
on the evening of December the 25th,
the event being the twenty-fifth aniver
sary of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. J
M. Robinson, the popular hosts of the
Lenox. The party, consisting of about
forty invited guests, well filled the par
lors and dining rooms and the evening
was spent in the enjoyment of pleasant
conversation, music and singing. Refresh
ments were served and the whole affair
was a joyous one. Mrs. Robinson was
the recipient of many handsome gifts of
silver, appropriate for the occasion. W
join with other friends in wishing many
happy returns of the day,
"What is the single tax, mamma ?" "I
don't know. Don't you worry about it,
child. Your papa will find some way to
get out of paying It- Chicago Tribune.