MIRROi; OF TRANSVr^VA'sIA COIJKTY IjTFJI:
Brevard New
(Name changed from Sylvan VJicy News, Jar.uary I, 1917 >
VOLDME-XXTI
BREVARD, NORTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, MARCH 10. 1917.
NUMBER-11
PROF. MILES REECE
DIED LAST THURSDAY
DEATH FOLLOWED SERIOUS
OPERATION AT HOSPITAL
R. H. ZACHARY BUILDS
HANOSOME RESIDENCE
Was Assistant Principal of Bre
vard Institute; Man of
Noble Character
(By Prof. C. H. Trowbriilge. Principal of
Brevard Institute.)
At livt* o’oKu'lv in tho .aftpriioon
of March 8, ID!7. Mr. Milos
assistuut pri’jcipiil Brevard Jn
stitiito, wont to his n‘\vnrd. H«‘
GRACES TOP OF JASPER
ORR PLACE NEAR CITY
Erects Three-Story Brick Struct
ure; One of Finest Residences
In Community.
l\M'oh«'(l on H l enntifnl knowi hdcI
coMinmiulinj; ti s\v(M*|tinir {mndnima
(»f vallovs Hiul luoiintains in evory
(iiroction will ho th»* palntiHl homo
of Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Zuchary,
had boon suiVorin^ oxtroinoly with whu*h, wlion i'oni])lotod, will ho ono
a conipiicHtion of di»*asos sinco his
retnrii to his work in ISi*i>tt’]ni»or.
Th(* troiihlo sootnod to ho larjxoly
rheniuatio thonuh it aft’octi'd also
his dii;«‘ stit>n. and sonio of tho or
gans \vor' iii\idvul in a tronhl»>
whirh was ]>ossihly of a malignant
nature. His facn f«>r months had
homo a constant oxpressionof pain
though this was oxprossod in words
only wh» n ono asked him a
diroot qa**stion ahout himsolf. Ho
kopt u]) his work tliorontjhly and
comph'toly to tho v«*ry last. Ho
did a full diiy's work in school tlic
Saturday heforo his doath, i!»* t j
with a cominittoo nndrocordod his i
^rados Saturday tiif.rht and on Mon j
day i)hinnod tho work lor Brother i
Poovoy. who was to tako his placo
in tho school rootu whilo ho was^ in
the hospital. Ho was oporatoil up
on Wodnosdav nmrning, and when
ho came out from under tho inilu
ence of the s:no^:tli**tic. tlu* nurses
recognizi'd tliat he was not in a
hopeful condition. That nii^ht,
howovtir, and tho next mornir»g ho
seemed considerably hotter. His
pulse was strungi'r, and he seenied
to bo resting. Al>out ten o'cloek
Thursday njorninir. however, h‘
\eent through a sinking spell, and
the surgeon saw that in all
probability the end was no’ir. His
circuUitiou became very weak at;ain
in the afternoon, and t)efore dark
he passed across the Great Divide
into the presence of his Maker and
of the saints whoso writings h^
knew 80 well.
Mr. Reeco leaves a wife and two
small children, who are all con
nected with the Institute. In ad
dition there are live children by
his first wife. They live in the
West, and none of them have vis
ited Brevard. He has a brother in
Greensboro, and the body was tak
en there for burial.
No loss to the Institute could he
more severe. Mr. K ieco had bet-n
assistant principal since Be])tem-
ber, 1912. He had classes practi
cally all througli the school day
and also had charge of the assem
bly room where students not on
recitation were exp'Ctt‘d to be en
gaged with th(‘ir studies. He was
chairman of the faculty committee
on classilication and a member of
the laculty cotnmittoe on discipline,
efticiency, and jiublic occasions, so
that ofticially his influence touched
a large part of the school life. His
personal influence, however, was
even greater than this. While he
■was a strong teacher and disciplin
arian, his most notable character
istic was his consecration to his
Maker No student of his will ever
forget his chapel talks, as he urged
thougutfulness, hard work, and
8ui*render to th(' Lord. His knowl
edge of the Bible was wonderful,
us he could repeat entire chapters
and perhaps book®. His Sunda\
school ami Bihie clas^ies were by
far the most popular in the school,
and his inlliK'nce over the students
was remarkable. He was particu
larly gifted in inducing young peo
ple to assume religious responsi
bilities, and many have tt?stified
since his departure that their first
public prayer or public tc'stimony
was made in a meeting wiiero he
was leader. It was no unusual
,‘Abing for every boy m a Y. M.
^A. meeting to take some active
part in a meeting under Mr. Reece’s
direction. It' a pausi- ()ceurred, Mr.
Reece would say, “Boys, be true to
God,” and the most timid w'ere en
couraged to take part.
As most of the students recited
to Mr- Reece, a groat many of
them came in personal touch with
him in his home. He encouraged
them to visit him although many
times he needed tlie time for his
own rest. In almost every case
before the student left, Mr. Reece
had given to him in some w’ay a
glimpse of his desire that they
might have the best things. There
was no break in his conversation
between a discns.sion of an algebra
or arithmetic problem and a con
sideration of the spiritual condi
tion of his visitor.
The virility of the man was one
of his most noticeable character
istics. He was essentially strong
and brave. He never hesitated to
undertake any task which came to
of tlio linost residence's in or near
Brovavd.
Tho house in which Mr. and Mrs.
Z*ichary ar.^ determined to make
tl’.oir iiormanont home is situatrd
on the hillock near where the
.Tasper Orr house stood several
years ago. It is ideally situated
and on top of the hill and there
is lutfhing to prevent a maunilicont
vit'w in every direction. The sum
mit or th»i little mountain has been
cut iilY to a depth of several feet,
thereb alTonling an excellent
buildin:; site and giving a good
Continued on page eight.
BREVARD’S INADEQUATE SCHOOL BUILDING
his hand. He was al)solutoly fear
less in all his dealings. Tasks that
neetled attention were undertaken
without hesitation or delay. He
»'ovor lost the .■'prightliness of his
humor or his firm hold upon his
work.
Mr. Reece was born in Boone,
(''atawbn county, Xorth Carolina,
in 1.S4S. iJis father moved to Iowa
and tlu*re reared his family. In
his young manhood Mr. Milos
R^ece lived on the Pacific coast.
Ho was not teaching at all times
but has also been successful as a
carpenter and builder and also as a
farmer. About twelve years ago
he was for three years principal of
tho Blue Ridge Normal Seminary
in Virginia. In I'.tos he became
principal of the Sylvan High school
at Snow Camp, North Carolina.
In I'.MO be taught at Penrose where
he had charge of the State High
school. His education was ob
tained in the Iowa State Univer
sity and in Penn college in Iowa
and in summer sessions at the Uni
versity of North Carolina and the
Summer School of the South.
His passing showed the results
of the methodical nature of his life.
He went to the hospital entirely
ready for any eventuality. His re
lation with his (i!od had been ar
ranged thoroughly years ago. His
school work was closed up to the
minute of his departure and pro-
vi.sion had been made for four
weeks ahead. His business affairs
were in such shape that he had no
instructions to leave when he was
told that his end was probably
near. In all these and many other
respects his life is a standard by
which all who knew” him can profit
ably test their »)wn progress along
the journey of life.
Rev. Mr. Barker’s Appreciation
Rev. W. E. Barker of Brevard,
who is filling a stated supply for a
while as ]>astor at i>torganton,
writes as follows:
Editor, Brevard News:
The sad news that has just come
to me of the sudden death of Prof.
Miles Reeco, of the Brevard Insti
tute, awakens in me a sense of real
personal loss, and I have it in my
heart to write a word of personal
a])prociaTion of this good man.
Although my acquaintance with
liim was not long, yet from the
lirst I was impre.ssed that he was a
man of God. He had a deep insight
t»f spiritu'il truth, afid his familiar
ity with tho scriptures was excep
tional. His sermons and addresses
w(>re always saturated with tlu
Word. No on- ceuld hear him
speak without feeling that he was
a man who walked with God. He
was a rare personality, and hi
made an impress fof good on those
with whom he came in contact. But
of all, he was a teacher who tauuht
truth by his life as w^ell as by word
of mouth.
Men like Prof. Reece are a distinct
asset to the community. His death
is a sad loss, not only to the school,
but to the people of Brevard and
the surrounding country. Hun
dreds of young people whoso lives
have been influenced for good b.^
this consecrated man in this and
other states where ho has labored
will rise np and and call him
blessed. And thongh he has been
called home, his work will not
cease. “He being dead yet speak-
eth.”
William E. Barker,
Morganton, N. C., Mar. 12, 1917.
Brevard*s Greatest Need
Is High School Building,**
Says County Superintendent
(By Prof. T. C. Henderson, Supt. of Public,Schools of Transylvania County.)
A large number of the good citi led crowd:
zens of Brevard wore verv enthu- 'desire to
th(^ school and some whoj room, together with basement room
attend cannot enter be-! sntlieient for a la'ooratorv, a room
siastio in their w’ork for the erec
tion of a tannery in or near the
town anti liber'tl in contributions
to that enterprise.
Whilo the tannery will greatly
add to the town’s monthly pay roll,
it will al.so add to th? number of
children in the school district for
whose cducatimal op])ortnniti‘s
the citizens of Bnuard school dis
trict will he rosivmsible.
Will the citizens of the district
be interested in pro]>erly ])rovid
ing for the traininu of the children
as they are in increasing the pay
roll (*f the town? That question
ought to be readily answered by
answering the question : Which are
more important, children or dol
lars?
The last monthly re]>ort of Bre
*anse of lack of room and the school
population of thedistrict continues
to increase rapidly and will increas* j
more rapidlv with the moving into I
th‘ district of a nnmbi^r of fafuilioS|
when tho wijrk in the tannery isj
boiiun. I
for manual training, a storage
room, etc.
There is only one way to get this
greatly needed and absolutely es
soiitial addition to Brevard’s edu
cational facilities, and that is to
i erect and furnish the building
G 'ntlemen and ladies, fathers There is only one wav by which to
and mothers of Brevard si-hool dis- tion and furnishinjr
trict, what are you going to do of the building ani that is for tin-
about it? I district to ]>rovide the necessar>
Un liM- existing conditions, there funds. There is only one ]»ractical
is no (jnestion hut that Brevard’s
gr,*ritest need is a first-class high
school building, entirely separate
from the irraded school building,
in which all the work of the high
school grades could be carried on.
'I’ho graded school building is suf
ficient to take care of tin? »demen-
tary grades for a nnmber of years.
The new and greatly needed high
school bnilding rightly built and
vard graded school shows a school ])roperly equiii])^ d would cost at
census in tho district of r>71, of
wdiich oOl wore enrollt^d in the
school ; S3 were attending school
elsewhere, and 198 were not in any
school. The number alreadv enroll-
least $25,000. It should contain not
less than four class rooms, a good
auditorium, at least two rooms for
the w’ork in domesti(' science, an
. otlice and a teacher's conference
way, and perha])s the only wav.
whereby the district could easily
provide the funds, and that is by
issuing and sellin*; bonds for that
])urpose as ])rovided for in the
state- wide bond act fiir school build
ings This act provides that 20 year
bonds to th(! amount o.f S25.00U for
tho purpose of building and equipp
ing school houses, mav bo issu d bv
any school district which contnins
an incor])orated town, upon their
beintr votetl by the citizens of the
district.
What is the will of the voters of
Brevard school district in regard to
this matter?
Advertising Points And
Pointers For Brevard
(By Rev. VV. E. Poovey.)
Brevard is the camp site of the South’s summer play-
{^round, surrounded by lovely lakes and leaping waterfalls,
verdant valleys and vaulting mountains. But the tourist
generally has been allowed to remain in large measure
ignorant of our advantages as a rest and recreation resort,
because no aggressive campaign of systematic community
advertising has ever been inaugurated.
The reason why our tourist season begins here one
month late each summer is either due to the fact that we
do not advertise at all and hence only get the ove/flow
after other resort towns have filled, or that we wait till
summer is on us before we do advertise, and even then the
sum total of publicity is the few brief notices of a few indi
vidual boarding houses in obscure corners of a few news
papers in scattered sections from which a few tourists have
come during previous seasons.
The mid-summer ad of the individual boarding house
may help somebody to decide where to STOP after having
decided where to GO. The TIME for a vacation may not
be fixed till the mercury mounts above ninety, but the
PLACE may have been selected months before. The
commercial traveler calls with sample cases in early spring
to take orders for summer deliveries. Why should not we
begin to do some advance community advertising for tlie
same reason?
Co-operative paid advertising can be made to pay well.
Semi-free advertising by newspaper correspondence,
scenic post-cards and folders, booster slogans on business
envelopes, a booster rubber stamp and pad for public use in
the vestibule of the post office; these and other simple
schemes would bring good results.
How many resort homes took advantage of the South
ern railway’s offer of some free advertising in its summer
folder just issued?
The bird that stirred quite early, as youVe heard,
Secured the firm and fatted worm.
In flavor much preferred.
AGED AND DECREPIT
FIND SPRING OF YODTH
RIGHT HEBE IN- BREVARD
MAJOR wr4 L
DIES AT BREV^.RD HOME
Had Ponce de Leon, tho noted
Spanish explorer, in his fruitless
search for the perpetual sj>ring of
youth per chance stumbled upon
the Goodman's carnival in Brevard
instead of the malarial, mosquito
infested lands of Florida, his quest
would not have been in vain.
Yes, the real spring of youth,
though not perpetual, has been
found at “Camp lU,” which is now’
familiar and on the tongue of jeal
ous wives and unforbearing ladies
who are giving the unlnithful ones
caitaiii lectures over the antics in
“Camj) -I'.*.”
“Camp 4i)*’ is one of tho de])art-
ments of the carnival. News was
s])Pad to the eftect that it was filled
with a bevy of beautiful girls with
whotn the privilege of enjoying
the latest movements in the Terj)-
sichorean art would require an
investment of only 15 cents. There
was a groat, rush for tickets and
standing room on the ojiening
ni^rht. The scene reminded the
bystand«^r of the description of tho
pool of Bethesda, w-liore there “lay
a great multitude of impotent folk,
of blind, halt, withered, waiting
for the moving of the water,” that
they might find physical relief.
Around the entrance to “Camp
4‘.)” stood all classes of young and
old. some full of the vigor of youth
and others bent and withered with
the burden of years. It was some
thing, the like of they had never
known—a brief cure for all their
ills.
There was the old man. with
long hoary locks, shriveled by the
many fleeting years whose age and
absence of suppleness on the floor
of the dance hall had barred him
from exuberant exhilaration of this
diversion for lo these many years.
They sought the thrilling experience
pf tickling the opposite tex in the
ribs to the tune ot 15 cents worth
END CAME WHILE ASLEEP
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
Native of Charleston—Banker.
Farmer and Miller of West
ern North Carolina-
Major iVm. E. Breese, aged
years, widely known in Western
North Carolina and in Eastern
South Carolina, the place of hi-
birth, died at his home in Brevard
on Wednesday afternoon of thi>
week at 0 :o0 o’clock.
The end came quietly and ajv
pareiitly while lie uas on jo.', in>r
sleep. For som i time Major
Breese had been in poor healtb
and although of late ho had been
confined to his bed for the greater
part it was not thought that tbt-
end was so near. He bad beert
sleeping a great deal of late and
was only a short while before hi.-t
death that his daughter, Miss Mar
garet Breese, had been talkinj;
with him. She noticed a changetl
appearance in his face and ajx)?!
examination found that deatii hart
overtaken him after a brief sleej>
following a period of reading from
a magazine lying by hid side when
he died.
Major Breese was twice married,
the lirst time to a daughter of
Capt. W. H. Perouneau of Charles
ton, S. Wm. E. Bretse, Jr., of
Brevard and Mrs. Robert Kirksey
of Crow' Creek, S. C. were the
children resulting from this mar
riage.
His second wife was Miss Mollit
Hume of Brevard. From this wed
lock came Robert H. Breese ot
Raleigh, Edmond C. Breese of Mil
waukee, Wis.; Miss Margaret W.
Breese of Brevard and Mrs. J. M.
Allison of Brevard. There weit^
three other children, deceased.
Burial will be made in Charles
ton between the graves of his two
wives. Services wdll be conductetl
by Rev. John Ktirshaw, rector ot
St. Michael’s Episcopal church, thf^
deceased having been a member t>i'
this church and having seen mili
tary service during the Civil wai
with the rector.
At this writing it was not known
how many of the childen could at
tend the burial nor what time the
body would leave Brevard.
Major Breese was the son of Wil
liam Cobra Breese, one of th?*
aristocratic families of Charleston,
and saw military service in the lati*
war. He was a bookkeeper am:
public accountant by protession
and was cashier of the Carolina
Savings bank of Charleston whih?
his father was cashier of the First
National Bank of that place. Hf
latter Ijecame assistant of the First
National and after his father’.',
death was made cashier. His bank
ing experience stood him in goo«I
stead when he moved to Asheville,
where he was prime mover in tht>
organization of the First National
bank, with which he was connected
for about twelve years.
Major Breeso moved to Brevaril
in ISys and engaged in farmin^r
and milling at the old flour mil*
near his home.
Major Breese first saw servict
wnth the Georgia Military cadet.'-
when only 16 years old. He wa;-^
captain of tho Irish volunteers, a^i
organizat’on near Charleston, and
later major of the first regiment ot
riflemen of tho South Carobnu
troops.
and the fleeting moments of seem
ingly a too-short sxiace of tims^
temptod some to attempt to buy
exclusive rights for the full perfor
mances of the evening. It was
indeed invigorating and the de
crepit moved with a grace and sup
pleness that would have don»
credit to the most alert dancing
master.
There were what might be calle«i
the “social outcasts” who wanted
to revive the old thrills incident t«»
the graceful glide with the fasr
ones over the floor and they go5;
their money’s w’orth. Then tber*-
was innocent youth ignorant of tht-
whirls and fantastic steps of th**
faithful apostles of aesthetic dant^
ing and thongh awkward throng)*
lack of training, he got a “dollarV
worth for 15 cents.”
This w^as too much for the wivpi*
and sweethearts at home wh*
have heretofore stiennously in
sisted that there is no possibility
of wrong in the dance hall.
it is whispered around in secret
places that unfaithful husbaad^
1 ami love sick swains have been
, told a plenty.