Newspapers / The Gaston Progress (Gastonia, … / July 4, 1912, edition 1 / Page 3
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HISTORICAL AND INDUSTRIAL EDITION OF THE GASTON PROGRESS Three here when the new thriving city was scarcely more than a village. He learned the trade of a printer, and chairman of the Democratic County Committee, and has just been made the chairman of the Fourth of July celebration by acclamation notwith standing his protest. Mr. Wilson, his partner, is also a native of Gaston county, and has been connected with the business for twenty-six years, prior to which time he was engaged in the mercantile line. He has served for eleven years as a member of the city council, and at the present time is a director of the Gastonia Insur ance & Realty Company, and many other concerns. E. GRANT PASOUR worked on the Gazette, and the now defunct News for some years, kept books and clerked in the First National Bank at various periods of his life. He was assistant postmaster under L. L. Jenkins, and C. D. Holland, and was thoroughly acquainted with the duties of the office when he was appointed postmaster by President Taft June 10, 1909. HON. EDWIN YATES WEBB. Member of Congress From the Ninth District. To the citizens of the district in every walk of life, from the highest to the humblest, no public position is of more far-reaching importance than that of congressman, and unless the right kind of man occupies the office and attends to his duties properly, their interests are bound to suffer, A congressman who has never held the office is almost useless during his first term at Washington, for it will CRAIG & WILSON. Live Stock, Etc. The number of large enterprises located in Gastonia and vicinity is one of the best evidences that can be brought forward that this section of the old North State is moving rapidly in the proper direction, and that shrewd business men have con fidence in its future prosperity. Among these extensive concerns none is better known than that of Craig & Wilson, wholesale and retail dealers in live stock, wagons, buggies, agri cultural implements and fertilizers. The business was organized in 1886 by T. L. Craig and T. W. Wilson, two of Gastonia’s wide-awake and pro gressive sons, whose sterling integ rity and perseverance have given Gastonia an enterprise of which any city many times the size of this might well feel proud. Their magnificent warehouse, erected in 1903, extends that institution. Mr. Webb enjoys the distinction of being looked upon by the older members of congress as one of a group of young men having real ability, and using it. This fact was demonstrated during the present session when he was selected as temporary chairman of the judiciary committee in the absence of Judge Clayton, to preside in the impeachment case of Judge Archi bald. He also succeeded in having the mint retained at Charlotte, after it had been practically decided by the arpropriation committee to discon- tiue it. Should Mr. Clayton fail to return to congress at the next term, Mr. W'ebb would in all probability be chosen as chairman of the judiciary committee, one of the most important in congress, although he is not the ranking member. Mr. Henry, of Texas, holds that position, but as he is chairman of the committee on rules he could not qualify. Mr. Webb has amply proven that he has the inter ests of the people ever in mind and is known in Washington as one of the hardest worked men in congress. He is popular with his colleagues, among whom he has many friends, and this fact enables him to be of much greater use to his constituents than those not familiar with life at the capital would think. With a clean record both in his public and private life, in the prime of life, and at the height of his powers, the future would seem to hold much in store for this able and bril liant son of the Old North State. SCHOOLS OF COUNTY. CITY AND Without the very best educational advantages possible to procure, no city ambitious to be classed as pro gressive, need ever hope to achieve the coveted distinction. The pros pective settler and home seeker is generally a man of family and if he is a man worth while he desires to equal number of teachers exclusive of Professor Wray. There are eleven grades. The total number of white pupils enrolled in the schools of the city last season was a trifle more than 1,300, taught by 31 teachers. The colored school located in the northern part of the city, in what is known as “Happy Hill,” or the Highland School, has an enrollment of 385 pupils, taught by a principal and 3 teachers. The schools are controlled by a board of commissioners of which the mayor is ex-officio chairman, and the members are B. F. S. Austen, E. J. Rankin, S. Settlemyer, W. V. West, S. M. Boyce, Dr. D. E. McConnell, and J. P. Reid. In Gaston county there are 4 state high schools, 3 public high schools, 90 district schools, 8,000 white and 2.000 colored pupils. The system is in charge of a county board of education, consisting of E. L. Wilson of Gastonia, H A. Rhyne of Mt. Holly, and J. H. • Rudisill of Cherryville, three of the most public spirited and progressive men of this section. Mr. S. N. Boyce • iA the county treasurer and was for I • number of years chairman of the I card, and Prof. F. P. Hall is the efficient and capable superintendent having held the office for the past nine years. lu PROF. JOE S. WRAY. Superintendent of the Gastonia Public Schools. No position within the gift of the municipality carries with it graver responsibilities and requires a higher character of special qualifications than that of superintendent of the pubi'o schools. As the head of the system he has direct charge of all the schools in Gastonia and is accountable for the faithful performance of his duties lo the board of school commissionero. It is difficult to get a man of more thin average ability to make teaching his life work for the financial returns are special course in Latin and Mathp- matics at the mother Chatauqua, lo cated at Lake Chatauqua, N. Y. He PROF. JOSEPH S. WRAY also attended the Summer School for Teachers of the University of North Carolina in 1902, and that of the Uni versity of Virginia in 1904, and helped to conduct teachers institutes in Rutherford and Polk counties. He has also assisted in conducting every in stitute held up to this time in Gaston county since making his home hero. W’hen he came here in 1901, Mr. Wray had a difficult task before him. The system was in its infancy, only partly organized, and in a more or less chaote state. His training stood him in good stead, he was and is in love with his work and it was not long be fore Gastonia could boast of as good a school system as can be found in the State. This is reviewed at some length in another column of this issue of The Progress. republicans recognizing that it will be useless to run a candidate against him. Mr. Cornwell is a business man, and has given the people of the county business administrations, a fact that they heartily appreciate. He was born on a farm in Lincoln county, in Decem ber, 1852, and in early life was a school' teacher in Gaston county. He then became bookkeeper for the Renwood Cotton Mills, afterwards being made secretary and treasurer. When the mills burned, he went into the mer cantile business at what is now the town of Albea, building the first house there and being the founder of the town, which the inhabitants desired to name Cornwell, but he refused to allow it. Mr. Cornwell carried on business successfully for about 10 years or until 1898 when, much against his desire he was elected clerk of the court, a position for which his friends recognized he was eminently qualified. Mr. Cornwall resides at Dallas, where he has a delightful home and finds his recreation and pleasure in cultivating a small farm, coming to Gastonia every morning in his automobile, the dis tance being only a few miles. HON. EDWIN Y. WEBB take him at least a couple of years to “learn the ropes,” and be of any real .. benefit to his Constituent'S. This is is a three story brick structure T realized by the^e'op'fe'of’ Gastonia j^-/ermg nearly 10,000 square feet of “oor space, and is one of the hand-, somest buildings of the city. One side of the extensive business con ducted in wagons, buggies, agricul tural implements, etc., which are sold throughout all this section, their leading and great specialty is trading in horses and mules, in which line they far surpass all com petition in this part of the country. In 1910 the house sold 940 head of horses, and so far this year not less than 700 head, which is a splendid showing, to say the least. At the pres ent time on the firm’s farm, located a short distance from town, are one hundred superb black Anglise cattle, and about the same number of fine Yorkshire sheep that are well worth seeing. Mr. T. L. Craig, the senior partner, is a native of Gaston county, and is the son of the late John H. Craig, a tanner by trade, and who dur ing the Civil war was engaged in mak ing horse collars for the Confederate government. Mr. Craig is now serv ing his second term as mayor of Gas tonia, and among other things is the newly elected president of the Gaston Loan & Trust Company, a director of the First National Bank, and of the Gray Manufacturing Company and the Modena Cotton Mills. He is also the and this county, and for the last five tc-rms they have done their full share towards sending the Hon. Edwin Yates Webb back to represent them, as he has done most satisfactorily in the past. Mr. Webb has not, like so many of his colleagues, regarded this office simple and solely as a sinecure, the principal duty being to draw the salary and perquisetes, but has taken the position very seriously, and has made a reputation as one of the hardest working members of the House, and has produced results. He has recently been re-nominated with out opposition and his election is of course assured, it being only a ques tion of how much his majority will be. Mr. Webb had always taken a deep interest, and an active part in public affairs, and when only 28 years old, was elected a State senator. He v/as elected to the Fifty-Eighth Congress and has served five con tinuous terms. Mr. Webb was one of the youngest men ever sent to congress from North Carolina, but he has made one of the most brilliant records, and his future is full of promise. He is married, his wife hav ing been Miss Wilier Simmons, daughter of Dr. W. G. Simmons, of Wake Forest, whom he married the year following his graduation from fm C. C. CORNWELL H. RUTTER. Superintendent Water, Light and Sewers. Among the positions under the muni cipal government none is more im portant than that held by the head of the department having in charge the lighting, water supply and sewerage systems of the city. In Gastonia these ;were all built by the municipality out ',of .the. bond Jsau.e of ?,105,000 in 1899, I ear his children in such a way that they will not be handicapped by the lack of a good education when they begin the real battle of life. The head of the family of the right sort wants to start them right, to give them something that they cannot lose or allow to be taken from them, and when seeking a place to make a home and bring up his family, one of the first inquiries he makes is regarding the character of the schools. No citizen of the city and section need hesitate in answering this question. Both Gas ton county and Gastonia have ad mittedly one of the best school systems GASTON COUNTY COURT HOUSE very small when the work performed is considered and the same effort in almost every other line of endeavor would be much better rewarded. On this account many teachers do their work in the most prefunctory manner and regard the position they hold simply as a stepping stone to some- thmg better. The people of Gastonia are therefore fortunate in having se cured the services as superintendent although a great deal more has been spent on them from time to time, sinct then. The present engineer, Mr. t ^-utter, has been in charge almost f. Che time the improvements were made and this fact furnishes the best of evi dence that he has performed his duties to the entire satisfaction of the tax payers. Mr. Rutter is a trained and ex perienced engineer, is in the prime of life and fully alive to every advance that has been made in his profession. He is a native of Hopewell, Chester county, Penusylvannia, where he was born in 1875, and received his prepara- C. C. CORNWELL. Clerk of the Superior Court. Few positions within the gift of the people that carries with it graver re sponsibilities or is of more importance than that of superior court clerk. In the absence of the judge, who is here only tour times a year, he is the court. of their schools of Prof. Joe S. Wray, empowered to exercise a great who has been at the head of the sys- functions. Besides being tern for the past 11 years, having custodian of the legal records of virtually organized it after his own “ounty, he sits as probate Ideas, backed up by a harmonious custody of all wills, at- with the lenoLn»r P™fessor Wray is a native of i"ficate routine of the lation The OTob Z 7 and after ■=“arge of the estates of Gaston Schoo Board and"^ edu- '^Wows and is taxed with dent Wray was a P^Wic schools he enter- “‘“o'- duties requiring a man of population of the cit^ ' ! f the University of North Carolina, ordinary ability and qualm- manv Of fho i f- • scattered. '«^hich he graduated in 1897. After The fact that Mr. C. C. Corn- groups about thT^b^ in little./^ttending the Summer School for Present clerk has served four feachers, he became principal of the ‘his responsible office, having city schools of Washington, Georgia ®'®'’‘®^ 1898. is the best and remained there until 1901, when he became superintendent of Gastonia schools. In the meantime, while teaching in Georgia, he had taken a MAMMOTH STORE OF CRAIG & WILSON far away from a central point to at tend school. So it was decided that if they could not come to the schools, the schools would have to be taken to them. Seven primary schools are maintained, one near each of the mills within the city limits, and the child ren have the opportunity to complete the work of the primary department. Then they are transferred to the inter mediate departments at one of the large schools. At the Loray school there are seven grades and seven teachers, affording a pomplete element- ary course for the children of the western part of the city. Pupils upon finishing the course at this school are prepared to enter the High School, which has a curriculum quite as good as the majority of high class acad emies, preparing its graduates tor the best colleges in the south. The High School building is one ot the hand somest and most conveniently ar ranged in the state, being now well ventilated and lighted and supplied with every modern convenience. It contains sixteen rooms and has an evidence that could be produced that he has given the people of the county entire satisfaction, and at the last election he was given the most unusual compliment of having no opponent, the H. RUTTER tory ducation at the High School at Williamsport. He then took a special course in engineering at Lafayette College, which conferred upon him the decree of electrical engineer. Before THE HIGH SCHOOL
The Gaston Progress (Gastonia, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 4, 1912, edition 1
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