:: y;: "3: : I ';.aaJ' i-V'.''-: A, A A A: A A-rAl ' K :
.1 - . - ..
,:Vs -:S''-:V':.i:
J U
11 I . . II' . . rn , T l ........ tr.,.-
Advertising Rates on Request.
VOL. XXXI.
' ;. Early Morning Dreams.
' Sometimes' I wake up as the
; dawn is beginning to steal in the
east'-. windows of my bedroom.
As I lie there in th$ dfm light my
white dressing table looks like
some ghostly figure, the little
white chair before it, like1 some
lesser ghost at its prayers. My
bathrobe thrown across a slen
der 'rocking chair makes a gro
tesque figure out of which the
' imagination could makeany thing,
the bent figure of an old witch
resting a minute after a night of
meddlesome travel, perhaps. The
' familiar objects of my room be
CDme creatures of a strange and
mystic country in the sdim light
of dawn. . '
Even the sounds of early morn
ing are sounds from another
country, The blasts from facto
ry whistle calling the laborers to
their tasljs are not the 'sounds of
factory whistles to me. ' I am. in
another town, a place that is the
port of ships that sail from many
lands, I can almost whiff.'the
fresh air from the sea. And the
whistles that I hear come from
boats that ply on the riveri from
tsrry boats, and from ships, that
sail the seven seasr' The thin,
piping blast comes from a ner
vous little ferry boat hurrying
forth on an early morning miss
bn. A mellow whistle brings
vividly before me a biglinercare
, fully searching her way through
the morning mists into the har
bor after a long voyage.' And
there's a freighter answeringthe
voice of the big ship. I can al
most see the ships, the navy
boats with the blue jackets astir
on their decks the merchant
ships at quiet anchorage, the
t Jgs, and the big gray liner care
fully searching her way through
the morning mists.
.nd then a shaft of sunlight
comes through the window and
slants across my room. The
shadowland of imagination isgone
I'm in my own room miles from
the'sea. The ghost at its pray
"ers is only a simple little chair.
My blue bathrobe looks not at all
like a,n old witch. ' All the white
furnishings stand sanely about
the room. And there are belov
' ed pictures in' their accustomed
places on the walls. Across the
room is the picture of an old pal
of mine. Several years and ma
: ny miles have separated us, but
'her familiar face smiles across
the room at fne and I smile back.
There'B another little picture
' hanging inia gilt frame across
baside my dressing table, a light
v house on a bleak, rock ', coast.
, Once I was upon the Maine coast
and I visited tliat very spot. Now
I call to mind the'osy-faced old
man who kept" the lighthouse,
fror forty years he had seen each
night that the lights were burn-
ing to warn ships of the four had
gone to sea, had become captains
of ships, and had given their lives
' to the sea. The fifth son, he who
kept the lighthouse, could never
" go to sea because he was a victim
of mal de mer when he so much
as sailed across the bay. There
was a little white cross down on
the sharp pocks bearing this, 'In
Memory of the Ann Arundel, the
ijod ship wrecked on these rocks
December 24, 1860." The light
house keeper told me how the
; ship went to pieces one fearful
' fihristmas eve when the wind
was a thing of terror on the sea,
; , On the wall beside mtf bed
t hangs another picture that I rove
It's the picture of a girl at her
Wnittinir. . She is busy with, her
needles, asoftflu'shonhercheeks,
her 'sweet lips smiling. I have
; studied her closely, and I know
her.- She is a gentle creature
with ouiet hones, gentle loves
BOOKEL
Mrs. Ton Thumb Dies At Old Ag
Middlebbro, Mass. Countess
Pri mo Magri, known to the gen
eral pnblic as Mrs, Tom Thumb
and one one of the best known
Lilliputians in the world, died at
her home here Tuesday after a
long illness. She was 77 years
of age and had traveled around
world several, times, under the
management of the late P. T.
Barnuin.
Countess Magri was the daugh
ter of James S. and Hulda Bump.
Count Magri, her husband survi
ves. - '
One of the 'world's most famous
dwarfs, Mrs. Tom Thumb, who
was'correctly but less popularly
known as the Countess tyagri,
measured only 32 'inches in
height. Born in Middleboro,
Mass, she outlived all the profes
sional associates of lier genera
tion. Her first husband, Gener
al Tom Thumb, has been dead
for 30 years. . Her sister, also a
dwarf, still smaller, died 35 years
ago. The parents were of largS
stature and numerous children
borrttothem, with two except
ions, were of normal size. At
birth Lavina Warren, for 'such
was Mrs. Thumb's maiden name,
weighed six pounds and at the
age of one year she was of nor
mal size.' For the next nine years
she grew slowly, and then, sud
denly stopped altogether; At 70
her hair was still jet black, and
fine black eyes sparkled from a
full, round, dimpled face, and her
voice was always soft and sweet.
Her nrst public appearance
was at the age of 17, under the
management of a cousin who op
erated a "floating palace of curi-
sities'on the Ohio and Mississ
ippi rivers before the civil war.
She met P. T. Barnum in 1-8G2.
Then began her great career un
der his management.,' It was a
tour of triumph throgh the camps
of the civil war and foreign capi
tals. It is said that her photo
graphs are in more family albums
than any other person's in the
world's history. '
Her public career occupied fG
eventful years. During this time
she traveled over the civilized
world and had been introduced
to nearly every crowned head and
eminent person in every country
she visited.
"It has been asserted," said
this remarkable , little woman.
that General Tom Thumb had
kissed more women than any oth
er living man. I can with equal
assurance assert that I have sha
ken hands with more human be
ings in all stations of life than any
"other-woman in existence. Mv
travels have embraced Europe.
Asia, Australia, Africa and Ame
rica.' .
Accumulating a large fortune,
Mrs. Thumb made' her farewell
tour in 1912. Her second hus
band, Count Magri of Italy, is al
so a dwarf. He became a natu
ralized citizen of the United Sta
tes shortly after his marriage to
Mrs. Thumb. :
James Stuckj Says, "Rat Cost Me $125
tor Plumbing Bills."
"We couldnt loll what was clogging
up our toilet and drams. We hod to
tear up floor, pipes, etc., found a rat
nest in basement. They had choked
tlw pipes with refuse. The plumber's
bill was $125. Rat Snap cleaned the
rodent out." Three sizes", 2ftc, 50c,,' 1
Sold and guaranteed by L. L, Critch
er. , - '
and happy thoughts. It "does
me good to associate with har,
she's so restful,
The sun gets persistently
bright, and the thought of the
day's work urges mo, The real
ities and the possibilities of ano
ther Uayre with me as I get out
of bed. There's no telling what
splendid thing may happen to
day, 4 States ville Landmark. -
, .: ' , , : : , , - . . . v ' -;Z ).
V:' " . x DEVOTED TO THE INTEIiESTS OP
WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C., THURSDAY DECEMBER
A Business Proposition. .
, Capt. J. J. Laugtiinghouse of
Pitt county severely criticizes the
Stata Prison Board for selling
the Stale B'arm. Capt. Laugh
inghouse was superintendent of
the State Prison during Govern
or Kitchen's ad ministration. He
says the farm that is being sold
is much more valuable than any
thinif the Board can buy for the
same money in North Carolina.
He further contends that author
ity to make the sale was obtained
in a questionable manner that
the bill 'was "slipped through"
the last General Assembjy was
"'slipped through" the last Gen
eral Assembly without proper
discussion and publicity.
We have considered the sale of
the State Farm as a purely bus
iness proposition. The present
Prison Board iscomposedof some
of the very best business men
and farmers of the state. Mr.B.
P. Shelton, one of the members,
is at large and successful a far
mer as there is in Eastern North
Carolina. He lives withm fifteen
miles of the State Farm. The
other members are Messrs W.
M. Saunders, big business men
and farmer of Johnston county,
Frank Gough, merchant and
farmer of Robertson county, A.
E. Smith, manufacturer and bus
iness man of Mount Airy, and
the chairman of the board, Hen
ry B. Varner, editor and remar
kably successful business man of
Lexington. These gentlemenvwe
understand, have been investiga
ting the mattter for two or three
years and after going qverthe
whole proposition voted unani
mou sly to sell the present farm
and buy another,. We are willing
to risk their judgment.
It is rather surprising that a
gentleman of Capt. Laughing
house's information should be la
boring under the impression that
this deal has been handled in se
cret. According to the dispatch
es from Raleigh the proiwsition
to sell the State farm and move
the prison has been under con
sideration for the last three
years. It was considered serious
ly by the General Assembly of
1917. A committee was appoint
ed by that Legislature to investi
gate the matter. Its report was
pubjished. In the General As
sembly of 1919 the matter again
came up. A hearing was held, by
the committee. The bill was re
ported favorable and, , if we re
member correctly, was debated
in both houses. It was passed by
overwhelming majority, authori
zing the Prison Board to use its
discretion in selling the farm and
moving the prison. Winston-Salem
Journal, 1
France Says Army 6oods Bring no Profit.
The French government hasis-
sued for.mal denial of reports of
France making greatpioflts from
the sale of the surplus stocks of
the American expeditionary force
which it purchased during the
fall. The government asserts
that its profits have been fixed
at a rate designed to cover only
depreciated from exposure, pos
sible errors in the inventory, cost
of doing business in the commo
dities on : ale and the supplying
of a fund to meet the unpaid re
quisition claims against the Am
ericans which France took .over
as part of the purchase price.
"These Rats Wouldn't Eit My Best
Grain," Says Fred Lamb.
Its nurd to keep rats out of a feed
store. 1 ried for years. A aeiifhbor-
intr store sold me some. Rat Knap. It
worked wonders. tlathereJ hxp dead
ran every morning, uougnt more
Rat Snap. Haven't a rat now. They
wouldn't eat my best srraln when I
threw Rat Snap around." 3 sizes, .25
uuc, i.uw aoia ana fuaranteea by
u. u. vrucuer.
BOONE, AND, WATAUGA COUNTY.
Work a Blessing, Not a Curse.
"He also that is slothful in his
work is a brother to him that is a
great waster." Proverbs 1S:).
. 'For the people had a mind to
work." Nehemiah 4:(. -
In the Book of Books -J of which
it lias been well said that it is not
ft library in itseir, but that it is
greater than all other libraries,
a boolc winch it took the Almighty
1600 years, speaking through -it)
men, to writer-is to be found wis-
dom, human and divine, and the
two extracts which we havoquot-
ed might furnish a text for many
a sermon just now. The first
states the great truth that the
man who "is slothful in his work
is a brother to him that is a great
waster. Botti classes are con
demned by the Almighty Him-
sen, anu iney should becondemn-
ed by every man who recognizes
that work is the divine instru
mentality for the development of
body and mind of the individual
and for the saving of the world.
The second quotation relates to
a time when the people of Israel
had a mind to work." In the
hour of emergency, when Ihdir
country was at stake, they con
centrated their, activities night
antl day unon work. No timp
was to be lost in the great effort
which they were then making to
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Thru their heroic work, when all
the people joined together and all
'the people had a mind to work"
success was achieved.
The people of America must
have "a mind to work." Into
their work they must throw the
whWle energy of their nature.
The "slothful man" and the was
ter must be regarded as 'slackers
unworthy of the respect of any
one.
Any organization which seeks
to limit the labor (Sf themembers,
any individual who is slothful in
business who wastes his own
time or that of his employer, and
the one is a waster of the sub
stance of others, or of the coun
try, will, unless they change their
.methods, never be classed as peo
ple who had a mind to work."
they are not workers; they are
shirkers, slackers, and their
number grows alarmingly great.
Men are being taught that
work is something to be shunned
when they should be taught that
that it , is God's appointed way
for all mankind's advancement.
God Himself works, and in all
of his divine teachings of the Bi
ble there is one "increasing strain
in favor nf work. "Tha slothful
man," and the man who has not
a "mind to wok" are going di-
roctly contrary to fie teachings
of that Almighty.
This nation needs to be taught
the dignity of work. -We need to
glorify word work on the farm
and in the mine and in fie facto
ry, work in the office, work intho
schoolroom, work in the pulpit.
Men who have derided work, or
who have sought to limit the out
put of laborers not merely by un
duly reducing the hours Of labor,
but by pducing the. amount of
work that a man may do in a giv
eitime, are Dying diractly in the
a :e of the teachings of the Bi
ble. '
Work is a blessing, notacurse.
Manufacturers Record. '
You can do some thing
next
week, but some you cannot.
So don't wait, act now!
Insure your house before
it
burns. ...
Insure your health before ' you
get sick.- , i
Insure yeur life b fore you die
for then it ix everlastingly too
laie. - , .
I sell the best policies at uni
versal rates -
V
GEC. F BLAIR,
Blowing Rock, N, C.
11, 1919.
v ' Arguing Taxes.
The general assembly of North
Carolina moreover decreased the
state tax for state purposes to
1 1 "J il cents. The total tax rate in
Davidson county and and all pur
poses in 1919 is 1.71 2-3 on the
hundred dollars, and is divided
as follows:
State tax 11 2-3 cents on the
hundred dollars valuation.
lioads GO" cents on the hun
dred dollars.
Schools-78 cents on the hun
dred dollars.
, County tax-19 cents on the
hundred dollars.
Pensions 4 cents on the hun
dred dollars.
So we see that 3j per cent of
the taxes paid by us comes back
to us to maintain the roads we
now have and to extend tlfcm to
secctions which have heretofore
been neglected. Of the amount
45 per cent comes back to edu
cate the children of the county, 7
per cent comes back as pensions
for our our Confederate veter
ans and their widows, and 11
per cent goes to pay the expens
es of running the county gov
ernment. The last item is made
up of salaries of the county offi
cers and the expense of nart
maintenance of the health de
partment. The foregoing ex
plains, where the money goes.
Every citizen is entitled to know
and should know that the taxes
are properly expended.
In conclusion we desire to say
that the increase in the taxes of
1919 over 1918 has no connection
whatever with the revaluation
work which is now being carried
on. in the county. When this work
is completed, we feel certain that
certain that the tax rate will be
cut from $1,72 2-3 on the hun
dred to not wore than 40 cents
on the hundred, so that nobody
will be hurt, as it is not the pur
pose of the revaluation act to col
lect more taxes than in 1920 but
its main purpose is to equalize
taxation so that every citizen will
carry his proportionate part of
the tax burden. The result will
be that in 1920 there will bo thou
sands of tax-payers who will pay
less taxes than in 1919. At the
same time there will be a few
hundred who will pay more tax
es in 1920' than they have ever
paid before simply because they
will, for the first time in their
lives Jbegin to pay their propor
tionate part of the taxes. The re
valuation act is not going to lurt
anybody. It will only place the
burden of taxation on the shoul
ders of the people in the propor
tion that they are able to pay.
uexington Dispatch.
meet
VIII You Spend 50c on r.a!-Snap to -ave
$100?
One Situ pk can kill 50 rats. Tin
ivcra-'u rat will rob you of K) a yeai
tn feed, chicks, and property des.ruc
inn. Uat Snap is deadly to ruts.
Jremates after killing, Leaves iki
tmcll. Comes in cakes. Hats wil;
,ass up meat, '(f rain, chee.so to feast
tn Rat-Snap. Throe sizes, 2.K!, flic
fl. Hold and guaranteed by U L
Jriteuer.
Where necessity ends desire
and curiosity begin: no soonei
are we supplied with' everything
nature can demand, than we sit
down to contrive artificial appe
tites. Johnson.
To provide against every im
portant danger by the einploj
mentof the most promising
means Is the1 office of wisdom but
at this 'point wisdom stops.
Blair.
WANTED: MEN OR WOMEN TO
take orders among friends and neign
born for the genuiue guaranteed hos
iery, full lino for men women and chil
dren. Eliminate darning, We pay
50o an hour spare time or $24 a wee
tor full time.' Experience unnecessa
ry. Writo Internatlen-il Stocking
Mllli, Norristown, I'a. 10-9-10t -
$1.00 Per Ye
NO 9.
'Drops tha S.ugar Trust. .
The Government's sugar equal
ization board is to be dissolve d .
December 31, and the official at
tempt to control the sugar situa
tionwill then come to on end.
Matters could scarcely got lrivch
worse, and the public will haylli.
to take the risk. The Government
however, gives promise of pro
tection to the extent of entering
upon a "vigorous prosecution of
dealers caught profiteering.
There is not very much encour
agement in that. It is Charlotte's '
experience that the Government
has made a poor showing at sit-.
Kar control. Tho Sugar Admin
istration, itself, undertakes , to
justify its manifest failure by the .
statement that it has had "neith
er the facilies nor powe" to han-j
die the siuation.. In future there :
there will be no attempt to set a
price on sugar or to control its
distribution, and every sale will,
be treated its merits. It wil be
the duty of district attorneys to
suppress profiteering under the
Lever act, and it may be put
down as a certain ract that those
dealers who are disposed to em
bark on profiteering enterprises
in sugar, emboldened by the rec
ord of prosecutions in tho past
will be encouraged to take chanc
es. The Departmentappears in-:
clined to prepare the people for
further rises in sugar, one rea-'
son advanced being that for the
Cuban Supply. American buyers
will run up against European"
competition. Charlotte Obser
ver. . ''
-- . "'. Si. v
Metho&is Save
Serbian Orphans
outturn Church luyt Hobim In Bru
(! and Btlgrada and iup
porta Sarblan RtfUflua
la InglafldV .
Kaaavaie, Tenn. Tha Cantanarr
Commliilon of tha Methodist EpUo
pal Church, South, will ipaclallie In
caring for tho children of Belgium,
Serbia and other stricken countrios of
Europe, according to an announce
ment made by Dr. W. B. Beauchamp,
the director-general. Dr. Beauchamp
and a Church Commliilon have Just
returned from Europe. "
For thli purpose a large home, for
merly a famous boys' school, has been
purchased at Uccle, a suburb of Bros
sels. Several hundred children can
be accommodated in this building, and
the Methodists will assume entire re
sponsibility for them and their future.
Another borne has been bought at
Bolgrade, Servla, and here the under i
fed orphans of the Southern Slavs will
be given medical attention and cared
tor. A staff pt women physicians,
secured from Scotland, will be in
charge of this home.
Still another orphanage has been
taken over at Faversham, England.
Ti is home already contains more than
a hundred Serbian children, orphaned
refugees who were taken from their
homes during the Austrian Invasion.
Plight of Children Deplorable.
"One can scarcely imagine the
plight of the Belgian and Serbian chil
dren," declared Dr. Beauchamp. "The
mines of Northern France have leen
flooded or tilled with concrete by the
Germans, and thousands of children
will literally freeze to death this win
ter. "I have seen them living In the old
trenches and dug-outs left by the en
emy, with little to eat save what is
gathered from the passers-by." j
Relief stations will be established
as quickly aa workers can be obtained
and supplies sent.. These will be at'
Brussels, Ypres, St. Quentln, Montdi
dier, Belgrade and other centers. -
The Centenary Commission la. seek
ing for two young physicians, eight
nurses,' a doien women social 'work
ers, and a number of superintendents
and directors to reinforce the relief
staff. ' These will be sent abroad at
once. . ' . ...w
The Church has a fund of 15,040.000
for this purpose. It is a part of tha
$53,000,000 fund which was raised ta
ui rvcvui vwninuary unvev
; If
. .JV .
-Aa V-.- hs&w -CitlvV'- O
"'! '
4".
-i ",V . ( ' .' n '. . , y 'v