VOLUME XLIII, NO. 16
HAND OF DEATH
STILLS HEART OF
THOMAS EDISOr
Greatest Inventive Genius of A
Time Goes Into Eternity a Belies
cr in Supreme Intelligence. Men
bers of Faithful Family Courag<
cus in Face of Final Ordeal. Tril
utet Pour in From Whole World.
West Orange, N. J.?In the dar
hours of early Sunday morning
Thomas Alva Edison passed peac<
fully from a deep sleep into deatl
and a world whose civilization he ^e^
olutionized paid reverent homage t
the most brilliant inventive mind i
has ever known.
There was peace in the chambe
where his figure, serene in deatl
rested. There was peace throughou
the sunshine-flooded park where h
made his home. The physical manifes
tation of the world's reverence wa
borne in to his sorrowing famil;
through those myriad channels o
communication he himself had
bored to perfect: by telephone an.
telegraph and radio. But within th<
grounds of Llewellyn Park there wa
only the occasional purr of an auto
mobile to disturb the silence in whicl
they permitted him to rest.
Edison's death at 3:24 a. m., wa:
an almost imperceptible transitioi
from the deep coma in which he hat
lain for 54 hours. Through the.night
while his nurses and his friend ant
physician. Dr. Hubert S. Howe, hov
ered watchfully over hiir., Edison':
relatives had gathered at the bed
side and in adjoining rooms witl
foreknowledge that the end was near
Quietly, a few moments before hii
fluttering heart beat, gave Dr. Howe
the final sign that death was at hand,
his family had been summoned tc
the bedside. Then the great inventor's
heart stopped beating. That
was all.
"Calmly submissive to the will of
the Almighty," Mrs. Mina Miller Edison,
his wife, bowed to the inevitable
and bravely accepted the passing
of her husband. In a dignified
and courageous message to the world,
through the press, her family expressed
their admiration for her
strength under this ordeal.
Announcement of Edison's death
was contained in a bulletin passed
to newspaper men in the garage only
a Tew midutoafafter life had deserted
his great frame.
Arthur L. Walsh, vice-president of
the Thomas A. Edison Industries,
Inc., who venerated Edison, stood in
the doorway with a yellow slip of
paper in his hands. His eyes were
wet. His hands trembled. He needed
hardly to speak, and when he did, it
was in a voice muffled with sobs.
"Here it is. bovs."
A second later the news had flashed
through the world that Edison
was dead.
Body Lies in State
In their arrangements for the funeral
services, the Edison family considered
the desire of the world to
participate in the expression of affectionate
tribute that followed his
passing. Two days, Monday and
Tuesday, were set apart during which
the general public filed past his biei
for a final glance at the man whose
life had changed the course of living
for millions.
The body lay, not "in state," bui
simply, as he would have wished, ir
the library of the Edison laboratory
For. those of his friends and associ
ates, his workmen and companions ir
shops and laboratories bearing hi:
name, still another hour, preceding
the public view, was set apart. Th.
library where the body rested is ir
the three-story main building of th(
group of structures that form the Ed
ison laboratory. It is a high-ceilingec
room, some forty by thirty-five feet
and was the theatre of the most la
borious years of the inventor?year;
filled with hectic, painstaking, of
times disappointing research looking
toward his drema of synthetic rub
her?and this room was productivi
of many inventions. One alcove con
tains a cot There Edison wouh
fling himself for an hour's sloe]
when he was too tired to continui
longer at the task in hand.
The funeral, which was held Wed
uesday, was, by contrast, entirely foi
his immediate family and those closi
friends of a life-time whose affec
tion for his entitle them to a placi
by his side at these last rites. It wa
held at Glenmont, beautiful Edisoi
estate, half a mile from the labora
tory in Which he accomplished hi
latter-day miracles.
Religious Message
: Monday, in accordance '.rfth th.
wishes of the family, Arthur L. Walsl
gave out the following statement:
"The question has been askei
whether Mr. Edison changed his re
ligious belief before death. Member
of the Edison family state that thi
is a difficult question to answer, be
cause of the widespread misunder
standing of what his beliefs actuall;
were. Mr. Edison can not be sail
to have changed views""attributed t
him whici he never held.
"He ne cr was an atheist. Althougl
he subscribed to no orthodox creec
no one who knew him could hav
-doubted his belief in and ?.vcrenc
(Please turn to Page 8)
VXTA)
A Non-Partisan f1
BOOI>
11 Inventive Genius Dead
r Thomas A. Ediscn, greatest inventor
of all time, whose death oc^
curred early Sunday morning at
e West Orange, N. J.
5BOONEHOMEW1LL
s FEATURE STORY
B
S
- Representative of National Magazine
jl Visits Howard Residence in Daniel
Boone Park. Perfect
S Arrangement Lauded.
1
i A representative of Better Homes
, and Gardens, national magazine dei
voted to the advancement of domcs
tic life, spent one day last week in
s Boone gathering data on the L. J.
. Howard cottage in Daniel Boone
i Park, which will feature a story to
appear in that orenn in thr? npnr fn
5 ture.
: The home is of native stone backed
, with hollow tile, and contains five
? rooms, including- bath. The basement
provides a double garage, and the living
room, which may also be converted
into a sleeping compartment, has
a four-foot stone fire-place. Doorbeds
are used throughout the home,
and built-in cabinets, etc., add to its
convenience. The grounds arc being
landscaped and native shrubs planted
in abundance.
The Howards, natives of Charlotte
who spend their summer week-ends
in Boone and the winters in Miami,
drew their own plans, and have derived
great pleasure from their "experiment"
in home-building. They
ref*r to this coxy cot as their "playhouse,**
and spare neither time nor
energy in making it the most complete
dwelling to be found.
Meat Camp Lady Wins
Firafr Priip r? Carnival
Miss Delia Lewis of the Meat Camp
section won the first prize given by
the business men of Boone at the
conclusion of the Bargain Carnival
last Saturday evening. The award
was $7.50 in cash. Second, third and
fourth prize winners were Charles
Osborne, A. W. Smith and J. C. Far>
thing, their prizes being five dollars
and two two-dollar awards.
; Most of the business men of the
I town report an increase in business
i on both Thursday and Friday, and
' all are in agreement that Saturday's
; throng was of unusual proportions.
- Record-breaking sales have been reported
from many establishments
. while others are elated at having
i shown a substantial increase over the
. usual week-end.
i J. F. HARDIN IMPROVING
i Mr. John F. Hardin, who has been
f a right sick man for the past three
: weeks, following the extraction of
i several abscessed teeth, is now slowly
! but surely, improving, but is still
- confined to his room. During the
1 spring and summer months Mr. Hm,
din, despite his advanced age, was
- able to superintend work and, by
5 the way," did a good bit of it himself)
- on his pretty estate; having fences
; repaired, rubbish cleared away, his
- handsome residence, barn, etc., treat?
ed to a new coat of paint and the
- property never made a more hand1
some appearance. His friends, and
> that means all who know John Harj
din, hope for him a speedy and permanent
recovery, and that his useful
- life may be spared for many years
r to come.
- THREE ARE ARRAIGNED IN
; MAYOR'S COURT MONDAY
3 Mayor J. M. Moretz heard three
1 cases Monday, after a period of about
- two weeks in which no arrests were
3 made. Those tried and the judgments
of the court follow:
Ray Estes, drunkenness, fined $1C
s <md costs .
t Letcher Teagne, aifraj, fined
and costs.
3 Hamnc offrtltr Tlftt finiiltv.
S YEAR-OLD APPLES
s Mr. R. L. Clay, who owns a fine
- orchard in the edge of town, was
- packing fruit last Thursday afters'
noon in boxes of leaves that had beer
1 used for last year's crop. Stirrinf
o around in the leaves his hand cam<
in contact with an object, and fur
h ther examination disclosed that sev
l> eral year-old apples were still in th<
e I box. They were in a fine state o:
e preservation!, notwithstanding theii
- !'m. nnd i-rsii retained much of
original liayor.
UGA
Newspaper, Devoted to the
IE, WATAUGA COUNTT. NORTH Gi
i|CHURCH SCHOOL OF
STEWARDSHIP TO
BE HELD LN BOONE
Five-Day Course Begii* at Boone
Baptist on October 26th. All
Churches of Three Forks Association
Urged to Semi Representa
u???. rrcparo worfcert tor fcvcrymember
Canvani.
An associ&tional school of stewardship
will he* conducted at. the
Boone Baptist Church for the churches
of the Three Forks Association,
beginning: October 26th, and lasting
through the 30tb. The meetings will]
be held each evening at 7:30 o'clock.1
Each church in the county is urged i
to send at least sever, representatives
and as many nioie as possible. It is
hoped by those in charge that enough
workers may be trained at this school {
to put on a course similar to it in
each church of the association No-'
vember 2-6.. The work given in thci
' coming school will train those who at-|
tend for the E very-Member Canvass]
November 211 th to December 6th.
Wade E. Brown, secretary of the
committee, gives out the following
1 program for the threc-dav school:
1. The Handbook, taught by Rev.
P. A. Hicks, 7:30 to 8:00.
2. Round-table discussion each
evening, 8:00 to 8:15.
3. Special feature each evening,
8:15 to 8:45.
Monday?"Why .Should .Every
Church Member Be Enlisted in the
Program of the Church?" I. G. Greer.
Tuesday?"Loyalty of Every Baptist
to His Church and Denomination,"
Smith Hagaman.
Wednesday?"Why Ilavo an Enlistment
Program in Our Country
Churches," Roy Dotson.
Thursday?"The Bible Plats of Financing
the Church," J. A McKaughan.
Friday?The young people will
render a stewardship playlet.
This movement was started at the
Southern Baptist Convention in Birmingham
last spring. It was also presented,
discussed and approved at the
recent Three Forks Association, and
a committee of nine was appointed
to help organize the churches and to
arrange for the schools. The committee
desires the full support of
executive committee, pastols And
church leaders in this" progressive
step of the association. v;'
ffiSB&Vn*
AGED COUPLE JOINED IN
MARRIAGE AT BLOWING ROCK
An unusual wedding was recently
celebrated at Blowing Rock, the contracting
parties being J. H. Green,
Esquire, of Blowing Rock, and Mrs.;
George Pearson, of Valmead. Mr.
Greene says he is 82 years old, tho*
he looks to be about 60, and his bride j
is 60, and looks much younger. Rev. |
Roy Pitts of Blowing Rock officiated j
at the marriage, which was conduct-1
cd at his home in the presence of a
few intimate friends. The newly mar-!
ried pair are happy in the neat new |
cottage erected by the bridegroomin
Blowing Rock.
An unusual incident connected!
with the match was an unsigned letter
Mr. Greene received recently,
telling him that Mrs. Pearson was a
good housekeeper and would make
him a splendid wife, and suggesting
he go to see her. Acting upon the
advice of the unsigned letter he made
one or two visits to the prospective
bride and matters were so satisfactorily
arranged that he got in his car
and brought her home with him, stopping
by the way to have Mr. Pitts
tie the wedding knot.
Tt is generally agreed that the writer
of the anonymous letter did both
the parties a good turn.?Caldwell
Record.
jFive-to-Five Store
Adds Shoe Department
Announcement is made of Lhe opening
of a modern shoe department!
in connection with the Five-to-Fivc;
Store, and Mr. Roy Keplar, expert i
shoe fitter and stylist, of Chattanooga.,
Tenn., has been placed in charge.
me petition wiucn separated the original
store from the quarters heretofore
used by he J. & E. Store has
been removed and twice the floor
space is available for the enlarged
business.
Manager J. B. Brewer believes the
! line of Central Shoes which are be
ing stocked provides more for the
money and that the styles and pati
terns arc distinctly in the forefront.
A formal announcement of the openi
Is -- "ew department, together
with other inducements for visiting
. the popular store, will be found on
page three of The Democra today.
i
i TEACHERS MEETING IN BOONE
! ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9
i Superintendent Smith Hagaman
; announces there will be a teachers
: meeting in the demonstration school
- building in Boone on November 9th,
beginning at 10 o'clock. Thi3 meeting
; will be attended by a state worker
f) and every teacher is expected to at
J tend. Schools teaching on Monday
-1 ?pi evnerted to teach on Sati"
(aay instead for that week.
Best Interests of Northwe
UBOLIKA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
MRS. PHILIP GREET
DIES AT ZIONVILLE
HOME ON THURSD'Y
Well Known and Beloved Lady Succumbs
to Long Illness. Was 83
Years Old. Had Lived in Watauga
More Than Half a Century. Funeral
Services Friday at Zlonville
Church. Eight Children Survive.
Mrs. Philip Greer. 83-year-old citizen
of the Zionville community,
passed away at her home there last
Thursday after an illness which extended
over several months. The direct
cause of her demise could likely
be attributed principally to the
natural infirmities which come with
advanced age.
Funeral services were conducted
from the Zionville Baptist Church
Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock, by her
pastor. the Pev. It. C. Eggers, who
was assisted in the rites by Rev. P. I
A. Hicks, pastor of the Baptist j
Church at Boone, and interment was j
j in the beautiful cemetery hard by the I
| house of wovship. An unusually large
concourse of sorrowing friends and
relatives gathered to pay their respects
to the memory of the departed
friend and neighbor and the flo- .
ral offerings were profuse and beautiful.
Surviving are the husband and
eight children: Dr. Frank Greer of
Mabel; Mrs. J. F. Reten of Denver,
Colorado, A. J. Greer of Yankton, ,
South Dakota; TV". C-, I. G. and T.
Milt Greer of Boone? Mrs. C. A.I*
Greer, ZionviUe. and H. F. Greer,
Morgonton. AH were present except c
A. J'. Greer of South Dakota. i
Mrs. Greer was horn in Ashe County
near Todd in the year 1818, later J
moved to Pike County, Kentucky
where she was married to Mr. Phil- 5
lip Greer on November 16, 1864. The ^
latter was also bora in Ashe County, .
and they would have been married .
07 years in one month from the datcof
the funeral. The happy couple returned
to Watauga >n 1878, where
they had lived since. Ton children ?
were born, two of whom died in t
childhood, the others having estab- ^
lished themselves as fine ar.d use- ,
ful citizens in their several lccali- >
ties. , I
Mrs. Greer was affectionately
known throughout this section as '
"MaMjuj. Greet," opd for fifty-two .
years Watauga had been blessed with:'
her citizenship. For 63 years she hnd c
Been a consistent member of the Baptist
Church, and her long life of
Christian service has been a constant
inspiration to the community in which .
she lived. Watauga generally joins
with "Uncle Philip" and the children ?
in their sorrow. J
f
Home Coming Day at
Boone M. E. Church r
i
Sunday will be home coming 1
dav at. thp Rnrtnf Mothniiict t'.liHrp'n 1
an*1 all members and friends of the t
church are invited to attend the ser- *
vices. [
At the Sunday school hour there I
will be a special program honoring 1
childhood and youth. Parents of chil- <
dren will be especially interested in i
this service. J
At eleven o'clock the service will <
be a Harvest Home program, and the
decorations will be products of field (
and forest. '*
Dr. O. J. Chandler will preach the <
3ermon and special music will be ren- <
dered by the choir.
R. DON LAWS TO SPEAK AT
DEEP GAP ON OCT. 31 j
"High Lights of History" is the !
subject of a lecture which will be de- |
livered by R. Don Laws, well-known ^
editor, at the Deep Gap Consolidated
School Building on Saturday evening, {
October 31. The event is sponsored ^
by the Odd Fellows of that place and ^
it is stated that a program of string (
music will precede the introduction 1
of Mr. Laws, who will present inter
esting facts throughout the history t
of the world from the creation to
the present time. The address has ,
met with wide favor at other places,
it is pointed out, and those sponsor-1 j
ing the occasion believe that a fulll
house will welcome the Moravian
Falls Journalist His discourse is nonpolitical
and the proceeds from the!
sale of ticketa will be used for the
furtherance of the Odd Fellow work.
DIRECTOR OF RURAL SCHOOL
SURVEY VISITS MOUNTAINS
Dr. Fannie W. Dunn, department
of Rural Education, Teachers College,
Columbia Univeraiiy, who is directing
the survey of rural schools in the
Appalachian section, spent Monday
night at Lees-McRae College, Banner
Elk, coming there from Asheville via.
Crossnore. She spoke to the faculties
of Lees-McRae and the Banner Elk
Graded School in the library of the
college, discussing the problems, educational
and otherwise, which are
confronting the mountain section today.
Dr. Dunn finds the mountain
region in much better shape to face
the winter than almost any other
section, as it is producing within itself
the things necessary to its own
living.
SL'fs
111~l| nl JiHrIIInikffTjV
st North Carolina
, 1931
New Lord Mayor J
% Maurice Jenks, shown in a nier
L.on<2on aiaerman's robes, is the latest
successor of Dick Whittington?whc
was "made" by a cat
FAMEDNEW YORK
JOURNALIST HERE
Jr. John Huston Finley Journeys to
Carolina to Visit Relatives and
View Boone Trail. Offspring
of Pioneer Stock.
Dr. John Huston Finley, one of
America's foremost educators, author
ind editor, spent several hours in
Joone Wednesday, en route to Tus:ulum
College in Tennessee where he
lelivered a lecture in the evening.
[Tie noted New Yorker has spent the
?ast several days visiting the "Finey
Clan'' in Wilkes and Caldwell
ounties, distant relatives, and lookng
over the Boone Trail Highway,
is ancestors having followed the inrepid
woodsman, Boone, over the
vitderness Koad to Kentucky.
Dr. Finlev is a native of Illinois, i
ifd possesses degrees from twenty-'
ne American colleges. From 1889
o 1892 he was secretary of the,
Itate Charities Aid Association of |
Tew York and editor of "Charities1
teview." From 1892 to 1899 he was
iresident of Knox College and in
899 editor of Harper's Weekly. He
iraa professor of politics at Princedri,
1900-03; president of the Colege
of the City of New York,. 19033;
commissioner of education of the
State of Now York, and has been asociate
editor of the New York Times
ince 1921.
Dr. Finley was Harvard Exchange
ecturer on the Hyde Foundation,
t The Sorbonne, Paris, 1910-11; he
s a trustee of the New York Public
.library, Sage Foundation and of
Cnox and Berea Colleges.
In 1918 he was a member of the
American Army Edurational Comnittee
in France, and in 51918-19,
lead of the American Red Cross in
'alestine and the Near East. A monj>
lis many decorations are: Order of
he Rising Sun (Japane?e), Knight,
-egion of Honor (French), Comm&nler
Order of the Crown of Italy,
Cnight of the Holy ,Sepulchre, Comnander
Order of St. Sava (Serbian),
Dommandre Polonia Restituta (Polsh),
Commander Order of the White
/ <?;?, r\~
ler of St. Olnf (Norwegian).
From 1921 to 1925 Dr. Finley was
diairman on International Justice
md Goodwill, Federal Churches of
Dhrist in America. He is president
>f the Immigrant Education Council,
STational Child Welfare Association,
md American Geographic Society;
rice-president of National Institute
if Arts and Letters and National
Recreation and Playground Associaion
and National Institute of Social
Sciences; honorary president Ameri:on
Association of Teachers ol
French; member of American Acad*
;my of Arts and Letters, National
Council of Boy Scouts, and various
welfare and educational organiza:ions.
He is editor of "Nelson's Encyclopedia,"
and author of several
Dooks including "French Schools in
War Time," "A Pilgrim in Pales-ine,"
"The Debt Eternal," and "The
French in the Heart of America,"
which was crowned by the Academic
Francaise and awarded a gold medal
l>y the Geographic Society of Paris.
Dr. Finley is enjoying his stay ir
the mountains, and praises the pro
gressive ideas and modern method;
which are fast bringing the Southerr
highlands into national recognition
He Was accompanied to Boone by Mr
ana Mrs. Rufus Gwynn of Ler.oir.
Len Hagaman Wins
College Loving Cup
Len D. Hagaman, son of Count;
Superintendent Smith Hagaman o:
Boone, was presented a loving cup a
Wake Forest College last Monda;
night, in recognition of his bavin;
made the highest grade in chemistr;
at that institution last year. Th
award came from he Gamma Sigm
Epsilon Chemical Fraternity, and i
given each year to the sophomor
making the highest mark during th
previous year.
Young Mr. II agar nan has also bee
honored by having been chosen as on
of thirty-five members 0' lis year'
debating squad.
J1.50 FEF. YEAR
Industrial bank"
to be organized
in this county
Will Take the Place of Peoples Bank
and Trust Company. Ten Thousand
Dollars in Additional Stock Issued.
Charter Applied for. New Institution
Will Specialize in Savings Accounts
and Instalment Loans.
The Peoples Bank and Trust Company,
of Boone, which for the past
thirteen years has been a strong factor
in the financial affairs of Watauga,
is being converted into an industrial
institution, specializing in
savings deposits, convenient instalment
loans and the handling of commercial
paper. A statement issued
Monday by the board of directors
) follows:
For some years many of the husi
ness men of Watauga have felt the
growing need for an industrial bank
in .the county. Since this need has
grown to be almost a necessity, it
has been unanimously decided by the
stockholders and directors of the
Peoples Bank and Trust Company of
Boone to convert this bank into an
industrial institution which shall be
known as the Peoples Industrial
Bank, and thereby much better serve
the interests of depositors and those
needing to borrow money.
Stock in the Peoples Bank will be
converted into stock in the industrial
bank, and $10,000 of new stock
will be added; in fact, it has already
been subscribed. More stock has been
spoken for than will be offered for
sale. This new capital will give additional
credit and working capital.
Practically all savings and deposit
accounts in the Peoples Bank have
been transferred to this new institution.
This new bank will make a specialty
of handling time and savings
deposits, lending money on easy instalment
payments, and handling
commercial paper.
This is expected to be a long forward
step in the business affairs of
the county. The Watauga County
Bank has recently made large additions
to its capital stock, thereby increasing
its capacity to serve the interests
of the section.
Hagaman Urges School
Boards to Observe Law
Due to confusion -which has heen
brought about by individual school
committeemen in Watauga promising
employment to tencher3, Superintendent
Smith Hagamnn has issued the
following statement, directed to the
various boards:
"The law requires school committeemen
to organize by electing a
chairman and secretary, and al30 to
hold a meeting for the purpose of
hiring teachers.
"A great deal of confusion has
arisen by committeemen signing contracts
or making promises to teachers
without a conference with the other
I members of their committee. I am
strongly urging the several committees
not to employ teachers except
in a called meeting for that purpose,
so that teachers and other patrons
may have a chance to he heard.
"A committeeman whose time expires
next April would not hnve a :
legal right to make contracts for
next year until thev are reappointed."
i PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATION
;j ORGANIZED AT COVE CREEK
II The patrons and teachers of Cove
-j Creek High School met at the home
11 economics buildimr on Fridav. O'cto
ber 1G, for the purpose of organizing
a Parent-Teacher Association.
large number of parents was present
> and the following program was given:
> Devotional by Rev. H. M. Wellman;
song by grade children; "What Oth
er Associations Have Done," by Miss
I Bouchclle, teacher of the Demonstration
School at Boone; "How Teachers
Can Help Parents," by Supcrm;
tendent Smith Hagaman; "How the
! Parents Can Help the Teachers," by
;J. B. Horton; "The Ways in Which
I the P. T. A. Can Help Cove Creek
High School," by Mrs. S. F. Horton.
1 At the conclusion of the nrofirram
' the following: officers Were elected:
5 President, Mrs. Coy Billings; vice1
president, Mrs. Stanley A. Harris;
treasurer, Mrs. O. J. Harman; secretary,
Blanche Stokes.
Refreshments were served hy Miss
Dougherty and members of her class.
WILL ROGERS FILM HERE
>j NEXT MONDAY-TUESDAY
7 "Will Rogers, Americas' fsrhrnerf_ ,
f comedian, more aptly termed as the
t "Ambassador of Good Cheer," will
J headline the program at the Pastime
X Theatre next week when he will ap7
pear on Monday and Tuesday in his
c latest stellar role, "Young as You
a Feel."
s Rogers is siid to present a dise
tinctly different figure in his newly
e accnired finery, handling sticks,
gloves and other gentlemanly aceesn
series which he has heretofore
c scu, .,ed, and the filming is unquess
I tionably as mirth-provoking aa any
lof his former triumphs. -