Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Sept. 20, 1908, edition 1 / Page 16
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CHARLOTTE DAILY OBSERVER, SEPTEMBER 20, 1DC3. 4i OLD FOURTH CREEK CONGREGATION "The evening shadows are gathering ' cue la tne oak grove, part or -me fore primeval." around old Fourth Creek meeting house. The stillness . Intensifies tht murmur of the water , as It flows from the beautiful old . (meeting bouse spring at the foot of the hill On meeting days for ten f miles in every direction, men, women -' and children came to drink of its crys tal depths and pass up the hill to . worship. A few hundred yards north of the Y eprlng lives Fergus Sloan, one of the first settlers, and there we must hast-j en ere tho darkness descends. ! The hallroom is filled with dancing I ny, ."and site was that little black headed baby born in Fort Dobbs. Did anybody ever!" "Tea, good Aunt Rachel now, and still handsome as she is good," said great-grandmother, "but I remember well the night she was born In Fort Dobbs." GREAT-GRANDMOTHER'S UXES. Great-grandfather bade old Ireland good-bye some thirty years ago across the wide ocean to Pennsylva nia and down the "Grand Road" he came, and here on this lonely fron tier near Fourth Creek he built his Iav rt V. n 1 lit,! Iota, Vl A trmvm t Vl .h.dows from the blazing backlog asj an'd he.p.d hew the logs for the family cpme in from the new cook Fourth rr.ekPmcetln, houM. nuuse vinere inry nave jom nnwnra, T. a v. . ,nA n. wlth between the beam and the gears hand Ing "the chain" through thread , by thread fqr great-grandmother to tie in pwuvd, ana wnen tne a ays worn ia done how tired they are! But the loom js ia order for weaving. . Beginning 'with a few straws and coarse . thread great-grandmother oon as her jlnen-fllted-shuttle flying through with a "swish," the treadle coming down with a "sip" and it la wlh-slp" the day through, for Isn't she making . Sunday-meeting ' clothes for her men folks f , The very finest of her thread great- grandmother bleaches and with flax "chain" as well as "filling" weave a bit of dainty linen that each daughter may have her treasured snowy apron laid away in triangular folds mid the sweet old garden herbs or the clothe chest, to be brought forth only on I state occasions meeting days, wed ding and funeral. In thLs cheat are her sacred linen sheets .and counter pane woven in her young days. The counterpane ia stamped with a wreath of pinks, done by the Mora vlan when great-grandfather went to- Salem and brought home the tall clock ticking by the hall door. v Of the coarse (tow thread great grandmother weaves working clothes for her men. every-day clothes for summer. They are nice and soft, easi ly washed, and last. Little does great grandmother think as she weaves the soft tow cloth that this is her son John's shroud, and yet In a suit of homespun flax be goes forth nor does he return Instead he sleeps, he If sleeping on the hillside at Ramsour'e, where he fell that June aay in nso. and great-grandmother's loom is si lent. M. H. E. a Scotch-Irish supper of mush and tnllk, great grandfather- having had. as an aftermath, a delectable bowl of delicious "scrapings" not scorch ing, beloved, but nice, tender, brown "scrapings," for great-grandmother knows how to cook mush and well cooked mush make? brawn and brain as America's Scotch-Irish record tes tifies. "Throw on some lightwood, John ny all these shadows make me feci creepy when we are thinking about the days the Indians were here," said great-gran d mother. "Hurry awi kIvc me nme cotton t.i need and Wi pet tn -work so granny will tell us ahniit that baby born in Fort Dobbs," ;u,l Jhs, ami soon the blazing p.ne knot show a larg' mi-circle busy workers making the cittun seed fl : "Well. n ( re r -adv. but t' 11 me what e)id muka m call it Fort Dauby for? Reran-.- tor.k sm li 1.1k daub-' of red mud to clunk tho cracks.'' piped the wide-eyed grandchild. "Did anybody ver! Nut t know I many dangers braved always with i tne meeting house as a refuge from the darts of the Evil One and Fort Dobbs as a defense against the Red Man's scalping knife. j On this bright spring mornlngi Esim&dles IF EaAkig Address of Mr. Charles N. Evans. rreat-grandfather Is sowing his fresh- cashier of the Southern National ly plowed patch with flaxseed. When Rank, of Wilmington, delivered before he has strewn the seed he takes aj the Maryland Bankers' Association In brush and covers them lightly with , convention at Baltimore laat week: svft earth, then leave, them for sun-i Mr President, Gentlemen of the shine and shower to do the rest. I Maryiand Bankers' Arsoclatlon: slender, each crowned with a circle I am sensible to the compliment I of green tendrils bearing blue flow-1 conveyed me In an invitation to ad . rs. In time the flowers give place to dress the Maryland Bankers' Assocla-seed-pods and thin is the merriest tion and tne privilege of choosing till.' Ui Mil. l ri lirillk;M lOUn OIl'i i , . . . . , , , . I . . lasses gather to have a ' flax-pulling." j uWct 18 an " obligation. The flax Is pulled (root and all) and ( Naturally bankers' conventions are locked many a lass seeming shock-1 made occasions for the elucidation i '. d by the bold words of some blue-o intrlca.te problems of finance, and iven n oirnman, lor nil noi jeems not Milligan woo Mary Hill at the "flax luilllng" last fall? And by and by did she not sedately mount the upplng l lock and sit decorously behind him while he turned his horse across the: little Yadkin? these arc usually discussed by men of experience and renown Jn all that concerns our banking systems. If. therefore, the task were before me to take up such questions as govern- that as pleased an cranm is with teli In the tale Whv hnn, v it , . . .,f,u, hrin.. hi mental guarantee of bank deposits, named for the lov, rn-.r U u- Ar-Iax Into the drying house where the the postal saving bank idea, the thur Dobbs IK cam. all the wav up see,; i, beaten out and then the bare emergency currency law, or othei here from ,nvl rn to select the 1 M.i!k- are spread In rows outside for uch problems which now disturb the place. Mighty fine he was in his now-. ,h,. elements to do their cart. equilibrium of our polltlcul menus, 1ered wig and velvet c lothes trimmed i After several months the woody with gold la'- your granny wave hlrni part has rotted sufficiently for the milk from her own spring h ix. i flax to be taken to ' the brake ." and this brings busy days, the "whack.' "hack, whack" of the "v"-Hhaied teeth lilllng the air all da- long. j From "the brak-" the Max passes to the "scutching knife" where all tho rough parts are scraped and cut off. anil then It Is ready for "the hatchel With a sweep of In hand he sail My good woman, this K erv fine tnllk 1 am phas-d to h;ce suc h com petent and industrious people settle on m lands' Don't i;et too proud, tho', honey, for granny Is sure he thought hi wan made of better clav than she was and mnvhc so mavt.c I reckon there is a heap of Krit In this Scotch -Irish kind I reckon so." and great-grandmother chuckled knowingly "Covernor Dobbs found that out before- he died but we thank ed God and the Governor, too, f.ip the fort 1 am sure " It was the summer of 1?.',.' the 5overnor came and chose- the hill near the springs about two mile north of here ns the best place- for Captain AVndd.M to Jmlld the fort. As the Governor went home he ca(led the militia out at the Yadkin and fixed places for the in to meet so they could help Captain TV.iddeli and then he went on back to XV w hern and Captain Waddeil an. I his com pany came hack and writ to work building the fort The way they hauled bip oak loys and worked! But in a little while they had a heuse nearly three times as high as this house how high was the fort, father'.' About :: fe-et? Yes. and four or five times as big. oiv many feet did yeu say? About 4 0x,r,n feet. Yes, well there were crowds of us In there I know Then there were I should more truly feel out .of place in appearing before so distinguished an assemblage as the Maryland Hankers' Association. It ha occurred to me more than once, however, that too mucn lime is gien In our banking associations to ciiscussions of these and kindred prop ositions which, for final settlement, must go before the halls of Congress. Ing" or (-limbing. Great-grandfather Is on duty now. The combings (tow are gathered In bunches first, snd then the finer fibres are wemnd on home made distaffs nd great-grHndmoth'-r Is ready to begin he r spinning Day be day her spinning wheel's "wh-r-r-r" makes melody as the- long fibres tire spun Into fine thread anil the tow Into coarse The thread Is rec led into hanks w hic h must be we t before It Is stretched on the winding blade and wound op short cane fUills that fit the- shuttle. This being done, great grandmother's flax "filling" is ready for the; loom I Those of you who pondered the pages of The Congressional Record the past Ing, long drawn battle, the result of which ignored the American Bankers I Association ana nnuiiy evoivea inai ! ponderous, useless piece of machinery Known as the- clearing housu asset currency measure, can well appreciate the fact that more time should be given to a consideration of those simple, practical matters which con cern our everyday life as bankers. With this thought In mind, and reading some time ago that one of our gnat liners, freighted with lives and commerce, was held on and con vince early fall her night work has sid.-rahly delayed by barnacles at taching the mselves to her bottom, and knowing, too. that many of our linancial raft had to go Into dry clock during the late unpleasantness and remain there for a general scrap ing. I thought to speak to you of "Barnacles in Hanking" DEFINITION OF HA RNACLEB, AS APPLIED. Defining the word barnacle, tho Century dictionary among many def inltlerns says: "Any anomalous three floors In it and port holes for ai know it is sivteen ve:.r a to.nlo-ht Kfowth. or e xtraneous adhering mat- hundred muskets. since we had the fight nt ,er "r arranK,,m,'nt. tending to 1m- Captain W'addeii had about fifty' Kort Dohhs?" "This is the t wen- , progress." men and they were not long In build - ty-seventh of February sure! There seems a strong analogy be ing the fort, and w hen the agons 1 rnmirli." said ffri-ut-irninrt father t f ween the sea barnacles which quick- came hack from NVwbern with th- "Tell us about it nil over again! muskets and fror, Charles Town with yu haven't told us in a long time."! the powder and b ad we began to fe. ,-hlmed se veral voices, a little bit safe Wi ll, father there wnnts to hear AVe had been hnvlng a good many it again. I see by the twinkle of his ( been seeding cotton, the hearth being, , 1 1 1 1 i n -, I by a row of cotton drying. ; All tin- family help and It la supposed I eac h one will pick his or her shoe 1 full. These are unsettled times, the world bi-lng full of "rumors of war," and, as the great bac k log glows In tin- huge fireplace, the latest news Is discussed Great-grandmother sits listening but with attention evidently divided between them and some- mem-1 ory, finally saying, "Children, eo you cares from the Indians and since there was a war thy were ge-ttlng worse. The king was fighting some body the French, you sav. father? Yes, the king was fighting the Fn rich omewhere and they were- putting meanness In the- Indians n If the-v didn't have more than their share al ready. Sei the Indians kept us run ning backward and forward to the fort all winter, for it m me el like the y Were up to some thing smnrv, here a, I the time We hadn't heard or seen nijvthlnc for a good bit till one windy Miroh evening In Kr.H I ha, Just linNh-d milking and was starting to tin- house with my pails when who shoul.i see but Joseph Davidson and lis wife Farah corning up the Ian' - Sat ah riding their grav m;:r-- and Jo walk ing by lor linking f-r all the worl I like the pie-tot in j),,. nihil- of Joseph an-l Marv on their way to Bethlehem t'i h tax.d except Jc, had his flintlock and looked a little p'arter than the picture I s-t down my pa!:s and w.-'it out to meet th'-m. "G ,.;...,y. to, h !e u ;-. ! won't you licht and e-oru- in"" 1 "1 gU' s.s not. Aunt Ann, . but I though! we',) eonie by and t. veil the Indians are o it down 1, ', , -. hi re and may be ou d a!! K" "n i,'.cr t the for: with us" An I that's a hat 1 we di' Fath-r ha I us r- ad m n i time and we v. i r. msiiie the fort lie . I fore It was good dark -and before I morning there was a little bai.v there! ad.-d baby I .-v-r! a n I more- b air t ha n I baby I She eMn t :ike be-ir.v b.,rn In a fort at iH and made it known to th", neighborhood My: but she cry. I did everything I ,-ver heard 1 and' all the othe-r om.-n tried tli' lr hande hut she cried r!i,-ht on Captain Wa 1 ; deell iicid s'm whs deiinic It to ecare til Indians a wav and that he would call Jier his lue kv Mur. for he km-.v the Jndianj woul In't nttaek us with all' that whooping going on Inside. In a few days he quitted down when nhe had more to e at and from then on every soldi! r of the fort claimed her and she spent about half Of hr time there till she was four or lve years -Id, for the Ineians he,ther d us until that war with the French wa over. -the blackest I, saw. I do Ik lleve, They named her Rachel and when as the whiops. yells, screams, g ha grew t catch up with her hair 'and firing guns Intermingled; prei7 uiacn tariy nalr she was a mighty pretty child, she made a hand ome woman and what Is better a good one, for i-he's her preacher's right-band help in all his work he always counts on "Aunt Kachei" and little Gabriel" and every man, wom an and child In Fourth Creek congre. ; gatloa has a record of some gooi done by her. If a big congregation, too. Why, the map "lawyer, Billy Rharpe" 4rw l 1771, put down 19 families and not ?i of them had less than mix children and most had nigh a efloaen- how many mors there ar now, I can't say. but Rachel knows very one of them. - "Bat Rachel who granny? What her mme now, ail d where doe he live?- "Wby. rfrti ail know where Aunt Rachel Watt llvea. "Aunt Rachel Watts! said Joha- eyes he hasn't hearel it many times. o as I feel In the mood, I'll humor him." with a quaint little look at g rent-grandfather. "God was remembering us when Governor Dobbs built that f t for us My, mj, what a terrible- -winter ITf.O was! Murder and scalping on very side-; On,, time we'd hear thev'd killed John Davidson and his wife. Nape y Hrevarel. up on the headwaters of the Catawba but I've heard tiny oe rlooked the baby strange thing for Indians to lo Fergus, did you ever bear anybody say who took Nancy's babv? I'd like- to know what be, a -lie of he-r c hild " "No I had it in mind to nsk TJob Hre werd the la.st time saw him. but le t it slip. I'd like to know was a good fr!e-nd of mln Hire young," said great -grand fat her. "Anyw ay, Nancy's baby farexj bet -1 ter tnon poor John Gracv's. for thev fc;lln-d hi- wife and killed the tw I'M!.- children. J'e.,r little babies: It was .In-' awful t" smash the-lr brains out that wav Just awful." and.Rreat-, ! mandnii-th. r's horror and grief all aice bark afresh "Hut when thev sealpc-d my brother Hichard, I felt, !", it a-" i ri time next, sure enough. 1'i.ir o, lather. You know, honey, father started Hleharl to mill unci in ! a little biylu re came the horse enU ' j l-pl"t back without Klchard. Tiny' I .hurried to find him, but fathe r had, ; hist time to take him in his arms and i pray a little prayer and the poor hoy 1 "as dead They had taken five scalps ! from hM lvad That was the third of ! February, 1 760. and the next worl was that th.- Indians were in war paint a nd we hurried to the fort.i ; ''oloTn l Wa.ldell took good care of us. 1 it we hadn't been there long when 'ne night the- dogs kept howling and ; I'oi.-tiel Wadde-ll thought then- were Indians down nur the spring." and I i. re at-grnndmother's eyes shine as she i ti lis how with Ilohert there n baby In 'her arms and John and Klliabeth' ellniiing to her skirts, she n.-eped through a port hole Cmunken and watched Colone Waddc-11 and ten men1 march towards the spring and how !n the dim light It seemeeV a thousand Indians cume out to meet them, and i while she was watching them blood-curdling war-whoops ns other Indians attacked the fort her terror roans how the Indians were repulsed, and how- she helped tend the wounded, hHplng dress Hob Campbells scalped head: the dread as the sun went down and the shadows gathered, ever shadow ly fast'-n upon. impede and often cause the loss of our ocean vessels, and those barnacles n business life, Including both men and methods which, if not repelled, eagerly Insin uate their prese nce- Into the strong holds of our bank, curtailing their usefulness and frequently bringing them to a dead stand. GAItKLKSS XBWSI'APEU REPORTS Tlnre Is one barnacle from which we- all suffer, whether It fastens dl le etly upon your bank or my own. It comes In the person of the Injudicious m wspaper writer, of fanciful and sensational mind, who, while relegat ing ti modest and restricted space th" mention of other financial news of distressing nature, even of greater Import, throws out to a waiting world. In scan- headline, all hanking Intelligence- cif a disturbing character, while? even the country prints, In sections entirely remote, take up the refrain too John i '"u" sow ing broadcast those seeds of whe-n we discontent and loss of confidence wnn-n find fruition in the withdrawal of deposits from solvent Institutions. The familiar caption: "Another Hank 'loses Its Doors!" "A Cashier Sul i Ides!" although relating in most cases to small banks, located, or-lncl-de nts occurring perhaps a thou sand miles distant anil In no wise connected with either the business or social life of his commu nity, are heavily dlsplnj'ed. and In dangerous proximity to your paid ad- e rt Nome-nt In which you are vainly seeking to dislodge the stocking funds of your fellow citizens! Be It far from me. Mr president, to advocate a sub sidized or censored press, but cer tainly there Is occasion for better dls-cr- tlon In this Important matter, re. memb.-rlng that all banks look alike, to some pee-ple. HAKNACLKS INSIDE THE BANTC. 1'eshups I may get closer to my subject hy giving reference to a class whom we- find behind, rather than In front of our banking counters, for un; doubterlly our barnacles, differing from those which attack the ships, are not all on the outside. Perhaps, yen In the fair city of Baltimore, with Its progressive and wide awake banking institutions, there may b some who, figuratively speaking, still decry the use of electric HKhts on their desks, and Incline to the tallow candles of our grandfathers. These are barnacles, in the sense that, while thi(ithey do not wreck or destroy, and upnil mo tunuarj may w c inni:u with the unwise servant of biblical parable who returned hi talent In tact, yet their nbhorence of modern systems, their tenacious clinging to old and cumbersome methods, un doubtedly serve to deter from ad vancement institution with which they are Identified. may be classed a a chameleon which disseminate color to Its surroundings, rather than lmblbes'ot or blend with the natural ordelr of things. Thus, easily, Insidiously, the whole atmos phere of that bank reflects and gives forth the temperature of the exec utive offices, and callers are loath to enter therein without figuratively pulling up their coat collars. The mod ern bank. In my opinion, should be one In which there is brightness and congeniality of spirit pervading every department, and there should be an atmosphere of Interested and pleasant attention throughout, even in discour aging or declining men or measures which we do not approve. PROMOTERS. POLITICIANS AND MAXTTFACTURKR8 AS BANKING OFFICERS. Here follows a train of historical obituary In the banking field. How often the new banks, eager to acquire Influence and business, with light regard to the value of experience and training In financial and banking affairs, place In offices of authority men whose special fitness begins and ends with their ability to command money through political Influence, their patent skill In persuasive force, or more often because of their con trol of large manufacturing and In dustrial Interests. I'ndoubtedly we should choose our directors from that class of successful and practical busi ness and professional men who have acquired success through personal ef fort and personal merit. The Judgment and counsel of such men are practi cally necessary In the matter of di recting the hanking Interests of our country In making Investments and loans, bdt Is It not the part of wis dom that their station should go no higher In the bank than the direc tor's chair, and that their delihera tlons and conclusions should pass fi nally under the critical and experi enced Judgme nt of a htyiklng officer who earns practically his entire live lihood In the practice of his vocation, one whose salary and dividends from the bank In which he Is Interested de pend upon the success of the Institu tion. Should we not favor, always, aa candidates for the higher offices of our banks, those men who have de voted their lives to a study of the business, and possess a reasonable faculty for Judging not only the safe ty of the proposition as It comes up. hut whether, as well. It Is a wise use, In circle in .which-th' business opportunity Is nli -.. - 1 will not trespass further upon the time or this convention, Mr. Presi dent, by enumerating a multitude of otner ills which "beset the banker In tne current of hi business life: you gentlemen are quite a familiar with them as I. and.it only remains for me to thank you. again for affording me opportuunlty to mingle with you upon this -delightful occasion. We, of North Carolina. - feel 'closely drawn (sometimes overdrawn, to the banks pi .Baiumore, ana among other debts now owing is added one of gratitude for the compliment paid me in your invitation, wnen it came, my mind reverted to the famllllar story of an old negro who was leaning Indolently at tne corner of a country , store, waiting for It to open. A drummer drove up, and desiring to pay and dis miss his driver, was unable to make the proper change. Noting the pres ence of the old man, the drummer ap proached and said: "Uncle, can yon give me change for this 'Ave dollar note?" The old negro, with a discon certed smile, dropped his head slight ly and raising his hand answered: "Five dollars? Hve dollars. Boss? Why God bless me, sir, it's bin menny r day since I seen five dollars, but I thank you, boss, for the compli mlnt. Jus' de same." ' The Fine EsftaHe '. lesson of much importance. In' all. hi estate comprises at - the present time over 100,000 acres of which fully 11 per cent. Is tree covered. The Bureau of Forestry Is In charge of Pr. Carlos Schenck, who has complete control- of these enormous ' timber tract anl uoerviaa the r-utt1nr of the timber, the ' removal ' of under- heard a pea of thunder or had seen FABIUS HAYWOOD BUSBEE- ervou us -announcement in i the morning papers of the death of I Mr. Bubee, n was as sudden and i unexpected -a shock to me as If i had. . I Day Allen Wiley in The Tradesman. About twenty years ago a man who ha been called a multi-millionaire went down Into North Carolina, "lie visited Ashevllle and the country round about and a a result has since then expended about 20 million dol lar In this country, strange as It may eem the money has been paid principally for forest covered hills, worn out plantation land and for what -the ordfnary observer would consider worthless wilderness coun try where tho timber Is so poor that it Is hardly worth cutting for Are wood. These are some of tho reasons ,why the estate owned by George W. Vanderbllt in North Carolina has .been called his "folly." Some of the northern newspapershave referred to it as a fad and a form of extrava gance. The fact of the matter Is, however, that the venture of Mr. Van derbilt has not only been successful from a business and financial stand poi bnt he has given the Southern peo ple in general an object leeaon In ag riculture and rural life which In It self Is worth fur more to the public than tho fortune which, he has in vested.' Hlltmore, as It is generally known, has Indeed been created from one of the most desolato portions of the South. The few tracts of land culti vated before Mr. Vanderbllt took possession were principally along tho T-lt-iii- Vwirtrbmc finH In th vu lleva- where- the farmers managed to exist by rals- the walls are principally composed of Inir a tew hotis and t)latlnK corn and ! a combination of stucco and plaster occasionally some vegetables. The ! Placed upon a frame' work of wood hillsides were covered with earth so ' and wire The stucco Is made from Moft and norous that one of the moun- na and secured in me vicini tain rains would frequently cause an evaleiiche of earth from the hllla Into i brush, guards against forest fire and has charge of the operations of re foresting bare -tracts which has be lt gun trpon the estate. In Mount FUgah . forest a large sawmill ia in operation conducted by the bureau which Is turning out a large quanti ty of hard wood as well as pine lum ber which command a profitable price. The (foresters have : already done much work In planting hllUide with trees to vrevent the earth ava lanchea, In beautifying portion of the estate by the planting of trees and shrubs, bnt aa already stated this is also on a business garis ana the In come received from timber and other products pays the expenses of the' bu reau.. It might be added that - the nursery division -has market for Its treea and plant throughout the United States as It makes a specialty of raising vegetables, shrubs, flower Ing plant and young trees both un der glass and in she open. Such are only a ponton of the ac tivities conducted by the various managers. Each has full control, and man are his division aa if h ; owned it. He la considered solely respon slble for the results and, strange a it may seem, the owner of Biltmore ha no more to do with these opera tions than If he were one of the vis itors to the place. He Is extreme ly Interested, however, and when at Biltmore make frequent visit here and there although to cover what la called the Inner estate of 10,000 acrea he must drive over miles of high ways, In addition to the education which Mr, Vandebllt ha been furnishing tne southern people, especially those in Morth Carolina, In agriculture and other industries, through the depart ment of social betterment, he has been teaching them how to make life worth Jiving. This Is noted at once by the visitor who chances to go over any portion of the estate. The model town of Biltmore that he has founded, although picturesque, and provided with the most modern p piicaiices for sanitation as well as street paving, electric lights, walks, etc., is constructed of buildings which, while very artistic in design are com fortable, commodious and provided with bath tubs, closets, range a well as electric lamp. These house are constructed so cheaply, however, that It Is an actual fact that one can be rented If vacant at price ranging from $30 to r0 per month, although they are In appearance and arrange ment equal to the average modern dwlllng In a suburban town. One reason for this Is the cheapness of the material of which they the con structed. While the foundation and some of the exterior may be-of brick. the bottoms. The floods in tho streams at time covered the bottom ianws with a coating of eand ruining them for agricultural purposes. While some of the first growth of timber had been secured, much of the forest was practically untouched. This was the sort of country which Mr. Vanderbllt chose for a country seat. After cutting off the top of a "ik-i'c.-.. wen. iv. en " .... . h..llt temOorarv house and wn beau wr';XVr'h hen Erected ?he Si Thatu ' bu.hea an ty, only the cement being bought. It is a fact that these house can be built and finished at a lower price than the ordinary frame house, while they are much warmer and far more ornamental. Most of the house In Biltmore were built over ten years' ago and are in as good condition to-day as when first erected. It has been ald that Bilt more has no backyards and this U true, for surrounding each house I a lawn beautified with native shrubs. d trees. All garbage and officers with Industrial and manufac turing Interest, promotions and polit ical preferments, and It would seem the part of wisdom to select our bank ing officers from among a class di vorced from active participation In outside business affairs. I'NFAIR AND UNPROFITABLE COMPKT1TION. "Man's Inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn." may he said to apply, In these days, to a trouble which, In the South at least, seems to be growing acute, in the banking business. I refer to unfair competition between banks. Doubt less nothing Is so seriously depleting the profit account of the conservative ly managed Institution to-day than the choosing tn meet unprofitable and often unprofessional facilities offered se are collected dally while rick Ijiw olmstead. the famous land- a already stated, ample sewetage and scape gardener, was employed to lay drainage are provided. Even tho out grounds and roads, to plan the ! church and store building are con beautiful Kenilworth Inn where vis- structed of the same tnaerlal as the ltors might come, and a considerable cottages aa well as the new farm cot portion of the Vanderbllt money was taes seen here and there on the ea expended onwhat may be called the tate. gome of these farm cottage country seat proper. The result was 1 rent for from 13.00 to 14.00 per month although they have five and six rooms each. Such Is a mere brief outline of what one man has done In the South Mr. Vandebllt might have selected many far more desirable locations but was content to try to make civi lization out of a veritable wilderness, cance. He ha attempted to TnaKe mis is precisely wnai ne naa none the portion of North Carolina which ' and Biltmore Is a monument to he owns nay for Itself in agricultural, i foresight, energy and ability of which forestry and other products, and as ; any man might Indeed be pround, for already intimated he ha succeeded it not oniy represents a success from as in nroved bevond contradiction : the standpoint of dollars and cent. by a competitor, rather than surren- i 5y tne records. I but is of inestimable value In proving eler to that competitor some of Its Here and there upon th estate arc I what can be done to improve rural what is undoubtedly the finest rural residence in America and possibly In the world, but while much of the money expended in thla was distrib uted among tfte people in the vicin ity and was thus a benefit to the South, what Mr. Vanderbllt has since deine has been of far greater eignifl- oldest and, until then, most profitable j situated what are called the Biltmore accounts. Why such competition ex-. Farms. All of these farms are under lsts can only be traced to a lack of experience and a failure or Inability to correctly analyze expenses and profits, or, It may truly be said that In many cases there exist such de sire to accumulate business, that gain Is sacrificed and loss knowingly In curred In order that the showing of assets may be large. The Injunction of Benjamin Franklin, "At a great pen nyworth, pause awhile; many are ruined buying bargains," should have the supervision of what might be called a farm manager, who plans the crops, decides upon the live stock and poultry to bo raised and Is en tirely responsible for the preaent con dition of affairs. It I an Interesting fact that until Dr. A. 8. Wheeler as sumed charge. of the Biltmore Farms eleven years ago he had had not practical exeprlence In field or gar den. His career proves that the man who studies agriculture from the the consideration of the depositing! -dentin,, standnoint mav be far more public before banking relation arei nuccessful than the Held worker who chnnged with the sole object In Vlewj may nave had a ife time of such ex of avoiding an honest toll. Clearly our IlrripnCe. Several of the farm are In hanks should give more attention to! charge of tenants who pay their ren the very Important work of analyz-i u, with a certaln percentage of the Ing their accounts and Investments, j orops. Another series of the farms and whenever and whereever this H; arp worked entirely .by employees of done barnacles will show up, ami, ih oiinte. under the sunervislon of should be scraped off. The business public has beere solicited and wrangled with by banks to such an extent that margins of profit on banking trans actions have been beaten down to the minimum, and should It he posslhM for the banking officer of the past, those who- established many time honored Institutions of thl and other arled --clerk and U.tm.llmc. T 1 1 mtA 7n T.M ii I I r:.h0Vhy W"re I respectfully, a big barnacle I. found rlJi VA . f ' .Ut I-0 Ind,an.a,,:K-Hnglng to the executive chair of th. peered, evidently not having liked. b,nk. He of the bent brow and curt rt.C.? I! th' p':,r'ou 'nt tone a man who doe. not know how .u. V.. . much. troubl" afri to op.n his heart to .the lunshlne of the battle, but It was two vears I.e. ne. . .i , i .... fore we felt easy. The Catawba died of smallpox and another great bat tle wa fought ut the Cherokee town, and then ws could take a long breath, but I'm thankful those days are over, mighty thankful, said great-grandmother, with a sleepy etc h. At last th cotton I seeded, spun Into yarn, then d'ed a flaxen hue with cedar bough and warped ready to be wound on the loom' greet beam. Great-grandmother daughter sits life, and does not care to learn, but who meets all caller and all proposi tions with suspicious glance and re pellent deneamor. A man who, by the strength rather than virtue of stock control which he hold In the institu tion, ha attached so long to the seat authority as to feel himself, alone, the pivot around which swings every branch of the delicate machinery. Lit tle wonder there la that his ship labor and doe not keep pace with th fleet, for. reversing th erd.r f nature, be Dr. Wheeler. In addition to rasing certain grains and fodder, a special ty 1 made of live stock and poultry. The dairy farm 1 stocked entirely with high grade Jersey. ' These are kept for the Income which thye will bring either eby selling them or for their dairy product. A record is kept nf the vie lil of milk and butter of cuies. to stand nenind the counters ; every cow, also f the quantity of fod-to-day and witness the Influx of un-i jpr eaten In the course pf a year so profitable transaction which engage taht tne cort vt the cow and her the time and tedious care of high sal- nrA,., 0,n . fbrurer' out to a cent. officers. they, ,, by ,,uon a ytem as this that the dairy business is managed so sue-' cessfully that milk from the Biltmore dairies supplies half of the city of Ashevllle, a community of about 25, 000 people, although the total num ber of cowa m the herd giving milk are lee than ZOO. Only th highest grade poultry Is kept In the chicken yard, and here again a record of the egg product is carefully noted. It may be said that the Biltmore egg brings the highest prices In the home market and that a large number are sent north- Only what is known as the Berkshire hogs ace raised and the Biltmore Farm have one of the finest droves Jn the world, al arge revenue coming from the sale cf registered animal to breeder. Farming operations are conducted only on about 1,000 acrea but the methods of ploughing, seeding, culti vating and harvesting are so eco nomical that the total number of farm hands 1 surprisingly few. An life, to make agriculture in the South successful and to make the life of the great majority of -"Southern people- the planters and farm laborers- worth living. PROPOSKD ROAD CONGRESS. would stand aghast! ' In those day It was somewhat difficult to open a bank account, and each transaction was closely scanned and taxed with a proper cost. Now It Is difficult to escape an ac count, and If the business offered seems reasonably safe, a bank may b found which Is willing to pay the cost. BARNACLES IN BANK ADVERTIS ING. Be It far from me. Mr. President, to disparage dignified, useful adver tising upon th part of our banks, but there seem Just now o many in novation In this line that It Is be coming an Important feature to con sider. Undoubtedly It Is quite as ad vantageous to the banker to advertise hi facilities, a It Is that the merchant and grocer should advertise their store. Recent yeara. however, hav. witnessed a wondrous change In the matter of bank advertisements. and to-day It I constituting one of the heaviest Item In th expense ac count of our InssUutlon. Skilled and diplomatic solicitors have now taken the road, and falling otherwise to In terest you,, bank la pitted against bank, until. In sheer dismay, your contract Is given, fearing that other wise the cobwebs of Inertia may fes toon your door. In the meantime your customers have caught the idea., and you are asked to contribute a card even to simple announcement and programmes Intended for private It Is to Prepare and Discus a BUI to Be Presented to Legislature For s Mate Highway Commission. Correspondence of The Observer. Durham, Sept. 18. Mr. A. P. Gilbert, returning .from Greensboro, tells of a proposed road congree: there In October which he believes will be the greatest step ever taken for the promotion of road-building. The congress will be held October 13th and Invitation are now being printed which disclose the object of the convention In these word: To prepare and discuss a. bill to be pre sented, to the coming Legislature for the establishing of a State highway commission and for such aid to road building as may seem advisable." - Mr. Gilbert explains the object of the congress more minutely. If the bill should be favorably reported In the Legislature and passed as de signed, he declares it will give the road-building of the State a definite centre and a head In the creation of a highway commission, whose ob ject are to advie with different counties; to disseminate Information as to cost' of construction. In short. to establish 'a place' where county officials may obtain the experience and advice or competent road-build. era. It Is hoped" by the passage of th bill to deal witn tne State in convict labor, to nave the State pris oners under the direction of the highway commissioner and with the appropriation of whatever funds can be spared from other usage to pay a small per cent of the expense at tending permanent roads. Mr. Gilbert declare that Virginia has mad an experiment of two years and Is so well pleased with the re sults that she has Increased her ap propriation tenfold. " And Virginia's experience has been that Of every Commonwealth that has tried this plan. a flash of lightning In a clear aky. ' I f tiaAT a.AA M VI. JSM . . . ' V a few month before, and he teemed I; as Z had ever seen him during; hla V life T tlftjl TCA Idea. ' wtun T w ,n.4 his hand-and bade him good-by that ' I Would never see him again, ' nor . hfta i tlia allverv tone flf hlif vetlu - aor watch the merry twinkle of hla : evrL T v want tn nalelrh that I AA MAt mk V la nSS.A n n V. A ,I,m - V mv w v ii,-, uw -final greeted m with a cordial clasp of his hand. 1 had known him so long; and so Intimately, and I had heard ' . my father apeak so often of hla grand mother and hja mother that it teemed he wa a kinsman of mine; and he was so amiable, so gentle In his dis position, so urbane in his manner. . so courteous, so cultured In hla bear ing tlat hme won all hearts to him, and you could not help loving tho man. The grandfather of Mr. Busbee ' on hla maternal side was Jan.ee Fauntelroy Taylor, who wa a native of Chatham county, and born 1791, prepared for college by William Bing ham, graduated at the University in 1810, studied law witn Chief Justice Taylor, licensed In 1812. elected a member of the House of Common from Wake county in 1823. elected Attorney General In 1825, died June, 1828, leaving, a widow and several children. One of his daughters mar ried Perrln Busbee, of Raleigh, an attorney, and at one time reDorter for the Supreme Court He died young and left a widow and several small children to be reared and edu cated. The grandmother. Mrs. Tay lor, was a remarkable woman. Left a widow with several children before she was 27 years old, was a burden that would have crushed most women of such tender years. She applied herself to the task with as firm a resolution a a Spartan mother. Sho opened a private school for -girls and took boarders. My father always boarded with her while he wa a member of the Legislature and a rriember of the convention of 18SS. Judge GastoA boarded with her and died at her house In 1844. My two oldest sisters and my wjfe's mother were pupil In her school. James Y. Joyner. Superintendent of Public In struction, I the youngest on of my oldest sister. With uch associations to bind me It Is natural that I ahould be drawn tenderly towards Mr. Bus bee and feel like paying this humble tribute to hi memory. Mr. Busbee had Just passed the meridian of llfo and was In the full bloom of a vigor ous manhood when he died. The grim monarch of the tomb ever de lights to hurl his remoreless dart at shining mark. Death at all times s terrible, but It Is doubly ao when one 1 cut down In the golden prime or nis manhood. Raakespeare says: "Death lies on her, like an untimely frost Upon the sweetest flower of all the field." So It was with Mr. Busbee. I watch ed his career from the time he grad uated at the University In 1868, when, with the brilliancy pf a meteor, he flashed athwart the" sky and I saw him grow, expand and develop Into a great lawyer. While he had a mind that could grasp the" most profound legal problems, yet he had a vivid Imagination, a poetic sentiment, a re fined taste, and he could sally forth and pluck the richest flowers from the enchanted lands of poetry and rhetoric. To hav the profound in tellect of the philosopher with the sentiment of a poet Is Indeed a happy blending of intellectual powers. In deed I heard a great lawyer say that Mr. Busbee could take a view of legal questions entirely different from th ordinary mind, and while he woulfl make It clear to the court and the Jury yet It was such a view as nobody else would take.' It was a great gift and made him tower above hi fel lows. He was elector for Tllden In 1876 and for Hancock In 1880. I was In Raleigh in December, 1876, and saw him walk In with the other elec tor to cast their vote for the Demo cratic candidate. He wa the young est member of the electoral college, about 27 years old. His rise In his professlgn was rapid. a the first bound he leaped to the front rank and remained there during his life. There was a verjable bar in Raleigh when he began the practice. Governor Bragg, B. F. Moore, E3. G. Haywood and others were at the Raleigh bar at that time. Judge Pearson told me that Bragg, Moore and Haywood were the three 'greatest -lawyers In the State. It was with men like these that young Busbee had to clash swords. He proved himself a foeman worthy of their steel. But above all Mr. Busbee wa a Christian, and he is not dead but lives again. The poet say: ,- Th. man live twice who live the first lift wall. Death Is the crown of life. War death denied poor man would live in vain. Death wound to cure; we fall, we rite. wa reign; Spring from our fetters, fasten to the kins Where blooming Eden wither from our eight; Thl king of terror I the prince of peace." C. S. WOOTEN. LaGrange, N. C. Interesting fast t that nearly every . R , . . , one if from the South and the m-,J? Dvtlonf Consolidated. womaponaence 01 i neUOrver. : newDern. sept. II. -Effective Bep- Jority are Carolina mountaineer. They have been selected merely be cause they have the ability to become expert farmers and the operations at Biltmore have proved that this class of Southern people are among the most Intelligent and most skillful of farm workers la this country. ' In addition to the Biltmore Farms Mr. Vanderbllt has created a Bureau of Forestry which la another object tember ltthlr. R. p. Foster became superintendent of all the lines of the N. 8. Railroad sonth of Albemarle sound. This is a consolidation of the Raleigh. Pamlico and Beaufort divis ions and gives Mr. Foster- Jurisdiction over more than half of the entire N. t; 8. system, or about 400 mile in an. - Lawyer and Commissioner Had Sharp ' Ward. Special to The Observer. Durham, Sept 18. Federal Com missioner E. A. Mbye yesterday bound Gil Riley, a negro blocker, over to court on hi usual dereliction, mak ing blockade llkker. The bond was tlOO but that's the smallest story. Riley was represented by Attorney Lovenstein and when Commissioner Moye began to assail the character of GIL who had not been Introduced onithe atand, Lovenstein objected. Mr. Moye persisted and Mr, Loven stein resisted. Finally Mr. Moye said: "Sit down and shut your mouth." And Mr. Lovenstein neither sat nor cork ed. He said: 'Til not do it. I have a right to object to that proceeding and I do object" Mr. Moye ordered the deputy marshal to alt Lovenstein ' down, but the officer evidently be lieved la the righteousness - of the lawyer's cause and did not move. - ' Xew Pastor Begin Work. Correspondence of The Observer. i Newbern, 8ept Dr. J. M. H. Summerrell, of Norfolk, has arrived here and taken up bis work as pastor of the Presbyterian church, succeed- -Ing Rev. J. G. Garth, who resigned to go to Hickory. Dr. Summerrell has already made many friends and U quit aa acquisition to the preaching force of tb city, v , -- -. .i- 4 r )
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 20, 1908, edition 1
16
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