North Carolina Newspapers

Established 1899 Building of a New Pike Road Farmers Learned a Lesson in Good Roads AN IMMENSE BENEFIT Interesting Story Called Forth By Reading Mr. Shuford's Prize Article on Good Road 3 The following is an appreoi ation of R L. Shuford's article which won the Drize offered bv the Shuford National Bank of Newton, and which the Demo crat recently reprinted. The ar ticle fell under the eye of one of the Democrat's readers out West who writes this about it: An article in the Democrat in terested me greatly. It was about "good roads." It was very sensible and well put. A few years ago this county boasted or nothing but mud roads and a plank road. The building of "pikes" was being agitated by the town people and opposed by the farmers, all of whom said that to be taxed for pike building would break them up. But at last it was agreed to build a pike from this city to ' New Knox vilie —5 miles. The pike was built. The far mers when they balanced ac counts discovered that instead of sacrificing their farm they had really made money in furnishing teams to haul gravel at so much per day. That opened their and their neighbor's eyes. To day there is not a public road in the entire county that is not graveled, and now the most im portant roads are being macad amized. with crushed stone. Before the days of pikes it would take a farmer all day and into the night to come to town and market. It was hard on them, hard on their horses, wa gons and harness. The same farmers today—and at any time or day of the year—can start from home after dinner, come to town and bring twice in amount to market and return home for an early supper. The result is that we no lorger see a team of poor broken-down horses or mud covered, creaky wagons. The town people stood their share of paying pike taxes, as a pike was taxed so much one half mile on each side, which brought the town in for its share on every pike that entered or came within one-half mile of the town. It is a sight here any Saturda / afternoon to see the number of wagons, carriages and buggies hitched in the farmers' park —a vacant space of three or four acres with lines of posts con nected with chains throughout, exclusively for? farmers' teams. There are hundreds of them, and most of thtm come during the afternoon, some of them from homes 10 miles away. Any of them can start from town; after supper and reach their! homes easily by bed time. That is some of the * good blessings" good roads have done for oui farmers, and what it ha 3 done for them here, it will do for others anywhere. Lincoln County Dirt Movms. The Lincoln Insurance and Realty Co., purchased recentlv 322 acres of land known as tjie Hoke tract on Dallas road from R. D. Smith, the land is valuable and the company show fty their purchase of this large tract their faith in Lincoln county dirt. If sold to R. A. Long, of Iron Station, (shortly after the pur chase of the above) 172 acre? of the same body of land here re ferred to. As agent for Summey Alexan der, of Lincolnton, this compa ny sold his residence on Water street to Otto Bumgarner. These transfers all took place during the past week. Mrs. Rufus Self died Feb. 27 near old Salem church. maim paoMicE mumcst, Corrected weekly by Whitener & Martin. Hens, per lb 11c Turkeys, per lb 12 l-2c Eggs, per doz..; ~ 15 c Butter per lb IS to 25 Apples, eating. 2 50 a bu Sweet Potatoes _ 40c to 50c Irish Potatoes SI.OO a bu Cabbage, per lb i 21 4c THE HICKORY DEMOCRAT OOOODOOOOOCXS DOOOOOOOOOOO K Aa Idyll of the King. 8 OOCOOOOO jOOO^rxXXXXXXJOOOO ORIGIN OP A SACRED ODE BY REV J. G. GARTH The* Twenty-Third Psalm, breathes with the fragrance of fields. It is a Hebrew poem com posed by Isreal's greatest king, who rose from a shepherd's crook to a monarch's crown. His spiritual life is embalmed in its imagery which conveys the tender, reverent feelings o£ an ardent nature. David's life was checkered by many experiences, calling into play every chord in the jjamut of the human heart, from the sonnets of youth mixed with ambition's dreams, through the minor strains of contrition and g ief. to the majestc sym phonies of a life enriched with success. His songs are full of penitence, prayer and praise; religion is ever the theme of their melody. As true as the vane to the breeze the pen of the poet drifts before the breath of the lyric muse, and from what ever quarter the breeze may come, its fragrance betrajs that its journey has been over heav enly fields. David's psalms crystalize into verse his experiences in life. In this one the 1 royal minstrel be comes reminiscent. I imagine its composition was something like thi?: One night, after a day weighted with the duties of state craft, the king is awakened. As he lies on his bed. memory carries him back to the days of long ago. He recalls his eventful career. Hairbreadth escapes from secret foes, perilous battles with hostile armies, with constant victory and deliverance, pass in a panorama before him. The daily provis i ions of his needs in adversity, i the wonderful guidance in days of darkness seem each a revela i tion, as he now calmly meditates jon them. Wilful, thoughtless ! acts of sin pass like dark birds ! across his mind and cast their ! shadows. He remembers Bath | sheba and Uriah, buc at last the I gloom gives way to the light of j God's love and pardon. The days jof grief and loss come, the sin I and death of Amnop, the rebel ! lion of Absalom, and he shuders at the memory of the cloud and the valley of darkness and death yet his soul fills with peace, as he reflects how God's presence cheered him, and even in the midst of his enemies, the Lord prepared a table before him. richly laden with supplies of grace. On memory flies, back to the days in the court of Saul, his battle with Goliath, back to his anointing by the prophet Samuel and at last it rests on the quiet scenes beneath the starry sky of Bethlehem, the peaceful flocks and his early tasks of a shepherd's life. And then, in the midst of his r:mini?cence, this poem comes, a song in the night. David rise?, and taking his harp into his hands, for it was ever near, he sweeps his practiced fingers across the strings, and a sponta neous melody floats out into the darkness: The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maket.h me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in tne paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they com fort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine eni mies; Thcu annointest my head with oil; My CUD runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall fol low me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And thus, in a moment of in spiration this product of divine light and human genius is given to the world, born of the heart, the womb of the poet's soul, and begotten there by life's stern need, withal a pledge and gift of the love of heaven. Had David's pen never wandered again in lyric fields this song would enti tle him to be known as "The sweet singer of Israel." General News John P. Cudahy, a rich packer of Kansas City, Mo,, tied Banker Jere F. Lillis with a rope and carved him up unmercifully when he found the oanker in his ,home at night. • Children • Cry FOR FLETCHER'S CASTO R I A HICKORY, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1910. Bob Shuford's Good Roads Spiel Commenting on and quoting from R. L. Shuford's article which took the Newton Shuford National Bank prize, the Ashe ville Gazette-News says: "The Hickory Democrat re cently published an article by R. L. Shuford. of Catawba county, on the subject, "Why Catawba Should Build Good Roads," This article was awarded a prize at the Catawba co lnty, fair, and is one the best summaries of good roads argument, from a practical standpoint that we have seen. One thing the writer says is that good roads would bring about a better understanding between the county and town people. That is quite true. an 9 would be of great mutual advantage. With understanding comes sympathy and co-operation. * * * * * "It is hard to see how there can be any argument at present against the building of good roads, as a general principle, but there is. An Asheville man said he started the hottest sort of a dis cussion in a village store in this county the other day by remark ing that he thought anyone who had to use the roads around there would immediately become an ardent good roads advocate." Wealth of the Counties From the Newton Enterprise. Somehow or other people gen erally have come to think of Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, hidgecombe and other large cot ton producing and cotton manu facturing counties in the State as the richest counties. But the tax assessments of 1909 give to Buncombe, way up in the moun tains, the banner as th£ richest county, on the basis of real estate valuation. Buncombe county re turns real estate for taxation to the value of the thirteen million dollars. Mecklenburg is second with twelve million dollars. And in some of the other leading schedules, persona! property, live stock, etc., Buncombe comes not lower than second. Ashe leads in cattle and Forsytn in personal property. The aggregate wealth of Mecklenburg, that is all sched ules added together, stands first in the list and Buncombe second. Methodist Childrens' Home From the Statesville Landmark Rev. J. P. Rodgers, field agent of the Methodist Children's Home at Winston—the orphanage of the Western North Carolina Con ference, M. E. Church. South — has raised $32,081 23 for that institution. Up to the meeting of Conference last fall he had secured $25,000. and the balance has been rased since then. It is the purpose to raise SIOO,OOO for the institution. The Methodist orphanage at Raleigh—the or phanage of the North Carolina Conference, M. E. Church, South— has recently received a bequest of $2,000, and the total amount of the bequests made to the orphanage since its estab lishment a few years apo approx imates $20,000. Funds are now fbeing raised for a laundry for the | institution which will cost $5,000 to SB,OOO. Production of Petroleum in , • 1909 The United States Geological Survey furnishes the following estimate of the production of pe trolium in the United States in 1909, by oil fields. The produc is given also for comparison: Field. 1909 i 1908 Barrels Barrels Appalachian 27,000.000 24,945,5x7 Luna-Indiana 8,300,000 10 032,305 Illinois j 23,2-0,000 33,685,106 Mid-Continent 43,300,000 48,323,810 Gulf 13,200,000 i 7. 31 8.33° Cal. & Rocky Mt. States 58 000,000 45,267,411 178,000,000 179 572,479 Sears & Roebuck not to Blame From the Catawba County News We have heard of business men who complain that their home people send their money to Sears & Roebuck, but when a 1 business man sits down and i whines instead of advertising his ' goods and his business, he ought Inot to complain because the mail | order house is doing business in his territory. Sears & Roe ibuck use printers ink. They 'have something to sell and they | tell the people what thev have and what it is worth. ! j Our home merchants can give our home people better bargains and better goods than th* mail order house, but how are the home people to know it unless the home merchant tells them so. 1,000,000 Pair of Stockings a Ysar 68 Machines in Hickory Hosiery Mill Sing a Song of Comfort MR. J. A. CLINE'S SUCCESS Alexander County Man Has Become Expert in this Line of Manufacturing—History of the Mill Like a bright little crirl in a red frock plaving under the shadow of the dome of Lenoir College, and watching the trains spin by, is a little red building just be yond v the incorporated limits in northeast Hickory. It is the home of the Hickoiy Hosiery Mill, one of the best managed and most successful industries in the city. Hither a Democrat man made his way a few days ago .and asked the genial and clever secretary treasurer and manager, Mr. J. A. Cline, to tell him a storv about his plant. This Mr. Cline kindly consented to do. A yisit to a knitting mill is well worth while. It is wonder ful what machinery can be made to do nowadays. Knitting mil! HICKORY HOSIERY MILLS machinery has mind, and brains; artd it thinks, like folks. At least it seemed to do so as a newspaper man watched it. It is delicate machinery, too, and a rather surprising fact to the lay mind was learned when Mr. Cline said that before a stocking is ready for use it has to go through 52 different processes, and if there is a mislick in any one of them the stocking becomes a "second." and has to be sold at a loss. It is this, for one thing, that makes the management of a knitting mill difficult, and re quires an expert and the finest skill to make it a success. While many of the knitting mills of the country have been "up . against it" recently, Mr. Cline has had the most gratifying success with his. This is due to'the fact that he has mastered every one of the many details of the business and keeps in close touch with every phase of the work. The intelligent faces and neat ness of atiire of the girls and young women at work in the mill threw further light on. the causes of the success of the mill. Most of the help comes from the farm, and is plentiful. There are more applications than there is accommodation for, which shows the possibilities for other industries in this city. The rec ord was broken on the day on which Mr. Cline had 15 applica tions for work. The Hickory Hosiery Mills turn out 3,600 pairs of stockings a day or a little more than 1,000,- 000 pairs a year. The mill start ed with 27 knitting machines and now has 65. As they hum their tune of comfort —of shelter against the cold—one person can hardly hear another speak in this busy hive of industry. It would be useless to try to de scribe the machinery —the double feed ribbers and the single-feed ribbers. There is a Geo. D. Mayo new model, a machine which runs on two speeds —off the toe and on to the leg again. Yonder is a little welting ma chine which makes 3,000 stitches to the minute. Then there are looping machines for closing up the toe, and all the like of that., Just as interesting is the pro cess of wetting the goods, dying them, drying them again, shap ing /them on boards, and boxing them for the trade. The cases in which the goods are shipped from Hickory are m de by Hutton & Bourbonnais. In all kinds of pretty colors black, blue green, ox-blood red, tan, etc., are the stockings tucked in boxes and the boxes into the cases. Q'lite a job is "mateino:" the stockings, and as high as 225 pairs a day by one girl are mated at the factory. The hosiery mill is capitalized ao $20,500, Its promoters were Mr. J. A. Cline, his brother-in law, Mr. C. F. James, of Eaton ton, Ga., and Rev. W. P. Cline, the latter serving as secretary treasurer for some time and then retiring from the enterprise. Mr. J. A. Cline succeeded him in the lattef capacity. It is due to the careful watching of every detail by him that the mill has become one of the most success ful in the South. It is surely evident that this state and section do not have to go far away from home to se cure men to manage their indus tries. The boys and girls of the counties all about us have the possibilities in them of mastering any calling or profession. Mr. Cline is a product of Alexander county, "little Aleck," where they make the finest apples, minerals and men in North Caro lina. He was born on a farm eight miles from Taylorsville, and on a farm he worked until he was 18 years of age. Then he turned to the tanner's trade and mastered that, after which he got in three years of schooling, part of the time at Goncordia. Serving a period in the cotton mill at Maiden,he was attracted by the larger field offered by Charlotte, where there are so many cot ton mills, and in the latter city he worked at various times in the Ada, Victor and Alpha mills, was superintendent of the cardage factory, and was later still in the employ of the Char lotte Supply Company. He tried his hand at the grocery business, first working with W. J. Fite and then running a store of his own at the corner of Caldwell and -12 th streets in Charlotte. From Charlotte Mr. Ciine came here, six years ago. He ran a merchandise business in the store near Lenoir College, and then or ganized the Hosiery Knitting Mill, about three years ago, which under his skillfull direction has become one of the most val uable industrial properties in the city. Mr. Cline is backed in his management by the following strong directorate: K. C. Men zies, president; C. C. Bost, vice president, and directors J. L. Riddle and R. M. Bumgarner. Granite Falls Ships $25,000 of Eggs Annually Charlotte Observer - The town of Granite Falls, numbering less than five hun dred inhabitants, is perhaps, one of the State's best contributors to the markets of other places. It is estimated, by figures se cured at our shipping office, that the annual shipment of chi kens and eggs, by local merchants, will reach up to something like $25,000. The average weekly shipment of eggs is about 35 crates, with a corresponding shipment of chickens. Much of this produce goes out of the State Evangelist Bradshaw of Hick ory is holding a revival at the Baptist Church here. State News The Henkel Live Stock Co. has purcnased the Gibson lands in Concord township, for $2,875. Mrs. Stonewall Jackson was recently the guest of Mrs. L. Z. Leiter in Washington, where she was so overwhelmed . with hos pitality that she had to decline invitations to many receptions. President and Mrs, Taft were very cordial. Married in Burke Married in Icard Township, Burke county, on the eve of March sth at the home of Squire Adams, Mr. Grover- Evans to Miss Lizzie Berry. About sixty were present and congratulations were extended them. Both are of Burke county. Squire Adams officiated. Children Cry FOR FLETCHER'S I CASTORI A Democrat and Press, Consolidated i 905 f The Week in the ( J Women's Clubs. J Mrs. W. G. Fox entertained the Round Dozen Book Club on the 2nd. a round dozen in at tendance. The book for dis cussion was "The Winning Chance," by Elizabeth DeJean. Many items of current news were given and the club adjourned to meet next with Mrs. Blackwelder. A delicious supper was served in the diriing-room. The Thursday Study Club met on the 3rd with Mrs. W. H. Little. After quotations on the Royal Family of Holland, Mrs. Black burn gave the topic for the day, The Helder, and the Zuyder Zee. Mrs. Spielman gave the Reading. After current news had been dis cussed, a dainty luncheon was served, the hostess being assisted by her sister, Miss Rudisill. Pretty little maps of Holland were given as souvenirs. Mr. Stfne's Lessons. There are only a few more Sundays in which Mr. N. A. Stine, the Bible teacher, will be in this city. He is at the Pres byterian church every Monday afternoon at 3 o'clock. The class is interdenominational and teach ers in the various Sabbath schools of the city churches and any others interested in the study of the Bible are cordially invited to hear Mr. Stine, whose exposition is deeply spiritual. The Sunday School lessons are studied. All who have heard him have been profited by his teaching. Mr. Stine leaves for his home in Altoona on the first of next month. It is hoped that he may be able to come South every win ter and continue this work. It is unfortunate that Hickory could not get a better hour for the class than Mondoy afternoon, as so few men are able to get away from work at that hour. It was impossible to arrange a differ ent hour, however, as Mr. Stine has to go to Statesville Monday night, and from there on suc & eding days to Salisbury, Con cord and Charlotte, in the class circuit. Ed. Travis and Paul Kitchin Shot Approaching ex-State Senator E. L. Travis on the streets of Scotland Neck, and asking him why he did not answer a letter, the contents of which are a mys stery, E. E. Powell, a prominent old man 70 years old, shot down Travis and also Paul Kitchin and Deputy Sheriff Dunn last Friday afternoon. Kitchin is a brother of the Governor, and was shot in the face. Travis' tongue was split and several teeth knocked out. Dunn was wounded in the side. Dunn died and was buried Sunday. Travis and Kitchin will recover. Powell was taken to Raleigh for safe-keeping. Powell got a shot gun and locked himself up at home with his invalid wife but surrendered that night and was taken to Hali fax jail, Travis and Kitchin had been counsel for Powell's son in some court trial. Travis is the most astute politician in eastern North Carolina and the shooting caused a great sensation. Ex-Senator Piatt Dead Thomas Collier Piatt, ex-United States Senator, died Saturday in New York City, a New York dispatch says: Twice in his life Piatt was the center of the national stage— once when he resigned with Ros coe Conkling from the United States Senate and was instantly nicknamed ' 'Me Too" Piatt, and once when he induced Theodore Roosevelt to run for Vice Presi dent with McKinley, very much against Roosevelt's better judg ment and in the face of his re peated declarations that nothing could induce him to accept the nomination. There could not be a better instance of Piatt's skill in persuasion and manipulation or of the irony that mocked his ripest wisdom. McKinley was shot, Roosevelt became Presidept and the days of Piatt's dominion in the State lapsed into senility. Endorsed by highest medical experts and observant Druggists as the most valuable discovery of the age, Vick's Croup and Pneumonia Salve. Take no substitue for this old reliable. 25, 50 and SI.OO. All Drug gists. Marching Thro' Georgia Tabooed Can't Be Sung in the Phiadel pbia Hickory Grove MISS BEECH ASTOUNDED l • Daddy Hickory Sternly Com mands Silence at the Piano When an old Familiar Yan kee Tune was Struck up "And so we sang the chorus from Atlanta to the sea, While we were inarching through Georgia!" It isn't just the sort of senti ment, nor yet the merry air, that you'd expect to be thrilling the treetops in the Grove where the Hickory Sprouts flourish—is it? j But there it was. A soprano voice was intoning it at the piano, and the notes were penetrating to every nook and cranny of the transplanted Hickory Grove. Meanwhile Photography was proceeding apace - through an other stage in Daddy Hickory's dark-room, and he was just ex plaining to one of the dear little Sprouts aforesaid:— "No, child, you can't develop or bring up the picture in a neg ative in the light. That's why we must have it dark in here." There! What was that? Yes, sure enough! it was the strain of all others that he most dis liked; and the unmistakable notes, from throat and piano, were echoing toward even the seques tered dark-room from the doors of his own parlor:— "While we were march ing through Georgia!'' "Stop that singing and play ing! Stop at once! You know I never allow that song to be sung or played in my house!" And the voice and the piano were stilled, as per command, as if there had ceased to be a parlor or a singer in the Grove, or as if only the dark-room and the Sprout and Daddy remained. Presently ttyr; photographic neg ative was dt\eloped, and Daddy Hickorv and little Miss Sprout wended their way curiously from the dark-room to the parlor, to see what all the invasion was about. There, beside the piano, on the sofa next to Mrs. Hickory, sat a newly-arrived guest, Miss Beech, a pianist —from Boston, of course—and there were two inquiring pairs of eyes to greet the pilgrims from pictureland. New England guests sometimes have such queer notions when they get into Hickory Groves; and Beeches and Hickories aren't so very similar anyway. There were explanations and apologies; but the proposition was repeated by the chief apol ogist, perhaps a little gentler this time,— "You see I ngver allow that song to be sung in my house." Why is it that •'Dixie," sung either North or South, never loses its magnetism? Why does the transatlantic air, "America" ("God Save the King") never raise a pang in the human breast? Why must some things live on, or be galvanized into life anew when they have died, sharply pricking themselves to death? The Beech-nut is jagged, three cornered and prickly, of course; the Hickory smooth, sound and solid, and their trees—well, the wind sounds so differently sing ing in the Hickory branches or screeching among the Beeches ! N. B. H, Baltimore Sun Almanac. • The Baltimore Sun Almanac for 1910 is on the Democrat's table, and is sent complimentary to all subscribers to this excel lent Southern daily. It is full of all kinds of handy reference information, such as the officials of the various states, informa tion about the navy and army, summaries of the progress of the country, and of the South, etc., etc. ARRIVAL OF TRAINS • SOUTHERN RAILWAY No. 21 going West 4:45 p. m. '* 11 " .11:30 a. m. 14 35 " " 11:21 p.m. " 12 " Ea5t....\..5:30 p. m. 44 22 " " 10:57 a.m. 41 36 " " 9:54 a m. C. & N. W. RAILWAY No. 10 going North 11:55 a. m, " 9 " . South 2:55 p. ro. Mixed train going North. .-.8:35 p. m» A " " South.. .8:40 a. i%