North Carolina Newspapers

THE UNION COUNTY PAPER EVERYBODY READS IT" -THE UNION COUNTY PAPER EVERYBODY NEEDS IT Mom JOURN. PUBLISHED TWICE EACH WEEK TUESDAY AND FRIDAY Twenty-Ninth Year. No. 1 Monroe, N. G, Tuesday, February 7, 1922 $2.00 Per Year Cash ROE II I I .1 JflitL MRS. PRESSON'S PLEA FOR A DESTITUTE FAMILY WAS START OF AN INSTITUTION IS FIRST OF ITS KIND Story of Foundation of Union County Children s Home Is Graphically Related ITS SUCCESS IS ASSURED "Something Must B Don" Was Cry That Promoted Rer. and Mrs. Snyder in Undertaking By Henry Belk The telephone jangled loudly. The Rev. E. C. Snyder, superintendent of public welfare of Union county, too the receiver from the hook. "Is this Mr. Snyder?" inquired the voice of Mrs. L. N. Presson at the other end of the wire, "Well, Mr. Snyder, I just wanted to tell you about the Blank family in North Monroe. The mother is sick. The fnther ran away long ago. There re four children all under twelve and they haven't a bite to eat. Some thing just has to be done. I called to ask if you as county welfare officer can see to it. "I knew about the case," replied the minister, "and will see what can be done, t This conversation took place in Monroe in June of 1921. A few days before the Rv. Mr. Snyder had visit ed the home mentioned while at tending to the duties of his office. He found the mother and four chil dren living in a little hovei m North Monroe amid most repulsive sur roundings. Women of ill fame oc cupied rooms in the hut. The wind whipped through the cracks in the wall, bcar.iig the smell ol nog pens which lined up close to the shack which the children called home. Their clothinj was scant, dirty, and ragged. Their eyes were not the bright eyes of happy children, but the sad eyes of a body that is hurt and does not understand why it is hurt. Children Were Saved Today they are different children. They are happy as all children should be. They wear clean clothes. They romp, and play, and go to school. They have plenty to eat. The sad, pained look has disappeared from their eyes. The light of the love of life has taken its place. The mira cle that has been wrought in the lives of these four children has been wrought in the lives of twenty-seven others and will be wrought in the lives of many more. The s'ory of the mr-aelo is the story of the birth of an idea in the soul of a big-hearted man, its realization through faith in his fellow-men. "Something must be done." The words that Mrs. Treason had spoken over the telephone rang in the ears of Mr. Snyder. All af'.ernoon the phrase kept repeating itself in his brain. He carried it to bed with him that nifcht. Somethng must be done, for the fatherless children of North Monroe who had nothing to eat were not the only ones in Union county. He knew that there must be a score of others scattered over the country. Mentally he reviewed, from knowl edge gained in his work as a minis ter, homes over the county where children were bing brought up un der most intolerable moral surround ings, where the gnunt face of pov- .1 i ' erty was tne most iamninr personage where a father had never been known. The picture of those children going through tho world without a chance would not let him sleep. "'The Lord gave me the idea that night," said Mr. Snyder in telling the Btory. IPs idea wns to start a Union County Children's Home. And he did it. The home is the first project in the reclamation of child lives under county government in North Caro lina, if not in the South. Every county has its home for the poor, where the aged and indigont may be cared for, but Mr. Snyder's action to secure a county home for orphans nnd children who are not receiving the proper care or moral training in the home of their parents marks a new departure in the state. He had never heard of the county system of orphanages maintained in Ohio. Mr.-Snyder did not let any grass grow under his feet after the idea had been conceived. So firm was his belief in his ability to carry it out, so firm his faith in the citizen ship of Union county to aid a worthy undertaking, that the morning after the telephone conversation he went to the novel in North Monroe, se cured the four hungry children and carried them to his own home until such a time as his scheme could be worked out . ' . When he had carried the four chil dren to his home and fciven them food, Mr. Snyder went back to the business district of Monroe to talk his plans with some of the influen tial citizens. A native of the county, he knew the man to approach with his idea. R. A. Morrow, president cf the Heath-Morrow Company and Union county's leading philanthrop ist, was talked to concerning the pro- ttosed borne, tie was neany in nis onHnrsement of the proposed home. Mr. T. P. Dillon, head of the Dillon & Son furniture store, was ap proached. Dr. J. M. Belk, head of the Belk chain of stores. Mr. W. S. Blakeney, president of the Bank of Union and formerly president of the Moon, Colored Porter, Adds 'Shine' to Name Seaboard Employee Accused "of Furnishing Boote to Under taker is Out Under Bond Monroe policemen have uncov ered a blind tiger right in the city that has perhaps been doing busi ness for some time in a manner that would indicate shrewdness of the first type. The business has been operated on the following plan: - A colored train porker named Moon has added the shine to his name by securing mean Georgia liquor on his run into Atlanta and bringing it back to T. S. Springs, a colored undertaker in Monroe. Walter Moseley roomed in the undertaking establishment with Springs and it seems that they were fifty-fifty in handling the moonshine that Moon brought in from Georgia in Georgia cane syrup cans. The officers got wind of the bus iness and went around to the under taker's place Saturday and arrest ed Springs and Moseley. They then kept on the lookout for Moon and when his train arrived this morning they took charge of him and the three were placed under a $500 bond each for their appear ance in the Recorder's court on February 16th. "When the arrests were made, two gallons of liquor were obtained awd about fifteen empty cans were found around the undertaking es tablishment, the whole situation suggesting the idea that perhaps Springs has been using this mean liquor as a business stimulator for his undertaking business. bankers' Association of the State, were seen, "it is tne very th'ng," they assured the minister and as sured him that they could be relied upon for support. A meeting was called for the pur- rose of perfecting an organization to put the movement across. Mr. Snyder outlined to those present the plight of the children in North Mon roe. "There are other cases just as bad over the county," he sa'd. He old how it was impossible to find places for such children in the or phanages of the state due to over- Towded conditions. Then he out lined his plan to start a Unior. County Children's Homo. Members of the board of commissioners of the county had been talked to and Mr. nyder thougnt from theT eimver sation that they could be relied upor. for the rent or the home for the first year. Ac'.ion was taken at once n orLontzati-n was perfected. Mr. U. A. Morrow was elected chairman. -Vr. T. 1'. Dill n, treasurer, nnd Mr. W. C. Crowellsecretary. T mrke tlv home truly a county r.fTuir, n board of trustees was de citied upon that should represent the nine townships of the county. Lach township was allowed one trustee. As Monroe and Monroe township rep resented about one-'.hird of the non ihtion of the county, three members rf the board were elected from this district. An executive committee was anpernted to huve charge of the ad mission of children to the proposed h'ine. Mr. and rus. hnyder were elected managers of the home. A eojnmittee was appointed to secure a suitable home for the orphanage. Disappointment The meeting gave the home a full r.rown working organization, but the organisation could not work unless it had capital. Clothes and food could iwt be secured without money. An appeal to the county was decided upon. Mr. Snyder haa proceded with his idea on the assumption that the rent of the home for the flr3t year would be paid by the county. At the next first Monday meeting of the commissioners a delegation of the citizens appeared to urge that the county grant money for the estab lishment of the home. The county commissioners were sympathetic. They endorsed the idea as being the best thing conceived in the county in u score of years, but they said they had no money which they could al low for the purpose. They showed that the county was called upon in so many instances that it was neces sary to draw the line somewhere. They were sorry, but they could not set aside a sum of money to take care of the proposition. N What should fee done? Mr. Sny der asked himself as he left the board room. The organization had been perfected. The people had shown that they were back of the movement. But money had to be se cured. The spirit was willing, but the pocketbook was weak. At this point Mr. Snyder's long period of experience in financial matters with country churches came to his rescue. He had long ago found out that the way to build a new church was to ?o directly to the brethren and ask or subscriptions. Now he fell hack to this plan. Stright from the meeting of the board of commissioners he secured his pad and went after the citizens of Monroe. The men whom he knew Continued on Page Eight SPECIAL SERVICE FOR "UNCLE" BILLY PHIFER Mr.de Life-Member an! Honorary President Mtn's Bible Class of Central Methodist Church The Men's Bible Class of Central Methodist church held special ser. vices Sunday morning in honor of "Uncle" Billy Phlfer. the oldest mem ber of the church. This service was heM because of Mr. Phifer's long and continuous loyal service to the church. Mr. Phlfer has been a member of thU church for 47 years and has served in all the various official capacities. He was superintendent of the Sunday school for 33 years and has always been faithful to every trust. m The service Sunday consisted of special music and addresses by DrJ Weaver and Messrs. w. B. Love and W. S. Blakeney In their addresses the speakers assurred Mr Phlfer of the class's appreciation of his ser vices and of the warm feeling they have for them. "Uncle Billy" was then voted a life member of the class and made honorary president. This special service bad been pre viously annouced and, notwlth standing the inclement weather larpe gathering of repesentatlve iness men were present to Joi In in this signal honor to the faithful old brother whom everybody loves. Prac tically every member of Mr. Phifer's family were also present at the meet ing. W. M. Gordon Is president, Mr. W. Z. Faulkner secretary. W. B. Love teacher and Mr. W. S.Blake- ney assistant teacher of the Bible class. There is some interesting his tory in connection with the progress of this class. It was first organized In September, 1915. but was reorgan ized in January 1921, with an enroll, ment of 108 and an average atten dance of 31. During the past year the officers and members of this class have been busily engaged In an ag. gresslve campaign for more mem bers, and better work and their ef forts have been fruitful, for In Jan uary, 1922, the enrollment reached 20fi, with an average attendence of about 100. PEOPLE MAY HEAR PREACHER IN RALEIGH Wireless Station Being Fitted Up to Distribute Sermon of Big Texas Preacher Over This Section Many- Monroe people will hear Dr. George W. Truett of Dallas, Texas, who is to begin a greoa meet ing In the City Auditorium of Hal- elgh on March first. A wireless trans. mitirr will be fitted up at the A & E Collo go, which will send out his ser- mens for hundreds of miles in nil lirectluns. There are several wire. oss Instruments in Monroe and these will no doubt be switched in on the sermon circuit. In view of the foot that Dr. Truett Is one of the world's outstanding preachers, it Is expected that multi plied thousands of people through out th Atlantic States will avail themselves of this rare opportunity or hearing him. TI1I3 will be an fii-tl- niy new feature In evangelistic efforts In North Carolina. Though It 13 not r.Mogether new to Dr. Truett. who has a wireless outfit In his church In Dallas. Recently he received a letter from an Invalid old lady- 600 miles away from Dallas, who had not been out of her room for months, expressing her great ap preciation of his messages 011 Sun day which she heard with distinct ni?83 In her room. A few das before this, her son had asked her if she would not like to hear Dr. Truett preach. She expressed her great de sire to do so, taid it was Impossible seeing that she could not leave her room. By Sunday morning the wire. less outfit had been installed In her pick room. Is It any wonder that she gave expression to her ecstacles by shouting during the sermon, and the minister was not Jn the least disturb ed by It. In another Instance Dr. Truett's tormon was heard on board a ship a thousand mile3 at sea. and this fact was communicated back to the wire less station In Dallas. Rotary Club Permanently Organized The Journal of last Friday car ried a story of a propose! Kotary Club for Monroe. Mr. John Fox of Charlotte came down todav ami per fected the organization, with the fol lowing officers: PresidV.it, Dr. C. C. Weaver: vice-president. F. G. -Hen derson: secretary, F. tl. Dillon; treas urer, J. Alien Lee. The regular officers, together with the following men, constitute the board of directors: P. M. Redmon, R. A. Morrow, and Kemp Funderbuik. The club starts off wit.li twenty- two charter members and more ore expected to join within a short time. Mr. AY. P. Kendall an Optimist Mr. W. P Kendall of Indian Trail is an optimist of the first type He deals In horses and mules and sells overalls at times. Mr.- Kendall does not believe the country is going "hang." He is consciously aware of the fact that we are no longer run. ning in high gear, but he says mer chants are buying all they need and that a enough. He has observed that for the past month there has been a steady feeling In the business world that things are getting better and Mr. Kendall uses this as an in spiration tor his optimism to assert itself. 'SOUTH RESERVOIR OF AMERICANISM Dr. Eaton Says That No here tise in This Country Are Pure Ideas of the Fathers Found AMERICA'S GREATEST NEED It Is Intelligence and Character Amon Its People and Only These Can Prevent Disaster in the Future. Mere Information Is not education qcclared Dr. Charles ' A. Eaton of New Yerk, speaking last night in the Hrst Baptist church as a guest of the Chamber of Commerce, to a small but intensely appreciative audience. Education, he said, is the ability to co-ordinate and use one s whole pow. ers as a unit, and the spread of in telligence and character through ed ucational agencies is the supreme need of America today. The homoge neous people of North Carolina.where only one per cent of the population is of foreign birth, cannot realize the terrinc signincance or the over. whelming foreign populations north of the Mason and Dixon line, and Dr. Eaton called upon the South to come ? the aid of the North in solving the problems growing out of these facts. Dr. Eaton is a Canadian, an old friend and associate of Dr. Burrell, who Introduced him to the audience last night. He said that the reason 'why the people of this section had at once become so fond of Dr. Burrell Is that he as a Canadian is just like the people of this section who are the composite product of Anglo-Saxon ideals. He further stated that it was refreshing for him to come to North Carolina where everybody spoke English and where they were still dominated by the purest Ideas of original Americanism to be found on the continent. The South, he said, must be a resorvoir of such Ideals from which the remainder of the country must draw help and Inspiration. Every people who had contributed much to the world's progress, Dr. Eaton explained, had been dominated by a genius for some great intellectu al or spiritual idea. Thus the Jews had a genius for religion and first gave the world the idea of one god and the moral unity of the universe; the Greeks had a genius for art and taught the world the love of beauty; the knt of the Romans was for Ju risprudence and the lawyer of today always finds himself digging down into Roman origins in the practice of law. The' Anglo-Saxons, a compos ite people build upon the union of two small tribes of Northern Europe, has always had a genius for self gov ernment and have given democracy 0 the world. The spread of democracy has re sulted In all power being finally lodg ed In the masses of the people and the preservation of civilization de. pend upon the building up through education, the Intelligence, charac ter, and Stability ot the masses. Sta tistics showed, Dr. Eaton said, that only four and one-half per cent of the entire population of the country were educated in the sense of being fully able to co-ordinate and direct their own powers, and to these he ap pealed to accept the responsibility! of leadership In restoring that sense of silf discipline and responsibility for self government which Is the key. stone of Anglo-Saxon Americanism, j 0 to anv big news stand In a large Northern city, he said, and you would find twenty foreign language newspapers and one English one on sale. Four out of five newspapers In I lie hands of people on st reet cars in New York will be foreign liingungo papers. Tnero are mere lianans in New Yoik than in Rome, more insn than in Dublin, more Jews than were ever assembled togethor at any one time or place In the world's history. And now the Northern sections are confronted with negro settlements and there Is more hostility to the ne- gro up there where such settlements have been made than there Is in the South. All this means, ne said, that we are soon, to'be governed by data ,i -.--m.- lantinnu who k now , nothing of orderly self government, by the consent of the government, legally and orderly expressed through parliamentary procedure, which Is tho essence of Americanism. Dr. Eaton speaks In Charlotte to night. He came here under the aus pices of the Chamber ot Commerce, and is devoting his whole time to the promulagtlon of ideas so forcibly ana interestingly expressed here. Price of International Tractors Cut Last week The Journal carried a big advertisement announcing the re duction of price of Ford tractors. To day we are carrying a souging big one announcing a big cut bv the In ternational, represented in Monroe by the Williams-Griffin Company, near neighbors of The Journal. Chas. B. Avcock used to have a campaign story that made his big crowds break their sides with laugh ter. The moral of the story was that every time Democrats fell out and fought it made more Democrats. On the same principle price-cutting in tractors ought te be pleasing to the farmers, for every time the price 1. .., it -..-.-. mnr. tr.rtors. Mr,ra ' tractors mean more, deeper, and bet-, ter plowing. When Mr. Ford comes down they should say, "Good for you, Mr. Ford, we need more 01 you in our business." And then when Mr. International comes down, they should say, "Fine, fine, Mr. International, we need more ol you in our business." MR. W. II. PHIFER , 1 Leading citizen of Monroe for forty seven years; Superintendent of Cen ti al Methodist Sunday school for thir ty-three years; honorary president of Men's Bible Class; honored citizen of Monroe; will reach his seventy-n'nth birthday next Monday. DR. BURRELL PREACHES ON SHADY AMUSEMENTS Says That an Enlightened Conscience Should Be the Guide for One to Fllcw on the Question In his Sunday evening sermon Dr W.-R. Burrell, pastor of the First Baptist church, preached on the sub ject of questionable amusements. His discourse has been much commended as a fair and sensible presentation of a most difficult subject. He largely left it to the conscience and good sense or each individual. The minister referred to the conse. cratlon of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, and declared that, accord ing to the New Testament, all be. llevers In Christ are consecrated through his blood. In the consecration of priests, the minister explained that the blood was placed on tho big toe of the right root, the thumb of the right hand and the tip of the right ear, signify. Ing that the right side Is where the major powers lie and that the right root should be used to carry the body In the service of God and humanity, the hand to perform deeds of sacri fice and mercy and that the faculties of the mind should be consecrated to service. Then, if believers are also conse crated with the blood of Christ, Dr. Burrell took the position that they, too, should be set apart to special service and worship. This being the case, the question arises, he said, as to how far a christian can afford to surrender the services of the foot the hand and the senses to question able amusements. He used the mod ern dance, the card table and pro miscuous theatre-going as examples, but explained that Ihese were only Intended to serve as examples, since there are hundred other things lhat we do that are just as wrong. He also explained we are social beings and must have wholesome recreation that we have n right to the pursuit of happiness but in view of the fact that Christianity .11 particular and life In general offers countless ways In which one can be extremely happy without engaglue; in questionable amusements, believes that we ought to follow our conscience and engage in nothing about which we have a dcubt as to Its being right. He also suggested that if doubt exists In our mind as to whether we should do a thing we should give our Maker the benefit of the doubt. In asmuch as the Serlpti'res emphati cally teach that "whatsoever Is not of faith" mean'ng of a clear eon Fckiicc "is fin."' 1I-; called atten tion to the fact that nnithing about which we have a doubt Is question able and should be left undone. Ho blkv'('8, hat even If the conscience should be enlightened and mistaken certain things are sin anyway. The speaker nave instance as to how consciences may diflci in peo ple and at different ages in the world's history. Hn cited an instance In particular of c church in New Jersey that he once served as pas tor, upon whose account books there Is to be found an item of a certain amount of money that was expend ed In 1787 for the purchase of toddy and muff for the pastor and deacons in business meetings, which could be done with perfect propriety at thnt time but certainly not in this age. In speaking of questionable amuse ments, the speaker also referred to Paul's statement that If eating meet caused his brother to offend he would eat no more meat while the world stood, although the eating of meat within Itself Paul considered no harm, and warned his hearers to be careful about doing things that might cause a weak brother to go astray. Dr. Burrell has no objection to high-toned theatre attractions and moving pictures, but he stated that while decent, elevating attractions take in tnousanas or aoiiars. tne re J""" low, degrading ones run into the millions and he thinks peo pie ought to be careful as to what attractions they patronize. Next Sunday evening Dr. Burrell will preach from the subject. "Duty of the Church to Meet the Needs for definite arrangements. SOME COMMENTS ON RODDY ARTICLE Mr. Little Does Not Think That Town Cousins Are Trying to Do the Farmers HE NEEDS ORGANIZATION Agree With McCall Article on Pun i.shnunt and Gives Some Good Local News and Comment By Zeb M. Little We have read the article by Mr. John T. Roddy of Rock Hill. S. C, and the editorial comment on it in The Journal. We agree with the edi tor of The Journal that the farmer is not singled out as an easy mark for profit simply because he is a farmer. In the price setting, mad profit getting chase after the dollar the farmer happened to be the hardest hit of any class of our citizens, not because he had "hay seed" in his hair, but because the business of farming and selling the products of the farm are conducted in the least businesslike way of any other calling. Mr. Roddy says if a farmer sells a cow he gets 3 to 5 cents per pound but if he buys beef he has to pay 25to 40 cents per pound, and that while a cow hide will bring but 75 cents to a dollar, a pair of shoes cost from $3 to $15. This sizes the situ ation up pretty well, but the dry goods merchant will sell a farmer a pair of shoes as cheap as he will his city neighbors and the dealer who sells beef sell to all classes and con ditions alike so far as prices are con cerned. This does not prove that farmers are singled out for profit-getting by their city cousins. On the other hand it does prove that great profit and fortunes are made on the products of the farm after it leaves the far mer's hands. This is largely the re sult of a system, or rather the lack of a system, of sellin" the products of the farm. After any given pro duct of the farm leaves the farmer's hand it is handled at every turn of the way to the consumers by interests that are more or less organized and "supply and demand" is manipulated so that every one who handles it takes his profit. But when a farmer sells he goes on the market single namied and alone and bids depress ingly low against every other farmer who has the same product to sell. The wav out of this situation is organization. By co-operative mar keting and the limitation of the sup ply and demand, therebv creatine a demand, the farmer will take his pro ne instead 01 taking his loss. Mr. Farmer, join all co-operative market ing associations. A special complaint is made ncainst the practice of gambling in cotton. I have never believed that cotton ex. changes are a necessary part of the world's business and commercial ma chinery, and it operates to the detn- ment ol the cotton producers. There being more consumers of cotton (cot ton goods) in every country and cli mate than there are cotton producers, it naturally follows that there are more people interested in cheap cot ton than there are in high priced cotton. A law compelling the actual delivery of cotton on all cotton con tracts would compel the speculators in cotton (the cotton gamblers) to go into the market and buy actual cotton to fill his contract, which would create a demand for cotton nnd make the price conform to supply nnd de mand. As the cotton e.chanires are conducted, an nrtiiicial supply is cre ated which depresses or annuls the demand and often keeps cotton far below cost of production. F.vory Southern business interest demands that the cotton farmer get a profit on his cotton, the real enemies of the cotton farmer are buying out the bounds ot the houthlanU. We have been an interested reader of the discussions on Sunday services by garages, and if the garages are opened on Sunday with the idea of being of i?al service to the public, it is ell right to do a real service even if it is on Sunday, but if the idea and purpose is only to get pos session of nickles, quarters, and dol lars, we dont know anything good to say. The unusual and rrolonired drouth li.st fall taught farmers the import ance of having cn abundant water supply for stock and for other pur poses. A few farmers had construct ed earthen dams across hollows or de pressions in their lands thereby form ing immense reservoirs full or water, then the drainage is turned around one side cf the pond to keep out surface drainage, which leaves the pond full of beautiful clear water. The pond is then stocked with soma nsh suited to si.ch pond, which the U. S. Department of Agriculture fur nishes freo. Ile.". Charlie Moora, J. M. Li.tle, J. B. Medlin, Wriston Hamilton, J. 3. Williams, J. E. Aus tin, L. C. Gardner, C Ellis Griffin, Fred Griffin, and T. F. Tadlock art among the Marshville township farm ers who have constructed ponds dur ing the past year. Mr. J. D. McCall's discussion cf capital punishment was along thi right line; the laws should be en forced with the idea of correctin f offenders, and helping them to get on a higher plane of thinking and act ing and quit taking toll of hums 1 life for vengeance's sake. His it thi best argument against capital pun ishment we have yet seen and w assent with a good big Amen!. W- believe Goose Creek township will yet produce a governor. We have nqt heard how well Mr. . Contfnnrd en Pare Elf hi