THE riNKIIURST OUTLOOK.
A PIONEER EDITOR,
Rev, Mr. Goodridge's Experience
Here Ten Years Ago.
A Craving lor News Satisfied by a Forest
Fire that Threatens His Home.
Razor-backs Fighting Beneath His Sanctum
Destroy the Poetic Mood.
Boston, Oct. 8, 1897.
Kmtok of Thk Outlook:
Dkar Sir, I congratulate Pinehurst
on its bright Outlook, and you on
your pleasant duty of providing the
weekly issues of a "piney woods" news
paper. There may be more money in
metropolitan journalism possibly
greater fame but for pure enjoyment
there is no place where an editor can
have so much as in the pine woods of
North Carolina. Certainly it used to
be so ten years ago when I was at
Southern Pines, editing "The Pine
K?wt, lighted for the illumination of
'Tar Heels,' both native and adopted,"
and as everything in your region has
been changing for the better during
that time, I see no reason why an edit
or should not enjoy himself now more
than ever. Of course the chief satis
faction of the Pine Knot was in carry
ing as widely as it could the joyful news
of health and happiness, but hardly
less was its pleasure in being an inter
esting event each week in the midst of
a community where events of any kind
were not numerous.
The paper went to press Friday af
ternoons, and by the time the printing
began the small shanty that served as
an office was inconveniently full of
people waiting for copies fresh from
the type. I used to persuade myself
that this was because the paper was so
interesting that they could not wait to
supply themselves in the ordinary way;
but, really, I suppose they came to the
printing office for much the same rea
son that they visited the railroad station
whenever there was any prospect of
seeing a train come in. They were in
search of a mild sensation, and were
willing to find it anywhere.
I worked hard to make the paper
valuable and interesting at the same
time. Testimony as to value of that
region as a great natural sanitarium
from medical experts and from people
who had experienced its benefits was a
constant feature. But this was only
one department of an aspiring journal
hat. proposed to carry sweetness and
' o everj' member oi the human
family who should be willing to pay
for it the small sum of one dollir per
year, in advance.
And so there were editorials on all
sorts of subjects ; there were original
stories and essays, and a corner where
every week the editor appeared thhly
disguised as a poet. There was anoth
er corner devoted to original wit and
humor. This was called "cracklings,"
and th? title referred to those bits of
wood, bark and pine needles which are
strained out of the turpentine at the
stills. They flash up readily in flame
and diffuse a pungent odor. The sug
gestion that the title had reference to
Ecclesiastes VII., 6, was made by an
unkind critic and is not true. And by
no means least was the department of
household economies where the editors
wife put forth words of womanly wis
dom. For this position large experi
ence in supplying the physical needs of
her own family from such materials as
ozonized air, pure water and the scanty
forage of that locality, had made her
more than ordinarily competent.
But of course the news department
was that which was most immediately
interesting. The editorials and essays,
stories, jokes and poems could wait,
but each reader wanted to know at
once what visitors had come to town
since last week, whether the site of
that long promised two hundred thou
sand dollar hotel had really been staked
out at last, who that mysterious and
important appearing stranger was that
got off the train last night, where Mr.
Platlow of New York had bought land
for his vineyard, how soon the railroad
was going to build a new station, etc.,
etc., etc. This last was really the most
difficult part of the paper. From the
very nature of the case news cannot be
very abundant in a village consisting
of one small hotel open to the public,
.another one building, and eight or ten
cottages. That was the status of
Southern Pines when the Pine Knot
began to shed light on the situation.
All the rest was great expectations,
which, indeed, Southern Pines has
worthily realized ; but they were then
available only as prophecy, not as
news. I think the news in the paper
had to be made pretty thin some weeks
in order to make it fill its allotted
space, but it was always honest news,
and as cheerful and . helpful as the
editor could find.
But occasionally, in spite of every
effort to "fill up the paper," an awful
chasm would yawn on publication day.
A week had passed in which nothing,
or next to nothing had happened, and
the editor would be in despair and
ready to welcome almost any kind of
occurrence that would make "copy."
Once I remember this unnatural crav-
r -
mg ror news was satisfied somewhat
unpleasantly. It was within two or
three hours of time to print the paper
and I needed at least a column and a
half more in order to fill it out decent
ly. I had made use of all the news to
be had and there seemed no prospect
of any more that diy. Just at the
moment of my deepest perplexity I
looked out of the office window and
saw a huge smoke arising apparently
just behind my house which stood
alone in the woods about a mile away.
For the next three hours the Pine
Knot was entirely forgotten. With
about a score of my good neighbors I
was engaged in an exciting battle with
a forest fire. Its path was nearly two
miles wide, and it swept along its
course with the speed of a race horse.
Southern Pines appeared to be safe,
for the fire would pass to the north
west of it unless it changed its course,
and even if it veered about there was a
belt of wet ground with a good sized
stream flowing through it for protec
tion ; so nearly all the men of the vil
lage came out to help me, and very
fortunate it was for me that they did.
Single handed I could have done abso
lutely nothing against that roaring
monster. As it was, the great sea of
fire swept down on us so quickly that
there was no time to back-fire against
it. All we could do was to pull down
the fence that surrounded the house
lot and throw it in toward the centre.
Fortunately there were nearly two acres
of ploughed land around the house.
Here the fire had nothing to feed upon
and so it swept past on either side,
after having burnt up a good share of
the fence and the out buildings, and
left the house intact.
When the editor got back to his
office he was a little begrimed and
singed and more than a little tired,
but he was peaceful and happy, for his
home and family were safe, and the fire
had given him material for all the "copy"
he would need to fill up the paper.
But it is very certain, my dear sir,
that you will never have to resort to
the desperate expedient of forest fires
in order to get interesting matter to
put into the Ojtlook. It will be nec
essary only to look out upon the lively
panorama of existence going on all
about you to find all the news you
want.
If you feel in poetic mood, as the
editor of the Pine Knot sometimes
imagined that he did, you will not be
likely to have your "fine frenzy" utterly
destroyed by certain prosaic pigs which
have taken up their quarters under the
editorial sanctum and there squeal and
fight with complete disregard of all the
decencies of time and place.
You will doubtless be spared these
and many other trials that attended the
setting up of a printing press in the
ivK Hmpss when Pinehurst was un
dreamed of and Southern Pines was
just beginning. You will commence
with a local constituency larger than
this Pine Knot had in its best days,
and in many ways you will be better
equipped for the work that you are to
do than would have been possible in
those old days that are not so very old
after all.
And you will do better work than
has been done before; I have no
doubt of that. All the old inspirations
for good work are there the mild,
beautiful climate, the wholesome sandy
soil, the pure water, the health-giving
pines you can hardly say too much
in praise of these good gifts of (lod.
But now, in addition to all these, you
have Pinehurst to talk about. It will
be a great privilege to you to be able
to say in the columns of the Outlook
that the thing which ought to be done
with such splendid natural" advantages
as that region affords, has been done.
To make Pinehurst beautiful, to secure
it against pollution, to fill it with all
possible helps to comfortable, cheerful,
happy life, and to place all these
advantages at the command of people
with short purses as well as long ones,
was just the kind of human co-operation
that God looked forward to when
he called up those sand hills and
planted his pines there.
Wishing you and the Outlook and
Pinehurst all possible success, I am
Cordially yours,
Benjamin A. (Joodriimjk.
Fun from Our Exchange.
"It may interest you children," said
the returned missionary, who was ad
dressing the Sunday school, "if I tell
you of an adventure 1 once had in India.
While going through a jungle, I came
face to face with a lion. There was no
chance to retreat, and I had nothing to
defend myself with. I stood perfectly
still and looked the fierce beast in' the
eye." "Whieh eye?" asked a breathless
little hoy in the infant class.
Charles Lamb had a horror of noto
riety, and of being "lectured" in public
places. Impertinence or offensive inter
ference of any sort lie could not brook.
An overbearing head of a department in
the East India house approached him one
day when Lamb was busily engaged,
with the Paul Pry question, "Pray, Mr.
Lamb, what are you about?" "Forty
next birthday," he replied. "I don't
like your answer," said the man. "Nor
I your question," was Lamb's rejoinder.
A gentleman, not unknown to fame,
had left his corner sea't in the crowded
carriage to go in search of buns and milk,
leaving a rug to reserve his seat. On
returning he found that in spite of the
rug and protests of his fellow-passengers,
the seat had been usurped by one
in lady's garments. To his protestations
her lofty reply was : "Do you know, sir,
that T am one of the directors1 wives?"
"Madam," he replied, "were you the di
rector's only wife, I should still protect."