?I ?. . . ' J. ?' S.. ; ; ? ?) 1
FARMERS' CHAUTAUQUA, SYLVA, JULY 23 AND 24
n County
1.50 i'111
rr^n*TADVANCE IN THE COUNTY^ ~ SYLVA, N. 22 1925
*? ' 1 Ai-'L
" \
$2.00 THE YEAR IK ADVANCE OCT SIDE THE COCNTT
he SMOKY mountain
NATIONAL PARK
I ;v Horace Kcpthart.
[:i |;i?l WC?'k S Hrvson City Times
;i litter attacking the pro
w>tl Smniioxy Mountain National
I i,i, -awe letter has been sent
ry newspapers in this
rI ?j the State and has been print-1
I ,iiu' or more ot" them. Its author
)tlmj;lin> that the"park area would
iij.ahout a thousand square
jjt,s in I:;. Soiukies from all in
,!iial u>'. and that it would never
?Id *? *'ie State or to
licitplc Itvinir here.
lint tin' I'iu-t of this matter is just
. cohIi;ir>? I have talked it over
k-rr-iU with the National Commis
;i in I t hey told me what they
v|km'<I to do if the land in takes
|?\ the <io\eminent. In brief,
,itii;ition is this.
l i t total area contemplated for
,;iik is not a thousand square
li,.< l?ut aliout ti")2 square miles, al
jii;i!I\ "divided between North
ami Tennessee. On our side
? nKt \ divide it would take in
ot Haywood County in the
. t' vfk ami (ataloochee country,
if.;,- oA.laekson County in- the
,:t |>; yam- aiid Soco Valley, and
rti.-/m(M that part of Swam
*\ 'niltli yf the Tennessee River
; j.i* Tu.kasee^ee that contains
L ??:ia.eiii> except sawmill loca
J. ;: .i l-milier camps. No water
in mitiiuir tlevelopments, or
i<- <>i any ;consequence, e\
!h-would be included,
[i .< a lew scattered moun
; !u> in this region, but Alt
i?l I he Commission assum.
: tie occupants would be al
Jv in May their undisturbed until
i '1. ' !??? only restriction placed
luiiiu' that they would not
.,1'Anl' to turn their cattle loose
? i i^inue.
l-Yii; he seen from this that
<?' ;???-, j'ark area would be in
. tVa'y. and that the only in
<fl? irtbed would be the timber
' is the situation, in
i witlt-rt\nard to timberI
- ;T there are about 102,99')
- ii cii-over lands in the county
acres- of merchantable
Two-thirds ot' our timber "s
Two-thirds ot' the old forest
.-.?limes is now classified on
ins books as M waste land" that
M-am-'iV' any tax at all. The
i;!)::]iu third' will not last ten
a* jitV^-iit rate of .putting,
v .tic will we be? The tim
<iu?T iv will.be gone. Neither
!:t. nor the ]>eople will derive
':..r worth talking about form
' :i jv.ivtc Ihnd until a new forest
ii'iwn u|i on it. How many of
?viii Ihc to see that day? What
ii'f i* (there, that a really good
t will'ever mow up on it, taking
iM/> consideration f Auxl what
f-"f <lii when the timber is gone,
* !?? trr.e, a> some say, that our
: - ili in iiiU on the timber trade?
? )!.< opponents of a National
: r that all this terriotry
'?"! he turuled into a National
attjl I hat the Government for
wyuhl then keep out fires and
pivM/ til(. country. But they do
siy whether this should be done
I"l|- or not until the present own
->t linoiiiji with their operations,
'?iiiinoi lie done at once, because
'"h-i Fore-,t er, in Washington,
'li"'i'lifl' to stop negotiations for
' (of tl(is area in order to
1 !!'<? way lor its acquisition as
"tioiial I'ark. But even if this
f' "Itfrcil, what nood would it do
own iiciieration? It is the policy
' I'?k >i Service to make a good
^liiwinir with their opera
ll.Mc i> only one way they
| ami tfiat is by cutting out
|'u iiii-H-hantable timber, just as
-^iiht-viitcn ,lo. The only differ
I'"1!Wciii their operations and
""'Jrtmbcr com])anies is that
,IK| Service tries to preserve
so that they may grow
'""iHiinc i|,|() a ?ew f0ix;st, and
"" dieir utmost to keep out
It i
Hk hj.r j.1V(S would have to go
would come a long in
$ ?i waiting for new growth to
.Hj>t as if the lumber com
lf' '^''"selves had skinned the
it, ^
[ '"Hi soe, now, the falsity of
>,1 "? ?-o assiduously made, that
J011:1' ' "rest would offer the
"''"' itional -facilities and at"
,tourists as a National
^ 'V'i'e, cut-over mountains
"ltl!-st> ?' Does anyone care
Jl'1' such thickets and
' ? it ia the grand old fth
,o V
I
original forest, with its gfffitic'
trees, its th.ck moss and fern^;?Jhs,
its wonder/ully varied under;. "jitli
its wild llowers, its animal liltl^-at
tourists and campers love. N "^Ejv
goes out of his way to see a lumber
man's slashing. The mountains del
uded of forest are ,pitiful siu
Look at Mount Mitchell once ; !ty
premier attraction of our coutivvr,
but now fire-scarred, desolate nr I
shorn of beauty! Nobody coined barii
from1 a trip to Mitchell without ben ?;
saddened by the vandalism that ruin '
this scenic masterpiece of the Sou:-.
None of us oppose the work of. the
Forest Service. On the contrary
all see its necessity and agree th*?fc
we need a great extension of fore ;.; si
under Government control. But l!i?(-t
is a parctically unlimited acragf
cut-over lands in the South that .i-i
adaj>ted to reforestation. 'Why
should the small area of _ virgin .f^r
est that is left in the Smio'vus vibe,
destroyed? It is all ih.tsi.s left,in
the eastern United St;-*-. to show
future generations what ia^real wild
wood is like. I# those big trees were
cut, their output in lumber would be
a mere drop in the bucket compared
with the anural consumption in this
country. < ? !> the other hand, their
value as scenic attractions' is vastly
greater 1 I -m. their market value as
boards and tinVhers. We shall con
sider tliis aspect of the case a little
farther along. .
? 'i'lie plea for a National Forest
!i the Sonikies, instead of a National
Park, is just camouflage. The virgin
timber st':' left in Swain County is
in the hands of one or two lumber
companies, all ofiithe companies west
of Deep Creek having aborts finished
their operations. The corporations
holding the big tree area h?V<f no idea
of luming that region over to the
(ii vernment for a National Forest
until they have ruined it just as
Twenty Mile and Eagle Creek a Did
Hazel Creek and Forney Creek have
beun ruined. And that is all there is
tjei that.
v 4. Now let us consider what would
"lihppon around here it' the Smokies
were made into a National Park.?
Immediately the Government would
begin building highways ftnd trails
through the park. Mr. Gregge to:d
me that, in his jndgew^it, at least
three, and probobly lour hard-sur
faced roads not less than fifty feci
wide would have to be built across
the Smokies, from border to bordt
"in order," he said,"to accommodate
the .millions of tourists who wouf<
flock here as soon as the park was
opened." There would also be bitilt
a sky-line drive, -forty miles along
the top of the divide!, connecting the
over-mountain roads. This would be
a HIGHway indeed; for most of it
would be a mile or more above sea
level. ft would be the grandest
scenieroad in ^he world.
Note that he said "the* millions of
tourists who would flock here." He
is no visionary. The members of
the National Park Commission are
experts in ipark matters. They have
,intimate personal knowledge of all
the eighteen National Parks in our
country. They thoroughly know what
the tourist trade isj They are hard
headed business men who are in the
habit of understating, rather than
overstating, facts and probabilities.
They are not boosters but seeker^
after exact facts.
Then, when the roads are built, the
Government must establish camps
and recreational centers on a grand
scale.
These a<rtivi|tics,J including ! 'the
surveying, would at once give em
ployment to a host of our people at
good wages. ( 'f ' f
5. But it is objected that either
the State legislature or the people by
]>opular subscription must provide the
fund needed to buy the park area.
Well, suppose the State does (it..
This would not in any sense be a
gift. It would be, on the contrary,
an investment p;.4 ing a handsome rer
turn for all tim..* to come. Suppose
50,000 cars we. ? brought here the
first year after ,lie park is opened,
over and above, those that would be
here anyway, 'lhat is certainly a
moderate estimate. And suppose
their average mileage*in the State
were 400 miles per car. Our four
cent -gasoline tax is the same as a
toll tate of three-tenths of a cent
per mile (in exact figures, it is .294
cents per mile). Those 50,000 cars
the first year would 'turn into the
State treasury $00,000;, The actual
return over a period of years would
be far greater than this rate, judging
from what we actually kqow of!Con
ditions in other touri^fc'rfesprts. VJT
WOULD GO ON FOREVER.
kWould not this be a good invest
I la
ment? What private firm would not
bo glad to take such business over?
C. Our own people, many of them,
are somewhat at sea about this park
proposition because they have never
seen the thing tried, and most of
them have never traveled in Florida
or other touring regions. They must
'be shown. They ask: "What would
tlie park do for ME? Hown soon
would it affect my interests?"
Well, the immediate affect of open
inu the park would be to bring hun
dreds, thousands of investors and
summer residents into this country.
No hotels would be allowed inside
the park boundary?only camps. But
along the border of the park it would
be necessary to have a ring! of hotels
and boarding houses. They would
certainly be built; for capital is al
ways on the lookout for such oppor
tunities.
And wherever hotels are grouped
in this way, all the varied industries
and stores and amusement resorts
associated with tourist life would
spring up. Tourists are free spend
ers. They would leave tens of mil
lions of dollars here, and would take
nothing away. If you have not been
in Florida within the past two or
three years, ask somebody who has
been there to tell you what the tour
ist trade amounts to.
Under such conditions real estate
values would soar.
The money brought into this coun
try by capitalizing our scenery and
climate through a National Park
would make our old-time revenue
from the tifnber industry look like
the thirtieth of a cent.
Asheville would grow as never
before. She is the strategic center of
Western North Carolina commercial
Jy, but she is no,t yet a city of great
commercial consequence, simply be
cause the surrounding territory is
mostly poor. She cannot attain her
due,growth in this respect until she
has a rich tributary territory. And
the only way to bring riches into
that territory is by capitalizing on
a grand scale the scenic and climatic
advantages that it is so strikingly
blessed with. That means a National
Park.
\Y ayneSville, Sylva, Bryson City
and Itobbinsv illis would be direct
gateways into the park. Franklin,
Andrews and Murphy would be on
the main streets loading to.it and
would profit immensely by the traffic.
The influence of this great recrea
tional center would extend, commer
cial^, far beyond the limits of the
counties hording on the park.
North Georgia would immediately
feel the effect. The Piedmont would
feel it. Tennessee, of course, would
get hor due share.
'J liesc arc sonic of the reasons why
our western region should organize
at once for concerted action toward
getting the park. God has given us
the finest location in all eastern
America for this national recreational
center. The National Park Commis
ioa has definitely refused to consider
any other location south of Virginia.
And so the only question for us is
this:
SHALL THE SMOKY MOUN
TAINS BECOME A NATIONAL
PARK OR A DESERT?
TO PLAN MADI
SON MEMORIAL
('
H. T. Hunter, President of the
Cullowhee Normal School, and E. H.
Stillwell, President of the Alumni
Association, have called a meeting
of the citizens and alumni on July
25, at Cullowhee, to consider plans
for the memorial entrance which will
honor Professor R. L. Madison, foun
der of the School. At the annual
banquet of the Alunuii in May, it
was voted that the objective for the
year be the erection of this structure.
It is to be thoroughly modern, and in
keeping with the dignity and beauty
of the new buildings on the campus.
The new structure will grace the en
trance to the main driveway of the
campus. I
A stone wall and gutter, about 720
feet long, and averaging about three
feet in height, which is being erect
ed 011 the entrance road, in nearing
completion. It will serve not only as
an object of beauty but as a retain
ing wall to prevent wash-outs from
thd hill adjacent.
BALSAM
The'Jackson County Sunday School
Convention which convened in the
Metliodist church, here, last week
was well attended and interesting
from beginning to end. Good speak
ers, and good singing and good din
ner. Mrs. Maybelle Perry and Mr. W.
T. Lee, J,, treated everybody to ice
cream. The attendance pennant was
won by the Beta Baptist Snnday
School. The convention will meet at
Speedwell next year.
Miss Faye Bryson is recovering rap
idly in the Waynesville hospital
where she underwent an operation
for appendicitis.
Mr. Carter Bryson has returned
from Kansas, where he worked for
some time. 1'
Miss Nannie Knight, Mrs. D. T.
Knight, Mrs. W. F.Farwell and Mr.
George Knight went to Hazelwood
Thursday night to see "The Birth of
A Nation." o
Mr. Charles Perry joined a party
from Waynesville and attended a
dance in Dillsboro Thursday night.
Mrs. Perry and Mr. C. E. Jones, Jr.
went to Hazelwood to see "The Birth
of A Nation".
Misses Katie and Prim Kenney,
Margaret, Rena Mae and Ellie Sim
mons Collins and Messrs. Corbitt
Ensley and Geo. T. Knight went to
Eagles Nest and had a picnic Satur
day.
Mrs. Nelson Beck went to Sylva
Saturday.
Mr. Charlie Arrington and little
daughter, Ruby, of Canton spent Sun
day with Mrs. A. H. Mehaffey and
Mrs. Lily Bryson.
Mr. Lloyd Queen was here from
Dillsboro Sunday.
Mrs. Maybelle Perry, Messrs
Charles Perry and Charles Jones
dined on Jones' Knob Sunday.
Mr. Roy Dock is spending some
time at Balsam Lodge.
Mr. Will Giessler of Newark, N. J.,
is visiting his sister, Mrs. Anna Dock
at Balsam Lodge. ,
Mr. Glenn Beck is quite sick.
The little infant babe of Mrs. Wil
liams was buried here Sunday after
noon.
The Grassy Ridge mica mine has
opened up under new management,
Messrs. Wishhart and Payne of Ashe
ville. J -v ?
Misses Ruth and Pauline Bryson
have returned home after- an extend
ed visit in Canton.
28 HIGH ASSOCIA
TION PERFECTED
Number 28 Highway Association
was formed at High Hampton, when
a large and representative body of
men and women from the counties af
fected, gathered at that resort.
0. L. Anderson, Hayesville, was
elected president of the association,
J. B. Gray, secretary, and vice
presidents as follows: Jackson Coun
ty, E. L. McKee; Macon County, T.
G. Harbison; Clay County, P. B.
Gray; Transylvania County, W. E.
Breese, and Henderson County John
Eubank.
Highway No. 28 starts at Bat Cavr
in Henderson County and traverses
parts of Henderson and goes through
Brevard and a big section of Tran
sylvania, to Fairfield, in Jackson
County, through Cashiers Valley,
Highlands, Franklin, down Shooting
Creek to Hayesville, thence to Mur
phy where it intersects No. 10. Thus
located on the map, this important
highway traverses a large and beau
tiful section of Western North Caro
lina, and a region that is practically
virgin, yet possessing great poten
tialities. It is the object of the as
sociation to promote the construction
of this highway as rapidly as possible.
Following a banquet at High Hamp
ton, attended by 102 citizens of the
five counties, the meeting was called
to order on the spacious lawn, under
the centuries-old oaks, by J. B. Gray,
who briefly stated the object of the
meeting, and in troduced 0. L. An
derson, who told of the riches of the
region that Highway No. 28 will
traverse, and urged the construction
of the road, in order to develp those
resources for the State, as well as
to provide a magnificent scenic high
way. He pointed out that this road,
unlike a number of the State's great
highways, does not follow the rail
roads, but goes through a region
that is entirely dependent upon the
highways to get their products to
the markets.
A vote of confidence and thanks
for the work of J. G. Stickeleather,
commissioner of the district,was unan
imously given by a standing vote.
In response Mr. Stikeleather stat
ed that he will construct all the
roads in the district asrapidly as he
secures the finances to do the work,
and stressed the point that he has
always been interested in highway
No. 28. )
The present status of the road was
presented by men from the various
counties. In Henderson it will be
completed next summer, with hard'
\ -
surface or oil surface entirely across
the county. It is now practieally com
pleted across Transylvania. Jackson
has recently purchased the Ravenel
road, and turned it over to the State.
Macon is offering to lend the State
an additional $100,000 to be used on
this road, a great deal of work hav
ing been done on it. Clay offers a
loan of $100,000 which will complete
it in that county.
No. 28 will provide a delightful
drive, one being able to leave Ashe
ville, Hendersonville, or Brevard,
drive through the Sapphire country
of Transylvania and Jackson, across
Macon, via Highlands and Franklin,
Murphy and return on Highwayy No.
Murphyand return on Highway No.
10 across the Nantahalas by Bryson
City, Sylva and Waynesville.
If a shorter drive is desired, one
can turn north in Cashiers, cross the
Blue Ridge, and come down the Tuck
aseigee via Cullowhee, strike Route
No. 10 at Sylva,and thus back to
the starting point.
Either of thees routes are at pres
en comparatively unknown to the
tourist business of all Western North
Carolina.
MISS BROGDON ACCEPTS
IMPORTANT FLORIDA POST
Miss Nettie Brogdon, who for the.
past two years has been rural school (
supervisor in Jackson County, has
recently accepted a position as State
Supervisor of Rural Schools in
Florida. Miss Brogdon expects to
leave Cullowhee^ where she has had
headquarters, about the middle of
August to take up her new post at
Tallahassee.
Brogdon's training and ex
perience will equip her well for the
responsibilities of her new office. She
holds B. S. and M. A. degrees from
the George Peabody Teachers' Col
lege where she made a special study
of rural school supervision. She has
taught at that Institution, a the Uni
versity of Maryland, and at the Cul
lowhee Normal School. For three
years she did supervisory work in
Montgomery County, Maryland.
For. the past two years* Miss Brog
don has been employed by the General
Board of Education in New York to
do a piece of exj>eriniental work in
Jackson County. The object was to
ascertain the type of supervision tha
would meet the needs ot' the Western
Counties. Miss Brogdon lias been lo
cated at the Cullowhee Normal Schoo
which she has used as an agency to
assist in putting her program across
The Normal School teachers have
helped with the presentation of dif
ferent phases of her activity. Each
voar, Miss Brogdon has spent ten
days at the school in conference with
the teachers with the object of cor
relating the work in Jackson County
with that at the School. During the
summers she has taught at the Norm
al School, making her courses as
practical as possible by basing them
on the needs of the teachers as she
seen them while working in the
County.
Miss Brogdon has introduced an
extensive testing program in the
schools of Jackson County whereby
children are classified and promoted
in a scinetific manner and promoted
ty commencement to be held in any
western county in North Carolina
was held in Jackson this spring un
der the direction of Miss Brogdon
and Superintendent 0. S. Dillard. It
was remarkably successful in spite
of the forebodings of many. Group
teachers' meetings, and annual con
ferences extending over two days
have been held. At these, the aims,
plans, and problems of the teacher
have been discussed. Miss Brogdon's
work has been recognized by educat
ional leaders in the State who were
responsible for the printing of a de
tailed account of her work, in bullet
in form, giving information as to her
program, methods of procedure,and
results.
BEACH WILL COACH .
? CULLOWHEE
J. W. Beach, graduate of Wake
Forest where he was manager of the
varsity football team and coach of
basket ball* for three years, has
been engaged as coach of athletics at
Cullowhee for the regular session be
ginning September 8th. Mr. Beach
was intimately connected with the
Department of Athletics at Wake
Forest under Coach Garrity, and
comes toCullowhee highly recommend
j ed. He is now attending the Wa
I Forest Summer School and plans t<3
go later to the Coaching School at|
the University of North Carolina.
1 Mir. Beach will also teach some'
courses in Mathematics.
FARMERS' CHAUTAUQUA
OPENS TOMORROW
Among the notables who will be on
the program of the Farmers' Chau
tauqua, which opens, here, tomorrow,
are Miss Hattie M. Berry, prime
mover of the good roads movement
in North Carolina, and to whom prob
ably more than to any one person is
due the progress of the state along
that line, Dr. George R. Sturat, of
nation-wide reputation as lecturer
and pulpit orator, James G. K. Mc
Clure, president of the Buncombe
County Farmers' Federation, Mr.
George Ross, Mr. Harry Roberts,
My. B. T. Farnum, Mr. R. L, Shuford, ?'
Mr. W. V. Arrendale, Mrs. MeKim
mon, Prof. Collier Cobb, Chairman
Frank Page of the state highway
commission and others.
The chatutauqua opens tomorrow
morning at 8:30 with community
singing for a prize of $25.00 for the 1
best class or quartette and and
for the second best. <
Following the singing Mr. Modus*'
will deliver an address, the Fowlr
bilities of Western North Carolina,
agriculturally. , *,.
11:00 Mr. Ross speaks on the\beef
cattle industry. (
A recess will be taken for dinner
at 12:00. #
At the 1:00 o'clock hour, the dairy
ing industry and its relation to the
future of this region will be discuss
ed by Mr. Roberts, Mr. Farnum, Mr.
Shuford, and Mr. Arrendale.
The sale of Polled Angus, register
ed cattle, by the SylvaSupply Co.,
will be held at 2:30, at which time
a splendid herd will be sold at pub
ilc auction. Mr. Robert Patton,
auctioneer.
There will be a base ball game at
3:30.
In the evening Miss Berry and
Prof. Cobb wilt speak, and a pageant
will be heULx
On Friday Chairman Page will
speak at the 11:00 o'clock hour.
Mr. V. W. Lewis and Mr. John
Goodman will give some interesting
information in regard to the poultry
industry at 11:00.
Dinner will be at 12:00.
Mrs. McKimmon is on the progarm
I for an address on The Making of A
Home, at 1:30. -i
Two teams from the Cherokee In
dian Reservation will play a game of
Indian Ball at 3:00.
At 8:00 Dr. George R. Stuart will
deliver one of his delightful lectures.
A lai^e crowd of people is expect*
' ed to be present at all the features
I of the Chautauqua, and it is hoped
I that it will be the dawning of a new
day in Jackson County, and other
western provinces of the state.
There will be no admission charges
to any of the addresses or athletic
events.
? o
PLAN IMPROVEMENTS AT
CULLOWHEE NORMAL
President Hunter of the Cullowhee
Normal School, upon the instruction
of Mr. Reuben Roberson, Chariman
of the Board of Trustees, has called a
meeting of the Board at the George
Vanderbilt Hotel in Asheville for
August 4th. Bids will be considered
and the contract let for repairs on
the heating system. These repairs
will include the placement of tunnels,
the installation of a circulating hot
water system with pumps, a high
pressure steam boiler, etc., and the
repair of machine lines in the Daviee
and Madison Buildings.
The Board is also planning to re
pair the latter two buildings1 this
summer. A number of improvements
in the physical equipment have been
made recently. About four hundred
new books have been added to the
Library. A large supply of shades ar
rived recently so that every building
on the campus is now equipped with
shades. New blackboards have been
supplied to all the needy class roozn9.
Following President Hunter's re
cent conference with the Governor,
additional lands, inculding the Fannie
Frizzle farm were purchased for the
water shed.
NOTICE TO TEACHERS
f V
By direction of the Board of Ed*
ucation the Public SchoolB will open
on the 3rd day of August. All teach
ers are requested to meet in the
Court House o n Friday, July
31 at one o'clock P. M. for a short
conference and receiving supplies etc,
I for the year.
J. N. WILSON, Snpt J j