PAGE TEN
THE FRANKLIN PRESS AND THE HIGHLANDS MACONIAN
THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 1930
a
TABLET HONORS
FIRSHEACHER
(Continued From Pag One)
D. Billings, superintendent of
schools of Macon county, who was
the principal speaker on the pro
gram.
Mr. Billings spoke of Mr. Curtis
life in Franklin and his service as
editor of The Franklin .Press. He
also had much to say of Mr. Cur
tis as a man of tolerant and lib
eral views, but with strong prin
ciples and a sane outlook. He spoke
of him as a "man with his feet on
the ground," who could not be
stampeded by wild theorists with
Utopian schemes. He further said
that Mr. Curtis was known as a
man who stood always for what
he believed to be right and ncyer
knew the meaning of fear.
Markers Unveiled
At the conclusion of Mr. Bill
ings' address, Dr. J. K. Coit, of the
Kabun Gap-Nacoochee school, spoke
for a few minutes, paying tribute
to Dr. Richie and asking those pres
ent to insist that the Doctor write
a history of Kabun county after
his retirement from active work
with the school on July 1. The
crowd then proceeded to the en
trance where the little granddaugh
ter of Ir. Ritchie pulled the cord
and unveiled the memorial tablet
to Mr. Curtis which is set into one
of the brick columns. In the op
posite column another memorial
tablet is imbedded to the memory
of Elizabeth Ritchie, sister of Dr.
Ritchie, and her husband, John
Howard, who were students of Mr.
Curtis and were helpers in the
founding of the present school.
The tablet to Mr. Curtis reads
as follows :
Iii Memory of
Our .First Teacher '
W. A. Curtis
Founder of the First
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School
1873
Here He Lived and Taught
For Nearly Twenty Years
Erected By
His Pupils Who Were
Living in 1939
The other tablet is inscribed:
Here Lived Two Students
Of Mr. Curtis
Elizabeth Ritchie and Her
Husband, John Howard
A Faithful Helper in the
Founding of the
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School
Erected in Their Memory
By Survivors of the Family
In 1939
Bountiful Dinner Served '
After the unveiling a barbecue to start the group work to organ
and basket dinner was served which ize a county league. The plan pro
the crowd enjoyed to the utmost. I vides that when a dozen or more
There were several of Mr. Curtis
tld students present in the gath
ering, two of them, Mrs. Z. B. Dil
lard and Mrs. W. T. York, having
attended his first class.
Three of Mr, , Curtis' children
were present on this occasion, H.
O. Curtis, of Sylva; Mrs.' Florence
Hampton, of Bryson City, and W.
F. Curtis, of Franklin. Three oth
ers live so far away they could
not attend. f inree grandchildren
were also present, Mrs. Buckner
and William Curtis, son and daugh
ter of H. O. Curtis, and Robert,
son of W. F. Curtis. All of them
were asked ,by Dr. Ritchie to
stand and be introduced to the
crowd. ,
The memorial exercises were ar
ranged ty a committee appointed
t- u:i.:- ... !- i. .
:iu i Mr iviLciiir uiiif fi wii l inn-
posed of the following pupils of
Mr. Curtis: Z. B. Dillard, J. E.
Rickfnan, B. R. Dillard, Mrs. W.
T. York and Mrs. W.E. Powell:
Mr. Curt a Remarkable Man
- W. A. Curtis was Without doubt
one of the most talented men this
mountain country ever produced.
He was born and reared in what
is now Clay but was then Chero
kee county, North Carolina, and
received his 'education under that
remarkable pioneer teacher, John
O. Hicks, who was known far and
wide for his learning and ability. 1
' When the Civil War. came, Mr.
Curtis Volunteered at once for
service and fought gallantly for the
Confederacy for four years. He re
turned after Lee's surrender and
determined to enter the teaching
professibh and went to Rabun Gap
with his old teacher, John O. Hicks,
who recommended him to the
people, l nere was no scnooi ana
one was badly needed, and the citi
zens of the community worked to
gether with Mr. Curtis and enabled i
him to secure 100 acres of what I
is now the 1600-acre property of
the splendid Rabun Gap-Nacoochee
school. A residence and school
house were built, and for nearly
20 years the boys and girls of
Rabun and adjoining counties in
Georgia and North Carolina went
to the Rabun Gap school and rCr
ceived there the essentials of edu
cation, religion and good citizen
ship. Move To Franklin
About 1887 Mr. Curtis went back
near his boyhood home and taught
in Hayesville for two years. He
had often visited Franklin and
knew many of the people, and
when an opportunity offered in
1889 to buy The Franklin Press
from F. S. Johnston, who desired
to give up the paper, he moved
here and assumed control.
.The first issue of The Press
under the management of Mr. Cur
tis appeared on July 4, 1889, and
is now in the files at this office.
He remained as editor and owner
until his death in March, 1910.
Mr. Curtis is well remembered 'by
the older residents as an unassum
ing man of wide information and
many talents. He was an able ed
itor, an expert printer, an authority
on the science of music and a
photographer who thoroughly und
erstood the art. In addition he was
a cabinet maker, many pieces of
whose fine work are highly prized
Dy tneir owners, in this section.
He was also a scientific farmer and
horticulturist, and it is said that
he could master any trade or
science that appealed to him.
But the greatest of all the
memorials to this remarkable man
is to be found in the lives and
work of his former pupils, such as
George Truitt, one of "the most
eminent of living preachers.' and
others whose fame has been nation
wide, and also many solid and sub
stantial citizens throughout this
immediate section who were his
pupils, and whom he inspired with
his example and his teaching.
Communications
MR. SEAY URGES COUNTY
FOR MORALS AND ETHICS
I have made a number of re
quests for help and cooperation in
explaining the plan and doing the
work of the Spiritual Welfare
League of Clayton, Ga. The re
sponse has been excellent but more
gratifying that ever to receive the
whole-hearted cooperation 1 have
in the last few months. I am
working through the pastors and
not one of them has refused to
help.
CJur next objective is to get a
sufficient number of communities
communities start the work they
may each send three men to a
designated place to organize a
county league. This league .elects'
a county superintendent to keep
the work going. This superintendent
receives a salary but lall others
render service gratis out of love
for their homes and their country.
We are persuaders.
With the county organized this
way, a number of benefits, are at
once available. Those to the church
are too numerous to name now,
We name one of vital importance
to our niatienal life. With the
county thus organized the best men
and women can, among other good
things, establish a county standard
of morals and ethics. In working
lor this they can, among other
things, through their county sup
erintendent and local leagues, write
a county platform of principles,
publish it in the county local paper.
At the close say, "To all candi
dates desiring our sufferage the
above is a platform of our prin
ciples. If you get our support you
will make them yours. And being
organized so we can, will keep
tab on you whether or not you
live up to them."
Of course all will not stick and
go the same way but the best
people will be leading in it, and
our group work and mass meeting
work will be continually building
sentiments in favor of the county
standard. . Also our means of high
powered persuasion will help to
mould sentiment into public opin
ion and a few more now and then
will stick and fall into the better
way and finally win out.
How much better it will be for
the best people to take the reins
and write into a platform what
they want and don't want. And
hold up to the public, not men not
flesh and blood, but undying eter-
Two Invalids
! f " pat- N ;
B if
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n mi
nm in
IM
Hi
Fred Snite Jr., left, 28-year-o!d Chicago youth, an infantile paralysis victim whose life for the past three
years has depended on an "iron lung:," was recenHy placed on board ship for the. first lap of his Journey
to the Grotto of Miracles iq Lourdes, France, where he will seek strengthening of his religions philosophy.
Right: David Van Wallace, 32, bed-ridden for 15 years because of a broken neck, will visit the Grotto of Mira
cles some time in July, The Notre Dame club of Detroit, Mich., heard of Wallace's desire to visit Lourdes,.
and took steps to insure the journey.
Jial principles, and say to the law
makers, the judges, and the exe
cutors of the law, this is what we
demand and what we are organized
to contend for.
I say how much better this
method would be than to leave all
up to drunken, bootlegging, wicked,
designing, vote buying, corrupt pol
iticians, just such as many of them
are, to lead, take the reins and
start-the team and drive it very
much at will. This will be a first
step toward" purifying politics. ,
This gigantic liquor problem, with
at the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee school
fully dealt with m tlie same way.
GEO. W. SEAY.
Otto
By MISS HAZEL BRADLEY
There will be a cake walk, music
and games at the Otto school house
Saturday night, July 1, at 8 o'clock.
Proceeds will go for equipment for,
the playground and is sponsored
by the recreational leaders.
Mrs. W. E. Mozeley left Sunday
to spend several days with her
daughter, Mrs. Tom Alley and Mr.
Alley, of Cullowhee.
A double header ball game was
played by the Otto CCC's with
Holly Springs and Clarks Chapel
on the CCC ball grounds on Sun
day. The score between the CCC's
and Holly Springs was 26 to 6 in
favor of the former and Clarks
Chapel was beaten by a score of
9 to 0.
Miss Kate Vinson has taken a
position in Highlands for the sum
mer.
A large group of friends yere
entertained with an outdoor party
at the home of Misses Josephine,
Hazel and Lotis Bradley on Sat
urday, June 24. Several enjoyable
games were olaved around an onen
tire.
. -x
The Ladies' Aid will meet with
Mrs. Kate Myers on July 8 at 3
o clock p. m., at her home. All
members are urged to attend.
LEGAL ADVERTISING
ADMINISTRATOR'S NOTICE
Having qualified as administrator
of S. A. Angel, deceased, late of
Macon county, . N. C, this is to
notify all persons having claims
against the state pf said deceased
to exhibit them to the undersigned
on or before the 24th day of
June, 1940, or this notice will be
plead in bar of their recovery. All
persons indebted to said estate will
please- make immediate settlement.
This 24th day of June, 1939.
J. J. MANN,
Administrator.
J29-otp A3
EXECUTRIX NOTICE
Having qualified as executrix of
Phebe Crisp, deceased, late of Ma
con county, N. C, this is to notify
all persons having claims against
the estate of said deceased to ex
hibit ' them to the undersigned on
or before the 28th day of June,
iwu, or this notice will be plead in
bar of their recovery. All persons
indebted to said estate will olease
make immediate settlement.
This 27th day of June, 1939:
NANNIE ROGERS,
Executrix.
J29-tp-A3 vl
Seek Assistance at
5s-MS
V$ ' & r
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4. 6 St i K
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The Home Demonstration club
will meet at the Otto school house
on July 6 at 3 o'clock, p. ,m. All
members are,, asked to be present.
A recent survey conducted in 35
states revealed that seven out of
10 farmer personally interviewed
subscribed to a daily newspaper
and more than half took a weekly.
ft
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C0AT D0 THE WORK OF THREE COATS
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TO THE
WOOD
G REfisv mum a rr 9
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which take the place of the
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paint. One goes next to the
wood .. .seals its pores, or clings
to the old paint surface. It
prevents the loss of oils that
SEE US BEFORE YOU PAINT
Reeves Hardware Co.
FRANKLIN, N. C.
Lourdes Shrine
K:::::::::SS:;::::::::::r:::::::::::::::.::::;:;S::i
Notice To Subscribers
Due to the many change be
ing made in our mailing list each
week, some errors may occur,
and subscribers are asked to
check addresses and expiration
dates and report any mistakes
at once.
c
1 COAT NEXT
TO THE
SUN
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