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VOLUME
THE
PILOT
NUMBER
33
Is a Paper Devoted to the Upbuilding of the Sandhill Territory of North Carolina
Address all communications to
the pilot printing company. VASS. N. C.
^ 700 ATTEND
BETHESDA REORION
Visited There From Everywhere
Within Radius Fifty Miles
—Other Aberdeen News
C.
• <
s'
• I
The old time service held in old Be
thesda church last Sunday brought
old members of the congregation to
gether from not only this county, but
from other adjoining counties and in
several instances from South Caro
lina.
The services were made to conform
to old time manners and customs as
much as possible. A part of the gal
lery was set aside for the colored
people just as of old, and the organ
was entirely dispensed with. The
preacher of the day, the Rev. A. R.
Shaw of Charlotte, who hails from
Bethesda, modeled his sermon very
much after the sermons of the older
(iays. He chose for his text Genesis
42:36, emphasizing the concluding
words of the text “all these things
are against me’’ and from this we
deduced a fundamental Presbyterian
doctrine on the theme “Providence.”
He stated in opening his sermon that
he made no spology for preaching a
doctrinal sermon, for doctrine came
first, then Christian duty. He pro
ceeded with an orderly analysis of his
theme, dividing this Providence of
God into two departments—Preser
vation and Government,—as it af
fects humanity. Applying his text he
said that the workings of Providence
sometimes seemed strange and un
fathomable to men and that it inevit
ably caused men to murmur. He
answered Jacobs lamentation in his
text with the New Testament pas
sages “All things work together for
pod.” His sermon was exceedingly
interesting and instructive, not only
to the old folks, but to the young as
well. The morning service* conclud
ed, the congregation adjourned to the
-grove where the ladies of the con
gregation had provided food and drink
for all present.
At 2 o’clock services again were
held, during which Holy Communion
was distributed. Rev. A. R. Shaw
again delighted his hearers with an
address.
A collection was taken up at the
moping services, the proceeds of
which are to be used toward maintain
ing the old church property and pre
serving it for the future generations.
It is realized that it is a cradle spot
of this entire section. All its history
and tradition go back to this spot for
a source. A goodly sum was realized
and the work of renovating will com
mence at once.
It v/as also decided to make these
reunions an annual event. The pas
tor’s request for all those to stand up
who had been members of Bethesda
forty years or more showed that gen
eration to be well on the sunset slope
of life—even those were the young
men in those days being counted
among the old men of the community
today. The event should be anually
observed for each reunion may be
someone’s last.
Mr. N. A. McKeithan, of Carthage,
who perhaps is more conversant with
the history and traditions of Bethes
da church and the earlier days of this
community, is now compiling an his
torical sketch from such records as
he can obtain, interlining it with fair
ly well authenticated traditions that
have come to him. No real elfort
seems to have been made along this
line ere this to preserve this history.
This sketch will be published in in
stallments from time co time in The
Pilot.
It seems that the feeling among the
negro boys against the colored boy
who bandies the mails, and who was
cut, by one of them several weeks
ago doesn’t subside. The boy’s name
is Good John and he hails from South
Carolina. He seems to be a hard
working, industrious boy who minds
his own business and that seems to
be about the only objection that the
rest of the boys have against him.
Last Sunday afternoon and evening
some of the gang that congreg’ates
around the station and the watch
man’s shanty got a hold of some
’iquor, and it was not long until they
Were again bothering this boy while
he was at his work. A part of his
duties are to load and unload the
mails. Had it not been for the prompt
interference of the local officers and
H. King, the Seaboard’s agent, an
other cutting scrape would have re
sulted. The gang was broken up and
the ring leaders locked up. Occur
ences like this are made possible only
hy allowing negroes to congregate on
the station premises. Southern Pines
had similiar experiences until it broke
up this station loafing. At one time
Aberdeen succeeded pretty well in
jj^eeping order around the depot.
Lately, though, loafing has increased
so during the day that just recently
^ strange colored man getting off the
niorning train inquired if the colored
Pc-ople were having a holiday.
Labor is scarce and wages are high
to encourage any man to work,
those that won’t work under pres
ent conditions should be picked up
under the Vacancy Act. This loafing
is not only displeasing and objection-
able to us now, but it will terminate
m future police court and criminal
court cases. Let our officers nip this
in the bud and they will save us this
luture expense and do much toward
creating a better impression of Ab-
erdeen on the casual passer through.
If this loafing had been broken up
immediately after the cutting scrape
of a few weeks ago we doubt very
much if we would have had a repeti
tion of the affair Sunday night. Uncle
Sam will no doubt attend to the negro
who assaulted the mail boy; let the
Aberdeen officers now do their part
L^t week the Young Women’s Bi
ble Class of the Baptist church held
its monthly meeting with Mrs. P. N.
Vandergrift. 10 members were pres
ent. Mrs. J. R. Page was guest of
honor and after the regular business
was over she told the class of the
needy conditions in the county, and
the class, in addition to various other
activities, decided to help a young
girl by helping pay her expenses at
Sanatorium. A delightful social hour
followed.
Rumor has it that B. B. Saunders
and Dr. A. H. McLeod have concluded
a big real estate deal with J. S. Mault-
sby, in which he transfers to them a
big part of his holdings at Montrose.
The purchase consists of his big store
building there, his new residence, 140
acres of land and a half dozen or so
tenant houses. The new owners have
not as yet divulged whether or not
they have any immediate plans of de
velopment in mind.
Ruben Wilson, a son of Curtis Wil
son, of Ashley Heights, was brought
into Aberdeen Saturday for medical
attention, having been assaulted and
cut by a negro with whom he was at
work. The negro made his get-away
has not been apprehended so far. Mr.
Wilson’s injuries fortunately are not
serious.
A count of the automobiles made
at Bethesda reunion showed 190 cars
parked on the church grounds. It is
estimated that 700 people were there
throughout the day.
C. B. Porter and family are spend
ing the summer in the state of Ver
mont.
The school commissioners recently
concluded the purchase of the J. J.
Heckert property on Popular street
now occupied by Fred Weaver. The
price paid was $3,500. There is con
siderable discussion over this in the
school district and perhaps some
severe criticism. However, out of the
numerous sites offered the school com
mittee this one proved to be the best
from the standpoint of location, size
and other requirements. The com
missioners intend erecting a $10,000.
teacherage on this site. The house
on the premises will be moved back
for servant’s quarters. The lot is a
very deep one, being 290 feet deep,
and this will afford plenty of space
for a tennis court, etc., to furnish out
door recreation for the teachers hous
ed there. The commissioners bought
this property only after due compari
son with other properties offered, and
while it may not appear to be as cheap
as other properties submitted, we be
lieve that the commissioners’ action
will be deemed wise in the future.
The Auto Oasis Filling station is
having a number of attractive out
door signs painted. All of them are
desert scenes depicting cases some
where nearby. We imagine the feel
ing is about the same when you run
out of gas on a country road ’steen
miles from anywhere as it is mid-way
between t^ese oasis in the desert.
Among the visitors here for Be-
(Continued on page two)
FRIDAY, JULY 6,1923
J. Ndl. JOHNSON WRITES
inniEssioNS of west
Makes Special Note of Physical
Appearance of the People
—Visits Washington
SANDHILL FOLKS VISIT
S. C. COnON GROWERS
Cokers at Hartsville Have 4,000 Acres
in Cotton — Use Barrel Spray
Method to Keep Down Weevil
Albert Blue, Henry Blue, and J. J.
Heckert, of Aberdeen, made an ex
cursion into the South Carolina cot
ton country for the purpose of seeing
to what extent the cotton growers in
that state have overcome the on
slaught of the boll weevil pest. They
took with them Dr. Leiby, the State s
Entomologist, who is stationed here.
They made the journey going by way
of Rockingham and report what cot
ton they saw between Rockingham
and Hartsville in rather poor shape.
Investigation showed that the plant
ers over this , territory were more or
less lukefarm or careless in usmg the
boll weevil sprays and insecticides.
They didn’t see any real cotton until
they got to Hartsville. Here the Coker
Brothers, who are the heart and soul
of Hartsville, as well as of the sur
rounding country, have four thousand
acres of cotton now ^owmg".
have not reduced their ^
are paying strict attention to the S®
ernment’s an^ state’s recommenda
tions for combating the
They use the barrel spray method and
(Continued on page eight)
Dear Home Folks:—
I promised Mr. Editor to give you
a series of letters recording my im
pressions gained on this journey
across the American continent,
“But how the subject thence may
^ gang,
Let time and chance determine;
Perhaps it may turn out a sang.
Perhaps turn out a sermon.”
Hon. William A. Guthrie of happy
memory, in his little book on “McDuf
fie’s Theory of the Variation of the
Magnetic Needle,” humourously tells
a story of Old Duncan McPherson, a
school-master near Fayetteville, in the
olden time. Two boys, brothers, were
pupils of this Old Pedagogue, namely
Dave and Bill McDuffie, the future
great mathematician, D. G. McDuffie,
and the no less eminent physician Dr.
W. C. McDuffie. The old tutor used
to say of these two boys: “Dave can
never tell all he knows, but Bill can
tell all he knows, and a damn sight
more than he knows.”
In some respects, I am like both of
these boys: If you place me in a
chair, or on my feet, and order me to
tell all I know on a given subject, I
would come to grief before I was half
delivered of my burden; but if you
“set me down, with pen in hand,” and
give me time to take notes, and ar
range my thoughts in order, I can
tell all I know, and then some!
When I was a yearling boy going
to school to Dr. H. B. Shields, (he was
not a doctor then—and while I am on
this parenthsis, I will mention the
fact that the Dr. now looks to be
younger than I am, but he isn’t), I
was assigned a speech, delivered in
Congress by one of the old fathers
about the time the line of change was
crawling towards the Great Schism
that tore our country asunder, and
plunged us into fratricidal war. 1
think the speech was Clay’s or Web
ster’s, I do not know which. Its
theme was fulsome praise for each of
the contending sections, hoping there
by to pour oil on the troubled waters;
after very high praise to the manu
facturing North, and no less praise
for the gallant and high-minded
planters of the South; it turned to the
West. Dr. Shields would, with great
patience, show me how to turn my
face towards the sunset, extend both
arms forward into a horizontal posi
tion, hands open and palms down
ward, and grandly apostraphise:
“What is the West, with its waving
expanses of verdant corn; with its
beautiful Ohio and its majestic Mis
souri!”
We are to remember that when that
speech was delivered in Congress the
West meant the states of Ohio, Indi
ana, Illinois and Missouri. The p'es-
ent great states of Kansas, Iowa, Ne
braska and Minnesota were practical
ly incognito; but even at that, it
would be difficult today to compress
a better description of the present
West in so few words.
I am inclined to believe Mr. Edi
tor only had in his mind the Far West,
for it was California and the other
Pacific Slope States he persisted in
mentioning, but it would be impossible
for me to write intelligently of Cali
fornia, Oregon and Washington un
less I had first laid my foundation on
the earlier part of my journey.
I would be like the negro soldier
who refused to join the aviation for
the reason that if the engine should
stop, and the white man should say:
“Negro, you get out of here and
crank! What I gwine to stan’ on?”
So I must have something to “stan’ ”
on, or anything I wrote of the Pacific
Slope would fall flat.
It so happens, however, that I have
very little to “stan’ ” on east of the
Mississippi River, for I went to sleep
at Young*stown, O., and did not wake
until we were entering the city of
Chicago, where we spent a delightful
day with friends, and went to sleep
again when we were leaving Chicago,
and when I awoke again we had cross
ed the Mississippi River, and were in
the north-east corner of Missouri. But
I must spend this leter on what we
saw east of the State of Mipouri, for
this is merely an introduction, and I
began in earnest to take notes from
that point on.
We left home on train No. 2 on the
night of the 14th of June, and arrived
in Washington the next morning at
8:45, and as our train for Chicago was
not to leave until 11:05, our friend,
Robert Frouts took us in his automo
bile, and carried us all over Washing
ton; but that is no part of my story.
We left the National Capitol on the
Baltimore and Ohio, and held close to
the bank of the Potomac River. The
first point of note was Harper’s Fer
ry made famous by John Brown’s pue
rile attempt to take into his own
hands the job of freeing the Vir^nia
negro slaves. The site of John
Brown’s Fort is marked by a marble
monument near the railway station.
The course of the railway still follow
ed the bank of the Potomac through
the mountainous regions of Virginia,
and tp Cumberland, Md., then after
climbing over the comb of the moun
tain the railway followed as closely
the head branches of the small rivers
that join at Pittsburgh to form the
Ohio.
At the station of Pittsburgh I sent
out a “Night Letter” wire for home.
The porter soon returned with the in
formation that the operator said he
cotild not find such a place as Aber
deen in North Carolina. I was re
duced to humiliating device of ex
plaining that it was near Pinehurst.
Then it went. But I had to pay $1.27
for the reason that “Rates of night
letters did not apply!”—^whatever
that means. I felt like telling her
that Aberdeen, N. C. was smaller than
Pittsburgh, but it was also much
cleaner.
I have some very valued friends in
Pittsburgh, and I hope they will not
see this; but I can’t help saying Pitts
burgh as I saw it from the train, is
the nastiest, dirtiest, stinkingest,
cess-pool of filth that I have ever seen
in my life. I wonder that the whole
population do not die of a complica
tion of colera, plague, scurvy and
black-death! As our train left the
city, we saw one house on fire. I
could not help wondering if that fire
had not fallen from heaven, as on the
city of the plain ye olden tyme. Cer
tainly, it is only for the “Fifty Right
eous” that Pittsburgh’s slums have
been spared so long.
They tell us that the Peacock is
the proudest bird in the world as long
as his eyes rest upon his own gaudy
plumage, but if he can be once tricked
into looking at his own black and ugly
feet he slips away in shame, and hides
himself. I wonder if those great
preachers who broadcast glad tidings
every week by radio, ever look at
Pittsburgh’s own feet!
Youngstown, Ohio was the last I
remembered, so the great grain states
of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois are but
just mentioned.
Our friends in Chicago gave us a
delightful day, and carried us about
15 miles up the west shores of Lake
Michigan, and over many points of
interest.
I made special note of the physical
appearance of the people, and was in
terested to see how many tall men one
meets. They are not only tall, they
are of iron frame. The arms and legs
of the men are the verv picture of
strength and muscular activity. What
a difference in a hundred Chicagoans
taken at random, and a like number
chosen in the same way from Savan
nah! Doubtless, the reason for this is
the food thev e^>. The westerners
have better meat, better bread and
better water, and it is bound to teil
in results.
The big feet of the Chicago women
have been a stock ioke for manv years,
but the’^e is ro fo”Tirlation to the joke
—not even a broad-fooled foundation.
Their feet in proportion to their pow
er of bodv, are no larger than the
fpet of their Georgia Sisters, and
their arm*?! The^r mu«;cnlar strength
is wonderful. Yon will note I have
’'eferred o^^lv to +heir arms: Bevond
T have no knowledere. and no business
^■o inqui’^e—so I ius+ thank the fashion
makers that dresses are not so long:
as thev u^ed ^o be—and let it ero at
that. I always try to be delica^eh^
correct.
Next week we will take up the
frreat grain sections of Missouri and
Kansas in some detail.
(Signed) J. McN. JOHNSON.
Coronada, California, June 1st, 1923.
SUBSCRIPTION $1.80
NRS. HARRINGTON
ATTENDS REUNION
Mr. Smith to Give Lawn Party;
All the Community, Old and
Young are Invited
EARLY SANDHILL
WATERHELONS
First Melons Grown on Farm of U. T.
Right, of Hoffman, N. C.—Makes
Darkies Smile
Sandhill watermelons beat the
Georgia watermelons to local markets
this year. At least we have not seen
any Georgia watermelons in evidence
yet. Last Tuesday afternoon we no
ticed a stir and a smile on the faces
of Aberdeen darkies as they were
swarming to a truck parked on Syca
more street like bees. Investigating
we found the truck loaded with water
melons. Further inquiry developed
that these melons were grown right
here—to be exact just outside of Hoff
man. Mr. U. T. Hight who grew
them tells us that he has a big acre
age in melons this year planted so
that they will ripen successively all
along through the season. He sold
his load by the pound^—3 1-2 cents
per.
Our information is that Georgia
melons are just beginning to move
to the Northern markets. If Hight
has demonstrated that we can success
fully tie GJeorgia with them, we may
look for the watermelon industry to
grow in the Sandhills. Early water
melons always bring big prices on
the Northern markets.
Through the kindness and courte
sy of Mr. and Mrs. M. McL. McKeitii-
en and Mr. L. B. McKeithen, the cor
respondent was given the opportunity
of attending the reunion on Sundaj%
July 1st at Old Bethesda church. It
will take a more able,, a more eloquent
pen than mine to do justice to this
grand and glorious reunion. There
are the correspondents from Aber
deen, Addor, Carthage and Jackson
Springs. The dear old church with
its galleries were packed and just as
many out of doors. The usual place
in the gallery was left for the color
ed people of which there were a good
ly number. I will mention here that
I always thought that Bethesda
church had the greater number of
colored members than any other of
our Presbyterian churches in this
section of country.
At the beginning of the services the *
Invocation was made by the Rev* Mr.
Gibson of Pine Bluff. Rev. Mr. Gas
ton, pastor of Aberdeen Presbyterian
church, made the address of welcome,
that made everybody happy. The ser
mons were preached by Doctor A. R.
Shaw, of Charlotte, once a member
at Bethesda, and who went out from
that church as a preacher and teacher
of the gospel of Christ. Dr. Shaw
took his text from the 42nd chapter
of Genesis, latter part of the chapter.
He based his discourse on God’s Prov
idences and the remark made by good
old father Jacob, “All these things
are against me.” He spoke of the
changes that had taken place within
the past forty years of the deep
waters of application and the fiery
trials through which many had passed
and that perhaps they would fain
cry out like Jacob, that “All these
things are against me,” that Jacob
was not there that day to defend him
self, but if he were he would undoubt
edly say that was the most foolish
remark he had ever made. An over
ruling Providence worked all things
together for our good, and God’s
glory. That He, who determines alike
the fall of a sparrow and the fate of
a kingdom, so over-rules the tide of
human fortunes that whatever befalls
us, joy or sorrow, the believer will
say “It is the Lord. Let Him do what
seemeth good.”
“I wish you’d heard the singing.
It had the old time ring,” led by Mr.
Scott Poole of Raeford. No accom
paniment with piano or organ. Those
musical instruments were given a
back seat that day; they were not
needed, and not missed^ The old
hymns were sang to the old tunes in
^he Presbyterian Psalmist. I wish
YOU could have seen the long and
heavily laden dinner table set in the
grove! I wish you could have par
taken of its substantials and deli
cacies. Surely the mantle of those
old time hospitable people who once
lived in that community must have
fallen upon the people of Aberdeen
and Bethesda congregation.
In the afternoon the Sacrament of
the Lord’s Supper was administered.
Dr. Shaw took for his subject “Sub
stitutes,” and gave a wonderfully in-
elligent and satisfactory explanation
of the fall of mankind, of the sor
row, sin and suffering accruing from
the fall of Christ as the substitute
between man and God. If man had
not been united to God he could not
have been a partaker of that immor-
tali y we will receive through the
Saviour who loved us, and suffered,
and died that we might have eternal
life.
Yes, I missed the faces and voices
I once knew and loved. But rejoiced
to see some few remaining of the
olden days. Among whom Margaret
Ray, widow of Daniel McNeill, Fan
ny Owen, widow of John Blue. Kate
Shaw, widow of Frank Buchan. Lily
Currie, widow of N. A. Blue, and
many others of later days, whom I
had not seen for years.
“Long, long be my heart with such
memories thHlled^”
There will be a lawn party at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Smith
on route 2, Saturday night the 7th—
first Saturday in July. All the com
munity, old and young, invited. Cake
cream, lemonade and smokes will be
served. Mr. Smith comes from Win
ston, has been living in this communi
ty for the past three years. He pur
chased a part of the Jack McNeill
estate, where he has built an attrac
tive home. Mr. Smith says he has al
ways been accustomed to having lawn
parties where there would be from
four to five hundred people, and he
wants to see what success hell have
at one in this section.
Mr. and Mrs. Perrine Bilyeu and
children, of Pinehurst, Mr. and Mrs.
D. S. Ray, of Sanford, were guests
Sunday of Mrs. D. S. Ray and family.
Mrs. Jewell Hemphill, Misses Nan
nie an(| Margaret Gilchrist, Thurla
(Continued on page 8)