FF
latch
Every
|o o n
dinner
:ment
TLE
NOW!
ived a
I, and
ny
VOLUME
THE
PILOT
NUNBER
13
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.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15,1924
SUBSCRIPTION $2.00
DEVaOPMENT AT
SOUTHENR PINES
Boyd Starts New House—
Theatre Finished—Country
Club a Fine Building
s.. a them Pines comes forward
ste^t iily, and each season sees a big
advance over anything that has pre
ceded. This week Mr. McPherson be
gins a new house on Weymouth
Heijihts for Mrs. John Y. Boyd. The
location is immediately on the crest
of the ridge where the road breaivs
over U) go down toward Fort Bragg,
and on the side of the road opposite
from the Jenkins home. It is in the
pine grove that tops the hill, with an
acre or more of ground. The building
will stand back a hundred feet or
more from Connecticut avenue, with
the i>ine trees completely suriounding
it.
The plans call for a building nearly
a hundred feet over all incUiciing the
porches and a width of about fifty
feei. In its highest sections it will be
two stories with ample attic, although
its style, which is the English modi
fied Gothic will not carry a continuous
two-story effect over much of the
building. It will be one of the finest
homes of the Sandhills, and with its
location on the top of the ridge, it
will be a feature of the neighborhood.
The surroundings of the new place
will be impressive, as the pine grove
is beyond any doubt one of the most
interesting bits of country of the en
tire Sandhills, and with the landscape
touches that Mr. Yeoman, the archi
tect, win give it, the new place will
be in line with the pretentious houses
built by James Boyd and Mrs. Dull
not far away.
Tile and stucco finish with half tim
ber adaptation of the English style of
outside work will be the character of
the new house. Steep roofs and irreg
ular outlines of plan will harmonize
with the other buildings on the hill,
and w’ith the surroundings. The house
will look into the park on the west
side and over the James creek valley
ishing stage. The new nine-hole
course has been built, and the club
has now nine holes and eighteen holes,
which decidedly increases the capaci
ty of the grounds. It is the ultimate
intention to add another nine holes,
and thus afford two courses of eigh
teen holes each. The new club house
is roomy and attractive. It is built
on the Embury lines, and would be
recognized as his Sandhill style archi
tecture, which is a highly pleasing
one. Simplicity prevails all the way
through, and gives an interesting ef
fect. All the desired conveniences are
provided, with big dining hall, rest
rooms, locker rooms, and all the ac
cessories. The new house and the ad
ded nine holes puts Southern Pines
prominently in the golf resorts of the
South.
SUDGEN CONNENTS
ON NEWCOMB’S IDEAS
Farming and Land
Two Different
Things
Selling
Judge William A. Way, of ivnoll-
wood Village, Pinehurst
MEN WHO ARE DOING
THINGS
Judge William A. Way, of Knoll-
wood Village, came to the Sandhills
from Pittsburgh, Pa., in time to build
the first house that was built in the
new settlement. While his house was
building he remarked that he could
not stand around and do nothing, so
he joined with the men who wer^ un
dertaking to develop the Marlboro or
and theVoi t Bragg 7eservation to the j and he is one of the stockhold
eastw^ard.
The Auf der Heide Development
0. L. Auf der Heide, of West New
York, is in Southern Pines now look
ing over his developments, and get
ting away from the inclement weather
of the North. His new block on Broad
street next to the Hayes building, is
about finished, and already two of the
stores have been occupied. The third
will have its tenant in a few days.
The new theater Mr. Auf der Heide
and Dr. Herr are building, is about
finished, and Charlie Picquet and
Richard Tufts who have leased it will
open it to the people next week. This
is a fine new building, built to hold
over 600 persons. It will present the
hi),»‘hest character of entertainments,
and with the most modern equipment
for that purpose. It will be in the
class with the Pinehurst theater,
which these two men have made a suc-
' ess on a plane far above that of any
thing else in this neighborhood.
Mr. Auf der Heide is also a progres-
sK^e orchard man, owning the fine
l>!ace near Lakeview he bought a year
or more ago from John McQveen and
'V. H. McNeill. He has been enlarg
ing the orchard there and will continue
vO make it one of the most progress
ive orchards in this section.
At Southern Pines Country Club
At the Southern Pines Country
^ iub development has reached a fin-
PROGRAM
For the week at the Carolina
Theatre, Pinehurst, N. C.
“Sporting Youth”—Friday, Febru
ary 15th. Matinee Saturday 3:00
o’cloock.
“Ruth Draper”—Monday, Febru
ary 18th.
“Pied Piper Malone”—Wednesday,
February 20th. Matinee Thurs
day at 3:00 o’clock.
ers in that fine property. Then he
bought a block of Knollwood acreage,
and built another house, and later
bought and remodeled another. The
next step was to buy a big acreage
from the Knollwood Village plot, and
to plan a big development in the bud
ding village. Then with Major Net-
tleton he bought a big tract of land
between Knollwood and Pinehurst, and
there they are making a big orchard.
Judge Way is one of the active men
in the Knollwood section, and he will
be a big factor in the Sandhills, for
he has the means and the desire.
In Pittsburgh he was prominent as
a lawyer, and was for years on the
bench in Allegheny county, a county
of a million and a quarter population.
But in addition to being prominent in
public affairs Judge Way carried out
some of the most important develop
ment schemes ever undertaken in
western Pennsylvania. In Sewickly, a
community peopled almost entirely by
the most prosperous in the Pittsburgh
section he bought a large acreage,
made a vast park of it and then filled
it with houses of modern type in keep
ing with the neighborhood. He has
practically disposed of his Sewickly
development and now he is undertak
ing at Knollwood Village a project of
a type similar to that which made his
subdivision of Sewickly one of the
nrost attractive suburbs of Pittsburgh.
Judge Way is a man of means and
he has a lot of friends in western
Pennsylvania who like to come down
to the Sandhills and see what he is do
ing. In the course of time it is reas
onable to expect that some of his old
neighbors in Pittsburgh will become
new neighbors in Knollwood Village.
While Judge Way’s children are
grown up and away his wife is of the
type that is always welcomed wherev
er she goes. She is cordial and neigh
borly and makes friends as fast as
she makes acquaintances. The Ways
Ire a valuable addition to the Sand
hills.
Subscribe to The Pilot Nov!
To the Editor of The Pilot:
I have read with interest Mr. Wick
er’s letter on speculation in farm
lands in the Sandhills, also Mr. New
comb’s comments on it in your issue
of January 25th.
I get the impression that what is
in the back of Mr. Wicker’s mind is
the notion that under the guise of de-
velopming farm lands in Moore coun
ty there is going on a great deal of
speculation that may react to the dis
advantage of the community; that the
emphasis, in other words, is being
laid on rising land values rather than
on the desirability of farming the
land. He feels, I take it, that the
rising value of the land may not be
due to any quality inherent in it but
rather to the forces of promotion at
work in the county, and that the true
value of the land should be, and in
the long run will be, based on what
the land will yield the farmer per acre.
I should like to comment briefly on
Mr. Newcomb’s discussion of the
question as it bears on the foregoing
points.
Mr. Newcomb presents the view
point of the real estate operator. He
starts out by defining the terms “in
vestment” and “speculation” but un
fortunately proceeds to disregard his
definition. By his own definition the
two words are showed to be antonyms;
they are therefore mutually contra
dictory, and are commonly so consid
ered. You can’t invest and speculate
at the same time in the same piece of
property. Investment implies a reas
onable profit at a reasonable risk;
speculation involves a big profit at a
big risk.
Mr. Newcomb is in error when he
says that all business is speculative.
He means that all business is risky.
Those who drill for oil and prospect
for gold are engaged in highly specu
lative enterprises. On the other hand,
the Bank of Pinehurst and the local
electric light and power company are
not engaged in speculative transac
tions.
I do not believe there is any specu
lation in Sandhill real estate today,
for the reason that there are no ex
tremely hazardous risks, though there
are big profits. Consequently, we
need not feel that the word “specula
tion” as used by Mr. Wicker carries
with it any censure or opprobrium.
Realtors like to use the word “devel
opment.” Any Sandhill millionaire!
whose hobby for the moment is build- :
ing houses and buying everything in !
sight is hailed as a “developer.” I
think in this discussion the use of the
word “promotion” would be more ac
curate, though even this work carries
with it a hint of manipulation.
Now in the Sandhills we certainly
have got legitimate promotion of the
most persistent and ingenious sort. It
has been in the main successful, and
profitable to those engaged in it. As
a result, real estate values have risen
rapidly. To some observers the pro
cess has not been entirely orderly.
Prices appear to be inflated and arti
ficially maintained. Will there be a
reaction? Where are we headed?
To turn to a little economic history
and the experience of the past. It is
a matter of record that the panic of
1837 was caused by unbridled specula
tion in Western farm lands. These
newly opened lands advanced in price
by leaps and bounds. Millions of
acres were bought and sold each year.
There was very little attempt to farm
or settle the lands; they were bought
and held simply for a raise in price.
Paper towns existed everywhere.
When the boom collapsed there fol
lowed a long period of liquidation and
stagnation, “values” running into mil
lions of dollars were wiped out, and
in New York city several hundred bus
iness firms and several banks went
into the hands of the receivers. The
years between 1834-37 were years of
feverish speculative activity, with
I’ising prices and a bull market that
would make glad the heart of any
realtor. But I should like to ask Mr.
Newcomb, inasmuch as he undertakes
to defend speculation in principle and
practice, if he would consider these
years “good times.”
Another point. Our local realtor
lays down the principle that unless
agricultural land values are rising
there is “something wrong” with a
community, and he points to the po
sition of the New England states in
this regard. I think his statement is
open to argument, which he invites.
Certainly from the point of view of
the real estate promoter, who can
not make money except in a rising
market and for whom land is merely
a commodity to be traded in, the New
(Continued on page 8)
RUTH DRAPER TO
VISIT THIS SECTION
The Greatest Artist in her Field,
in the World, Coming to
the Sandhills
GOV. GIFFORD PINCHOT
A distinguished visitor at Lakeview
during the week was Governor Gif
ford Pinchot, of Pennsylvania, who
is at Southern Pines for a winter rest.
Gov. Pinchot has been active in re
form politics. He was elected with
the expectation that he would be more
rigid in enforcing the laws in his state,
and he has gained considerable prom
inence by his attitude. He is serious
ly mentioned as a candidate for Pres
ident by the republicans. Since he
came 1o the Sandhills he has not been
able to get out as much as he intend
ed as he is trying to shake off the re
sults of a touch of influenza that he
had before leaving Pennsylvania.
LAV^ AND ORDER MEETING
AT SOUTHERN PINES
Wednesday night the Congression
al church was filled with people who
had come out in response to an appeal
from the preachers of the village to
join in a movement to enforce the
laws, which are said to be too fre
quently violated in that community.
Addresses were made by the preach
ers of the different denominations of
the town, and then a resolution was
introduced by having for its aim to
present to the government the assur
ance that the attendants at the meet
ing were in sympathy with an attempt
to suppress lawlessness, and promis
ing funds to help in the work. The
people who were at the meeting say
they are in earnest about stopping
whiskey in Southern Pines, and they
feel confident that an earnest and vig
orous attempt will do it. Their next
move will be to get as many signa
tures as possible to the resolution,
and as many cash contributions to fi
nance the proposition, and then the
matter will be laid before the town
authoj^ties as a help and backing of^
the town government which will be
asked to act in a manner that the
meeting hopes will get results.
When it becomes known that Ruth
Draper is to visit this section, expec
tations of a joyous entertainment are
sure to occupy the thoughts of lovers
of wholesome and novel entertain
ment. Therefore her appearance at
the Carolina Theatre, Pinehurst, on
Monday, February 18th, is heartily
welcomed.
It is needless to refer to Ruth Dra
per’s wonderful art, she having so
thoroughly convinced goers through
out this country and abroad that she
is alone in the nature of the work she
presents. Truly it can be said that
Miss Draper stands without a rival as
an interpreter of various types of
characters, types of whom she has
personally met and studied in her
wide travels throughout the world.
Some of these tours she made on a
bicycle in order to become more in
timately acquainted with the habits
and customs of the people.
It seems amazing when one con
siders how rapidly Ruth Draper has
reached the apex of what might be
termed universal fame, as her name
now is quite familiar to Europeans as
it is to Americans. Not because of
her wonderful art, which had been
recognized from the first, but here in
her own country she had confined her
appearances to society drawing rooms.
Her earlier so-called public appear
ance was made at the White House
during the Taft administration, and
the Capitol City critics were with one
accord of the opinion that a really
great artist had been discovered.
It was in London, however, where
Miss Draper, after giving her
sketches before Royalty and at high
society functions, was offered an en
gagement at the Colliseum, where she
immediately scored a most decided
hit and for a long while at that stu
pendously big music hall she reigned
supreme.
On her return to New York her
success abroad brought large audi
ences to the Princess Theatre at mat
inees on the days when the regular
house attractions had no perform
ances. Then followed Sunday night
engagements at the Greenwich Village
Theatre and town hall to ever increas
ing patronage. Eventually Times
Square, Apollo and Broadhurst Thea
tres took turns in presenting Miss
Draper.
So marvelously had her following
grown that a larger place was neces
sary to hold her admirers. Hence,
for some time past now she has been
crowding the Selwyn Theatre to the
doors, and indications are that she has
become a regular Sunday night fix
ture in the Metropolis.
At first, Ruth Draper’s triumphs in
London, followed by a genuine ova
tion in Paris, were regarded as dis
tinctions never before won by an
American artist. She even went a
step further when she presented her
original sketches to equally enthusi
astic audiences in Madrid. From
coast to coast her characterizations
have been given, and whether in San
Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia or
Boston, she has been cordially greet
ed by capacity houses. As a person
al touch it may interest our readers
to know that Miss Draper is the grand
daughter of Charles A. Dana, who was
assistant Secretary of War under
Lincoln, and the illustrious editor of
the New York Sun. Her father, Wil
liam A. Draper, who died in 1900, was
a distinguished physician, and her
brother is Paul Draper, the concert
singer and vocal teacher. A joyous
treat is in store for folks in the Sand
hills.
NOTICE OF MEETING
All members of the Vass Chamber
of Commerce are requested to meet
at the Womans Club room Tuesday,
7:30 p. m., February 19th.
GUY H. SIMPSON.
CARD OF THANKS
We take this means of thanking the
many friends who worked so valiant
ly to save our property, and who have
shown us so many courtesies since the
loss of our home.
Mr. and Mrs. J. M. TYSON.