fX'he Sot^ern OerksHire Congress, Show and Sale and tHe Sandhill Fair—October 28 to 31
V
VOLUME
THE
PILOT
NUMBER
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.
reRT BILL TOO
VAGUE FOR PAGE
Thinks it is Too Much Claim
and Too Little
Fact
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1924
SUBSCRIPTION $2.00
One of the most interesting meet
ings of the Kiwanis Club was held
Wednesday at the Highland Lodge in
Southern Pines. Edwin McKeithen
told the personal story, and it was
one 01 the most interesting of all of
them, for it was purely a boy’s story
of development with the Sandhills.
Forty years ago he was born in Ab
erdeen, then a rural community of
three or four houses, and there he re
mained except for a brief period in
Greensboro and some time away at
school. He frequented the swimming
hole, hung around the harness shop,
reveled in milk shakes, and went to
school at the old house near Bethesda.
Later he was sent to Davidson, and
sent home because he slipped off to
see Jeffries spar a few rounds in Char
lotte. Ultimately he concluded to go
into real estate and he sold some of
the first big tracts in the Sandhills,
the price running around three or four
dollars. His first venture was the
Marlboro farm, and later a bunch of
that famous peach land at Pinehurst
where some of the best orchards are.
But he has concluded that the best
thing a man can do-is to fix things to
leave behind him some boys who will
be of use to themselves and the world,
and he seems to have a pretty fair
slant on life. His story was simply
told, and highly appreciated.
It has been the endeavor of the club
to secure a man from the east to talk
about the port bill, but as he failed
to show up the program committee
called on Robert N. Page to tell some
thing about the bill from the opposing
side. He did it, and nobody misun
derstood him. Mr. Page did not like
to be too active against a measure
that a number of his friends were ad
vocating, and that he had declined to
take the stump to discuss it, but that
here in the club he felt that his real
convictions justified him in talking to
his friends in frank manner. “The
thing is impractical,” he said. He
then argued that while the measure
is based on a theory of discrimination
against North Carolina in freight
rates the advocates of the bill have
shown no facts to enlighten the peo
ple of the state but have dealt in
claims. Mr. Page said he defied any
man to substantiate the claim of
freight discrimination against North
Carolina, and advanced not only his
long experience as a railroad man
but that the rate sheets telling of
freight charges would show how
groundless are the charges of dis
crimination. He read some rates to
illustrate the relative charges in
North Carolina and other states, and
his figures were surprising when they
showed that North Carolina rates
within the state are materially lower
for local hauls than either in Virginia,
Georgia or South Carolina, and that
rates from Wilmington to Asheville or
Mt. Airy in this state are ten to twen
ty per cent lower than from Norfolk
to VVytheville or Roanoke., points
about the same distance. Yet Virgin
ia has one of the best ports in the
world at Norfolk, and cannot get as
iow local freight rates as previal in
this state. This, Mr. Page says, is
because our state originates more
business and gets a lower rate in a
prosperous state.
He was not much impressed with
the idea of spending seven million dol-
to make a port at Southport, a
village of 1,700 people and no rail
i’oad facilities, and he showed that
Boston, Galveston, New Orleans and
other ports backed by public money
^re places that have freight to carry
He referred to the Reynolds Tobacco
Company as the biggest shipper in the
state, and said that every night a
t^^in load t>f *fnrished products ffoos
out to the east and one to the west
from Winston-Salem, and that no
matter how many ports we have in
the state that freight would go by rail
just the same, and for the one reason,
the railroads move the freight rapid
ly. Water is too slow for this day.
To carry freights at low cost on water
We must have big ships, and big ships
run at high cost and require great ton
nage. How fast can we deliver
freight is the question today, and we
are not going back to ox-wagon meth
ods. The mills of the Piedmont will
never go to the coast for shipment.
They will ship by rail, so the freight
can get there.
Mr. Page compared some river and
water traffic with rail. Last year the
Mississippi river moved 207,000 tons
of grain from the interior to New Or
leans harbor. The railroads running
parallel to the river moved more than
ten times as much. From the Mississ
ippi delta the river moved about the
same proportion of cotton in bales as
compared with the movement by rail-
The railroads move the freight no
matter how much water transporta
tion is available.
“I don’t know who is behind this
movement," he said, “nor its pur
pose, nor its source of finance, but I
do see that no provision has been
made for paying off the bonds that
are to be issued, and you know that
we will have it to do. We must get
even with our taxes now before we
increase them, for it is still told that
this year will see a deficit in the cur
rent income as compared with the
year’s expenses.” He asked how many
of his audience, if urged to subscribe
money for this thing privately would
venture anything on it. But he added
that asking the state to take money
from the pockets of the men in front
of him and apply it to the indefinite
project was taking it just as surely
as if by private subscription. Mr.
Page concluded that until he could
know more about the nigger in the
wood pile, and who had put him there,
he would not be for the bill.
NDSic mmuL
THE NAM EVENT
Singing Contest With Over Four
Hundred to Be
Heard
The Sandhill Fair to be held at
Pinehurst the four days beginning
October 28, will have as a feature un
doubtedly the most pretentious mu
sical festival ever attempted in North
Carolina. The main event will be the
second annual harvest musical festi
val, in which seventy-five voices will
take part. The date for this is Thurs
day night, October 30. Last year
;his chorus under the direction of
Charles W. Picquet presented such
affective selections as the “Hallelu
jah Chorus,” the “Heavens are Tell
ing,” and others by Mozart, Handel
and Hayden, the foremost oratorio
artists of the world. This year the
chief featrues of the night’s work
will be from Alfred R. Gaul’s sacred
cantata, “The Holy City.” The instru
mental music will be by the Carolina
Orchestra, and the electrical pipe or
gan of the Carolina Theatre. This is
one of the most powerful and com
plete pipe organs of the South. It
has all of the modern attachments,
and everything is operated by electri
city.
Mr. Picquet is a director of years
of experience, his singers are re
cruited from the towns of the coun
ty and he has trained them until they
are surprisingly perfect. Practical
ly the entire evening’s work will be
given to these sublime choruses. With
seventy-five strong and thoroughly
trained voices on the stage the big
pipe oVgan and the skillful Carolina
Orchestra, it is unnecessary to say
that the Carolina Theatre on the night
of October 30, will be in a musical
atmosphere. The choral singing of
last year was a musical achievement
far out of the ordinary. With ano^Jier
yearns training the members of the
choral organization have arrived at a
higher stage of perfection and the
-^Oontmued an page #)
D. A. MCDONALD
One of the best known men in
Moore County is Daniel A. Mc
Donald who, until a successor is
elected next month, is state sen
ator from this district. He is a
product of Moore county and has
been active in public life, in com
munity industry and in the de
velopment of his section. Farm
ing and lumbering gave him an
insight into the earlier indus
tries and later on he was con
nected with the local railroad de
velopment. He has been inter
ested in the upper townships of
the county always with the firm
faith in the possibilitU^s of the
Deep River area.
D. A. started years ago to mix
in politics and his acquaintance
as clerk of court made him a big
following of friends all over the
county^ In the legislature his
acquaintance became state wide,
and today he is pretty extensive
ly known all over North Caro
lina. With D. A. McDonald in
the Senate and George Ross in
the House of Representatives
Moore county has today as
strong a team in the legislature
as any county in the state, and
much stronger than the average.
Some years ago when the
question of cattle on the ranges
first came up D. A. secured a
fence law for Moore county.
Probably nothing aroused as
much resentment aS" the adoption
of that law. For people had not
yet at that time realized the wis
dom of fencing cattle in instead
of fencing them out. Many peo
ple predicted that Mr. McDonald
had killed himself in politics. For
the time he certainly had. Bit
in later years when tiie wisdom
of the measure is clearly evident
and the stock law has extended
all over the state his foresight
and his courage are thoroughly
appreciated, and D. A. McDonald
has a following in Moore county
that any man might envy. He
is at the present time with W.
H. McNeill, at Lakeview, who is
the state representative of the
American Rolling Mills Compa
ny for their product in this state.
Mr. McDonald is a Presbyterian,
democrat, a mighty good citizen
and has been an active factor in
much of the advancement of his
county and state.
the Parade of States with more being
arranged for:
Maine, Mrs. A. S. Newcomb, Pine
hurst; Vermont, Mrs. Herbert Beck,
Southern Pines; New Hampshire, Mr.
Jackman, Southern Pines; Massachu
setts, Mrs. Leonard Tufts, Pinehurst;
Connecticut, Mrs. E. C. Loomis,
Southern Pines; New York, Mr. F. W.
VanCamp, Southern Pines; New Jer
sey, Mr. Max Backer, Southern Pines;
Virginia, Mr. R. G. Hutcheson, Farm
Life School; North Carolina, Mrs.
David Packard, Pinehurst; South Car
olina, ,Lakeview; Kansas,—
—, Lakeview; Georgia, Mrs. H. E.
Bowman, Aberdeen; Pennsylvania,
Mrs. Everest, Southern Pines; Ohio
RAMBLES ARODIID
Tnp
liiL
From Knollwood to Hemp With
Stops Along the
Road
(Bion H. Butler)
As far back as I can remember I do
not recall deliberately taking a defi
nite time off from my work for the
purpose of what is called a vacation.
The sterotyped holiday outing, laid
down by custom and carried out by
established regulations appeals to me
Miss Betty Scott, Southern Pines; In- about as strongly as an invitation to
diana, Mrs. C. L. Hayes, Southern j So and get myself hanged for a diver-
Pines; Michigan, H. A. Page, Jr., Ab- jsion* Of course this is not orthodox
erdeen Tennessee, Mrs. S. W. Wilson, I doctrine, vacations seem so pitiful in
West End; Minnesota, Mr. E. C. Ste- their purpose and in their limit that
vens. Southern Pines; Iowa, W. Park
Fischer, Southern Pines; Oklahoma,
Page Trust Co., Aberdeen; Texas, Mr.
F. P. Buchan, Southern Pines; Cali
fornia, Mrs. Nelson Courtway, Ab
erdeen; Missouri, Mrs. Tom Wilson,
Aberdeen; Louisana, Mrs. W. B. Gra
ham, Vass; Nebraska, Shields Camer
on, Southern Pines; Wisconsin, Mrs.
J. D. Dunlop, Pinehurst; Alabama,
Mrs. Edwin McKeithen, Aberdeen;
Colorado, Mrs. John J. Fitzgerald,
Pinehurst; Rhode Island, Mr. James,
Pinebluff; United States, Miss A. B.
McNaughton, Samarcand Manor.
IMPORTANT MEETING
OF FRUIT GROWERS
There is to be a meeting of the
members of the Sandhill Fruit Grow
ers Association at the Association
Building in Aberdeen on Tuesday, Oc
tober twenty-first at 10 o’clock.
It is planned at this meeting to dis
cuss the experiences of the past sea
son. A report of the sale of the crop
of 1924 will be made, which will prove
most instructive in view of the erratic
nature of the summer’s fruit market.
All peach growers are cordially in
vited to be present and it is hoped
that as a result of this meeting the
Sandhills may look forward to the
successful solution of the many prob
lems which face the peach industry.
ABERDEEN TO
HAVE REVIVAL
Begins October 19th, 7:30 P. M.;
Mr. Rollin Covington is
Song Leader
The above is a picture of the float
representing North Carolina, in which
“Miss Carolina” will ride in the Pa
rade of States at the Sandhill Fair,
Thursday, October 30th.
This float is being sponsored by
Mrs. David Packarjd of Pinehiwst.
Because it will be used for the
“Queen’s Car,” it will not be a con
testant for any prize.
The fpllowing floats are assured for
Aberdeen is soon to become the cen
ter of a great revival effort according
to information received from Mr. Mc
Whorter of the Methodist church.
On the 19th of October Rev. Ed. G.
Caldwell with a party of workers is
to begin a two weeks effort in Aber
deen with fine prospects. This young
evangelist is said to be the equal of
any man in the field, and has a splen
did singer. He is a native North Car
olinian, and so is Mr. Rollin Coving
ton, the song leader.
The services will be held twice each
day beginning on Sunday night Octo-
berl9th, viz. 10 a. m., and 7:30 p. m.
It will not be a denominational affair
but a community campaign. All the
pastors and laymen of evangelical
churches are invited to unite in the ef
fort and have signalized their willing
ness to co-operate.
A large choir will be lead by Mr.-
Covington, composed of many singers
made up from the various choirs. An
interesting feature will be a junior
choir.
The evangelist has the advantage of
being-young, and yet has several
years of rich experience in the work.
He is a perfect dynamic, speaks with
ease, has a good voice, and every
word and gesture and attitude be
speak his sincerity.
The Fayetteville Observer says of
him: “The people of Fayetteville and
surrounding territory should not miss
hearing this young, hundred and ten
pounds evangelist preacher, who is
putting more jeal preaching to the
miniite in his revival services at Camp
Ground M. E. Church, 71st Townstiip,
than has been heard in Cumberland
County in many years.”
I never could stand the notion of one
of them. Formal and mechanical
amusement and entertainment is so
tremendously barren that it would
never satisfy my tastes. I want a va
cation every minute of my life, and
even when at the busiest I want my
work to be full enough of interest and
varied development to be a constant
vacation.
So when Brewer turned the corner
at Davis’ gasoline and hot air store
and opened the door I knew he want
ed to go somewhere, and I joined on.
Now the man who can drive three
miles on a Moore county road in the
middle of October and not find that he
is seeing the world in its finest, needs
to have his eyes loked over by an oc-
culist. We went down to the creek by
Knollwood and loafed around a while
watching the big crew of men at work
on that job of building a dam to make
an artificial lake. The man who can
see things as they develop could stay
there a day or two interested in the
unfolding of that pretentious plan, for
when the task is completed just on the
edge of thee Knollwood golf course
will be a fine body of water, held back
by an embankment about eighteen feet
high, fringed by a driveway all around
and backed by a clean and picturesque
forest of pines and hardwood trees,
jand beyond a doubt Francis Deaton
has plans somewhere on the shelf
providing for attractive homes all
around that piece of water, and a
mighty fascinating picture of country
life for all the territory between Knoll
wood and Southern Pines.
Several acres will be under water at
the pool in a few weeks, and then will
begin the improvement of the hundred
or more acres that will surround the
pool, and then no doubt will follow a
movement of home making, and that
entire valley and its adjacent hillsides
will begin a transformation that tells
the future of the neighborhood of
Southern Pines and Knollwood. Well,
we had quite a vacation there watch
ing the men and the teams working
on the big fill, clearing out the trees
and the roots and the stumps and
opening the valley and then filling it
in with the big earth work that is to
be the dam wall. It is a great game
to change the job that nature has been
doing for ages and turn it into some
thing more readily grasped by the eye
and comprehended by the imagination.
Baseball and football and golf and
things of that sort are great games,
but when mankind is playing the
game of creation and beating nature
right along, that is also a fascinating
game, and construction beats golf for
me. I like to see the dirt fill reach
out a little farther every minute and
pile a little higher, and grow from a
small handful to a great embankment.
I like to pick up every minute a lit
tle bit of real vacation, to have my
work made up of interesting features
from morning until night.
We left the dam at Knollwood and
coughed up the hill and then turned
out past the old experiment farm
where a wonderful sward of green
grass has been made under the pine
trees there by the farm house. There
is an object lesson to folks of the
Sandhills. Not so many years ago the
pine trees had not been planted. Now
they are big around as a stove pipe,
clefin pH: the grpundt .and ^a wonderful
bit of color has taken the place of the
wire grass, and the bit of landscape is
(Continued on page