^BMITHFIELD NEEDS:
—Bigger Pay Roll.
—A Modem Hotel.
—Renovation of Opera House.
—More Paved Streets.
—Chamber of Commerce.
r
Johnston County’s Oldest and Best Newspaper-Established 1882
j... ' "V.
JOHNSTON COUNTY NEEDS:
County Farm Agent
Better Roada Feeding Highway!
Equal Opportunity for Every
School Child
Better Marketing System j
More Food and Feed Crops
S-—_f
VOLUME 44—NO. BO
* * *
SMITHFIELD, N. C., TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 13, 1926
* * *
$2.00 PER YEAR
^Destructive Fire
f At Insane Asylum
k
% Nearly a Thousand Insane
I Persons Marched or
I Carried From building
| . '[Without a Casualty
i Raleigh, April 10.—Dix Hill
i State hospital for the insane gave
f: to state and city today a speetac
f. ular exhibition of “economy,” when
I the south wing of ten wards, de
fenseless without sprinklers with
in, and pitiful in the water pros
it sure from without, burned down
; before, 50,000 people.
The state furnished the economy
| to the institution and the city gave
to the premises its feeble little
flow of water. The Omnipotent,
(Jod must have furnished the de- |
liveranee; for with little stamped
| ing, in hundreds of cases without !
5 even apprising the inmates of the
| destruction encompassing them.
1 the attendants marched more than
j 600 people from the buildings and
$ delivered them to places of safety
$ where they remain tonight.
All kinds and conditions of men
J and women were led like a flock of
f J-heep by the hand of some Moses
f and Aaron. There were all-Ameri
j can half-backs plunging and call
ing signels, there were nationally
known newspaper men. and preach
ers galore. Some of them were real
I stars in the elder day and some,
j of course, mere residents in the
( house of bedlam. Some more of
them were horrible derelicts, crim
inally insane, and scores were bed
ridden and unable to turn over.
But all and sundry were picked
up and carried out, the fierce ones
I were transported across the great
i hill to the state’s prison, while the
large body of them were marched
o!rer the beautiful lawn to the hos
: pital court yard, where they stood
frJjVe hours and watched the state’s
l^first asylum go down in' a blaze
that appeared never to have had
I any notion to give way to the men
r who did desperate battle with it.
Discovered in Ward six.
The fire was discovered in ward
six at 12:45. For a few minutes
the water ran well and confinement
of the flames to this section seem
ed possible. In a few minutes the
pressure was gone and the flames
\ marched steadily toward the main
.^building. Soldiers and college stu
dents had joined the firemen and
delivery of the furniture after the
iatients w^as next undertaken. The
•’’great campus was literally filled
''with bed clothing, bureaus, para
phernalia of every kind. The res
cue work went on until the flames
cut the wards off and then the
great crowd could only stand and
look on.
The marching out was one of the
most orderly processes ever wit
nessed here and it is doubtful
whether there is an ordinary school
in the land which could have pour
ed out its people with so little of
confusion. Occasionally an inmate
crouched in his room and refused
to budge. A few made back for
the fire and declined to come out
, until dragged out; but on the whole
$he delivery was perfect and not
dne of the scores of violent pa
tients was lost in the scuffle for
safety. T/he (women patients alU
/(Sme out in perfect order.
r The residents of the criminal in
[ sane colony were sent over to the
state’s prison in big bonded ware
house delivery trucks which put
them all in the prison yard with
out hurt of any kind. The court
(Turn to page five, please)
AUNT ROXIE SAYS—
By Me—
When my ole man loses his
head the loss ain’t staggerin’.
The Farmer’s Voice
rr
jrALnocAg-ryT^
ii. B. Reid, from the great mid
west, 13 now tlfe American Farm
er's voice in Washington, appoint
ed to that nost in December by tlio
American Federation.
Methodist Pastor
Gives Plain Talk
Calls Attention To Local
Conditions Not Ideal
For Young People
“Something has happened that
our boys and girls are slipping
-way from us, and landing in cess
pools of vice and crime” declared i
Rev. A. J. Parker in his sermon
at the Methodist church Sdnday \
morning. “ Men stop me on the !
streets and tell me of moral de
linquences that make my heart,
ache- But,” said the minister,
“these conditions are not peculiar
to Smithfield alone. They are na
tional in scope.”
Then the preacher proceeded to
discuss various contributing causes
for such a condition. He fears that
the moving pictures are a mighty
force in popularizing much that we
have to contend with today in the
way of moral cancers.
“Some.” he said, “lay the blame j
at the door of the emigrant with
low ideals. Some say there are too
many laws. There are laws not
enforced nor respected. The at
tack on the Eighteenth amend
ment to the constitution has hurt
obedience to all laws. Some lay it
to the slowness of the courts and
the uncertainty of punishment for
grave crimes. Some lay it at the
door of our state school system—
training the intellect and paying
too little attention to morals.
Others blame the press for fea- j
turing crime stories. Another ac-1
cusation is the craze for money.” j
But in the opinion of the Meth- j
odist pastor the throwing off of I
personal restraint and responsi- ;
bility is the chief cause for the
conditions now existing as regards
young people. Parental control, he
thniks, is a rare virtue today. Boys
and girls go wherever fancy call
them, night or day and parents do
not know their whereabouts. “If
some of you parents could have
seen your boy with others the oth
er day” declared the preacher,
“stealing down into the woods to
hunt a fruit jar of bootleg liquor,
your bridge game would not have
beer, so interesting.” If reports
are true, according to the preach
er, conditions on our main streets
at late hours of the nigty are
bad. It was stated in an open
meeting recently, he said, by an
unmarried man that he would be
afraid to take a young lady
through main street after eleven
o’clock at night for fear of gross
insult to her.
“Some ask why the town of
ficials do not put a stop to it.”
Mr. Parker thinks the o.'.Vmlij are
as good as Smithfield wants but
every efficient official must have
the backing of the public.
“The reason citizens do not set
themselves to break up these con
ditions is because of money. There
is a cry from some source for a
wide open town because places of
business are open on the outside
of town on Sunday. That kind of
an argument would open every
business house in town on Sunday.
It will not help our morals any
to be Sabbath breakers. A thing
morally wrong cannot be made
right by a town license. Smith
field is a splendid little city. We
t
Two More School
Elections Called
May Operate Demonstra
tion Farm in Cleveland;
Authorize Building Op
erations
The board of education in a
meeting held here yesterday called l
school elections at Kenly and Mi- |
cro which will determine whether ]
or not these schools will be high
schools next year. The election
called at Kenly calls for the con
solidation of Kenly, Niagara' and
Hickory Cross districts. The one at
Micro calls for the consolidation
of Micro, Brown and Silverdale.
A petition from the Jones school
district presented to the board re
sulted in the authorizing of an
election to determine whether or
not the Jones school district shall
be annexed to Smithfield.
The board of education has re
cently purchased twenty-six acres
in Cleveland township to be used
as a school site and in all prob
ability a demonstration farm will
be operated with Mr. A. M. John
son, former county farm agent, in
charge. This land was purchased
from Dr. G. A. McLemore, Mrs.
Mary F. Jones, Mrs. E. N.'Booker,
and Oakland church.
The board of education and the
board of county commissioners rn
a joinft session authorized the
building of six additional rooms to
the Four Oaks building. This build
ing now has eighteen rooms and
the new building will increase the
capacity to twenty-four. Four new
rooms were authorized at Corinth- i
Holders and the entire building is (
to be equipped with heat and sew- i
erage. A deep well will be dug. ;
The building at Corinth-Holders is j
an eight-room brick structure at ,
present, but two rooms in ).he \
old building are' now being used. I j
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION (
MEETS HERE WEDNESDAY ,
The Republican Congressional ]
convention for the fourth district
will be held in Smithfield next <
Wednesday, April 14. This conven- 1
tion was scheduled for April 7th, ]
but was put olT until after the i
State Convention which met in *
Durham on the eighth. i
JOHNSTON REPUBLICANS <
ATTEND CONVENTION '
Johnston county was well repre- 1
sented at the State Republican con- !
vention in Durham last Thursday, i
according to Sheriff J. P. Parker 1
and Treasurer George T. Scott, j
who were among those who at
tended. Forty or more from this ]
county were present among whom ;
were several ladies. Miss Luna i
Pearson and Mrs. D. T. Lunceford «
were present from Smithfield.
Pisgah S. S. Now Standard 1
Mr. John A. Smith, superin- :
tendent of the Pisgah Baptist Sun- '
day school, was in the city Satur- '
day and showed us a banner that '
he had just received for his school, '
in recognition of the fact that it ;
was a standard school. Pisgah has
the distinction of being the first
Baptist Sunday school in Johnston !
county to attain this standard.
Among the requirements for a
standard school is fifty per cent of
the officers and teachers holding a >
Teacher Training diploma from
the S. S. Board. Also, there must
be separate class rooms for the
classes Last year Pisgah added six
class rooms to the church. Rev. S.
S. McGregor is pastor of the
church.
Missionary Circles To Meet
The three circles of the Woman's
Utissionary Society of the Baptist
church will meet Thursday aft
ernoon at 3:30 o’clock at the fol
lowing places: The Yates with Mrs.
T. C. Jordan; the Judson, with
Mrs. H. G. Gray; the Lottie Moon,
with Mrs. W. N. Holt.
need to clean it up and keep it
Jclean. Our town needs more enter
prises. We want to interest men
I of good character to become cit
j izens here. Such as would be at
tracted by Sabbath violations, we
would do well to let go elsewhere.”
! Mr. Parker closed his sermon
! by calling upon the parents of his
| congregation to remember the
words of his text: “Wickedness
Iburneth like a fire.”
Discovers New Element
Dr. B. S. Hopkins, Professor oi
Inorganic Chemistry at University
of Illinois is the first American to
discover a basic element. He finds
No. 61. Of the possible 92 ele
ments, 87 have been discovered 9C
Formal Opening
Hospital Tonight
Dr. and Mrs. Orr Will Re
ceive Visitors Between
Hours of Seven and Ten
—Express Thanks For
Splendid Interest
The Johnston County Hospital is ;
iow completed and ready for oc- j
rupancy and tonight Dr. and Mrs. j
3rr will receive visitors and show
Jiem over the splendidly equipped
nstitution. The hospital will be
>pen from seven until ten o’clock
:o any who wish to look the build
i'g over. A number of rooms and
vards have been furnished by in- j
lividuals, various organizations, |
ind these will be designated by ap- j
iropriate door plates.
During the past wpek the work i
)f getting things in readiness has i
>een going forward rapidly, a I
arge portion of the furniture hav
ng been placed. The work on the ]
grounds has resulted in quite a j
leat appearance ancf the promise j
ater of grass, and shade and bios- !
ioms. The Civic department of the !
A’oman’s Club and the Boy Scouts |
lave been instrumental in the !
ilanting of numerous shrubs and |
lowers, the response from the call !
’or donations having been most j
gratifying.
Dr. Orr, on behalf of the hos- ]
pital organization, desires to ex
press thanks through these col
lmns for the loyal support and the
mthusiastic cooperation of those ;
vho have manifested their inter
»st in the institution. Those who !
lave contributed flowers and
?hrubs are too numerous to men
tion by name, but in addition
Lhere have been some cash dona
:ions among which is a check for
ten dollars from Dixon Wallace,
ill of which the Hospital apprec
iates very much.
3MITHFIELD HIGH WINS
HONOR GUILFORD COLLEGE
Miss Ila Lee Brady represented
the Smithfield High School at
Guilford College in the state-wide
recitation and declamation contest
held there on April 10. Miss
Brady won out in the preliminar
ies held on Saturday morning. She
recited . “Tommy’s Prayer,” giving
it as a musical reading. In the
finals Saturday night she was de
feated by Miss Brower, of Wins
ton-Salem High, who gave “The
Littre Nlewsboy.” Mrs. A. R. Wil
son, teacher of expression, ac
companied her to Guilford. They
were entertained in the college
while there.
JUDGE BROOKS
ON HIS GARDEN
“There’s nothing better /or the
spring fever than to get out in
your garden before breakfast and
plow up the fresh ground,” said
Judge F. H. Brooks, of Smith
field, who was in Raleigh yesterday
bragging about his radishes and
Irish potatoes. “I’ve been eating
radishes out of my garden for
several weeks, and my potatoes
are coming along in good shape.
I’m looking for a good crop of
vegetables.”—=News and Observer.
I Complete Building
At Pythian Home
_
New Superintendent On
The Job of Giving
Homelike Atmosphere
To Institution
Not “The Home” nor “A Home”
but just home, is how Mr. R. I).
Jenkins, the new superintendent
o^ the Pythian orphanage at Clay- i
toK hopes to have the forty-four j
children who have been sent there, I
regard what is commonly known
as an institution- '
The Pythian Home was estab
lished at Clayton about fifteen
years ago, but without doubt there
ary many in Johnston county who
know but little about the only or
phanage located within its bor
ders. There has been only one su
perintendent before Mr. Jenkins,
Mrj C. W. Pender, who retired
from this position a few months
a&6, and who did a splendid work
while directing the affairs of this
Pythian undertaking.
The new superintendent who
went to Clayton from Halifax
county where he was Welfare Su
perintendent, appears to well
qualified for his job, and is * ery
much interested in the improve
ments that are now being made at
the home. A splendid new brick
dormitory has just been complet
ed at a cost of $40,000, which will
take care of about forty more
children. Tlhe new building will be
used for the boys, and there are
twerfty-three boys now at the
Home to enjoy their new quarters.
A new laundry is to be built and
equipped in the near future, and
theliggin building which now takes
cajte of the entire family is to be
remodeled. The dining room will be
made larger, and a brand new
kitchen will be added to the
house.
The Home is well located, a big .
lawn and shrubbery making the
surroundings attractive and home
like, and the organization which 1
is supporting this enterprise has
;very reason to be proud of its in
vestment. Nearly two hundred ac
*es of good Johnston county land 1
form the tract on which the Home 1
is situated, more than enough to 1
produce the food crops needed to 1
feed the family. Mr. Jenkins states !
‘hat sixty acres will be farmed by ‘
zhe boys and girls with the help of !
perhaps one hired man, this year, {
the balance having been rented 1
3ut. Already several acres have 1
aeen planted in potatoes, a big 1
lot of cabbage and onions set out, 1
and ground prepared for beans and :
zither vegetables. They also intend 1
to raise some cotton. Five cows
furnish milk for the family and
thirty-six pigs are fattening for ;
next year’s supply of meat.
When asked if he expected to
lend sixty acres and keep all of
his forty-four children in school ■
for nine months, Mr. Jenkins re
plied: “I certainly do. I shall keep
the bigger boys who can plow, at
home for a day at the time each, 1
which will mean only about an
average of a day and a half out
nf every school month, and it will
not hurt them if they are worth
anything at all.”
"And while i am planting,
states Mr. Jenkins, “I expect to
plant a tennis court and a play
ground.” He evidently believes the
old adage that “all work and no
play makes Jack a dull boy.”
The boys and girls at the home,
with the exception of only one who
is too young to go to school, at
tend the graded school in Clayton.
They are a part of the regular pub
lic school system and take p^rt
in the school life. Three of the
boys are on the baseball team.
A systematic daily progran^ gives
time for study, for play, and for
work in the Home and on the
farm. Comfortable and busy and
happy are the members of this big
family.
Mr. Jenkins looks on his job as
a “coach.” The coach trains his
ball players for team work in a
game. Mr. Jenkins trains the boys
and girls under his care, for team
work in the game of life. With a
spirit 'like that, the institution
promises to become just what the
superintendent, the board of di
rectors, the Knights of Pythias
would have it—a real home turn
ing out men and women who will
make the best kind of citizens.
This Mail Plane Hit a Horse
oil! Dobbin was held responsible for the wrecking of one of Uncle
Sum's air-mail planes while lie was grazing on the Des Moines field
when the west-bound ship from Chicago was landing. Pilot John Blffle
escaped unhurt, but there was not much left of the plane, and not
enough of the horse to photograph after the propeller hit him.
KIWANIANS WILL START
DRIVE FOR NEW HOTEL
Bible School At
Baptist Church
Plans to Be Made For
Holding Daily Vacation
Bible School This Sum
mer
Last week Miss Sophia Berg
hauser, of Raleigh, Elementary
Specialist in Sunday School work
under the Baptist Sunday School
Board, made a very interesting, ad
dress at the Smithfield Baptist
Church on the subject of the Daily
Vacation Bible School. Those who
leard her were enthusiastic in
‘heir response to her appeal to put
)n a Daily Vacation Bible school in
Smithfield at some time this sum
ner. A number who heard her vol
inteered their services as workers
md there is prospect that all the
details may be worked out, and the
?chool actually launched. It is not
dear as yet whether it would be
andertaken wholly by the Baptist
diurch, or whether those in the
>ther churches who are interested
night combine with the workers
n the Baptist church and make it
a community effort.
Miss Berghauser made it clear
that the children of a community
are always enthusiastic for the
iaily vacation Bible school, and
the only question is whether suf
ficient workers will be available for
a period of from two tp four
weeks of the vacation time. It
would require about one worker to
every ten children for three hours
iaily during the period.
Philatheag Meet
The Philathea class of the Bap
tist Sunday school met Thursday
evening at eight o’clock with Mrs.
W. C. Pearce. After a short bus
iness session a social hour was
enjoyed in which two contests
were engaged in. Mrs. E. H. Dixon
and Mrs. H. P. Howell were the
winners and were presented with
prizes. A delicious salad and ice
course with coffee and wafers was
served by the hostess assisted by
Mrs. C. M. Johnson.
Those present were: Misses An
nie, Myatt, Dora Barbour, Lallah
Rookh Stephenson. Mrs. Cooper,
Mesdames M. A.Wallace, D. W.
Peterson, H. W. Hicks, C. M.
Johnson, E. H- Dixon, H. P. How
ell, S. T. Price. E. 0. Matthews,
E. C. Narron, W. H. Lassiter, A.
M. Calais, Thomas Jordan, T. C.
Henry and 0. C. Cawley.
Improved Cotton
Work in improving the cotton
varieties in North Carolina was
begun fifteen years ago and from
the great hodge-podge of varieties
tested a few have been found to
be worth breeding and improving.
Little Miss Julia Holt, of Prince
ton spent the week end here with
her grandmother, Mrs. A. M.
Sanders.
i
R. C. Gilletl and R. P.
Holding Captains of
Teams To Begin Work
on Project
Doing perhaps more things in
an attempt to improve Smithfield
and Johnston county than it has
i ever dura; divany on® -meeting; 'the
i local Kiwanis club got away to a
flying start at its first meeting of
the new quarter when it met last
Thursday evening at the Woman’s
club. There was a large attend
ance and a diversified program.
The musical features of the eve
ning were two solos by Miss
Frances White and three solos by
Mr. Theron Johnson. Miss White
sang “Remember,” by Irvin Ber
lin. Mr. Johnson’s first number
was “Always,” singing “Memo
ries” as an encore. In addition to
this Mr. Johnson sang a clever
song, “Show Me the Way To Go
Home,” accompanying himself on
the banjo. This was the musical
hit of the evening.
Mr. Ilerschel V. Rose, former
county welfare officer, presented
the case of a needy girl, now in
school in the eastern part of the
state and asked the Kiwanis club
to consider the matter and help
him in, this case. The matter was
referred to the finance committee
for their consideration.
Kiwaman A. M. Noble then |
brought a message from the board ,
of directors. Briefly Mr. Noble, re- 1
viewed a part of Smithfield’s past,
citing instances of her improve
ments along various lines. He then
opened fire on the critics and
knockers of the town, and called
for a halt. Mr. Noble then laid
stress on a need of Smithfield,—
that of a new hotel, and made a
suggestion that the club immed
iately begin work on such a pro
ject, and that two teams be chosen
to begin preparations. Later dur
ing the meeting President Stev
ens appointed two banker mem
bers of the club as captains of the
two prospective teams, Messrs.
Gillett and Holding. More ’will
be heard about the hotel at an
early meeting.
i Mr. W. N. Holt brought- to the
j attention of the club the need of
a better tobacco organization than
we had here last year. He briefly
reviewed the plans of an interest
ed “self-appointed” few, as he ex
pressed it. and also laid stress on
the fact that work must be
started earlier this year than was
done last year. Plans at present
are to have a sale of business and
personal membership cards, the
former selling for $10.00, the lat
ter for $2.00. In this way a great
deal of money can and will be
raised for the purpose of aiding
the local tobacco market. The club
endorsed the plan, and is awaiting
an opportunity to assist in the sal§
of said memberships.
“Strawberries Are Late, Says
Beddingfield,” according to a hetU
line. And so are dogwood, white
perch and bass—doggone the luck.
Smith School Has
Special Exercises
Junior Order Presents
Bible and Flag; Pupils
Give Entertainment In
Evening
Friday was a red letter day in
the history of Smith school. It
marked the close of one of the most
successful school years ever known
in that district and the event was
celebrated with the presentation of
a Bible and flag by the Smithfield
Council of the Junior Order and
with apropriate exercises by the
school children that night. A fine
community spirit was evident on
this occasion, practically all the
families cooperating in the success
of the day with their presence and
by furnishing one of the sumptuous
picnic dinners that community is
noted for.
This school has been taught for
the last two or three years by Miss
Thelma Flowers, principal, and
Miss Lucy Johnson, primary teach
er, both of Knightdale. This was
the culmination of work well done
and the patrons were warm in v
their praise of these young ladies
who have labored patiently iand
efficiently with their boys and
girls.
The exercises began about elev
en o’clock in the morning with Mr.
J. A. Smith, president of the Par
ent-Teacher association, presiding.
After the Scripture reading and
prayer by Rev. Chester Alexander,
pastor of the Smithfield Presby
terian Church, the perfect attend
ance certificates were presented by
Miss Mary £1. Wells, rural super- ...
visor of the county schools. In pre
senting them Miss Wells congrat- '
ulated the children and praised
the parents upon their children’s
faithfulness, mentioning especially
the mothers who had had to put
forth extra effort in order to get
their children off to school on time
during the winter months. These
certificates were awarded to Mar
vin -Laughter, Mary Smith and
James Laughter. The prizes for the
pupils making the most improve
ment in penmanship went to Ruth
Ilobb; and Flora Lassiter. Last
fall tne Parent-Teacher association
offered a medal for the best all
round pupils in each room this
year, and Martha Langdon and
James Laughter were the proud
recipients of these medals.
The program was then turned
over to the members of the Junior
Order and Rev. A. J. Parker, pas
tor of the Smithfield Methodist
Church in a short address present
ed the Bible. Rev. Mr. Parker said
that this is an age in which the
study of the Bible should be em
phasized and he urged the young
people particularly to read it and
to read it earnestly, not being in
dolent about it. He said it was a
firm foundation on which to build
high ideals and he gave illustra
tions showing the influence it had
had upon the lives of young peo
ple. In presenting the Bible he
asked the people of the commun
ity to mold their lives by it. Rev.
Mr. Alexander accepted the Bible
on behalf of the trustees of the
school. He said that when the
principles and precepts laid down
in this Book are not taught in the
schools and instilled into the hearts
of the people, our country is in
peril. “Where there is no vision the
people perish.’’ The Bible contains
(Turn to page six, please)
The Mirror
IS THIS TOUT
If the person who answers this
description will call at The
Herald office they will
receive a free ticket
to the Victory
Theatre.
You passed Herald office yes
terday evening at 5:10 o’clock.
You wore grey suit, grey cap
and black slippers. You might
have had a “running tit,” judg
ing by the pace you were going
when you passed this office.
Mr. Levin Jones recognised
himself in Tuesday’s mirrro.
I