VOL. IV. RALEIGH, N. 0., THURSDAY, DF OEM HER 5, 1907.
NO. 32
LETTER FROM BILKINS.
Mr. Bryan is Still in Training
Speaker Cannon Early t Snow at
Bilkinsvillo The. Local Sportsmen
Hold a Session and Spin a Few
Yarns, Some of Them Being Fish
Stories.
Correspondence of the' Enterprise.
December 4th, 1907.
I see Mr. William Jennings Bryan
is still raining fer the next preser
denshal fite, an' iz dietin' himself so
he will hev lots ov wind an' won't
git tired. Billy hez bin runnin' purty
near ever sinse I kin reckerleckt any
thing erbout hit. He hez won a
gude many premiums an' blue rib
bons fer fast goin' an' high jumpin'
an' the like. But if he hez ever bin
preserdent the papers don't menshun
hit. I'd give the price ov a gude
shoate ter see Billy preserdent fer
erbout half a day. But I reckon the
day of mirackles iz erbout , over.
When he gits ter be preserdent hit
will be after the offls goes a-beggin'.
This iz one ov the most peaceble
countries on earth, even if hit hez
had a Cannon fer Speeker ov the
House at Washington. He wuz- an
ole gun, too, but he iz the sort that
causes a gude deal ov destruckshun
when he iz fired off, 1
We air havin' a big snow at Bil
kinsville ter-day, an' the' rabbits air
gittin' ready ter immygrate. This
town iz full ov rabbit hunters and
fishermen. Ter hear sum ov them
talk you would think that they had
killed at least a millyun rabbits in
the past. I always wink the other
eye when sum ov them begin ter
spin rabbit yarns and fishin' stories.
But they kin tell sum stories that
would make a stranger open his
eyes. Bill Simpkins wuz here one
day last summer an' wuz sittin' on
a goods box in front ov the store
talkin' fishin'. He sed that he went
sayneing one day down on Middle
Crick, just after .the war and drag
ged out forty bushels ov fish rangin
in size frum half a pound ter twenty
four pounds apiece awl caught in
erbout thirty minits by saynein up
and down the crick a distance ov a
hundred yards. They wuz several
sittin' erround an' they tried ter
change the subjeckt, but Bill went
rite on talkin', an' sed that after
haulin the fish home he tuk off
hiz wet clothin' ter put on dry duds,
an' when he shook hiz clothes erbout
six bushels more fish an' several eels
an turtles cum out ov the clothin.
Sum ov them sittin' erround tried ter
change the subjeckt ergin, but Bill
wouldn't stop. He sed he caught a
whale in Swift Crick with a hook
an line that wuz sixty-four feet
long, an he flggered that hit must
hev weighed not less than fifty-five
thousand pounds an' eight ounces,
or thereabouts. If this thing keeps
up the" Governor will hev ter call a
special session ov the legislater ter
suppress the fishermen livin' erround
Bilkinsvllle. They air a site.
The big snow to-day wuz a cool
surprise. We, ain't use ter snow in
these digglns so early. I hev bin
seein that the weather man wuz
predicktin' a warm wave an I wuz
gittin up firewood az fast az I could,
ter I knew a cold wave wuz on the
way. The manager ov, the weather
burow at Bilkinsvllle must be a
grandson of Annynias, fer he kin git
up more yarns erbout whut the
weather iz goin' ter be than two ov
them lightening stenogryfers could
take down in four months. When he
predickts a warm wave I always car
ry iny overcoat an' a hot brick . in
my overcoat pocket. When he puts
out a rumor they iz goin' ter be a
cold wave, I put on my linen duster
an' carry a palm leef fan. That iz
the only way ter keep even with
these weather predickters. They air
a plum site.
Az ever,
ZEKE BILKINS.
The Marital Unrest
In the time of our great-grandmothers
and grandmothers nobody
thought of dissolving the marriage
tie. A woman's career was marriage,
and having once embarked upon it
she never considered going back.
But In these days debate Is ram
pant, and so many persons have con
sidered going back" that one won
ders what slight reciprocal affection
induced them ever to advance at
all. Probably it was not affection,
but attraction, which depends upon
outward and visible signs rather
than Inward and spiritual graces,
and can cause the most unlikely and
unblendable character to find each
other k irresistibly" charming. And
while they are finding each ' other
charming, marriage is so easy! Since
the beginning of the world, admoni
tion and advice have done very lit
tle toward the curbing of passion,
and the obstacles have only served
to excite it.
And it is not too much to say
that most young people, if left to
form their own characters, with
little in the way of respectability
forced upon them and a great deal
in the. way of responsibility forced
upon them and a great deal in the
way of comfort and pleasure at their
right hand, will form rather self
indulgent characters which, rushing
rapturously into matrimony, as it
were into the seventh heaven, are
exceedinly chagrined to find how
much self-denial is degianded of
them when they get there. Nobody
has explained to them what mar
riage, and the companionship of it
really means, nor what a fund of
tact and tenderness,, forbearance,
good-will and gentle judgment one
must have to tide over the hard
places that come, at times, to even
the most loving couples.- Carlina
Duer, in the Delineator.
Peter W. Halrston, of Davie Coun
ty, and one or two others were rid
ing horseback near Walnut Cove a
few days ago, when Mr. Hairston's
horse shied, throwing the rider in a
gully on the roadside. Mr. Hairston
received a severe gash over his right
eye, his nose was broken, his wrist
sprained and he was hurt otherwise.
Last week Charles Waters, about
twenty-two years old, got a load of
sow-paw at Marion and returning
to his boarding-house at Cliff 3ide,
Rutherford County, proceeded to
raise a rough house. An officer was
called and in trying to escape from
the officer Waiters jumped into the
river and was drowned.
OPINIONS IN A NUTSHELL.
Looks as if Old Prosperity was
getting his second . wind. -New York
Mail.
.
Nothing sobers t a business man
quicker than to find money tight.
Washington Post.
': ..
The Russian Douma, it is said, may
fall. However, it will not have far
to fall. Philadelphia Ledger.
.'.. '
College presidents continue to de
plore hasty talk and then loose a
lot of it. Philadelphia Ledger.
If the banks would let up now the
other interests of "the country are
about ready to do it. Philadelphia
Press. '.
New York's Horse-Show was a fin
ancial failure, but as a millinery dis
play it was flawless. Philadelphia
Ledger.
We are making financial history,
but the prophets are not agreed as
to the final chapter. Philadelphia
Inquirer.
Has any census been made of the
men who think they know what the
President's message will say? New
York World.
Better do your holiday shopping
with the money you are hoarding be
fore the burglars get it. Philadel
phia Press.
.
The army test rides cost $ 1 5,0007
But what is that compared to the
amusement they gave the President?
New York Sun.
;
The fact that turkeys are plentiful
doesn't seem to have occurred to the
people that are fixing' the prices.
Baltimore Sun.
i "
Since New York bankers admit
that the crisis is past, perhaps they
will soon loosen up on depositors'
money. Philadelphia Inquirer.
'; ;". .
Eleven murders have taken place
in one Kentucky "speak-easy" with
in a year. Kentucky takes its pro
hibition sadly. New York World.
It seems that the President was in
no danger while on the Mississippi,
but he thought he was. which was
equally (distressing. Philadelphia
J,edger.
The usefulness of the Panama
Canal in floating a loan is only a sug
gestion of the great purpose it is to
serve in floating ships. Washing
ton Star.
. .
In spite of the assurance that the
President is toning down his mes
sage, his critics do not appear t be
toning down their remarks. Wash
ington Post. ' '
Admiral Evans is a man always
ready to do his duty to sail a ship
,or fire a blazing sentence when it
shall please his country to need ja
hot phrase, Baltimore Sun. i
.
' !
"There will be a, further drop in
the prices of provisions and meats;"
says an Armour manager. "Furth
er?" Has anyone noticed the previ
ous drop? New York World.
... .
Money stringency is said to have
sent formerly well-to-do New York
ers to the pawn-shops. The experi
ence may teach them how the other .
half lives. Philadelphia Ledger.
Twenty thousand automobiles are
licensed in this State, and sometimes
you get the idea that they are all in
operation at tbe street corner where
you want to cross. Philadelphia
Press. .
A company has been formed in Pa
ris to operate sight-seeing airships.
With "rubber-neck balloons" it will
not be long until we shall have to
tunnel, if we seek any privacy. New
York Sun.
An Ohio convict made $20,000
while serving a five-year term. He
got board and clothing free, too. A
scramble may be expected for posi
tions under that warden. Philadel
phia Ledger.
::' . ''"'.
We are not at all choice. We take
$10 gold pieces, with or without the
words, "In God We Trust"; also
greenbacks, silver, nickels, coppers
and scrip. It all looks good to us.
Durham Sun.
The discovery of the Kuskwaga
mutes in Central Alaska by a Phila
delphia professor may be pleasant
for the Kuskwagamutes, but we fear
it will revive that simplified spelling
controversy. New York Tribune.
. . .
The shooting season is yet young,
but the opening promises well. So
far the number of persons killed or
maimed by the accidental discharge
of guns, or by being mistaken for
game, is large. State3vllle Land
mark. Now that it has been discovered
that persons can converse over the
telephone with the trasmitters placed
upon their chests we expect it will
become usual for young people to
hold the instrument over the cardiac
region and thus indulge in real heart-to-heart
talks. New York Tribune.
Christmas Work.
December means Christmas to the
children, so we want the whole
months to be used for working up
the Christmas Offering. The tiny
stockings proved such a success last
year that all Leaders who used them
then will want to use them again.
Other Leaders also will join in this
plan and we hope to have the offer
ing go beyond our fondest expecta
tions. Please explain fully to the children
that their money this Christmas will
go toward the building of the Sun
beam School at Ylng Talc, China.
Since this is their very own work,
they will feel a deeper Interest in
collecting all the pennies possible iu
the bright little stockings.
If you have no Sunbeam Society
In your church, will you not have .
the children join In this Christmas
Offering? Letters have been sent
to the Sunbeam Leaders and on
plans fully explained. If you wish a
pattern for the stockings and full
explanation of our plans., they will
be sent you upon application.