Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-12
GEORGIA EDITORS.
The Meeting at Athens-A Visitors
Experience.

The Meeting at Athens-A visitor :
Experience.
The telegraph has already given the
readers of the MORNING News brief ac.
count of the meeting of the Press of Geor-
gia at Athens on Wednesday, but it will
be not amiss for your correspondent to
say few words about such
matters as do not usually appear
in the proceedings of conventions. The
Association has but little legislative bust
ness to transact, it being more of re-
union of friends, working in a common
cause, whose discussions, or rather COM
municatiOnS, are more interest
ing when two or three are
gathered together than they are
in a public meeting. Assembled in
groups of from two to dozen, in the
hotels or in the cars, they compare notes
as to what each is doing. In that way
much valuable information is received
and impaired, the respective news
papers are improved thereby, and the
communities in which each paper is pub
lished reap the benefit.
The session just closed was a most
pleasant one, and met to the utmost the
anticipations of those who were present.
The meeting was called to order
promptly at 10 O'Clock, twenty-seven
papers being represented. AS has
already been reported, Mayor O'Farrell
introduced Mr.. George ID. Thomas. one of
the prominent young lawyers of Athens,
who extended the Georgia Press Associa-
tiOn warm welcome to the classic city.
which was replied to by the President,
who took occasion to congratulate the
Athenians on their good fortune in having
such a daily as the Banner Wdtchnda.
just here let me say that Mr.. II. l..
CAN'T, the editor of the Banner JVdtch-
man, was for several years one of the
cOmpOsitors on the MORNING News. He
laid by sufficient number of greenbacks
to go into business for himself, and since
then he has been at the head of several
successful weeklies and now owns and
edits an influential daily. He was one of
the most reliable and fastest type
settlers that ever ''held a set of cases.
on the MORNING NEWS, and he is now
as able with the pen or pencil as he was
nimble with the type.
Mayor O'Farrelrs fame as a host was
known to the editors, through the teach
ers, especially the ladies, who had the
previous week attended the Teachers
Convention at Athens. He established
his reputation with that learned body as a
whole-sOuled, genial gentleman, and
he did not lose it among the knights of
pen, pencil and scissors. The Mayor is a
type of these modern Athenians. 1t would
be- pleasure to give the names of all
who assisted the Mayor in his efforts to
entertain the Press, especially those of
the members of the peerless" Club, but it
would be almost as long as a registry list.
From the time the first editor arrived up
to the time the writer left the party at
Lula, and undoubtedly until the last dele
gate was seen safely aboard the cars on
Friday the attention of these gentlemen
was unceaSlng.
On Thursday afternoon the delegates
and their wives, now increased to
fOrty-seyen (the delegates not their
wives; | think, however, some of
them did not have wiYes), were
furnished with carriages and driven
through the city. 1t is quite an
extensive place, covering more space, /
think, than Savannah, an ordinary lOt-in
the residence part-being about half the
Forsyth Park. The drive was a pleasant
feature fthe occasion.
On Friday morning at 6 80, according to
the programme, the delegates accom-
panied by large number of citizens,
started on a special train ON the North
eastern Railroad, provided by the Super
intendent Mr.. II, r. Bernard, for Tallulah
Falls. The Northeastern is one of
the lines controlled by the Richmond and
Danville Railroad, and its objective point
is Knoxville, Tenn. 1t is to go over or
through the mountains at point familiar
to everybody, the North Pole Of railroads,
Rabun Gap, and in order that this shall
not be lost sight of the junction of this
road is called Rabun Gap june
ton. The impression prevails
that it will be many years
before the railroad is completed to
4
boy the first job that | ''fed OFF, on the
press was a pamphlet advertising a rail-
road through Rabun Gap. think
considerable printers ink has
been used since in advocating
its claims as shortcut to the West
but this has not yet built the rail-
road, What there is, however, of the
road, that is about ninety miles. is well
built, and runs through a picturesque
country, the track at the Grand Chasm
passing within few feet of the brink
1t was raining when the cars arrived at
Tullulah, but this did not daunt the Visi-
tors, manyOf whom olambered down the
steep declivities to view the various
places of interest. At the falls
hotel we found mine host
DR.. W. d. Young, who had entertained
the press in its previous visit eight
years ago, and who extended as warm a
greeting as tnOugn we nau Deen crowd
of summer boarders who had come
to stay week. The doctor is
making many improvements upon his
property. He has a saw-mill of his
own to saw out lumber. He is determined
that there shall accommodations for all
who visit Tallulah this season.
Though a magnificent banquet was in
waiting for us at the cars, quite a num-
Der accepted ofDr. YOung's invitation and
dined win him. The mountain and the
falls are not quite as interesting when
rain is pouring down as when old Sol
shines, but gathered in the piazza we
forgot the rain. Geo. p. Woods, of the
HawkinsFille Dispatch, better known as
the s'gOurd editOr,' made those who
were gathered around him for
get the unprOpitious weather. He gave a
lecture on bee culture, and told us about
lady in his county who made $500 year