The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-12-17
For the Farmer and Mechanic.
Holly Springs

In the latter part of April 1865, news
was brought to the camp of Hardee 's
corps near Old Centre church in C uilford
county, that Gen. johnson had agreed
upon terms of surrender with Gen. Sher-
man. At once all military discipline was
at an end. Officer. and men collected in
squads and devised plans to make their
way home, unwilling to undergo the hu-
initiation of stacking their arms in pres
ence of the victorious enemy next day.
A great many left that night. Early next
morning fifteen OF us, carrying our guns
and side-arms, started for home and met
Gen. Hardee soon after leaving camp.
He inquired where we were going, and
when told that we had started for our
homes, he advised us to 60 back and
surrender with our commands. We con-
suited about the matter, and after taking
a vote, found that majority were in
favor of going on. So.we went forward.
Near Pittsboro we aided squad of
Wheeler's Cavalry in quietiny gang of
Yankee ''bpmmers" and then made a
detour to the left and waded Haw River
at Bynum's mill. just before we arrived
at Holly Springs we met two young men
dressed In Yankee uniforms, riding two
iron gray horses with carriage harness on
and just as we we're preparing 20 give
them little repOse, a member OF our
party recognized oDe of them as former
and upon his vouching for
the other, we let them pass on. Zone OF
them is now a citizen of Raleigh, the
other | ascertained afterwards was a
Yankee soldier, but | have never been
able to learn whose horses they were
riding.) At Holly Springs we we're well
coined and invited to partake of butter
milk and Yankee 'hard dtack," by Mrs.
Leslie, whose son was then at home
After the lapse Of nearly twenty years,
| again visited Holly Springs last Friday,
the 9th of December. walked over the
village, but the only place that looked
familiar was the house formerly occupied
by Mrs. Leslie, now owned by MIR. Afford
this looked almost exactly as it did
twenty years ago.
At night | attended concert given by
Holly Springs Institute" for the pur-
pose of raising funds to enlarge and tit up
the school room. l found it an enter
tainment of high order and quite enjoy
able. The songs, recitations and acting
gave evidence of superior training, l
don't remember to have ever spent two
hours nore pleasantly. And where all
did so we'll feel that it will be making
invidious discrimination to speak of the
marked talent and just conception Of part,
exhibited by MIR. Fuquay on represent
:-e ~ ~i-.-. .-...... .-1sia-.a - L.; I.
mention the di yni6ed and queenly bear
ing of Miss Banks; or to to refer to the
acting of Miss Ballentine, who as Mrs.
Bradford In the. play. Out in the
Street." reeited the woes of the outcast
in a voice full Of tears and tremulous
with emotion. In fact | must say of the
concert that upon the whole, "tt Uds all
right" and did credit to ''Holly Springs
Institute And | was more than ever
of the truth of the saying
that the poetry of manhood is when
was a boy" and found myself missing
that | was a boy again Ia. great big,
twenty >fve-year-old boy) and a. student
Of Holly Springs Institute" under Its
present management.
The students who took part in the con-
cert showed that they had received care
full training in Elocution and we're there
by enabled to give to every word its ap,
propriate force aud to exercise their vocal
powers with a hexibility and grace truly
When | was a school boy
we hardly knew what Elocution meant.
We thought excellence in reading con-
sisted in quich;aess and rapatsty. We
regarded reading as foot-race and
thought the prize destined to the si0iH
and he who set forth at gallop and con-
tinued his speed to the end, regardless OF
how many syllables he might jungle to-
gether or how many words he might
throw into inextricable confusion. was
considered the best reader. But am
glad to know that a change has taken
place and that at Holly Springs lnsti-
tute,' at least, primped-up, rose bud
mouth is not regarded as essential to fe-
male beauty, and that it is there taught
that when one wishes to communicate his
thoughts and feelings to others, he should
bring into exercise all the organs Ofspeech
namely, the thorax, the lungs, the
trachea, the larynx, the glottis and epi-
CLOTHS, the palate, the tongue. e..teeth,
the lips, the nose and eyes-nO matter
how ugly it makes one look. (Some peo-
pie may think that the eyes are not one
of the organs of speech, but | want to
say that the most impressive speech l
ever listened to, came from a pair of
brown eyes, and | was made to wish
that | had had teacher of elocutlon IN
my youthful days to teach me how to
put leading questions in the proper
way, for although l had been fool-hardy
enough to attempt few leading ques-
tion," yet found that they were put In
such an awkward and boobyish manner
hat they led to nothing.
Elocution and music are inseparable IN
their nature and primped-up mouth
cannot render either effectiyely-when'
ever nature makes an ugly mouth, its best
to let it hang just as nature made 1t fol
an ugly mouth that's attempted to be
pucked and primped into proper shape is
the ugliest sight l have ever seen, but
when a month of this sort, although ii
reaches nearly from ear to ear. is en-
ployed to voice forth, in a natural man
ner, sentiments both sweet and true. we
forget to a great extent its ugliness.
PHILO SOPHBR.