Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1884-09-25
"a QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD. "
AN INTERESTING SKETCH OF A
LITTLE VIRGINIA TOWN.
Kind Words for the s.Sentine1'' and Dis
QUESTION Upon Journal
ism.

Kind Words for the '.Sentine1" and q Dis
QUESTION Upon Journal
ism.
Special Correspondence of the Sentinel.
DIspUTANTA, Va, Sept. 20.-The
vigorous pulse of busy success throb-
bing all along the Norfolk & West
ern Railroad, from mountain to sea-
side quickens the life throbs of every
little ! hamlet or wayside station
through which the smoky locomotives
are daily putting and smoking with
crowded luxurious coaches, or heavi-
ly laden freight trains. Disputanta
is wayside station on this road, ten
miles from Petersburg. The depot
and station masters house was the
nucleus around which has sprung up
thriving little village of between SO
and 70 inhabitants. The depot is we'll
built, with an entrance hall separating
the general reception room. from one
for ladies, ticket and telegraph of
flee and spacious accommodation for
freight. A few friendly shade trees
stand in front of the depot, stretching
their leafy arms out to shelter the
weary traveller, or idle loungers,
sometimes, grouping there at even
tide for village gossip.
The pretty, cosy, cottage OF the sec
tion master stands near by the road
side. The most pretentious residence
in the village, is the large white house
standing on slight eminence which
slopes down to the railroad. Most Of
the houses were built hurriedly to
supply immediate needs of the occu-
pants, and are more useful than orna-
mental but as the village increases in
prosperity, more attractive houses are
being erected. Mr.. James Young, a
prosperous merchant of the village,
has a neat, commodius residence near
ly completed. Mr.. T. Smith, of the
firm of Smith & Webb, has pretty,
cozy little cottage nearly ready for oc-
cupancy. Other houses are being
erected, or in contemplation. -Four
stores here are kept after the usual
style of village stores, dealing alike in
groceries, dry-goods, shoes, tin-ware,
etc, supplying some of the daily needs
of the village and vicinity Two
wheelright shops, blacksmith shop,
whose roaring bellows and sounding
sledge always remind us of Longfel
lows "Village Blacksmith -
"Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow
You can hear him swing his heavy sl0dge
With measured boat and slow.
And children coming homo from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fl
Like chaff from Il threshing floor
A Grange Hall here, is owned by
the oranges and they hope at some
future day to make it more: ga thing,
of beauty" than at present. DIR. 0.
8. Williams, a popular physician in
this vicinity is Master of the Grange
presiding with equity and dignity over
the monthly meetings held here regu
larly. A Masonic Hall is used by the
colored masons.
On the suburbs of the village neat
Methodist Church is seen through the
green foliage surrounding it ]; and in
the village stands a comfortable par
sonage home for its pastor
A fine freight business is done at
this station. Mr.. J. A. Hobbs, the
agent, is kept always at his
post, prompt and courteous. Lumber
from two fourishing saw mills in the
vicinity is shipped regularly from this
depot.
The name of this station is sugges-
tive of dispute and contention. In
"by-gone days" there was some con-
tention about the locality of the depot
and when the present site was chosen,
it received its name suggestive of con-
tention, but ga rose by any other
name would smell as sweet" and the
little village is as peaceful in its daily
life as the one of poetic renown:
Sweet Auburn lovelest village of the plain,
| Where health and plenty cheered the lab'ring
| swain;
And smiling Spring its earliest visit paid,
And parting Summers ling'riRg blooms de-
lay'd."
The SENTINEL is winning friends
in the village and its vicinity. The
letter literature of the SENTINEL at
tracts many readers, all finding some
thing to interest, in the political and
scientific themes; graphic sketches of
places and people; gossip of things on
dit; glimpses Of Metropolitan life
crowded cities and their fashionable
haunts seaside; hamlets, far away
territories, and sayings and doings
across the ocean. Few realize how
much we CLEAN from newspapers, OF
the topography of our country. Grow.
ing towns, rural hamlets, picturesque
scenery, lakes, caves, mountains and
wales, which if noticed at all in text
books, have only the briefest mention
are so graphically and sometimes
gracefully sketched in newspaper arti
cles as to make an indellible impres
sion on the mind of the reader. 1t il
conceded by the ablest thinkers of th'
present day, that the press is the grea
educator of the mass. Rev. o. P
Fitzgerald, d. D., of Nashville, sale
in recent lecture at Chautauqua
'The pulpit and the press are tn
chief educators of the masses. l pu
the pulpit first, because God puts i
first of all the agencies for the mora
regeneration of the world; but tn
press is chief educational agency il
this country" DIR. Talmage said in
recent sermon "The printing pres
3 is the mightiest agency on earth fo
J. good and evil. The minister of tn
| gospel standing in a pulpit has fl