The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-11-28
CLIMATE OR SCENERY?
WHAT IS 1T THAT ATTRACT
PEOPLE TO ASHEVII-I.E?
a Reporter Ofthe Citizen Gets the
Views of Some of Our Leading
Physicians Upon This MOOtcd
OmanSfinn

1t was at dinner the other dav at the
Battery Park hotel, that very interest
ing question was introduced and argued
pro and con with great heat and vehe.
menCe. Does ASheville owe its growth
to invalids, or better yet, is the patron
age Of the hotels due to the invalids and
the people they bring with them, that is
to the health-giving climate of AsheviHe,
or is it due to the gandeur and attractive
ness of our scenery? In defense of the
latter view it was stated that only five
per cent of the people at Battery Park
were invalids. The party finished their
coffee and pushing back their chairs ad,
journed to the office for a quiet smoke
where they met DR.. s. Westray Battle
Immediately they surrounded and be.
sieged him with questions. He laughed
very good naturcdly and waited for a
lull in the war of words in order to make
his views known.
why, certainly, it is the climate that
brings people here. Only a few tourists
and shooting parties put up at the hotels
for motives Of pleasure. Stand here anC
notice the people as point them out
There is small, fragile lady sitting by
that window. Her physician sent her
here for her health and the consequence
is that her husband comes with her
Would he be in Ashcvile iiit were not
man Just coming out of the parlor He
| has been to the south of France and in
every part OF Europe, and has finally To-
Gated in Asheville. There is d case in
point. Here is one invalid and in COnse-
quence a family OF four people has been
brought into this hotel SO could point
out to you numbers Of people without
taking single step to look for them, but
| must be going into my dinner, and will
have to ask you to excuse me- And the
doctor listened to the voice of the tcrrapin
and obeyed its call
On the board walk winding down the
hillside, Dr. w. d. Hiliard was met. He
fairly shouted when the question was
propounded to him:
Scenery be hanged. 1t is the climate
that induces people to come here.
would wager that four tiiths OF the vs
tors are brought here because there is ar
invalid in the family. know it to be SO
Last summer there was a family o
seven people at the Swannanoa. Dc
you think they came for the scenery
Pshaw! That's nonsense. They came be
cause the pater tamilias was sick and
this was the only place where he could be
benefited. That was the reason they
came Wasn't there any other place
where Vanderbilt could erect fine house?
Its absurd to say that he could find no
other place where the scenery was fine
enough. He came here during the winter
and found the climate was Just the thing
for him and his family, and very sensibIy
he decided to stay here No, say give
the devil his dues. 1t is the climate and
not the scenery every time"
of sauntered the doctor to his patients
and a new victim was spied coming
down Patton avenue. Helter-skelter,
pell-mell the crowd rushed down the in-
cline and button-holed poor Dr. Bur.
roughs.
Now we have YOU. Out with it Doc,
tor"
"Out with what? haven't done any
thing am ashamed OF"
1--WE are not so sure about that. Ha.
ha But tell us whether you think it is
the scenery or the climate that attracts
visitors to Ashcvile and what part the
invalid plays in bringing them here
AHA! So that is what you are after,
Well, don't think that is hard riddle
to solve. 1t is the health-giving, invig'
Grating, stimulating air Of ours that
causes the rush cant see how any
one could maintain that the reason tor
people tlocking to AShcvillc was the seen.
erv. Of course it is beautiful superb
and hard to be equalcd anywhere. But
you can find scenery just as fine i'll other
parts of the United States, and i'll places
lying around here, notably the White
Sulphur Springs, etc. This, therefore
would not account for the special popu
larity of Ashevile. 1t is the pure, dry
climate. One woman said to me it is a
tonic another it affects me like wine
The special feature is the aseptic property
of the air 1t is free from blood-poison
ing and diseasc-producing germs. Oper
ationS can for this reason be performed
here which could not be performed witt
equal success in the foul, toggy atmos
phere Of Baltimore, New York, and Other
large cities. If physician takes pa
tient away from AsheviIle to operate OF
them it is because he lacks nerve, Tor ht
could find no spot more favorable i'll thi'
respect. fact was told me the otheI
day by farmer which well illustrates
this point. He killed heifer and hunl
it up for several weeks and declared thu
meat grew sweater every day, and ye
no salt was used or anything else whicl
would be apt to keep it from being
tainted In what other place could thi
be done?
"You say that only five per cent. of tn
people at Battery Park are invalids
Well, that may be so and still not atfec
nv statement. 1t is now settled tha
r. IA .,.-