The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-08-15

faultess taste. He is perfec,ing ar
rangements to leave the State.
That handsome, middle-age man
over there, talking and huttering, and
carrying on with the girls, is not that
Col. ProgyeSsiOe Farmer Polk? Well,
| won't say positively, but | candidly
think it is.
That busy, little sun burned man,
with a light mustache, long alpaca
coat, and pleasant but timid face, who
is making everybody feel at home,
is nobody but Lenolr 2ebic Will
Scott. whom everybody knows as one
of the cleverest fellows in the country
and one of the best writers of good,
plain, forcible English among our Tar
Heel editors.
But the man in the body who i'm
presses you least at the start and most
at last is Charlotte Democrat Christian,
Stonewall Jackson S son-lin- law. You
hadn't observed him until he stood up
and uttered some triflng remark of
about three words that brought the
floor up. He doesn't look like the
editor of the Charlotte Democrat. He
doesn't look like an editor at all as
for that IN alter. He doesn't look like
Stonewall Jackson's son-in-law. He
doesn't look like anybody's son-in-law
as for that matter. But there he is.
Tall, young, 1.-THE rather, but muscular
as an athlete, with physique suggestive
of great powers of endurance, clad in
an ice cream flannel suit without
vest, he is as erect as an Indian. His
! we'll shaped head stands straight and
clear above his shoulders, skin neither
dark nor fair, n.ustache both light and
slight, and touch of pathos in his ex-
preston, as If he were not unacquain
ted with some great suffering. He
halts in his speech, even stops short
sometimes to gather up the lost thread.
The same manner in anotehr would
/ bore you with him it interests you. 1t
is thousand times better than listen
ing to a Manuscript man. 1t is like
reading a novel or opening prize boxes,
only you are never disappointed. What
he says often agonizes for fit expression,
but it is pure gold when it comes, and
you wait for more. He has wit, humor,
! poetry, depth, religion, business talent,
philosophy, good sense, imagination
in short, he is the genius of the North
Carolina press, Bill Arp and Talmage
in one breath; Bill Nye and Shelly
in the next; Zeb Vance, Ben Frank
lin, and Plato between breaths. He
was elected as the poet for the next
year. Rising, as if from under an In
supportable burden, he prayed per-
mission to write the poem in prose.
He was drowned by the applause, and
sat down, saying he would accept be-
cause he was humble-and wanted
| the honor.
The list Of worthy and able men
among our editors is not nearly ex-
hausted, but | have gone thus minute
ly into few descriptions that | might
without enumerating them all, give d
fair impression of the personnel of the
body.
THE SPEAKING.
While this feature was not at all OF
a high order from an Oratorical stand
point, 1t was eminently sound, practl
Cal and sensible. Here, again, lack
Of space prevents notice of eacf
speaker or even of each subject.
AS intimated, there is no orator il
this body. It does not contain a mar
for whom the Association would set W
any pretensions in this line. There i
some latent capability, but incessan
copy making is ruinous to its develop
ment. All of the set speeches, nigh
say, and most Of the impromptu one
were devotedly read from manuscript
The editors, though, are charitable tt
one another and meekly submit. bu
they would make a decidedly bette
impression by quitting the practice
even if they had to practice declalm
, ing their pieces in the woods.
The annual address by Presiden
, Manning, the addresses of Messrs
Patrick and Wilson, of the Immigra
| ton Bureau, did not hear, but an
| told they were eloquently written ant
as eloquently read.
! The orator of the occasion, MI
Vernon w Long, of the Winston Sen
| hneI, in a we'll read address, discusses
, the question, Why do young men leav
Z North Carolina? 1. Do they leave
: Yes. 2. Why? (a) Because they ar
: not appreciated A few towns, Win
5 ston among the number, appreciat
! their young men and are the mos
: prosperous in the State. (b) Th
State thinks aliens are better fitted fo
t her good places than natives. Fiv
Y chairs in the University and five q
y Wake Forest are filled by men nc
!. natives here, and about as large pre-
f portion in other schools. Co The de
: fective common school system, 81
d. He plead for higher education an
E made a most creditable address.
/, Sensational news aid matters.
/ themselves impure, were discusse
I Thursday morning.
5 Mr.. Sanford Express ST. Cla