The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1889-02-14
TIME TO WAKE UP !
TIME FOR WHO TO WAKE
UP?
WHY. THE PEOPLE OF BROoKHA-
VEN, OF COURSE.

This year of our Lord 1889, now we'll
under way, is very apt to mark the be-
ginning of an era Of active progression
in this, the most naturally favored of all
the towns IN South Mississippi, or else it
viii mark the date when it lapsed into a
hopeless state of "inocuous desuetude."
This is the plain truth, and may as
well be so accepted. Crystal Springs.
Hazlehurst, Wesson, Summit, Magnolia
and Osyka-every town of any size south
of Jackson-is moving forward, and their
citizens exhibiting = commendablc pub
lie spirit and oneness of purpose in start
ing aud fostering enterprises for building
them up. How is it herei Every bust
4 ness man and well-nigh every body else
is still "running on his own hook"
The LEADER has been published here
has never be III meeting of the bushes
men and citizens If the place looking to
| to the material betterment of our local
interests. The local option election and
things that ever got Brookhaventes really
aroused. During the last half dozen
years the town has grown and mauy inn
provements have been made, we gladly
admit, hut all this has been done by in
vidual effort, and amounts to nothing like
what might have been done with the pro-
per public spirit back of it all. Other
towns of the State, not as highly IA
vored in other respects as this, are organ
izing public improvement companies,
building congresses, ice factories can
ming factories, fine graded schools, etc
by the public spirit and cooperation of
their citizens. Why can't BrookhaveR do
likewise?
But" says Mr.. Director, "we haven't
but one railroad, and If factory or com
press is built here, the high frcights
would bankrupt it," How do you know
that 7 Did the business men of this
place ever get together and ask in con-
cert for reduction of freight OH any
thing, as they might have done if organ
lied into Board of Tradef Dida't the
business men of llazlehurst get a reduc-
ton of rs cents per bale on cotton and
fine new depot into the bargain, by COM,
ing together and stating the facts and
their necessities to the railroad ? Didn't
the railroad cooperate with the business
men of Winona and Grenada in esta blish-
ing their congresses. The truth is, the
Railroad Company is more than willing
to help any community that shows a dis
position to help itself, because it is to
their advantage to have the country
prosperous along their entire line.
Why can't Brookhaven do as other
places have done? Why can't she have a
Board of Trade or an organization by
some other name, if yon please, which
will meet at stated times, discuss meas
ures looking to the common interest, APP
point committees to look after different
objects, collect and disseminate informa-
ton, etc.? Such thing would be an in
novation here, to be sure, that would
quite take the breath of some of our
moss backs, but once started, and ii
would do good.
Why are not the fathers Of d3rookiia-
ven, who have boys to educate, and whose
sons are either growing up in idheness
and Ignorance, or being sent away from
home at heavy expense, concerned about
establishing a graded public school here
in which their boys could obtain good
rudiuentary education and be fitted for
Collegef Why might not Brook haven
even aspire for the location of the pro-
posed male Methodist College, and have
it here as the complement of the celebra-
ted WhtwOrth, making this one of the
grandest educational centres of the
State Through Indifference, poor man
agement and partisan littleness, quite
enough money has been sqaundered in the
last dozen years to have built fine grad
ed public school and equipped it. Snch "a
school would be Of inestmable value to
Brookhaven from every point of view,
and she must have it, too, or continue to
suffer the penalty of her neglect. Whit
worth College, noble institution as it is,
can never supply that need, and even it
will never attain its greatest efficiency,
until there Is a more advanced education
al spirit here at home, and less of the
dog -the-man ger spirit among some of
our citizens who should take a pride i'll
and foster it, rather than try to pull it
down as they have tried to do.
But enough for the present. We close
by urging Brookhavenites to think over
these things and prepare to act.
The Chill Blast
| That sets the bra inches quiveriag, is not
1 falt hx, thu wealthy yalafpd in aTan m