The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-08-22
ADDRESS OF w. r. HENRY. ESQ.

ADDRESS OF w. r. HENRY, ESQ.
Delivered Saturday. August 18th. on
the Occasion OF the Visit of the Hen
,iersOn Tobacco board OF Trade to
Durham.
From the Durham Globe
When Quintus Delus, the Ambassador
OF Marcus Antonius. was uShered into the
presence of Cleopatra, hearing her letters
from the noble Antony. We are told that
''he stood as man who is amazed before
the Queen who sat upon throne of gold,
radiant with beauty. surrounded by her
Gallo guards clad i'll glittering armor,
with flashing spears and helmets of silver. ="
Seeing his silence, Cleopatra spoke and
said, Greeting to thee, noble DeliuS, envoy
Of the most mighty Antony, unfold we pray
thee the purpose of thy coming"
Still the ambassador spoke not. "What
ails thee, noble Delius," asked Cleopatra
he spoke and said, "Oh pardon me, most
mighty Egypt,if l have been stricken dumb
before thee, but too great beauty doth para
lyze the tongue and steal our sense away,
and this sudden vision of thy glory, royal
Egypt, did o'erwhelm my mind for a mo-
ment, and leave me unwilling of all things
else"
l have the honor of standing in your
presence to-day, oh, Durham, as an envoy
fIom your sister Queen of the Golden To-
baccO Belt.
If paused before unfolding. the purpose
of my rising before you, if l lost the power
of speech for moment as | remembered
the massive structures and other monu-
mentS to industry and progress that have
seen without, and especially when looked
over this gorgeous and brilliant scene, mark
ed by intellect and wealth, beauty and
music music, my excuse to You is that Of the noble
of thy glory did render me for time I'M
whiting OF all things else"
DURHAM AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF
HENDERSON TO DURHAM.
My friends, am here to present to you
the greetings of Henderson. l am here to
say to you, in her name, that she fully ap-
preciates your friendship and marks of es-
TEEN, and to thank you for this royal re-
ceptiOn and entertainment of large and
honorable body of her citizens. l am here
to say to you, in the names of the members
of the Henderson, Board of Trade that their
hearts thrill with the same warm friendship
and respect for you that you are now so
generously evincing toward them and to
tell you that when this day shall have passed
through all the years to come, ON the bright
pilgrimages to this city. and will live over
again this happy day, and once more see
the faces and hear the voices of the noble
men and beautiful women who have well
coined them so handsomely on this OCCASION
You have caused us to feel more deeply
the truth of those beautiful lines:
And after all, what is there but onr friends
That makes life worth the living?
Beggar he though owner OF street
OF palaces, who never took some
Fellow by the hand and looked,
ThrO' his eyes into his heart
And saw it beating for him.
Friends are the fragrance OF the rose of life ::
The meat of the sweet nut,
The rest is shell, nothing more
This magnificent return of the entertain
ment which the Henderson Board of Trade
had the honor OF preparing and enjoying
with you not long since is to be noted for
another reason than as an exhibition of
friendship between Durham and Hender-
son.
1t reminds us that Hospitality, that Cod
like spirit that throws wide open the doors
of the heart, and launches upon the sea of
life the richest argOsies of sympathy and
brotherly love, has never found 50 genial
a cline, land wherein she might flourish
so luXuriantly as here in our own dear,
Sunny South.
We read that just prior to the third Punic
war Cato visited Carthage, the Opulent and
powerful foe and rival Of Rome. Soon
after, standing in the Roman senate and
advocating the immediate destruction of
that city, from which he had just returned
he took from the lapel of his coat few
the Senators adniring them he exclaim-
ed, "KnOw this, it is but three days since
those figs were gathered in Carthage so
short is the distance between our enemy
and u.s." My friends, have no figs, but
see this sweet flower The kiss of the early
morning is hardly yet dry upon its petals.
1t was plucked but few hours since, not
from the bosom of your enemy, but from
the bosom of Henderson your friend--in all
cOnjunctures-and your WOuld-be rival in
all the paths of prosperity, pleasantness
and peace.
We have to thank the originators, owners
and managers of the Durham and North
ern railroad that we are thus brought so
near our friends of the city of Durham, and
particularly do we thank Major John e.
Winder, that noble hearted, cOurtly typi-
cal Southern gentleman, and veteran rail
road superintendent and constructor and
president.
Says another, describing a scene at day
break in the far East, ''Slowly the night
wore away, and at last the dawn came,
bluShing like bride down the SOmbre
ways of night. stood and watched its per-
feet growth, till it Opened like vast celes-
tial flower upon the te eastern ,hin SKY; ana
which but few years ago was known as
mere hamlet on the North Carolina rail-
road Slowly the night of desolation pro-
duced by the late war passed away, and
Durham-and if you will pardon me. l will
say Henderson,, tOo-have come blushing
in their beauty down the pathways of peace
and prosperity, until those VINO have watch
ed their growth have seen them expand
like vast flowers here in the heart of North
Carolina.
THE PHII.ANTHROPIsT OF NORTH CAROLINA.
Many States of this Republic have in
their borders wealthy, warm-hearted phi
lanthropists, sowing with lavish hands the
seeds Of charity. Our State is not behind
her sisters in this regard. She, too, has a
philantropist, and he lives in Durham.
We have all seen the Pullman cars with
their magnificent appointments-panels of
plate glass, and walnut, mahogany and
oak mountings of gilt and silver. furni-
ture of velvet, ebony, rosewood and plush.
We have viewed with wonder the vesti-
bule cars, those swiftly gliding palaces of
comfort and elegance and luxury, but the
grandest car that have ever seen Is the
Durham Carr"
1t is confined to no track. 1t is limited
to no schedule. Its golden wheels now
roll up to the crushed and bleeding heart
and anon sweet music from within, bushes
the orphans cry onward it passes to many
of the sad places of the poor and weak and
needy in our midst. followed by shouts of
Joy and thanksgiving, and ever as it rolls
along from its FURNISHED and cleaning
sides falls the glorious light of charity and
love upon the school house and temple of
God, and it will not be long, we trust, be-
fore it may pause from its labors of
love under the shadow of the Soldiers
Home" where those heroes may rest,
with whose deeds,
1.-THE historic muse
Proud of the treasure, marches down,
To latest tiE es; and sculpture
In her turn will give bond
In stone, and ever-during brass,
To guard and to immortalize her trust