The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1890-07-30
Mai. ,Guthrie's Toast at the
BANQUET Last Week.

DhliuuCt Laoo ssSSns
The part assigned me by the COM
mittee to respond in FIVE minutes
talk in suitable way to the toast.
"The City of Durham" Is an exceed.
ingly difficult one, and | ask for my
IS self your generous indulgence. l am
reminded by this large gathering of
distinguished gentlemen, whose every
Il day businessit ID to report current
events as they happen, and which go
IS 10 make up history, that there is
hardly an editor here of whom it
could not truthfally be said he knows
mole about the city of Durham al.
ready than I do, or I might say fur
8 Their, than any other citizen of Dur
ham does. For has not Durham
been advertised far and near through
out the world, from 'Dan to Reer-
sheba," till everything that Durham
has done and is doing is "known and
read Of all men," :
At this time. among the closing
years Of the 10Th century, we live
since the days of Guttenburg, We live
in the days of stenographers and
newspaper reporters, and whatever is
said or done, meritorions or other
wise, in conspicuous places or places
of obscurity, is flashed along the
wires with lightning speed, and
through the agency OF the great
modern newspaper press, the van
guard of civilization, reaches the
millions of readers almost as soon as
it happens.
In the days of King Solomon it
was different. Then it was that the
wisest acts of the greatest and no.
blest Of mankind, whether in build
ing stately mansions, erecting Gag,i.
fcent temples and, laying our roJa,
cities adorned with wealth and splen-
dor, their acts were known to but few.
It required long and patient journey
ings Of those who doubted reports
of such things which might by &C.
cident reach their ears in distanl
lands, to start the caravan for per-
soral observation and like the Queen
of Sheba go and see"
There were two thing about the
Queen of Sheha which I rather like
one was that when King Solomon
showed her good thing" she had
sense enough to see it; and the other,
woman. like, when she saw good
thing" was willing to tell it. What
a glorious newspaper reporter she
would have made in our times! /
will add another thing about her
characteristic Of reporters Of our day
she was truthful. "The one half
of the greatness of thy wisdom was
not tole me; for thou sxceedest the
fame that | heard" But Solomon,
with all his wisdom, could not COME
here now and without one of you to
show him how to do it, run even
weekly newspaper for single issue.
he never smoked an ounce of Dur
ham Smoking Tobacco" nor did his
son Rehoboam (who was apretty bad
boy, By the way) ever see q Duke
Cigarette" nor did q single one of
his many wives ever stake dip" Of
Tomlinson's world-renoHaed, fra.
grant. aromatic Snuff"
But leyity aside gentlemen, the
tsast to which / am TO respond is enc
which prompts the reflections Of a
philosopher rather than the jests Of
Q clown. You have come 10 Durham
'sto see for yourselves" and we are
delighted to afford you the opportun-
ity.
We cannot read in ancient history
nor speak Of the traditions Of depart.
ed greatness when We approach the
subject Of the "City Of Durham"
She has no traditions yet, aud Of her
history her people and all of US as
North Ca:oliLiaIs may well be proud.
Hardly two decades ago had you
spoken of the city of Durham, even
10 our own state, the hearer would
not have understood you; but his
mind would twin towards q far off
land and his thouget become fixed
on the City Of Durham" in the
mother.land Of England. But now
speak Of Durham anywhere on the
continent and the hearer turns 10
the home Of Golden Belt Tobacco"
and TO our own "Clty Of Durham"
as she sits in her pride Of business
roYalty-though the youngest Of her
size, yet ~ TAR as any, and in the
line Of her business queen among
her sister cities Of the Golden Belt"
History bears me out in the asser.
ton that this little city whose age
scarcely exceeds a decade, certainly
not as much as two dec ades, for On'7
as far back az 1870. tie pOpula;l3n
al told by al accurate census, hUn-
estly taken, was merely 2jb,) ths
little city il to-day well known aud
has q direct trade and Commerce
With nations and peoples in foreign
lands throughout the world, and ha,
become a household name 10 the
consumers Of tobacco where the name
Of our Own great state was never
heard and North Carolina, even, il a
terra Incognita--an unknown land.
Wonld you believe ~ Twenty
years ago the total amount Of Cap
ital invested in manufacturing IN
Durham was, all told, only s2j, 900,
while 70 day a single establishment