The western sentinel., 1892-08-18
The MOCKSVILLE PICNIC.
Five Thousand People We're in AttGn-
dance Thursday.
ITumuDENo rJJT1 mTTn OHnnT WITT
VETERANS GIVE The REBEL YELL,

Prof. CbaS. ID. NclVer Made the An
| nuaI Address-It was a Fine Effort
| -Cy Watson Grew Iemiscent. and
Made the Old Soldiers LauSh-Or-
| phans Assist in the Entertainment.
For three hundred and siXty-four
| DAYS in the year. the quiet, benevolent
| little village of Mocksyille sIumbers
away, undisturbcd by the noise the
| hurry. the rcstleSsness, the trouble
and temptation of the outside world.
| The flowers bloom in the pretty vii
| lage gardens and the vines climb the
| trelliS work on the porcheS only to
| give Il Slccpier appearance to the pic
| turcSquc old houses which they loving
! ly protect. The tall corn. in the fields
| which separate every house from the
| other on the main street of the
| village, rustles in the tempcring
| breezes and ripenS in the kindly sun
| light.
| An ancient hotel nestlcS in the
| ShadOWy clump of clmS. which keep
| their long knarlcd and lnottcd arms
| stretched out as if bestowing an ever
| lasting bcncdictiOn on the village.
| Now and then at the sound of the
| dinner bell. which an ancient darkev
| rings Oh the long rambling VCrandah
| he old hotel rubs its eyes, SO to speak.
as if on the point of getting good
awake for once. but it soon begins to
| doZe again. and then Slumbcrs on as
| hard as ever.
| The clerk of the court and the Sher-
| if and the register of deeds come
| down to the pretty. old fashioned
white columned. rSilcnt and somnam-
| hulcnt court house every morning.
| but they cannot get the court
| house wide awake. because there are
few records to keep, few deeds to reg
| lister and few criminals to arrest in
| the good old benevolent county of Da-
| vie. where court is not held but twice
| Il year.
The ''Dayic Times" the little six
| column, four page paper which cham
| pionS the interest of Davie DcmOcra-
| cy. tries hard to wake up the little
| town when it comes out every Friday.
| The ancient Washington hand press
on which the issue is run off, buZzes
away induStriouSly. and the sound
gets out into the town through Il
broken glass in the press room win
dow, but the villagers have gotten so
accustomed to it now that it comes to
| their ears as lullaby rather than as
an awakcncr. And thus the village
| enjoys its almost uninterrupted sizes
| ta. almost" for there is one day in
| he year when Mocksyilie is the livcst.
| busiest and most energetic town in
| all North Carolina. And that is the
| anniversary of what Prof McIver
calls ''the DaNie County Cooperative
| Philanthropical Society,"" but which
plain, common, everyday folks cali
the Mocksville Picnic"
THE HISTORY OF TIE PICNIC.
Davie county is he most charitable
county in North Carolina and Mocks-
| vile is its capital.
Fourteen years ago the Masonic or
der, which has for many years been in
| a fiOuriShing condition in this cOun-
try. conceived the idea of getting up
| IL picnic for the benefit OF the Oxford
| Orphan Asylum. This charitable in
Stitution is supported entirely by the
Masons of North Carolina. Every
lodge is assessed Il certain amount.
sixty cents per member for this cause.
The MockSvilie lodge fourteen years
ago thought that by getting up Il pic
| mic it could not only pay its assess
ments but perhaps send down to OK
ford something more than its assess
ments. The first picnic was so
encouraging that another was tried
| the ensuing year, and then another
and another until at the present time
| the MOckSVille Picnic is Il peculiar in
| stitution, peculiar to Dayie county
in North Carolina, and peculiar to
| North Carolina among the States of
| the Union.
| At the picnic of August 1891 over
$500 were sent the Orphanage and at
| their picnic of Thursday it is
| thought that a hundred or hundred
| and fifty dollars more than at the pre-
| yiouS one were raised.
TIE ATTENDANCE.
The Mocksvillc Picnic is attended
/ by people from the counties of Rowan,
Iredell, Alexander, Wilkes, Yadkin
| Surry and others still further distant
] from Dayie. The people who at
tend are not wealthy. The great
| majority are the farmers, and the far
mer's wives, sons and daughters.
| Thursday morning the caravans be
! gan to arrive at MOckSville. Every
| kind and condition of vehicle, from
the ''prarie schooner" or the covered
/ tobacco wagon of the farmer, to the
| spanking two-horSe carriage of the
| well-tO-do villager or tOwnsman. And
| every vehicle was filled. Young fell
lows drove in their sweethcarts. Here
came a couple from StateSville, here d
| family from Wilkes seated in split
bottom chairs placed on the floor OF
a ''Hickory'' wagon bed, there hack
load of pretty girls from Salisbury
| for Salisbury is yielded the palm foI
having the prettiest girls and more OF
| them than any other town in the
State, in proportion to its size.
BY nine O'Clock every road leading
into the village was black with riding
and driving humanity. At half past
nine the Lexington Cornet Band, in
gaudy blue uniform and red epau,
lettes, discourSed the sweetest music
in front of the old hotel, which was
awake sure enough now, while its
wide verandah was alive with boys
and laughing girls.
THE PROCESSION FORMED.
The whole town was moving mass
of humanity. At ten o'clock the
| Masons formed in line, with therblut
regalia and white aprons. There
were thirty-three of them and all but
few were members of the MockSvillt
lodge. Behind them fffty-seven ole
Confederate veterans marched.
The band with it's immense rec
band wagon led, and the procession
made pleasing sight to the eye. But
the old war horses were the center O.
attraction. Around their white head.
a halo of glory seemed to circle, an6