Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-17

here 81 lashorn. Some Of them are ex-
tremsly high. but as a rule not more than
forty TO ATTY feet, while others-which Ia
remarkabie-when not crowded, spread out
and form hat top to q diameter Of twenty
to twenty-five feet. upon which a group OF
can scarcely penetrate, the earth being
covered with nchen moss as soft to the
footstep as a carpet of moQustte.
ten or more persons can at the same time
easily find room to lounge. Where the forest
Of this singular tree Is dense there Is no
underground. the trees being hmbless for
many feet in height, the tops intermin-
Cling and forming a canopy which the sun
Fourteen miles from Abingdon. and al
most at the base Of White Top. il located
the prospective town of Damascus, which
promises to be place Of unusual import
upon plateau with surrounding hills at
the head Of a beautiful valley at a point
where meet the amber-tinted waters OF two
pretentious mountain streams known as the
Laurel and the Beaver Dam. These streams
with their feeders. topping over great boui-
ders and prscipices as they tumble through
the coves and mountain hooks. could fur-
nish sufficient water and power 10 run
dozens Of mills and furnaces
Abingdon and It's Colleges.
As said In my former letter. Abingdon
IL an educational town. 1t has three col
leSes and an academy in addition to its
public and several private schools. The
foremost OF these is Martha WASHINGTON
College. under the auspices OF the Hoaston
Conference of the NJ. E. Church South. and
Is in highly iourishing condition. The
building Is, and was, before a number of
additions to meet increasing demands were
made, an attractive one. having been built
by and used as homestead Of the Preston
family. the head Of which was Gen. Francis
Preston OF revolutionary history, and
among its welcomed habitues were the
hamptons. McDowels, Breckinridxes and
others whose family names are well known
70 the present generation. Gen. Wade
,ha pson OF south Carolina married into
the family, as did Mcdowell and Breck-
ihriose- Col Thos. l.. Preston, one OF the
sens. now resident OF Charlottesville own
ed and resided in the old historic home
Aethodists, Just prior to the late war for
use as a college and was even to that date
one OF the most widely known of the hos
pitaeie social and literary rendezvous in
the Hush times of Virginia. 1t is stately,
imposing building, surrounded by many
acres studded with magnificent trees and
adorned with shrubbery and flowers. The
several modern additions made to the old
building, am sorry to say, detract rather
than add to the grandeur of the old style,
with its large windows with small panes
SPACIOUS chambers, wide halls. porticoe:
and verandas.
John B. Floyd. governor Of Virginia and
afterward Secretary of War under Buchan-
an. married one Of the daughters and lived
east. which was. built by one Of the sons,
John 8. Preston of South Carolina. noted in
his time for his brilliant oratorical accom-
plishments The Floyd house was purchased
oy the Presbyterians shortly after the late
war and Is now the Stonewall Jackson In
stitute, and is warm rival in patronage
ana progressiveness as a female college to
us neighoor The Catholics also have a fe-
male college, known as the Academy of the
Visitation. r. V. M. 1t Is not in so flour
isning a condition as the others. their fol-
lowing not being so numerous in this sec
ton, but it Is a fine school and has q wide
reputation Next to this Is the Abingdon
Academy. a training school for boys and
young men for COLLEGES. Within few
miles OF Abingdon. at Emory, is Emory and
Henry College. one Of the leading male
COLLEGES in the south. admittedly next to
the University Of Virginia IN its curriculum
The public school system Of the state Is a
hne and liberal one. both for white and
colored pupils. The public school building
Of Abingdon is an unusually commodious
and fne one for a town Of it's size, and the
attendance full. notwithstanding the nu-
merous other school facilities of the place.
A Glimpse at Politics.
The political held here, and from what I
can learn In the greater portion of the
state Is in a badly shaken up condition.
There is no republican ticket as yet in this
county for legislative honors. The ticket
nominated by the democratic county con-
vention for some reason appears to be IN
popular. and several democratic candidates
are out independently, while the populists
are In the race to say nothing Of the
chronic an-around fellows who pop up at
every election with a consuming desire to
save the country from ruin. Col. O'Ferrall
will carry this county, and the southwest, as
for that. for governor, but there is no mis-
take about the populist energy that is being
shown here, as elsewhere. But southwest
Virginia is a democratic stronghold. not
withstanding the fact that 1t gets ripped
up occasionally by such passing political
whiriigigs as the ''greenback" and read
tuster'' crazes- 1t is said that DR.. Franklin
remarked after he had Travelled through
the state in its early settlement. that he
saw little else than fine scenery. hogs.
dogs, feas and democrats" and 1T may be
observed now that the latter evidently came
to grow up with the country and became
indigenous to the soil. The silver question.
while attracting widespread interest, IL not
entering into the campaign to very great
extent, in consequence of more direct local
issues, but as far as can Judge sentiment
favors the repeal bill. though many Of its
friends want silver as subsidiary and auxil-
larry to gold. F. H.