The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-01-09
FROM ASHEVILLE.
THE SWANNkNOA CLUB AND The
SHRINKING COE.
The Case of Batson-"Beaumont'' Writes
of Things and People in the
Land of the Sky"


As lie is taking up the usual course |
of her life from that decentralization
which comes upon towns even more
thoroughly than individuals at the fes
tive Christmas season, it is not amiss that
greetings be sent by her to her eastern
sister. For are there two cities in our
state more closely resembling each other
than Durham and Ashevilie, in the hearty
welcome they have both given to out
side capital and energy, seeking within
them permanent home? Can they not
cordially congratulate each other over
the wonderful growth which has sent
both spinning forward, outstripping
many of their old, staid sister towns.
Cities showing the love for progress and
the enterprise of ours, should be sources
of pride to all North Carolinians, and
what they have done should be but an
earnest of that which they shall do.
After the brief Christmas-tide delirium
of trade, the business portion of our
| community can now afford to pause and
take breathing spell. The schools, on
the contrary, Bingham's, Ravenscroft's,
he Industrial, the Asheville Female col
! lege and the public schools of the city
which register toward the closing days
of the year, condition the reverse of
that of the business interests, have by
this time gotten back into the running
order which the holidays so pleasantly
interrupted; they all recommence with
unusually good attendance, and the pu-
pills feel that now they are beginning the
long home stretch which ends June.
AS is usual at this time the permanent
custom at the hotels Is light, the great
ajoritv of the healthseekers, who con-
stitute that class of custom, having re-
turned to their homes for the holidays.
Especially is this the case with the Ken
| ilWOrth Inn, whose patronage consists
to much greater extent of permanents
than does that of either the Battery Park
or the Swannanoa. The tide of travel
of this wealthy leisure class turns Ashe
vile ward about the middle of January,
and from that time on remains pretty
constant for about three months.
Speaking of the inn reminds me OF the
ludicrous episode of the projected hunt
Of the '.Swannanoa Country Club'-an
.ganizatiOn made up of "sweu' society
people Of the city and Of not less swell
h0arders at the hOtels-whOse rendezvous
* ha y n, . opjY1 ha
approach in style they can get, to their
own exalted state. Society was all agog
ten days ago over the announcement that
real live deer had been bought by The
club, and would be the quarry in pur
suit Of which tie noble lords and ladies
ga. ould strive; and-a thing which
auueu 10 the prospect Zest which, il
ii must be confessed, was lacking even to
ne pursuit Of tame deer-that q con
>ta0." would be on hand by warrant
sworn out by President Cushman OF
North Carolina Society for Prevention
Of Cruelty to Animals, to arrest al
parties taking part in the aforesaid felon
ious proceeding. On the appointed day
at the gathering of the pinks and checks
the majesty of the law was represented
in tie person of the officer, but the
chase ~ began without any arrest; with
that "eag.e brain and massive eye" which
he shares in common with the famous
sheriff Of Nottingham, he must have seen
that to take any precautions for the
safety of the timid, shrinking doe, was
nnecessary-totally so-as by no human
probability could such a set of horsemer
overtake anything faster than Duck
town train The event proved the officer
wisdom, for the proposed victim did tn,
"shrinking" act so speedily and so sue
cessfully that the next county was hon
ored by her presence before the countr,
club could get under way, and the mos
they could do was to listen to the long
splitting peal of the atmosphere CLOSING
behind" her-to use the words of Mari
, Twain's coyote story. Your correspOn
dent caught sight of them that very after
noon from his train; they were about
couple of miles from BiltmOre, not rush
ing along with the speed of the wind, a
such centaurs are reported to move, bu
filing along bride path unromsnticall.
enough, with brides on horses neck
and a look of "this is fun, but of a mill
type" On their faces. But in interferin
; with their amusements is not the 5. p. {
A. defeating the very ends of its organi
z9tion? Barring their cruelty to them
selves in thinking they can ride, and i
their frantic efforts to achieve reputation
galore as horsemcu, why shouldn't the
!, be labelled harmless" and let alone?
That other social factors besides poll
tics can and do make strange bedfellow
, Is shown by the recent combination O
the liquor element of the town with III
W. c. T. L. to defeat the granting of
tail license TO one Mr.. Batson, of thi
pace. The opposition succeeded in prov
ing 10 the satisfaction of the commits
. sioners that Balson was not the real sp