The Somerset reporter., 1896-03-19
Southern Pines.


By ReU. c. NJ. Emery.l
This is pleasant hamlet in Moore
County, North Carolina, sixty-eight
miles south of Raleigh, the capital of the
State, on the Seaboard Airline railroad,
one of the principal thoroughfares from
north to south through the eastern
section of the southern states. 1t is dig
nified by the name of city. 1t comprises
nearly hundred acres laid out into
blocks, with avenues and streets eighty
feet wide, intersecting each other at right
angles. There are possibly two hundred
buildings all told, good, bad and indiffer
ent. Aside from a settlement Of colored
people on the outskirts called "Jim
Town consisting perhaps Of one hun
dred inhabitants, and IA few southern
families round about, the people here
gathered are nearly all from the north,
and for the most part, New Englauders.
Some Of them have come to stay, while
the larger part are here temporarily.
1t is a convenient and comfortable resort
in winter from the regions of MOI thern
climate.
Maine is represented by Mr.. and Mrs.
James Lord of Skowhegap, and the
writer with his wife. Mr.. and Mrs.
William Edwards, while they came di
rectly from Chicago here, we reckon as
among the Maine people as they fire.
quently spend their summers with
friends 10 Skow hogan and Mrs. Edwards
is a native Of that place, and is remem-
bered by her earlier associates as Esther
Elizabeth Emery, the sister of that
estimabe Christian gentleman, the late
Deacon Horatio G. Emery of the Betha-
ny church. Mr.. aud Mrs. Edwards
have one of the most attractive cottages
in Southern Pines, charming home to
which all are made welcome. They are
much beloved and their council is often
sought by all classes among the blacks,
AS well as the whites.
Rev. +. a. Wyman, d. ID. of Maiden,
Mass, who is also "a native of Skowhe-
gan, has been here several days this
winter, hut at this writing is farther
south. He is expected soon to return to
stop for while, before going north for
the summer. His new books "Ships by
Day" is kindly received at the south as
we'll as in the north for which there is
quite a demand by the reading public
wherever it is known.
TO find lnuch of southern society we
have to 20 beyond the limits Of Southern
Pines.
Among the things which some OF us
northerners enjoy exceedingly, is the
open fire of pitch pine knots. Some of
the pine is so full of fat, as it is some
times called, that it actually drips and
sputters and burns like the fat drippings
from smoking ham on fire. Because
of this fatty substance it Is possible TO
do here what cannot be done in the
north viz. light stick of wood as large
as you care to have on fire at orce with
a match without any kindling. While
reading the of account Abraham Lincolns
boyhood used to have great sympathy
for him because the only light he had by
which to read and study during his
winter evenings was that Of an open
fire of pine knots. But since coming
here have lost all that sympathy from
the fact that such light is superior to
anything that was had during my boy
hood. The old tallow candle. whale oil,
fluid lamps and even kerosene during the
first years of its use, are as nothing in
intensity compared with the blaze of an
open pitch pine fire. The illuminating
power of such blaze from an ordinary
fire place is equal TO that Of several
tlttlIlC ISHlS VI lIt luCdIlutSttul SUN.
The pines of this region have many
charms. We admire their towering
form, their beautiful long needles and
the balsamic odor which they impart 10
the atmosphere. They are companions
of whose presence we never tire Au-
other evergreen is the beautiful magno-
liza whose smooth, glossy leaves are
always the same.
Al this writing, March 9th, the tenn
perature is - in the shade. The at
mosphere of our room with open
windows is fragrant with the odor of the
trailing arbutus now in full bloom, the
buds of the peach trees in our yard are
bursting in their full beauty of pink aud
white blossoms, aud the knocking bird
perched in a tree at the foot of the
garden is pouring forth his melody of
songs in imitation of all the other birds
of the forest. As we note the accounts
of the intense cold to which the reader,
of the REPORTER in the north are ex-
posed, now subjected to blockade by
snow, then submerged by "A flood ms in
the last few days, we account ourselves
as fortunate 10 be in the sunny south
and feel somewhat as Peter with his
associates on the Mount of Transfgura-
ton did when he said ''it is good for us
to be here.