The Van Buren press., 1897-07-10

1900 families along the inc OF this rail
road from Nashville to Atlanta. Fiji
teen hundred families within the past
two years, and the cry is: Still they
come" lie is the most ardent and the
most successful coloniZer in all the
south. He is the best talker | ever lis
tened to, the most earnest, convincing
and entertaining; and yet he has no
land for sale nor any interest in the
sales. His work is for the railroad and
for humanity. The condition of thou
sands of those western settlers is most
pitiful. Think of 100 horses selling at
auction for $s7, less than one dollar
head. Think of 1000 selling for less
than $4,000. And SO these people are
closing out and coming to Tennessee
and Georgia and buying small tracts
of land within easy reach of the rail
road and in five years time these 1900
families will probably ship their prod
ucts of grain and hay and meat and
mules to an amount that will give for
each family an average OF 500 in
freights to the road. This alone will
make $150,000 per annum to be added
10 the freight business of the road. This
Is Mr.. Thomas far-seeing policy. With
in five years. time it is expected that
10000 families will be loeated-trans-
ferred from the cyclones and droughts
and billiards. of the west to the genial
climate of the south.
We see that the Seaboard line is now
pursuing the same policy. The Georgia
Southern g. Florida railroad began il
years ago, and improved Cyclonetta as
an object lesson to immigrants to show
them what could be done. 1t was a
successful experiment, and Mr.. Sparks
showed his wisdom and sagaeity, but
the roads creditors forced it into the
courts and crippled its resources, and
even made war upon Mr. Sparks for his
so-called extravaganza.
But l had only day to spare at the
centennial, and all of that was spent In
one building, for / could not get away
from it. 1t is thing of beauty, as well
as of interest and instruction, for the
ornamental work that graees the arches
and pillars and corniees is most lovely
and elaborate-a masters hand has
planned and executed. There, too, is
the plaster bust of Mr.. Thomas and hia
handsome portrait on the wall, that
were presented to him by his employees
as a graceful tribute and an evidence
of their devotion to him. What Il
blessed thing it is in these days of
strikes, and wrecks, and receivers, and
of war to the knife between capital and
laborcr, 80 find n mana magnate-'
who controls thousands of men, doing
it so peacefully and considerably, and
at all times sharing their respect and
their devotion.
l shall return again next week and
take In the exposition. Iwish to spend
one day in that Parthenon, the most ex-
quisitely beautiful gem of architecture
! ever saw, and its walls are adorned
with paintings-great works of art by
| the modern masters, and many OF
them that cost thousands of dollars
have been loaned by their owners to en-
courage the exposition and implant
love of art among our people. Let
everyone who can go visit this admira-
BILE exhibition. Let every family man
take his wife, or his son, or his daugh-
ter, for it will pay in the long run. Sid
ney Smith said that the companionshiP
of beautiful and virtuous woman was
classic education. Just so it is an ed
ucation to visit the exposition and study
these object lessons and listen to the
sweet and soothing music and rest I'M
der the shade of the trees.-Bill Arp, in
| Atlanta Constitution