The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-07-24

$500 fanaiiies along the line Of this rail-
road from Nashville To Atlanta. FIT
teen hundred families witAan the past
two years. and tie cry is. +still they
come He is the most ardent and the
most successful colonizer IN all the
south. He is the best talker l 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 q
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 win 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,OOO per annum to be added
to 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 located-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 & Florida railroad began it
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 sagacity. 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 I had only a day to spare ct the
centennial, and all of that wa spent in
one building, for I could not get away
from it. 1t is thing of beauty, as well
as of interest and instruction, for the
ornamental work that graces the arches
and pillars and cornices is most lovely
and elaborate masters hand has
planned ard executed. There, too, is
: the plaster bust of Mr.. Thomas and his
handsome portrait on the wall, thai
were presented to him by his employees
as a graceful tribute and an evidence
? of their devotion to him. What ;
blessed thing it is in these days o.
strikes, and wrecks, and receivers, anC
of war to the knife between capital anC
laborer, to find a man-a magnate-
who controls thousands of men, doinl
it so peacefully and considerably, an
at all times sharing their respect an
= their devotion.
1 shall return again next week an
take In the exposition. / wish to spen
: one day in that Parthenon, the most e1
~ quisitely beautiful gem of architecfur
: / v e saw, and it's walls are adorne
with paintings-great works of art b
= the modern masters, and many {
= them that cost thousands of dollar
s have been loaned by their owners to e1
courage the exposition and implant
love of art among u people. L.
= everyone who can go visit this admire
2 bic exhibition. Let every family ma
: take his wife, or his son, or his daugl
T ter, for it will pay in the long run. Sit
= new Smith said that the compartments
- of a beautiful and %virtuous woman we
Il "a classic education. Just so it is an &C
"a ucationto visit the exposition and slug
m these object lessons and listen to
sweet and soothing music and rest 1p
der the shade of the trees.-Bu ArpFI
Atlanta Constitution.