The commonwealth., 1898-03-17
A MOST INTERESTING
LETTER.
GOOD WORDS FOR MANY PEOPLE
Recollection Of Mr.. J. T. Lawrence,

Correspondence to THE CoMMoNwEALTH)
After spending last year for the mos
part, in your county, and being now al
distance of some one hundred anc
sixty miles away in the direction o1
the Blue Ridge, will indulge little
In my favorite pastime of scribblel
by way Of correspondence with THI
COMMONWEALTH.
Not by the tar easier, smoother and
quicker way of the steam coach, bu,
with horse and buggy and along many
rough and crooked roads, and some
times through weather not wholly
pleasant, made the distance from
BrinkIeyville to Greensboro yet l do
not consider that the fatigue, the cold
weather, the tedious slowness, or any
of the concomitants of travelling by
private conveyance, could overbalance
the many pleasant and Impressive cpl
sodes which fell to my lot as 1 thus
counted off the miles behind me.
Nearly the whole of my route from
BrinkleyyiIle to Greensboro, by way OF
Louisburg, Franklinton, Tally Ho,
Hillsboro, Graham and Burlington,
lay through sections with Which I was
perfectly familiar 40 years ago, but had
known little of within thirty years. So,
of course, the changes we're marked
and striking, and made their due i'm
preston. But while the changes on
the face of the country were so striking
I did not TAIL to find the old time kind
ness and hospitality, even among some
who had always been strangers to me.
At Frankllnton, where spent some
days with old time friends, l was
pleased to find that the cotton mill,
with two sets of hands, was running
day and night to enable them to keep
up with orders for their products,
while found the same thing both al
Hillsboro and Gibsonville-at how
many other places did not learn. At
Hillsboro I saw the smoke Issuing
from small clubhouse near the large
brick building formerly used for mil
itary school in ante-bellum days, con-
Quoted by the late Iamented Col. Tew,
and learned that the Farmers Alliance
had but recently put in motion their
shoe factory, so long talked OF.
West and Southwest of Hlllsboro, be-
ginning in the eastern part OF Ala
nance county, the cotton factories
keep up a ceaseless roar andIclatter, and
I dare not attempt to guess what would
be the condition of the people without
the factory interest. Now that the
eastern manufacturers are so much per-
picked on the subject of competition
with the Southern States in the matter
of cotton goods there is very conven-
lent way for them to equalize matters,
and that is by putting negro superln-
tendents in all the southern cotton
mills, just as they put negroes into
of the postoffices in Halifax
county, to the great Inconvenience and
disgust of white people. And who
doubts that they would if they could?
But pardon this depression on the
part of one who happened to imagine
for moment that he was in Halifax
have no i'll will against
any individual of the colored race, for
1 have seen how capable they are when
kept out Of the places for which they
have no proper instincts and no genius.
I am now at the town of Liberty.
This is in Randolph county, about
twenty three miles, little southeast OF
on the Cape Fear and
Yadkin Valley Railway. 1t is pleas
ant little town of several hundred pop
ulation, and has tour churches, Baptist,
Christian, Methodist Protestant, and
Methodist Episcopal South, for whites,
with one or more for blacks. Only one
Of the pastors makes his home here,
and that is Rev. George F. Millaway
Of the Methodist Protestant church, who
is a gigantic and stalwart man OF some
two hundred and twenty five pounds
Or more, whose appearance would at
once discourage any idea OF heated and
angry controversy with him. But Lib
9rty is noted for another most lmpor
tant thing, and that is its Normal c OIL
ege, under the joint MANAGEMENT of
Messrs. Amick and Smith. The,school
,eems to be doing we'll, notwithstand-
ing there are so many educational in
IN this section of the State,
and believe that the enrolment for
the year went up to nearly two hun
lred. Music is specially cultivated
here, and the singing at church last
T desire to attest to the merits OF