The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-04-07
OBSERVANCE OF CAROLINA
DAY.

To the Editor: Raleigh people may be
interested in the role of the Fourth dis
trict in an entertainment of a spectacular
character, called "A County Fair" given
by the Union School of Wilmington. in
observance of Carolina Day" The pupils
of the school moved across the stage rep
resenting the different counties in the or
der OF Congressional districts, showing
their agricultural products, calling at
tention to their manufacturing and mining
interests, recalling historical events, and
emphasizing, as far as practicable, what
ever was worthy of note
Each county was ushered in by a little
girl carrying banner inscribed with the
name OF the county, and a cornucopia
filed with the products of that county
The banner girl of Chatham carried
ham, and ctSle on the stage like a
veritable chatterbox, making the prelim-
mary observation that it would be easy
to guess her county, by the chatter-cha
ter chat-chat- Chatham and with rapid
ity and animation, and yet distinctly, she
referred to the Cape Fear River, water
power, manufacturing, the county seat
William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham: and
retired, leading live rabbit and re-
marking that rabbits were feature of
Chatham. Boys, as Chatham miners,
then appeared, attired in blue shirts, blue
overalls, high boots and miners caps, to
which last were attached tiny, lighted
lanterns They carried pick axes and coal
and walked the stage, digging, and dis
coursing graphically of going down into
the mines of Egypt and Ore Hill on the
cage" of the illumination of some and
the darkness of other portions of the
mine, of the crouching necessity in going
through underground tunnels, and of their
arduous and dangerous vocation.
As the miners passed to the rear of the
stage, a banner girl. her cornucopia filed
to overlooking and ornamented with
scraps of gold came into view and dis
coursed of the corn, tobacco and minerals
of Franklin county, its pride in it's Ports
gold mine, named for the man who first
discovered particles of the shining metal
in the mud on his log hut, finally re-
marking that the county was named for
Benjamin Franklin ;whereupon the distin-
guished philosopher and statesman him
self appeared, dressed in Puritan style
and carrying kite which fioated In the
BILE. In order to portray an earlier por-
ton of his life, he had in one hand a
bundle of wearing apparel, tied in a
cotton handkerchief as when he first en-
tered Philadelphia, and in the other hand
we're newspapers.
Johnston county was declared by it's
banner girl, with her pine branch and
cornucopia, to be one of the most pros
porous counties of the State. Following
her was a boy carrying an immense bot
tie of quinine Who was fain to admit the
plentifulness of the article in his county,
in connection with the occasional chill
known there. A large church pew was
then brought in by boy singing the
praises of Congressman Pou of john
ston.
The Nash county banner girl referred
to General Francis Nash, to the mann
featuring advantages of the county and
it's claim Of having the oldest cotton fac
tory in the State. Then came two girls,
bearing on a frame a miniature eleva-
ton covered with stones, and labelled
Rocky Mount" In front of this was
tiny railroad train, and the bearers as
serted the claim of Nash to the city with
its railroad facilities, expressing the hope
that Edgecombe would not seriously OBJ
iect. little boy, ornamented with APP
pies, and carrying two jugs, epitomized
the fame of ''Old Nash Brandy
Randolph county was heralded as one
capable of producing every agricultural
product of the State. It's nine cotton
factories were emphasized by a girl in
cotton costume, with samples of cotton in
it's different stages, as it goes through
the mill A portrait of Governor Worth
was brought forward by two girls who
spoke of the county's true worth, and the
Governor as worthy Of his name. At this
point, some Quakers of Randolph, CARRIED
in their conventional gray, with kerchiefs,
caps and aprons, trooped in. engaged in
a short, humorous dialogue embodying
question of love, and passed on.
Vance county, in the centre of the gol-
den belt district, was declared to yield
the palm to none for diversity of crops
A large, handsome portrait OF Vance was
borne in by two girls who announced that
the county was named for Zebulon Baird
Vance, and gave the date of his birth
and death. Little children carried Con-
federate flags or artistic, shields shaped
banners on which were variously in
scribed, in letters of gold, Soldier,
statesman, estate Legislator" Con
COAAAONASA~SSC NSNSNNS
of America" Thrice Governor, Effected
-Four Times U. S. Senate. These VIII
be recognized as copied from the Vance
statue The banner-bearers and those
who. had borne the picture then grouped
around it, and small boy recited, with
much expression some verses written by
Vance in boyhood, entitled, THE Little
Patched Trousers followed to the tune
of America, by song of three stanzas in
honor of Vance.
Wake county was announced as the
agricultural, as well as the political CEN
ire of the State. Esther Wake appeared
in all the beauty of Colonial dress, and
Sir Walter Raleigh was real enough in
his brilliant costume to have stepped upon
the stage, direct from the Court of Eliza
beth.
Some of the educational and other in
stitutions of the State were represented
one by boy covered with twigs, leaves
and acorns, carrying an axe and rake,
the branch of tree, and tanner marked
Wake Forest" Two boys in military
suits. one with wheat and other vegetable
products, the other with tools, represented
the Agricultural and Mechanical College
cd Nv crir no