The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-29
TIE MARVELLOUS DEVELOPMENT
OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.
DR.. Winston Returning From Tour Gives
Expression to Some Interesting Views
Concerning It.

1.-THE development of Western North
Carolina in the last ten years is really
marvellous but it will be still greater
in the next ten years. This is the judg
ment or President Geos r. Winston. of
the A. and NJ. College, who is just back
from an educational tour in behalf of
rural schools. He has been in ten or
twelve counties, from Alamance to Cher
okee, and has observed very closely both
educationa and Industrial progress.
81 found the people everywhere" said
he, Intensely interested in education,
and their interest is developing into
practical work. School districts are being
consolidated, larger and better houses
erected the graded system adopted, and
preparation made for special local tax
in rural districts The educational move
ment is taking strong hold upon them.
''The people are in advance of their
leaders. In our cities and towns, I'M
educated worwmen are sending North
buying books and studing out lines of
Industrial education. In Hickory work
man has put in hydraulic elevator in
the Piedmont Wagon Companys factory,
having taught himself, by the aid of
books studied at night after his days
agricultural education. Farmers all
through Western North Carolina are
studying the Experiment Station bulle-
tins, reading government reports. buying
agricultural books from the North and
trying to get, late in life, during their
busy working years. the education they
should have had in school during boy
hood and youth. They are ahead of their
leaders.
1.-The Industrial development of the
mountain and the piedmont sections is
amazing. Ten years ago visited these
sections, and that is my basis of COM
parison The census reports and the
comptroller's reports do not adequately
express the progress made along any line
Agriculture is much more intelligent, in
tense, diversified, scientific and economic
Farmers are living at home, and also
are raising greater variety of animal
and vegetable produce to sell abroad
Towns, mills, factories, mines have
sprung up everywhere, furnishing employ
ment for idle labor with wages steadily
increasing. and markets for farm produce
every day in the year
"a good laborer in Clay or Cherokee
can earn a dollar a day Good hotels,
WITH nice IlSHI-DTedu ana Cream WHOLE
some cooking, may be found everywhere.
Some of the most delicious home made
loaf-br ever ate was at the Peach
tree picnic in Cherokee. AS strong,
sturdy and intelligent set of men as I
ever addressed was in Haywood county
at the county convention. The seventh.
eighth and ninth grades in a Buncombe
county rural school gave me a most APP
preciative audience In Macon county
there is strong sentiment for compulsory
education. and an active movement is on
foot to establish for three counties a
joint rural Industrial school A great
ferment is working among the people.
They are realizing the possibility of i'm
proving their condition and the necessity
of education. The State is using more
intelligence today than ever before in its
history. Farmers are better cultivated
lands are better treated, the fertility of
the soil is more carefully preserved and
more efforts to increase it are making
trip from Greensboro to Murphy will
show these things to whoever cares to
see them. A drive over the mountains
through Cherokee, Swain, Clay, Macon,
a picnic dinner with hundreds of noun
tain men, women and children, all strong,
well-dressed, hospitable, cheerful, hope
full, will tell of a great future for West
ern. North Carolina.
Another generation will see free public
schools for six or seven months in all
our school districts; will see manual
training and industrial education in all
our town and city schools; and rural
science, i. e., agriculture and nature
study in all our country schools The
people already stand waiting for these
improvements. They will come in time
and in time the Old North State. with its
greatest variety of natural resources,
will possess also the greatest variety of
human industries and the most prosper
Gus people in America