The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-06-02
Siler City's Progress.
Editorial Correspondence.)

Siler City, n. c., May 81 always
love to come to this progressive little city
III Western Chatham. 1t is the centre OF
a fine country of fine people. More than
two thousand people We're here this week
to attend the ~Ommenceme exercises OF
Sller City InStitute-a larger crowd, / sup
pose, than have attended any college COM
mencement this year. The people OF this
whole section We're deeply interested IN
education, they are proud Of their splendid
school, and they make commencement oc-
casions notable by coming with all their
families. Another pen will give the de-
tails OF the commencement exercises.
Enough Tor me to say that they We're
fully up to the high mark of the Institute,
the recitations showing perfect training
and high talent. There ls-there must of
necessity be-sOme sameness IN all school
closings, but there wasn't a dull minute
here and the programme showed an APP
precIatIOn OF the fact that 1.-The people
must be amused There was humOr and
brightness as well as instruction. The en-
rollment OF the school during the past year
was 1872. There are five members OF the
faculty, each well qualified for the courses
which they control. The principals-Prof.
w. B.. Owen, Jr, and Mr.. A. c. Kesley-
are two among the brightest and most sue
cessful young educators in the State. They
know how to manage, how to teach, and
how to stimulate youthful ambition. Two
graduates Of the Baptist Female Univer-
sity, Miss Eulalia Jordan, in Music, and
Miss Grace Reitzel, in primary instruc-
ton, are numbered among the popular
and efficient teachers. Miss Edna Nc
Pherson teaches art and the art display
shows that teacher and pupils have talent
of a high order.
The little town of Siler City, which is
| situated IN the western part Of Chatham
county, and surrounded by one of the
finest agricultural sections in the central
portion of North Carolina, though it has
not been on a BOOM has made more
rapid progress within the past two years
than any small town III the State. It's
growth has been steady and continuous,
and though now but fifteen years old, it
does a volume of business that would do
credit to a town twice its size and age.
Within the past two years more than
thirty new dwellings have been erected
within its corporate limits. and a number
of them are structures that would be an
honor to any city in the State. Within
inns SAINT peflod nVe nice Dflck stores
have taken place of the old wooden ones
that had grown too small for the increas
ing business of some of the merchants OF
tn village; a nice bank building has beer
erected and a bank established that is
doing a capital business. The cotton mil
OF the Hadley-Peoples Manufacturin
Company, which manufactures yarns tina
are acknowledged by mill men to be the
finest grade spun in the State, has in
creased its capacity, and added the most
improved machinery to its modernly
equipped mill: the Siler City Bending
Company, a plant for the making of spoke.
and rims, has recently been. organized ant
will begin work within the next thirty
4, days; a telephone system has been install
ed IN the town, and a line built to Pitts
boTo, and arrangements are now on foot