The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-10-29

and perseverance since all was lost
save honor have rebuilt the waste
places, have added manufacture to
agriculture, until today the Old
North State is forging to the front
abreast with her more fortunate Sis
ters. This improvement is marked
in all her counties-villages have be-
come cities, her highways have been
improved and railways cross each
other in all sections. She is rapidly
progressing in education, and, in fact,
in everything that goes to make a
great, happy and prosperous Com
monwealth, as you will realize when
you visit your old home. in every
part of the State.
''In this city and county you have,
so to speak, an object lesson.
"At the date of emigration in such
large numbers referred to, the site OF
High Point was not even cleared
ground-today it is city ofbetween
5000 and 5000 inhabitants. 1t
boasts of being the largest manufac-
turer of wooden products in the
South and second in the United
States. Guiiford College. today de-
servedly ranking among the best and
most popular, the only Quaker col
lege in the South, was but a simple
boarding school. Oak Ridge Insti-
tute and Whitsett Institute, now en-
titled to be called colleges, had no
existence. Greensboro had two col
leges for women, whose combined
patronage did not exceed 100 stu
dents Zone which has since been de-
stroyed by fire. and one classical in
stitute for young men. Today with
in her corporate limits are located
two of the States finest colleges, one
for women, with a patronage of
nearly 1000 students, and the re-
naming one of the two first men-
toned has a patronage of more than
double that of both at that time
She has five graded schools, in the
highest of which is taught the clnssics,
which nearly 1000 children attend.
There are, in addition, several graded
schools in the county.
cat that date this county could
boast of but one cotton mill, small,
but a pioneer. Today cotton milling
is prosperous in several sections Of
county, and in this city are four of
the best equipped mills in the State,
and a fifth in course of construction
is to be one OF the largest in the
South, if not in the whole country
These do not include a carpet factory
and a finishing mill
''In addition to these, she is manu-
featuring clothing, furniture and to-
bacco, everything made OF wood,
vehicles, material for building; among
her workers in iron are manufacture
ers OF mill machinery, agricultural
implements, and, in fact, if old Tubal
Cain could have joined in this reunion
we may we'll believe he would estab.
lish his headquarters in this city.
"This city is not alone in this
grand march of progress. l repeat,
| select it as an object lesson.
"When you return to your homes
| and recount to our absent kindred
who were prevented from meeting us
today, the glorious progress of the
Old North State, beg of you not to
forget to speak of other things which
you have not seen, but which you
will see in your visits to your old
| home before you return. Among
these are some things pleasing to the
eye and dear to the memory of every
| North Carolinian. You will see still
left some of the old sedge fields grown
up in old field pines, through which
you will travel on the good old coun.
| try roads over red-washed gullies
| filled here and there with ruts, roots
and stones in such cases by statute
made and provided; and your poetic
soul will be excited by the sight o
the good old-fashioned grist mil
whose noisy and clanking machinery
is moved by the ever beloved over
shot water-wheel. And you may tel
them that you saw, as in days o.
yOre, the patrons of the mill sitting
on the old benches and stones, 6
| committee on the state of the Union,
and hear them gravely discuss poll
ties and religion, interspersed now
and then with neighborhood news
And | venture to assert that as yOr
recall those pictures of the old days
the broader will be the smile, end the
happier the chuckle, with which il
will be received. And inspired by
their recollections of the old times il
| the Old North State many q fireside
and perhaps public gathering, will b.
entertained by stories of contests a
the bar, merry meetings at the ole
log school house, and perhaps th'
glories of exciting combats of loca
pugilists at the old muster fields
"Again. | bid you thrice welcome.
IF the South were as ignorant q