The news & observer., 1905-08-04
THE CURTAIN RISES
ON ANEW HARNETT
Thousands GoriousIy Celebrate Anniversary of
Fifty Years of Its Existence as County and
Its Splendid Prospects.

the future by men who knew where
of they spoke and whose tongues were
stepped in the elixir of eloquence.
1t was a splendid gathering that
heard these addresses. 1t matters not
of their names, but the most prOmi-
nent men in the State were there,
these coming from various places. But
today the question of prominence in
man and woman was abated and it
was only Harnett folks and their
friends who were present. 1t was
glorious this sinking of self and this
touching of elbows as people listened
to the music and to the splendid re-
marks of Hon. ID. H. Mclean, of Har-
nett; DR.. j. Allison Hodges, of Rich
mond; Hon. John d. Bellamy, of Will
mington; Hon E. f. McCulloch, of
Bladen; Hon. II. L. Cook, of Cunfber-
land; Mr.. w. j. Peele, of Raleigh;
Mr.. w. e. Murchison, of Moore; Col.
John Angler, of Durham; Hon. e. F..
Hilliard, of Scotland Neck. Their
orations were divided by the dinner
hour and by the splendid reading of
the poem of the day by Miss Matte
Young, of Dunn, one of the beauties
of Harnett county
The chief marshal of the day was
Mr.. j. M. Hodges. and the master of
ceremonies, Hon. H. l.. Goodwin. These
ably performed their duties, and
though in the vast crowd there was
necessarily confusion time and again
it acted but as foil to the deep in
tercst shown by those who heard in
eloquent phrases of the history, the
achievements and the hopes of Har-
nett. At the morning session the ad-
dresses We're at length but in the af-
ternoon these were abridged because
of the shortnesS of time.
The Exercises Begin.
Hon. Dan Hugh Mclean, of Har-
nett, was the first speaker. Rugged
with the ruggedness of his Scotch
forbears, sturdy of speech, his face
was a beacon of welcome, and the
grey hair waving across his forehead
told he had been in the land enough
of days to say welcome and to mean
it. He told of the hospitability of
the people of Harnett and that all
the thousands were welcomed. that
there was room enough, though not
perhaps seats enough for all. 'The
mighty heart of Harnett welcomes
you" he exclaimed. and then in brief
but stirring sentences he told of how
the Harnett of fifty years ago had
grown and how the prosperous today
had come. It's sons be declared to be
the most loyal on earth whether here
or in other sections, and behind them
he declared was glorious history.
The war record of its men he limited
at, telling how when Harnett was in
its swaddling clothes its men had gone
forth to do their duty for the South,
and that there had been no heroism
surprising that of the soldiers who
had gone from Harnett.
In concluding he told that at the
request of the committee he had
written a sketch of the great history
of Harnett, which would later be pub
lished but the reading of which would
now be inopportune, that he heartily
welcomed all to the county which
had sent forth into civil life some
of the most distinguished men in the
United States one of whom he pre-
sented in the person of Dr. j. Allison
Hodges, of Richmond, born in Harnett
and who was proud to declare this to
the world. Paying an eloquent tribute
to this gentleman he closed amidst
cheers, and the band played MY
Country Iis of Thee
DIR. j. Allison Hodges.
DR.. Hodges was greeted with ap-
plause as he arose. He is the best
type of the professional man and
looked businesslike in his suit of
mingled grey. His hair is flacked
with gray as is his mustache, and his
face is typical of thought. From it
gleam energy, strong eyes of pro-
nounced gray. He speaks freely,
clearly, emphatically, pleasantly and
he held his crowd.
Beginning, he declared a patriotic
duty brought him to Harnett, the
county of his birth linked to him by
every tie of early life. Not as a citi-
zen of Richmond should he be intro
duced, he declared, for in that city
ne was always presented as a North
Carolinian who had come to Rich
mond, and that the day would never
come when he would be ashamed to
be known as having Harnett as the
county of his nativity. He expressed
the pleasure he had in speaking on
his native heath, and said that as he
was here this morning he could
scarcely realize that this was Harnett
as he heard the screech of the locomo-
tive that had pierced the wilderness
he had known. that it seemed as if
he was aroused from a Rip Van Win
kle sleep. Then progressing he spoke
of the industrial enterprises of the
county which had amazed him, and
that now no longer Harnett men
spoke of living near the Cumberland
line. but that Cumberland men spoke
of living near the Harnett line.
The progress of the county he de-
clared gladdened his heart, and that
it was with the happiness he came
back to his mother county to lay at
her feet such trophies as he had
gained, illustrating this admirably
and declaring that in the future when
his active work was done that there
was no place to which he would go
more quickly than to Harnet. He
spoke of his recollection of past days
in Harnett and said that today he
brought messag ge of hope and warn
ing to the young men.
This was that the civilization and
progress of the times calls for a bet