The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-12-24
Annual Banquet

Held at Massenburg' Hote.,
Friday Night, December 9Th
"A Delightful Affair all
the Way Through---F itting
Toasts Happily Responded
| to.
The Contemporary Club held its
annual banquet Friday night. at
| Massenburg's Hotel, as has been its
wont since the Club was organized.
In lieu of any report of our own we
| are going to give the account OF Mr..
| Josephus Daniels, editor of the Rap
eigh News and Observer, who WAS
present and wrote in his perabout
| it and other things HenderSOnlan,
| for which we thank him:
| The Contemporary Club OF this
| place is the centre OF the social and
| intellectual life of II goOdly company OF
| the choice spirits OF Henderson. Two
| dozen OF the leading citizens-doctors,
preachers manufacturers business men
| meet at stated intervals to discuss
| practical or literary topics. 1t slim
| ulates thought, study and investigation
and besides brings together number OF
the leading spirits of the community to
exchange ideas and to keep i'll better
| touch with one another than is possible
in the ordinary business hurry OF life.
| The trouble with the towns, large and
small, in North Carolina, is that the
people work too long hours and give
| ~ 70
ideas with their neighbors. the result
being they do not keep as much abreast
with the times as they would if all fol-
lowed the example of these Henderson
men, who belong to the Contemporary
Club. The story OF how they get
together one evening every two weeks,
hear a topic discussed by some one who
has mastered it, how these solid men OF
business get away from their private
affairs and discuss some matters OF
world wide interest ought to induce pro-
gressive men of every community to go
and do likewise. In his toast Mr. L. NJ.
Pittman told of the work and spirit OF
the Contemporary Club and the help and
inspiration it was to it's membership.
Mr.. Pittman, a leading spirit, has made
valuable contributions to State history
that add to the reputation of the club.
Annually the club gives a banquet
which took place last night at the Mas
senburg hotel-and an elegant one it
was, too. that would have done credit
to city hotel. TO these banquets each
member invites his wife, his sweetheart
or somebody else's sweetheart, if he has
not one of his Dwn. and it is q season OF
! social pleasure. A gOOdly company OF
HendersOn's strength and beauty graced
the occasion last night and the tOasts
had the merit of brevity with the
smallest number OF old Jokes ever heard
on similar occasion.
The only guest present except mem
bers of the club was Mr. Josephus
Daniels, editor of the Raleigh News ana
Observer, who spoke on the contrast
between the old days of industrialisn1
that produced such types as Nathaniel
Macon and Zebulon B. Vance, with the
present era of cooperation and com
munity oneness that produced such
| types as d. y. Cooper, of Henderson
W. A. Erwin, of Durham and other cap.
tains of industry.
Mr. A. J. Harris, of the Henderson bar
presided as tGast-master and was most
happy in his speeches of introduction
The other toasts responded to were:
North Carolina, Manufacturing Cen.
ter" Mr.. ID. Y. Cooper.
THE City Beautiful. Mr.. H. Bridgers
Progress of Medicine" DR.. A. s. Pen
dleton.
THE Contemporary Club Mr.. n. NJ
Pittman.
Public Progress and Individual En-
largement." Mr.. B. H. Perry
THE Ladies'" Mr.. R. &. S. Davis
l.
the young Representative-elect to the
House from Vance, showed that in him
Vance county has a Representative who
who will creditably represent this good
county in the House of Representatives
The women guests made no sci
speeches, but their expressions of appre
citation of IL good point and their private
speeches We're better than any of the sci
speeches. One OF these days the women
may respond to toasts at these ban
quets and then Mere Man will have tt
take back seat.
The time was that banquet was
not IL banquet unless the wine and the
champagne were flowing and popping
and some of the guests felt awful iol,
before the last speech. But here the only
popping was the charged delicio us Meek
lenburg Springs waters, unless there is
excepted any popping of the question or
the side Bob Davis toast ITO tn.
Ladies', which had wit and wisdom
indicated that he would pop the aues
ton if he had half chance, though he
declared a bachelor was not the man +,
respond to the toast To the Ladies ;
for a married man knew so much NOR,
about them than bachelor. His
friends think he knows more about thei1
Noes than he would care to tell.
Henderson is always on the upgrade
1t is hard to beat, whether reference il
had to manufacturing, business. the goot
sense of it's men, the good looks of it
women. its hospitality and its faith il
itself. Its public schools are the prid,
of the town, and Justly So It's peopl,
believe in the old-fashioned trinity O
virtues-Thrift, Economy, Hospitality
and practice all three in proper WAYS
1t is upon these they have builded {
prosperous and growing community
1t was once a strictly a tobacco tow
when Mr.. Thad r. Manning established
the bright GOLD LEAF. which is {
preacher OF optimism Now it has bi.
cotton mills, carriage factories an(
other manufacturing plants, and il
based upon varied industries, going OF
to greater and greater things. TIL,
| county administration is completing i'm
portant additions to the court hOus,
that will make it worthy of the county
and the city government has erected a
splendid municipal building and cit,
hall
| WHIT Z EIT INC