The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-12-03
TIA BENA'S 6ROWIn
Is PHENOMENA
AT Present It Outstrlps Every City It's
Size In the State.

1t was the pleasure of Ye Editor to
enjoy a visit to our sister city, Itta
Bena, last Sunday afternoon. While
there he noted with pride the phcnou-
email growth and prosperity that this
progressive city is now enjoying. In
comparison, there is hardly a city in
the South that can show such steady
growth as can this thriving city.
1tta Bena has never known a boom;
property values have advanced and re-
coded in keeping with the financial and
business conditions: but at no time has
there been any extravagant imitation or
ruinous depression. On the whole,
growth and development have been
constant, substantial and reasonable:
the logical result OF legitimate causes.
The period of Itta Bena's best and
broadcast development is perhaps in
cluded in the past five years and it's
processes are most active and con-
spicuous today; enterprise is more con-
fdent, and faith in this city's future
justified by past expert ence, is immov
able. They are reaping the harvest Of
the earlier sowing and are preparing
broader fields for tiIlage, assured that
their labors will be amply repaid.
This city has two of the most sub
~stantial banking institutions in the
State. These banks, in their quarterly
statements, evidence the. sound and
characteristic business methods uti]-
lied by the men that direct them.
Among the industries that are to be
found within this city are a compress,
oil mill. bowl and column factory, hard
wood mills, electric light and water
plant. gins, artesian wells, ice factory,
newspaper, veneer factory, and others
that have been attracted to that city by
the exceptional facilities it offers. Cir
c%umjacent to Itta Bena are unlimited
of all kinds of lumber and
many new Of this nature will
soon locate in this city. 1t is fast be-
coming an active cotton market, and
many prominent cotton firms of the
State have agencies in this city at
present.
ltta Bena a justly boast of her
beautiful school house and the able
corps of teachers that direct that in
.stitution. The graded system is used
and it's curriculum is up to the stand
ard. The able teachers are animated
by a strong professional pride to keep
the educational record and achieve
ment up to the highest standard. Their
building is of a a type, conveniently
located to all parts of the city, COM
modious, sanitary and supplied with
every modern school equipment.
In. looking over the annals of that
fair city in a retrospective mood we
behold her only a few short years ago a
mere struggling village i'll the arms of
.inaciion, nursed by pessimism, tutored
by Indifference, cursed by plaques.
Swaying back and forth as fate chose
to seno her, she humbly bowed before
the throne of Justice and mercy during
the dark and uncertain days of her
early existence. Just what has been
s~mouldering within the breasts of her
people no n can say, but we know that
time has played it's part-she has
wrought many changes in h very face
of this seemingly insurmountable diff
ticulty. This city seems blessed with
a perfect environment and a citizenship
e~ternally alert to the best interest of
their city. Within the next decade we
may expect even greater achievements
from her than those henceforth man.
Tested. Their end is not reached, nei-
Their is it neal enough to be conjectur-
ed. The zenith of her prosperity will
be- attained only when her citizens
cease in their united efforts to better
the conditions surrounding them. At
ter all the clouas are dissipa,ed the
tender plants receive the necessary
sunlight and Development and ma
turity depend altogether upon the
amount and kind of cultivation. We
feel sure that when it's citizens peram
bulate along the classic banks of the
pretty Roebuck that bathes it's shores
that they cannot feel assured that the
same hands that have brought about
the commercial development of Itta
Bena can guide and direct her through
the experimental period until she is
able to move along IS INT gigantic
force ever looking first to internal de-
velopment and then to Incorporating
rritory on the outskirts, keeping eve
in mind her moral idea until the ulti-
mate triumph Of a commercial suprem-
acy is attained.
n Por Cont nsvdondS