The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-10-07
BION BUFFERS SUNDAY LETTER
Grand Rapids Of The South-Foresees Time When
The Namesake Will Sit at the Head
of The Table
of The Table,

High Point, Oct. Aft it should |
ever fall to my lot to be appointed |
TO the chair Of Industrial Progress
and Development in some prominent |
state educational institution the first
thing ] would require Of my classes
would be a trip to High Point to get
an experimental lesson in the subject.
The last time saw High Point it
was not very high, and that is not so
long ago as time goes. So | was glad
TO get another glimpse, for here is a
revelation of the future of North Car
Dina.
| hear folks talk Of this town as
the Grand Rapids of the South. AS
my friend Henry Collins used to say
over in Knoxville, Tennessee, that calls
up more talk. Grand Rapids is quite
town, but ! kind of like to call High
Point by it's own proper name. At the
time / first remember Pittsburg peo-
pie used to call it the Birmingham of
America 1t had a population of some
where about sixty thousand Birmlng-
ham in England had then about four
times as many people. Pittsburg to-
day has grown all over Allegheny
county, and the county has a million
people. Birmingham has about half
as many. The Birmingham of Amer
lea is a town in Alabama. BirminS-
ham in England is the PittsburS OF
Europe, but Pittsburg is one of the
greatest towns on earth. More freight
originates in PittsburS than In any
other two cities on the globe. so
Pittsburg is not the anything OF Amer
ica but the Pittsburg.
Which brings me back to the text.
There is only one High Point, and II
you take q proper look at the place
YOU can see for yourself that this is
the correct rating.
Iwould not discredit Grand Rapids.
for it is a good town. But unless
am a misguided prophet unable to
read the signs of the times here Is
another case where the namesake will
SIT at the head of the table.
Grand Rapids came along with the
saw mills that cut that magnlncen'
Michigan white pine, one OF the hnes
timber trees the world ever saw. A
the mills devastated the pine iand!
furniture factories commenced to ca
up the hard woods. Grand Rapids
built up on a one-crop basis. T1mDe
does not grow fast enough to De
permanent dependence. The toWi
that has simply the forests TOT IL
livelihood is limited in its develop
ment.
High Point has the timber advan
tage of Grand Rapids, and beside
that has a far superior climate, ray
material for it's cotton mills, VIA
territory in which to market It's stree
cars, it's cOffins and caskets. It's metai
lie beds, it's buggies, its mirrors an
glass products, it's Office supplies, an
every thing else it makes, for 1t is
town of diversified industries, and
is making a reputation all over IN
United States as well as in the Sout
for it's products, while it has less com
petition near at home for its manu-
factures than any Of the towns OF IN
North do.
Grand Rapids is big, live towl
longer on the way, but 1T was no pis
ger when it started than High Point i
and it did not have the chance ina
High Point has, and l do not think
ever can have such a chance. Eve
the limited water power that gay
Grand Rapids its name is outclaSse
by the water powers of North Caroln
available to High Point. SO l hgul
that High Point is the High Point
the United States rather than the an!
| thing else Of any where.
l suppose I could start out 10 en'
merate the many factories IN Hle
10 Point, some seventy or elgnty, IL
have the right figure. and more
them springing up steadily. The thlF
that led to a beginning of High Poi
has become chronic, and a strans
would infer that every time huns
of High Point folks have a bit OF leSl
ure they devise a new factory ant ;
ii to running before they quit 10
home.
] did not count the factories. The
are enough for teday's needs, al
more of them coming for tomorro"
requirements. But back and beyol
the factories is something else IN
nitely more important.
With my hat cooked back on n
h(As: nd IN
strolled up the streets. That is VIII
tells you the story Of a communi'
Fine new business blocks with mo
ern equipment. Clean looking she