The farmer and mechanic., 1915-08-31

the white child 10 keep up with pro-
gress as well as the educated negro
can with all his handicaps-
A lot of significance is in that ex-
preston of getting all the efficiency
there is to get from every factor, and
in the confidence that the white man
does not have to further handicap the
negro in order that the white man
may win in the race The white folks
of Wilson have the confidence of their
own ability.
1 have no idea whether the schools
for the colored people are at the bot
tom of the ambition that is shown
by the race, but even II 1t is merely
a coincidence the white folks of Will
son take a certain pride in pointing
out the creditabIe co1ored churches
of the town, the colored hospital,
which has high rank among the hos
pitals of the State, and other evil
dences of progress by the negroes of
the community. It strikes me that
Wilson has blazed a trail in the edu-
cational wilderness that other coun-
ties are certain, to follow, for all use
full innovations soon become the COM
mon property of everybody.
Population Mounting.
This is the gait Wilson is going. In
| / $50 it's population was 2,126. Ten
years later it had grown to 3.525. and
| in another ten years to 6.717. What
| it is doing just now I have no idea,
| but on all hands are apparent the
| signs of more than ordinary growth.
| By this I mean not particularly
growth of population, but a growth
of those things that change a coun-
| try village to a modern city, with
| modern ways and modern am bitions.
| Wilson has started out on several new
| lines, and the vote for a hundred thou
/ sand dollars for more new things is
| an indication that the town has by
| no means arrived at the place to stop.
Around Wilson is a fertile farming
country, and a lot Of good farmers
While tobacco is big crop in Wilson
county it is not the only one. Cotton
knows how to grow on the Wilson
| county farms. the county average to
the acre being up to the high average
maintained by North Carolina. which
| is the highest average of any State in
the Unior and the corn producing
average. Soil and climate conditions
| permit of endless diversification, and
the practice of the leading farmers
coupled with the training in the farm
life school signify that the opportuni-
ties will be utilized as fast as the pop
ulation can be able to handle the ad-
yantages that are on all sides. For
North Carolina. 1t has room for a
| great increase of people.
Well Located.
Wilson is an exceedingly we'll To-
Gated town. 1t has a lot of neal
neighhors in Rocky Mount, Colds.
boro. Greenvi1le, Kinston, etc, and i
will be one Of bunch Of thrifty
; towns surrounded by thrifty farm ant
village communities that will make O
North Carolina in few years another
such compact and prosperous regiOr
as some Of the Middle West. ONLY
| there will be always this difference
that while the West is hampered b.
the severity of winter the Wilson com
: munities will be blessed by the bene
fits that come from milder weathe
! and longer season for out-of-doo
work. What that means is apparen
to anybody who can count the differ
: ence between the days of seven O
: eight months and the days Of ten O
! | eleven months.
q We look now with admiration OF
= the compact settlement of Iowa, fo
= instance or Illinois, or Ohio. But w
need not worry about our own Stat
:, in comparison with any of them.
: has taken North Carolina littl
: | longer to recover from the war an
= catch it's step again, but that is done
: and the movement is forward now.
q | half a day in Wilson and in the cOun
ty around looking over the farms tha
q line the improved roads. and over tn
: warehouses and business places an
. | handsome homes and noting the i'm
= provements contemplated will tell t
\ any ordinary observer that Wilson
v town that nobody will need to b
6 ashamed of. The same signs will te
~ that all of North Carolina will be fo1
lowing the path Wilson outlines, fC
bnJ tot q ic
q ambitious to keep up with progress n
" matter how fast it may lead. Nj ma
y not follow in the big tobacco marke
% but all will follow in the educationf
n examples and in the tasty town buil6
% ing and in the things that can be linn
- ted, for those things are within reac
- of all communities once thew a,
~ 1 ic-&o ri