Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-03-25

q mans reading usually determines
the richness Or poverty of his think
ing. The man who doesn't read
gets his thoughts only from Tom,
Dick, Harry, and others in a little
narrow nefghborhood right around
I him while the man who reads gets the
thoughts, or associates with the fore
/, most minds Of this and past genera
tons.
Read the County Newspapers.
In this busy age when the country
is filled with literature, both good and
bad, n naturally asks what is best
to read in the few hours he or she has
to devote to studying. Excepting the
Bible. chief among all literature that
you and every member of your family
should read is your local county
newspaper. If you are able, and you
are, you should take both of your
| county papers, but if you do not feel
able, then after q satisfactory inves-
tgation is to their relative merits,
without regard to political affiliations,
you should have that paper come into
your home which gives the most news
| of your county. and the one that takes
q firm and unmistakable stand for
community progress and the npbuild-
ing of your county. If your time and
means permit, you should take a
daily paper, but by all means do not
neglect the agricultural paper best
suited to the interests and conditions
Of your section.
Study Book Farming.
Some of you, 1 am told, are opposed
to newspaper and book farming, but
l hope that you will all live long
enough to learn the undeniable fact
that it is impossible for you to do the
best farming and to render your
neighborhood the public service you
should, without a good deal of read
ing, for the man or community that
reads is the man or community that
leads and there is no reason why Bal
four should not lead all other sections
OF Henderson county in this respect
The Call to Leadership.
Ladies and gentlemen, with the
limited time given me I have pictur.
ed to you as best l could the oppor-
tunities, necessities and advantages
of cooperation; how you must ac-
complish it through community organ
1zation after having educated your
selves to the needs of your section
and the best methods to pursue for
supplying them, but now comes anoth-
er problem of no small Importance, and
that is leadership. Without leader
ship we can accomplish but little.
History repeats itself over and over
to the effect that all great things were
accomplished through able leadership.
Few, if any of US, are qualified for
leadership but if to US the call should
come as 1t did to Moses while In the
midst Of daily toll, or as it did to Sam
uel in the dark and lonely hours Of the
night, for the sake of God, and our
community let ms, be prepared to.
answer, Here am T." Let as all
strive to make either followers or
leaders, soldiers of progress, mission
aries of cooperation and builders of
the new rural civilization. Community,
development is a business which ac-
cepts In its fullest meaning this inn
portant instruction of the Wise Man
Of Israel, Whatsoever thy hand find
eth to do, do it with thy might"
Great opportunities await all of US.
We may not receive great financial
rewards for our efforts but five don't>
we will have the satisfaction of know
ing that we are laying the foundation
for a more beautiful and useful life
of mutual-minded country people and
that our efforts will count in bring
ing American agriculture to it's right
ful beauty and richness.
Ladies n gentlemen, we must
ask ourselves the important question:
Whit ave l done to improve and
add to the happiness and usefulness
of myself, my friends and neighbors%'
For the sake of the help, up-lift and
happiness of your family and your
neighbors, 1 appeal to you to sympa-
thize with and give your financial and
moral support to every good public
movement in your community.
True, ladies and gentlemen, the
task is a difficult one. The process is
slow, and we must not expect to rev.
olutionize things over night. We will
meet difficulties. We will be criticised,
and frequently those we strive to help
will appear to misjudge us and mis-
construe our motives. We may weary
of the burdensome struggle as did
Jonah under the g%ourdvine and Elijah
under the juniper tree, but should the
difficulties appear insurmountable and
our ~unkrowing neighbors mutiny,
agf Mt 1f in what we know to be
rig4t, my we find courage and inspi-
ration in the exhortation of the great
est of all leaders when, seeing the
Israelites hemmed in on the one side
by the sea and hotly pursued on the
other by the enemy, He said unto
Moses: "SDeak unto the children Of
Israel that they go forward. My
message to each of you tonight, ladies
and gentlemen, is that you go for