The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-04
4 Letter From North Carolina.
,di,or The Herald and News:

Pn1llpS ana 6aCuuldh
might like a word from us. TO them
we wish to say through your columns
that we like North Carolina, so Tar
at least In some respects North
Carolina is ahead of the dear OLD
Palmetto State. Good roads, better
schools and temperance are a few
wears in advance of your folks.
We live in Guilford county, but =
next door neighbor lives in Alamance.
Il seems strange to US that when a
marriage license is issued here in
one county it cannot be used in an
other county. 1t is said that some
folks have had to be married twice,
because the license of one county is
not good in another.
It, sixteen miles from US to
q .sboro: which is the Columbia
of t1is part of North Carolina, and
very nice town. Our town is Gibson
Vile. 1t is a factory town mostly,
having two cotton mills and a hosiery
mill. The stores, depot, etc., make US
think OF Prosperity, S. c. There are
about 1900 inhabitants.
Our railroad is a busy line between
Greensboro and Hillsboro, taking IN
the university of the State on the
way. There are four well patroniz-
ed passenger trains each way every
day, and just no end to freights'
There is talk of double-tracking the
road. In case we need to go to South
Carolina in a hurry, we can go, II we
have the money.
The farmers about here make their
money on wheat, corn, hay and now
and then a little cotton. The wheat
is not good this year, but one man,
who has the best wheat we have seen,
expects 1000 bushels from fifty
acres. have not seen much oats.
Last week was harvest time here;
but, owing to rainy weather, some
grain is standing dead-ripe in the
fields. They cut around the fields
and under fruit trees with cradles,
because the reapers cannot work well
there; but, where you see cradle
You see about two reapers at work.
The GRADER, in comparison to the
reaper, reminds one of a person dip
ping water from very large tub
with a very small dipper.
Names are nearly all strange here.
In Gibsonville there is not Gibson.
Gibson was man Of the long ago, 4
stranger here, who helped build the
railroad, and they named the town
for him. After meeting fifty or hun
dred people with more or less strange
names, there was one named Smith,
and one named "Jones." We felt at
home then, and almost claimed kin
ship with Smith and Jones.
As to schools, we are pretty we'll
off. Elon college and Whitsett insti-
tute are two good schools almost IN
Our suburbs. Guilford college and
the Greensboro Normal are not far,
with the university couple Of hours
away by automobile. We have a good
graded school in Gibsonville.
The land about here reminds one
of the st. Philips section of .Newberry
county. There is red clay, with a
little sand mixed with gray top soil.
The trees are oak, hickory, cedar,
poplar, old field pine and mountain
pine. Apples and cherries do we'll
here.
Our parsonage is the most mod
ern and the best we have ever lived
in. We know how to appreciate it.
It is new, and in a good part of the
town. The well comes up through
the back piazza floor. We know how
to appreciate that, too. The water
from the wells of Gibsonville is so
cold as not to need ice for lemonade.
1t is too cold for washer-women to
feel comfortable, even in summer,
when rinsing clothes. The water is
good, too.
The people of North Carolina seem
to drink water "Prohibition prohib-
its" here. No one can get more than
quart of whiskey at time by ex-
press or freight. There are no sa-
looms, and not many blind tigers. We
have not seen any drunkenness.
AS to the. churches in GiSsonville,
there are four: NJ. E. church, NJ.
P church, a Baptist and a Lutheran.