The Monroe journal. [volume] (Monroe, N.C.) 189?-1965, 1921-08-12
@YEAR-OLD MINISTER is
REPORTED SERIOUSLY I'LL
Friends OF Father Ratchior,l." Aged
Union County Minister. Alarm.
ed III His Condition.
FIND STRANGE BIRD ~ JACKSON

According TO the Waxhaw Enter.
prist. Rev. ", W Ratchford. tie dis.
tlhSuished pastor OF the Tirzah and
Old WaNhaw Presbyterian churches
has been seriously i'll for several
days. and his many friends are VERY
uneasy about his condition. On last
Friday he suffered a severe nervous
EMU. and since then his strength has
failed TO return. The aged divine has
multitude OF friends in both Caro-
llnas. who are deeply attached to him
and are anxiously awaiting word as
to the outcome of his sickness.
Father Ratchford," as he is affec-
tionately spoken of by his parishion-
ers, probably has. with the possible
exception of one other minister. the
longest period of service In the active
ministry of any living person in the
Carolinas. having preached for the
past 90 years. He recently celebrat-
ed his ninetieth birthday
Other items of interest from the
last issue of The Enterprise are, as
follows:
School Truck Demonstration.
A splendid demonstration of the
practieability of trucks for carrying
the children into school was given
last Friday. when Superintendent of
Public Instruction, Mr.. Ray Funder-
burk. with driver, came over and
gathered some forty of the children
OF the Walkers school district in
big school truck. bringing them from
there over TO WaNhaw and back to
their homes Mr.. Funderburk met
with a number of the citizens of the
Walkers school district on that day.
aud discussed with them that ques-
tion Of consolidating the Waxhaw.
Walkersville. and other adjoining
school districts. II is understood that
it is not considered advisable TO con-
solidate the schools. unless at least
three of the adjoining districts about
the Waxhaw district will agree to the
consolidation, as il will not pay tot
purchase the truck to bring in the
children OF only one more district.
The County Board of Education is
reluctant to pass resolution to con
any district with another one,
unless majority of its citizens ia
vol such actions. and no such step
will be taken, unless il becomes APP
parent that sentiment for the con-
is sufficiently strong in the
districts to be affected by the change. |
Hawks Friends OF the Farmer
Mr.. Walter Sneed. young man
living on Mr.. " 5. Matthews place
about three miles north of Monroe, !
appeared in The Enterprise office |
last Wednesday with a large dead
bird, which he had shot near his,
lome. the identity of which was UNI
Known to him. II was easy to place
this specimen in the hawk family, |
rom the shape of the bill and feet,
lut none of the crowd who gathered |
mad ever seen a hawk of the color.
The breast, underparts of the wing,
head and neck of the specimen We're
snow white, the back. upper part of
he wings. and tail being of a glossy
lurplish black. The size OF the bird
ras also larger than that of most
If the hawks seen, the spread of its
wings being about three feet. III gen
raj appearance, the bird was beauti-
Ill. the feathers being very glossy.
md the tail long, and deeply forked
rhe writer showed Mr.. Sneed the pic
ure of this rare specimen in the
iorth Carolina Bird Book issued by
he State in 1919. The bird l. spe-
les of hawk known as the swallow
allied kite. and is found In a lie"
arts of Eastern North Carolina as
resident during the summer when
a other parts of the State, II Is then
straggler or migrating. II Is readi-
+ distinguished by the fact that II
the only hawk with forked tail.
While on the subject of hawks, we
ill take time to say that the indis-
riminate classification of hawks as
rates is a great mistake. The gov
has issued repeated bulle-
rs. calling attention to the fact that
lost hawks spend the greater part of
heir lives killing grasshoppers. mice
nd rats. The small hawk known as
lie sparrow hawk subsists almost en-
rely on grasshoppers. There are
Tree species of hawks that prey on
lickens, these are the blue darter,
le sharp-shined hawk. and the Cos
awk. While the balance Of the l.
lwks will occasionally carry off a
licken, the good they accomplish by
ling rats and mice eounter-bal-
ices many times over the small
mo 90 which they do a