The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1928-03-02

endeavour to find and bring ba
lost child OF the historic Lost Go
M name in the early history of
this romantic region has stirred the
imagination like that Of Virginia
/ Dare. And less is known of her than
of any other important character
! idnnwfie,t with the early settle
ment of these American shores. She
waS born. she waS baptized and
periShed What became of the
colony i'm which she waS born in old
Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island
aud what became of Virginia Dare
/ i I'M unSOlved mystery.
But there Is poetry in the name.
And when You have poetry. drama.
mystery. romance and history all
I identified with the name of Il beau
tiful yOun. girl. human imagina
! tion does the rest
Joan of Arc would never have
lived in poems. novels. historical
, rumanceS. sculpture and paintin. If
/ her name had been Sally Smith:
/ beauty of all things under the sun
/ j. imperiShable the wretchedneSS
of primitive christianity and the
: frightfulmeSS of mpdiaeval Chris
tfauity are forgotten and only the
beauty of its founder and his ideal
ism survive
And - because she waS blessed
with a maine nf unusual poetic
charm ami beauty the name ot Nlr-
"inia Dare iS cherished here i'll the
rprinn where she waS born and
, where she persisted. Her birth and
buUfi>m arp noted on two continents
and celebrated with solemn dignity
on August 18th of every year. The
Congress of the United States i
erecting Il monument to her memory
nu the spot where she was born.
State highway has been named tor
her, the virginia Dare Trail. Real
estate promoters aud growers Ot
uotatOeS have used her name for Il
trndr mark. When Elizabeth City
set about to build the most heauti-
full hotel in coastal Carolina it call
ed il The Virginia Dare. We tell
the world that it wa> within Il few
minutes flight of Elizabeth City
that virginia Dare WAS born.
But What Did She Look Like
Rut no one has the fainteSt con-
rtprion what Virginia Dare looked
like AS<umin" that She w;l> taken
into SOME friendly tribe of Indians
and grew up to maidenhOod. was
she dark or fair. tall or short. small
nr IDr"e. We have somehow. with
ont any reason ut all. come L"
think of her aS Il 1.-THE. we'll formed.
atheletic maiden of striking beauty.
Nearly Il wear ago this newspaper
threw out the suggestion that some
thin" should be done tn realize Il
definite picture of Virginia Dare
IInr name has become the heraldic
symbol of IL region and i'll the years
10 come millions of tourists Will
. sick the spot where she WAS born
And no where an authorized por-
,r,it of nrr S:limted young lady :.
! Really. something mus he done
about it.
And now Dick Job. secretary "t
. the Albemarle Agricultural ASSo-
citation. plans To do something: hr
= urnuoSpS To stage IL great beauty CON
test ut the Elizabeth City Fair III
I / Oct, Der and have eminent Judges
, rhopSp from the assembled beauties
p of the region the girl who. Ill ihe
/ nuiuion of the Judges. will most
/ surely satisfy the public demand
= for Miss Virginia Dare.
Secretary job proposes t" inter
g est every grammar and high Sch"'i
:. in ton counties of the Albemarie
rr-f,n in chOu$in. candidates Tor
the treat honor. \ handsome prize
nr priZesS tn the value 0f several
hundred dollars will he awarded the
winner: her picture will Z" on the
front pages and in the gravure sup
uIrmentS of every Important News
uarcr in America. Moving picture
=, men will flock here to yet her PIC
turr for the screen. She will be the
mG~t written about, the most PIE
+, turiZed aud the most talked about
-irI i'm North Carolina. The finest
Snitc of rooms mt the Virginia Dare
Hotel will be provided for her stay
q i'm Elizabeth City Fair Week. and
It she will he the honor guest at III
= eIaborate dinner and ball.
A Knotty Problem
>. But one thin. i botherinS Secre'
H. tary job. In all of the beauty con
j. tests that have become 50 much the
- rage in this country in recent years
r. the conteStim. beauties have beel
i. paraded in bathing suits.
Sh