Newspaper Page Text
The only newspaper
published in Fort Val¬
ley, the largest peach¬
shipping station in the
world.
Volume No. XXXVI, Number IS.
MRS. OUSliT TO LEAD
APPEALS FOR COMPLETION OF
HOUSTON COUNTY’S QUOTA
OF CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL
FUND BY APRIL 26.
Governor Walker’s appointment of
Mrs. T. R. Ousley as chairman of!
Houston county to raise the county’s' Confed-1
quota for Stone Mountain
crate Memorial has been accepted
and organisation of her committee
to conduct the campaign will begin I
at opce Throughout Georgia the
campaign is making good progress, 1
and Mrs. Ousley is anxious for this
county to be among the first to raise
its quota, which is $3200.
Since the head of General Lee was
unveiled on the precipice of Stone
Mountain on Lee's birthday, Janu¬
ary 19, the Memorial Association has
announced that the fteads of Stone¬
wall Jackson and Jefferson Davis
v.i.i : • i oe unveiled on June when ,
u,
hund.eds of Confederate veterans on
their v.-ay to the Memphis reunion
will find it convenient to stop 1
over
and take part in the ceremonies. To
keep the work going on such a scale j
as to enable , , „ Gutzon . Borglum, „ , ’
urea 1 sculptor, to finish the two
, heads on that .... date, it is necessary for ,
the Association to raise funds on a
large scale, it was explained a few
days ago in a public statement by
Holli"? N. Randolph, president of the
Assoc iation. Mr. Borglum must have,
he explained, at least three full
crew: of workmen to keep abreast
of th ..chedule, and the Association
is making special effort to raise
Georgia’s quota without delay;
“Memorial Day I^s been set as the
day for all counties in Georgia to
■
finish their quotas, after which the
Memorial Association will immediate¬
ly go into the other southern states
with organized campaigns to raise
the quotas which they have pledged
when Georgia does her part.
Memorial day is a most appropri¬
ate day for Georgia to finish her quo¬
ta for t)je great Memorial,” said Mrs.
Ousley. “But I hope our county will
finish her quota before that date.
Stone Mountain Memorial has be¬
come famous throughout the world,
and the world is looking to Georgia
to do their part in its building. Every
southern state is willing and ready
to contribute an amount equal to
Georgia’s quota as soon as Georgia's
(Continued on last page).
Macon Poet Tells of St. Paul
Choir s Trip to Fort Valley
The following account of the trip
of St. Pal’s choir of Macon to Fort
Valley on March 5, when they de
li hted a large un.on congregation
at St. Andrew’s Church, was writ
ten for The Leader-Tribune by Miss
Cl ra Ophelia Bland of Macon. Miss
Bland is the author of a volume of
poems entitled “Songs from the Cap
ital”—Washington — published
The Gorham Press, Boston, which
have recived every favorable com
ment from western and
papers.
on Ash Wednesday, at 6 o’clock
in the evening the members of St. |
Paul’s choir left Macon in
bile for a visit to Fort Valley
city now far famed for its annual
Peach Blossom Festival. The object
of the visit was to give a song recital
in St. Andrew’s church, of which the
Reverend Mr. Saywell is the rector,
During the day the elements had
seemed to oppose the long anticipat
ed visit of the choir, for the torren
tial rains rendered the roads almost
impassable, while, during the progress
of the journey, after the delectable
pavements were left behind, the
heart 'of the little company made its
way to the mouth, and disconsolately
sal there, brooding upon it Hah-
breadth ’scapes i’ the imminent dead¬
ly breach.” However, once the Peach
Blossom Haven was reached, all was
■ coieur de rose,” as would naturally
be expected in the land of the Peach
Blossoms.
The choir was so cordially received
at the rectory, that all was forgotten
except the graciousness of its recep¬
tion. As the hour was late, the-choir
went at once to the church which was
filled.
Among the numbers given were.
THE LEADER-TRIBUNE
AND PEACHLAND JOURNAL
Circulates the most highly developed sections of Houston, Macon and Crawford Counties, where more than half of Georgia’s peach crop is produced.
FORT VALLEY, HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 1924.
MR. C. T. WOODALL NOW WITH
PEARSON INS. AND LOAN CO.
At a meeting of the stockholders
of the Pearson Insurance and Loan
Company held Monday, Mr. Claude
T. Woodall of Macon purchased an
interest in same and beginning the
first of this month assumed active
management vof same.
The following officers were elect
ed Mr. Oscar E. Pearson, president;
Mr. Raiford M. Houser, vice-presi
dent; Mr. Claude T. Woodall, secre
tary-treasurer; Houser and Houser
(Messrs. Emmett and Claude M.
Houser), counsel.
Miss Mary Belle Houser who for
nearly a year has been in charge of
the business retires and contemplates
a course of study at the Emmerson
Conservatory in Boston, this summer.
Mr. Woodall moved here from Ma¬
con some weeks ago for the purpose
of engaging in business at this point
and as he has since reaching his ma¬
jority devoted most of his time to
the insurance business either in Ma¬
con or as travelling auditor for dif
f eren { companies returns to the oc
that he is most familiar with '
The Pearson Insurance and Loan
Company has, since its organization
some six or seven years ago increas
ed ..... its business each , year until now
it , handles a satisfactory .. , , part , of , the
. written ... in . this ... section,
Mr. Woodall, being experienced
in the diferent features of the in¬
business will write all kinds
and the company having such fav¬
connection will be in a posi¬
to give to its patrons every in¬
granted by well established
The Leader-Tribune extends a wel
to Mr. and Mrs. Woodall (the
being formerly Miss Helen |
and wishes him that meas
of success that his merit
■o
E. CROCKETT, FORMERLY OF
FT. VALLEY, IN AUTO WRECK 1
Fort Valley friends of Mr. B. E.
who has traveled for the
Press for the past two
will regret to know that he
in an automobile wreck Tues¬
morning, the car hitting Mr.
car, turned him completely
knocking him twenty feet. He!
several gashes in his face*
bruises on his body. It is not
his condition serious.
■o
Leader-Tribune want ads. are real
“go-getters. ft
The King of Love My Shepherd Is,
Oh! for a Closer Walk with God |
The Lord Is Exa ted By the
Waters of Babylon and as a fit- i
tmfe climax, Gounod s Send Out Thy .
Light.” At the request of Mr. Say
well, the choir sang the beautiful
Hark! Hark My Soul! ■
The choir under the direction of
Howard Williams, and inspired
by the appreciation of the congre
gation, did its best, and every num
her was well rendered. 1
Mrs. Herman Davis, the able or _
ganist, contributed much to the suc-|
cess of the occasion. At the conclu-i
of the services, Mr. Saywell dis-!
tributed among the ladies, the beau -1
daffodils and other spring flow-!
ers used in the adornment of the'
chancel and refreshments altar. j
After had been serv-i
at the rectory, the little party once
more prepared to brave the perils of
the road, over which a heavy fog
had settled.
However, they were now reinforc¬
ed by the thought that they had so¬
journed, for a brief space, at the
house beside the road, wherein dwelt
the kindly people who were friendly
to St. Paul’s Choir, of Macon, Ga.
Clara Ophelia Philips.
■o
METHODIST CHURCH
Sunday School at 9:30 A. M. Judge
H. A. Mathews, superintendent; C.
E. Martin, assistant superintendent.
Hours of worship 11 A. M. and
7:30 P. M.
Revival services all this week and
next week. Rev. W. F. Smith preacher
and Prof. George Pickard, song lead
er.
A welcome for all.
Press Comment on the
Peach Blossom Festival
AND STILL THEY CON¬
TINUE 10 ACCLAIM
WORDS OF PRAISE
TO POUR IN FROM ALL
OF THE COUNTRY.
THE PEACH BLOSSOM
CULMINATES IN A MAGNIFI¬
CENT PAGEANT
From The Dawson News
Oberamniergau has her Passion
Play, and Japan her Cherry Blossom,
both of which attract crowds of visi
tors from all over the world, but Fort
Valley, here in Georgia, which boasts
tbe distinction of being the largest
peac }j market in the world, has in
auguratea a. 1 o. lir nteH a rival attraction. It is
something unique in the country, and
even in the third year of its estab
Iishment it has called forth not only
the enthusiastic support of the home
state but of the nation as well.-This is
the annual Fort Valley Peach Bios
som Festival.
Fort Valley, a little city of some
4,000 inhabitants, is surrounded by
10,000.000 peach trees, and when
these “magic prophecies in pink” are
in bloom they stretch before the eye
like the loveliest velvet.
Beginning at early dawn on Thurs¬
day last, the morning of the festival
this year automobile-s and excursion
trains laden to the uttermost began
arming in town, and in two hours
parking space could be obtained only
on the outskirts of the city.
At noon, 20,000 visitors who came
f rom all parts of the United States
were served an old-fashioned Geor
gia barbecue, probably the^ largest
prepared. Several hundred
and sheep were cooked
direction of mSn long
d in preparing Georgia’s famous'
The pits in which the barbecue,
as prepared were half a mile long ’
the tables stretched three miles
a background of blossoming,
Marvelous Speclncle
Amid a veritable sea of peach blos¬
presenting a picture which on¬
the hand of nature can paint, the
was set, and there was unfold¬
the romantic story of the peach
its earliest known history, hun¬
of years before the birth of
Saviour, down to this good day.
^ feature Qf a mirac _
. d It was a surprisjng]y tbor
&nd lea „ ini? tracery of the
, g history _ from that vaguc pe¬
^ jn Chj 2)000 ycars before
on ^ th h . the a?es to
y in Geor gia, the hub of
v> an<J fertUe h growing area
boasts of mmionR of fruit bear .
trees reeS '.
bis istory was o :owe< in e
’ The greensward of the vast pa
e ant stage was enlivened successi¬
by b e ' 1 e ’ 01 U ‘ y '' ,‘. tf n
9 rna ancler)t ’ ° a P^ n an en VtXy ° e
’ a .’ ireec e w
bletic ,
games woie in progress
ta y ’ P rance > Eng an , e gium, ol
arid ’ ^R a ‘ n and 4 b° Mexico o ;•
as the age-long journey
' s United ma g* c States final and y to noueit it tOj
.eorgia
world’s cente? of peach cultiva¬
No trouble, and apparently, no ex¬
had been spared by.those in
of the wonderfully-made ar¬
Costumes were lavish
fashioned with an eye attentive
the slightest details.
The sun was sinking when the
happy thousands turned their
homeward, marveling at the
of one of the “biggest lit¬
cities” in Georgia which dared to
'its gates open to the wide
and had bade them come and
their guest for a day; come with¬
money and without price, for
Valley has steadfastly refused
commercialize her festival.
The visitors marveled still more at
exquisite beauty and grace of the
and the rare talent displayed
the staging of “The Peach of the
SIX PAGES.
World’’ and they went home to
blossom festival when Fort
impatiently the fourth annual
plans to entertain 30,000 visitors.
•O
FAME OF THE FESTIVAL.
(From the Macon Telegraph.)
The fame of the Fort Valley
tival is spreading throughout the
tion, and from present
the event may be destined to
come a national one. The
Cherry-Blosfeom Festival of Japan
having a counterpart set up here on
our own native heath. Among the
dai!ies of the country that have
commented editorially on the occas
' on ‘ s Gle ®t. Louis Globe-Democrat,
vvb ' cb declares as follows:
Some men, who are really gifted
T ar above the average, go through
' n bumble roles and in apparent
ignorance of the things which should
entitle them to distinction. And
wbid ' s true of men in this regard is
i rue of communities. There are
man - v communities, large and small,
w hich have natural gifts of some
bind that are finer than can be
founcJ anywhere else in the land and
that never seem to appreciate them
or to use them for their own beset
interests, \A community is doomed
to an unimportant place in the world
unless it makes the most of itself.
If it does display its most pleasing
features to the world in the most at¬
tractive way, even the smallest vil¬
lage may win the praise of the mul¬
titude.
The litle community of Fort Val¬
le y’ about thirt y miles from Macon ’
Ga “ affords an insta ™e to prove this
statement. While it has a population
of only 4 ’ 000 ’ H drew t0 !t one day
iast week 40 ’ 000 visitors ‘ The y cam*
to attend the annual Peach Blossom
f ley. estlval The wbich State is departments held at Fort at Val- At
lanta ? nd certam organizations of
Macon were re P reserlted ,n a parade
lowed by a P a S eant portraying the
(le velopment of the peach from the
earliest days down to the present, in
which 600 men, women and children
Pupated, Southern feast or by barbecue. an old-fashioned For sev
oral days the beauty of the festival
was one of the principal topics of
conversation in a large part of the
State of Geoi’gia, and in many other
States it was a matter of interest.
Fort Valley’s particular title to
fame is that it is the original home of
the Georgia peach—not the one
known to baseball nor the feminine
kind, though these may not be lack¬
ing—but the Georgia Belle and the
Elberta. While other communities
may not have as many peach trees,
most of them have something that
is better than can be found else
where', or the means for its develop¬
ment. And they should make the
most of what they have. By putting |
its mind and heart behind that pur-|
pose, the small as well as the large ]
community can catch the leye of the I
outside world and fulfill in a grati¬
fying way its aspirations.
Too iuuch cannot be said for thos*
who had charge of the Festival. The
minds that worked out the plan and
put it into execution have proven
that real and unusual genius exists
j n jjouston County. It should be said
p bat any m j nor physical detail
re ij m i nary arrangements tha-t lack
od per f ec ti on can be easily overlook
cd, for the performance itself was
truly beautiful and majestic and it
is to be remembered that Fort Val¬
ley is young in this stupendous en¬
terprise. And every department is to
be commened for the energy and
thought put into their various- activ¬
ities.
It is meet to repeat that Georgia
is proud of Fort Valley and looks
forward to the Festival as becoming
country-wide in the notice and in¬
terest that it receives.
•o
WELCOMING A DAINTY QUEEN
From Industrial Index, Columbus.
Ga.
A beautiful and picturesque spec¬
tacle is being staged this.week in the
heart of Georgia. It is the an¬
Georgia Peach Blossom festival,
at Fort Valley, and as this is
it appears that visitors in the
tens of thousands will be present, for
this novel and colorful affair has ex¬
cited unusual and genuine interest.
Fort Valley is the capital of one of
Georgia’s greatest peach growing sec¬
tions, and this is the third time it has
entertained at a Peach Blossom festi¬
val. The affair has already become
more than purely a state institution,
for interest in the festival .
extends to
other .... states and . sections, and , among
the ,, visitors • there .. this ... week .
are many
t from ,u the North xr .. and . , West. Ir . The pro
arranged , . elaborate , , and , .
gram „ is lm
pressive, a feature being the mam
moth parade.
Fort Valley itself is the center of
a „ mass of „ color, , for . -r Nature, x ’ rather
•
. backward . , this ... co-operated . at
year, J
the , last , moment, , and the ,, great , peach
fields e - ,, on all ,, sides ., of ... the city .. are a
sweet riot of pink beauty. In the
heart of all this loveliness the Peach
Blossom festival is being staged.
A right royal welcome, and a truly
hearty one, to that dainty queen,
Miss Georgia Peach, with her hun
dreds of thousands of loyal subjects,
and admirers, both North and South.
A . . large and , increasingly . ... important
industry m Georgia; peach produc
ion; and this festival, the fine
thought of Fort Valley people gives
to it a colorful and artistic touch and
lifts-it for the moment out of the
.
atmosphere pf the counting room
into the realm of pure poetry.
0
FORT VALLEY PEACH BLOSSOM
v FESTIVAL
Fr ° m Th ' W ‘ re * ra »* Farmer, A.h
burn, Ga.
Quite a number of our people at
tended tbe ™ rd 4_ nn “ al Feach B j os -
| ^m Festival at Port Valley last
, P^d week Jo delighted say that and astounded they were at sur- the
conception, beauty and vastness of
the undertaking is putting it mildly.
In verse, in music, and by spec¬
tacular staging, dancing and proces¬
sions, the pageant depicted the his¬
tory of “the peach of the world.” It
is impossible to describe the effect of
the beautiful coloring in costumes,
(Continued on last page).
Hot Stuff on the Festival
From Former Fort Valleyan
REVIVAL SERVICES
WELL ATTENDED
Fine congregations have attended
the Methodist revival services, both
at 10:30 A. M. and 7:30 P. M.
Rev. W. F. Smith, presiding elder
0 ^ ^be Macon district, is preaching in
a wa ^ that grips and inspires his
hearers. Mr. George Pickard is a
tine soloist and chorus lender. On i
every side favorable comments are
heard concerning the preaching and
the singing. g
The church people of Fort Valley
should lend every encouragement to
this meeting. Religion is the founda¬
tion of everything good in our com¬
munity and “if the foundations be
what shall the righteous
do -
The services will continue through !
this and next week with services at |
10:30 in the morning and 7:30 in
the evening, except Sunday when the
service will be held at 11
A. M.
Mr. Smith will go to Hebron Sat¬
urday to hold the second Quarterly
Conference for the Roberta circuit
at 11 A. M.. Rev. D. B. Merrit is the
pator at Roberta.
o
ANNOUNCED FOR
MEMORIAL DAY EXERCISES
Mrs. T. R. Ousley announces the
committees that will have
of,- the Memorial day exercises
dinner for the Confederate Vet
Table Committee—Mrs. N. H.
Chm.; Mrs. Ben Fincher.
Decoration—Mrs. J. W. McCoy,
Miss Helen Marshall, Mrs. H.
Duke.
The most intensively
circulated and thorough¬
ly read news and ad¬
vertising medium in its
field.
$1.50 Per Year In Advance.
UUU HOUND DOG IS
DESUB FIDE FIGHTER
DOG SAVES HOME AT NIGHT
FROM FLAMES BY DRAGGING
RUG UNTIL FLAMES ARE EX
TINGUISHED.
A good and true dog story that
comes from the little station of Bliss,
three miles north of Fort Valley,
comes in very appropriately this
week, which has been designated
“Be Kind to Animals Week.” The
story is of a little hound dog which
well repaid kindness th&t was shown
him.
,,,, T ne little dog in a very emaciated .
condition, “took . up’ ^ ,, at ... the , homes
Of , Mr. Holsenbeck and Mr. N. XT Hauser “
,which .■ . together . at Bliss,
are near
rp. “f d ° g "“treated kindly
WLdl ^ Permanently adopted, and
named “Tip. ►I
One night ... several , months ,,
ago a
, hearth, . ,, the , home of , Mr. Hau- „
rug .7 in
ser „„ caught , fire. Tip was the first —. , to ,
discover the ,, fire and, ,
seizing 6 one
corner of - the ,, rug, dragged* , , around
Untl ‘ the llre Was extln g alsh ^
About two weeks ago Tip ran to
at ^ he r ^user dre f' She parking thought and hls tugging actlons
qUeei , \ and became somewhat con
Tf them ’ but did not un '
, tbe ™; Ti P then ran to Mr
-
Hauser and bit his ankle, pulled at
trousers> and ran towards the
. Mr H ause r followed the dog,
ho led him to Mr . H olsenbeck’s
yard; where Mr . Hauser dis _
the smou]dering rema ins of a
and a number of little chicks
to a crisp
Reception and Ribbon—Miss Gla¬
Slappey, Mrs. Geo. Wright.
Invitation—Mrs. W. L. Nance,
A. J. Evans.
Lemonade—Mrs. Marcus Baze
Chm.; Miss Susie Green, Mrs.
Underwood, Miss Bertha Bas¬
Coffee—Mrs. T. E. Eubanks,
Mrs. J. E. Broadrick, Mrs.
Hartley, Mrs. J. D. Kendrick.
Table Cloth—Mrs. C. L. Shepard,
Mrs. Will Tharpe, Mrs. C. H. Sam¬
■o
SALE —Large, early and late
cabbdge plants for sale. Call W.
Murray, Surburban Fruit Farm.
4-10-11.
■o
Advertise in The Leader-Tribune.
Atlanta, Ga.,
April 2, 1924.
Mr. Joel Mann Martin,
Editor, The Leader-Tribune,
Fort Valley, Ga.
Dear Mr. Martin:
As a forme*, citizen of Fort Val¬
ley in the flesh and always one in
the spirit I desire to write you and
the people of that city in regard to
the Peach Blosom Festival. Being
a nephew of the Very Reverend
George Bright Culpepper, all and
sundry who know me will admit that
I am not one who deals in saponace¬
ous an^l soporific slush, but that I
speak what is on my mind that all
“who hear may know and under¬
stand. I desire to say that Fort
Valley staged the biggest thing that
has eVer ben put on in the State of
Georgia ever at all, at any time,
anywhere, and deserves the praise
and admiration-of the entire State,
if not the entire | country, The
Festival was wonderful and
the pageant was grand, gorgeous and
gay without being gaudy. When it
comes to cogent, coalescent, conca¬
and consistent “carrying on >»
Fort Valley delivers the goods. As
I sat and viewed the lovely pageant
across a sward of green, with a
back-ground of trees and peach blos¬
soms and the actors’ costumes a
riot of glorious coloring, my mind
reverted to the remark of the late,
deceased, and now dead Wilkins Mi
cawber that: “During the diversi¬
fied panorama of human existence
I had found an occasional oasis, but
none so green or so gushing as the
at present.” Something had
“turned up” in Fort Valley.
(Continued on last page).