Benson, Aug. 21—Fully 2,000 people from five counties were present at the opening ceremony of Willow Brook Park Saturday night. The principal speaker of the occasion was Miss Elizabeth Kelly of the State Department at Raleigh, who has charge of the schools for the illiterate in the State. Miss Kelly is well known to the people of Johnston and adjoining counties, having lived in Johnston for many years. She was given an ovation when she appeared on the platform.
In her talk, she first touched upon conditions which, she said, were necessary before an ideal community life could exist. Civic organizations should avoid duplication of effort, she said, and when one organization had planted a definite project, the others should put their shoulders to the wheel. She pointed to the park as an example of what could be accomplished by civic organizations in small towns. Miss Kelly touched upon the need of proper agencies for the development of the lives of the children into a good citizenship.
Replying to the oft-repeated suggestion that the young people of today are going to the “bow-wows,” Miss Kelly said: “There is no cause to worry about this. It is true that some of the children of today should have definite work for which he or she is directly responsible. Many parents, recalling their early struggles, are inclined to ‘let their children down soft,’ but in this they make a great mistake.”
Speaking of the present styles in woman’s clothing, and of the attitude of men, Miss Kelly said: “A woman is just as old as she looks and a man is never old until he quits looking.”
Other prominent Johnston County speakers were Mayor Cannaday of Benson, who told of the founding of Benson and its civic progress in recent years; Hon. Ezra Parker, who made a plea for the elimination of petty jealousies which eat the heart of civic righteousness; Dr. J.F. Martin, who talked on baseball as an antidote for hard times; Col. P.B. Johnson, who extolled the wonders which have been accomplished by the Entre Nous Club the past few months; Dr. W.T. Martin, who introduced Miss Kelly; Gen. W.J. Root, who spoke on behalf of the band.
The park was built through the efforts of the Entre Nous club, which not only furnished all the necessary funds, but the members did a lot of the work with their own hands. General Root was the designer and supervisor of the work.
The Benson American Legion Military Band, under the direction of Lt. Alfred J. Schmidt, band leader, U.S.R., captivated the crowd with its stirring music.
From the front page of The Dunn Dispatch, Tuesday, August 23, 1921
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