﻿150 
  History 
  of 
  Durham. 
  

  

  God 
  and 
  the 
  elevation 
  of 
  man. 
  His 
  is 
  a 
  character 
  the 
  

   writer 
  delights 
  to 
  contemplate 
  and 
  hold 
  up 
  for 
  emulation. 
  

   He 
  was 
  among 
  the 
  foremost 
  leaders 
  in 
  the 
  Graded 
  School 
  

   movement 
  in 
  its 
  darkest 
  daj^s, 
  when 
  it 
  seemed 
  an 
  almost 
  

   forlorn 
  hope. 
  And 
  as 
  an 
  cxpresssion 
  of 
  the 
  appreciation 
  

   entertained 
  for 
  his 
  untiring 
  zeal 
  in 
  this 
  cause, 
  he 
  was 
  elected 
  

   a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Durham 
  Board 
  of 
  Education 
  and 
  Learn- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  1882 
  for 
  one 
  year, 
  and 
  re-elected 
  in 
  1883 
  for 
  two 
  

   years, 
  and 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Board 
  ever 
  since 
  its 
  

   organization 
  — 
  the 
  only 
  member 
  who 
  has 
  been 
  present 
  at 
  

   every 
  meeting. 
  Was 
  a 
  Trustee 
  of 
  the 
  Methodist 
  Female 
  

   Seminary, 
  which 
  position 
  he 
  resigned 
  and 
  accepted 
  his 
  

   present 
  position 
  on 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  Education 
  and 
  Learning. 
  

  

  WASHINGTON 
  DUKE. 
  

  

  The 
  subject 
  of 
  this 
  sketch 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  representative 
  

   men 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  South, 
  commencing 
  business 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  

   16x16 
  log 
  house, 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Durham, 
  he 
  has, 
  

   by 
  honest 
  industry 
  and 
  sapient 
  management, 
  established 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  manufacturing 
  industries 
  of 
  the 
  South, 
  

   and 
  his 
  name 
  has 
  become 
  a 
  household 
  word 
  wherever 
  the 
  

   silvery 
  smoke 
  of 
  the 
  fragrant 
  weed 
  floats 
  upon 
  the 
  breezes 
  

   of 
  commerce. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Duke 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  Orange 
  now 
  forming 
  

   the 
  western 
  portion 
  of 
  Durham 
  county, 
  on 
  the 
  20th 
  day 
  of 
  

   December, 
  A. 
  D. 
  1820. 
  Received 
  only 
  eight 
  months' 
  school- 
  

   ing, 
  graduating 
  with 
  high 
  distinction 
  at 
  the 
  — 
  Plow 
  Han- 
  

   dles, 
  an 
  institution 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  bone 
  and 
  sinew 
  of 
  our 
  

   great 
  republican 
  nationality 
  ; 
  an 
  institution 
  upon 
  which 
  

   the 
  perpetuity 
  of 
  our 
  greatness 
  as 
  a 
  people 
  is 
  based, 
  and 
  

   from 
  which 
  our 
  greatest 
  men 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  bless 
  the 
  world 
  

   and 
  leave 
  behind 
  them 
  a 
  halo 
  of 
  imperishable 
  glory. 
  Pos- 
  

   sessing 
  fine 
  mental 
  qualities, 
  coupled 
  with 
  a 
  pertinacious 
  

   energy, 
  Mr. 
  Duke 
  soon 
  acquired 
  a 
  fair 
  business 
  education 
  

  

  