But Page did more than berate the mummified aristocracy which, he declared, was driving the best talent and initiative from the state; he was not the only man in Raleigh who expressed these unpopular views; at that time, indeed, he was the centre and inspiration of a group of young progressive spirits who held frequent meetings to devise ways of starting the state on the road to a new existence.  Page then, as always, exercised a great fascination over young men.  The apparently merciless character of his ridicule might at first convey the idea of intolerance; the fact remains, however, that he was the most tolerant of men; he was almost deferential to the opinions of others, even the shallow and the inexperienced; and nothing delighted him more than an animated discussion.  His liveliness of spirits, his mental and physical vitality, the constant sparkle of his talk, the sharp edge of his humour, naturally drew the younger men to his side.  The result was the organization of the Wautauga Club, a gathering which held monthly meetings for the discussion of ways and means of improving social and educational conditions in North Carolina.  The very name gives the key to its mental outlook.  The Wautauga colony was one of the last founded in North Carolina—­in the extreme west, on a plateau of the Great Smoky Mountains; it was always famous for the energy and independence of its people.  The word “Wautauga” therefore suggested the breaker of tradition; and it provided a stimulating name for Page’s group of young spiritual and economic pathfinders.  The Wautauga Club had a brief existence of a little more than two years, the period practically covering Page’s residence in the state; but its influence is an important fact at the present time.  It gave the state ideas that afterward caused something like a revolution in its economic and educational status.  The noblest monument to its labours is the State College in Raleigh, an institution which now has more than a thousand students, for the most part studying the mechanic arts and scientific agriculture.  To this one college most North Carolinians to-day attribute the fact that their state in appreciable measure is realizing its great economic and industrial opportunities.  From it in the last thirty years thousands of young men have gone:  in all sections of the commonwealth they have caused the almost barren acres to yield fertile and diversified crops; they have planted everywhere new industries; they have unfolded unsuspected resources and everywhere created wealth and spread enlightenment.  This institution is a direct outcome of Page’s brief sojourn in his native state nearly forty years ago.  The idea originated in his brain; the files of the State Chronicle tell the story of his struggle in its behalf; the activities of the Wautauga Club were largely concentrated upon securing its establishment.