The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-16
james Louis FetigrR

NAY, of Charleston, a "Menoir of JAMES
LOUIS PETIGRGr BY WI. GRAY
soN"-a neat little volume gotten up in
harpers' best style.
As-we open the volume our eyes rest
upon acomplete counterseitprcsentmento
Mr.. .PErloRU, lifelong flowing locks ofrich
brown hair, the high, broad expan>
sive forehead, tho heavy brow, the
bright, merry twinkling eyes-the lips
compressed as fin preparation for ut"
tcrance of words that never fail to hit
their mark-thc prominent wide
chin, all bring before lis this loved and
honored man, and VIC gaze upon him,
lost in memories of the past, until we
almost fancy we sec that expressive wag>
ging Of his noble head, that shrug-
ging of those shoulders that added 20
much to all that his peculiarly reaching
voice ever uttered we dwell long and
with delight upon this picture, and might
well have stopped then, for it was the
first and The last pleasure which the book
afforded.
The motto of the Book is "Faithful
found among the faithless, faithful only
he,". and the whole preface reminds US
forcibly of Old Mortality" who, in re-
chiseIng the eulogies on the tombs Of
the slain covenanters took good care to
deepen the anathemas, engraved there
on, of their enemies.
Mr.. PEr1eRU, in these preparatory pa
pers is represented as repelling perse-
cution with scorn and defiance. How
untrue and how unjust both to him and
the people Of the state! With all her
sons South Carolina has been liberal
and indulgent in matters Of opinion
Whom has she ever more delighted to
honor than the great and lamented o.
NEAL? Who during long life Of thigh
position was opposed to the policy Of the
State-and the very subject Of this me-
moir was continued in highly honora-
bic and lucrative official position by the
very people whom the getters up of this
book would have us believe he "scorned.'
'These People," as little appreciate Mr..
PEr1Gnu as they do the community in
which he lived. It is true Mr.. PEr1-
CRU was always opposed to the policy OF
his native State, but he loved her and
loved her people, while they admired his
great talents, esteemed his high charac-
ter and loved the Lofty, pure, genial
man. All this these preface writer's ffor
there are several of them, seem incapa-
ble of approaching; but wo intended
briefly to notice the book, and are devo-
ting ourselves to the preface.
Mr.. GRAYsoN has written graceful,
affectionate tribute to a noble friend,
and has giverf:some facts in detail in the
history of Mr.. PETIaRU which were not
universally knewui; but be utterly failed
to reproduce Mr.. PEr1GRu. There was
so much Of action in all that tue subject
of this memoir did or spoke that no de-
scription or recital will ever convey an
adequate conception ofhim or his works.
No one could kno" or appreciate JAMES
L. PETIGRU who have not seen him and
beard him face to face but Mr.. GRAYsoN
we think fell far short of the possible.
It is true that all the anecdotes of Mr..
PErIaEu, of which there are many, lose
their point and force from the absence
of the great original. But Mr.. GRAY
SON was neither copiouS nor happy in
the selection of these anecdotes-ancc-
Itotes of prominent man live because
they are illustrative of what is deemod
admirable and characteristic in him, and
there are many cxtant of Mr.. PETIaRU.
which, though losing much in their re-
'cital, yet better illustrate many of his
! characteristics than Mr.. GRAYsoN has
done.
Mr.. GRAYsoN was an amiable and es>
timablc nan, of somo literary excellence,
a gentleman of high character and lofty
traits, but whatever eminence these pre-
face writers, who have exhumed this me.
moir from his scraps of papers may
give him, we do not..think, his political