Wilmington journal., 1873-07-11
VOL. %.
NORTH CAROLINA AND HER
HISTORIANS.

North Carolina The material for the
work is abundant, but for various
reasons that material has never been
digested and presented to the public
i'll shape commensurate with its i'm
| pOrtance or with our wishes.
Had DIR. Hawks been spared to con-
tinue his labors, all complaint would
ere now, doubtless, have been ended
But he was not permitted to com plete
his work of love. Governor Swain,
also stricken down, with all his facul-
ties in full vigOr, was another distin-
guished son of North Carolina, well
grateful task we had almost said
We are not qnitc sure, however, that
the task can properly be called CRATE
full one. 1t may be we'll doubted
whether any history of North Carolina
will prove altogether grateful to its
writer. It seems difficult thing to
please North Carolinians in the matter
of the history of their State. So nice
indeed is our taste in this regard that
any man may we'll hesitate to encoun-
ter the rough, and when not rough,
the sneering criticism that an attempt
at History of North Carolina is sure
to provoke from North Carolinial.s.
To say the least of it, this carping
spirit that has so long possessed North
Caroliniane, touching themselves and
their belongings, gives no hopeful au-
gplry of the accomplishment of The
work We all profess with so much una
nimity to desire. 1t may be said safely
that there is no money to be made in
the preparation and publication of a
History of North Carolina. If then
there be no honor to come from the
undertaking, what reward is there to
compensate the historian? If, instead
of encouragement, or at least kind and
respectful treatment, we extend only
the harshest Of harsh criticism, what
right have we 20 expect that any man
will attempt that which we are con-
stantly saying it is the duty of some
man to do?
We have been led to these reflections
by the comments III a late number of
tn, Raleigh Sentinel upon certain
( .s Historical Sketches OF North Caro-
/ lima from 1854 to 1851, popularly
! known as Wheeler's History of North
Carolina, that seem, to say the least,
unnecessarily harsh. In the opinion
! of the .ScntinCl, Colonel Wheeler has,
save industry, "not 4 single qualifica-
ton that belongs to writer OF
history" and every publication he
makes sis i'll compiled, i'll arranged,
! i'll expressed and i'll printed" If the
Sentinel be correct in its opinion,
| Colonel Wheeler possesses no love for
his work, unless it be implied in in
dl1stry, and not even common honesty,
for both these qualifications surely
"belong to a writer of history We
feel sure, however, that the language
of our contemporary was stronger than
the impression it designed to convey.
Nor do we think it was quite CHART
able TO tpit Colonel Wheeler because
his publications have been i'll
printed" no matter how true it
NAV be. Possibly his want of means,
in some cases, compelled him to resort
to cheap publishing houses, or possibly
his publisher cheated him. The copy,
however, of the publication that We are
i'll the habit of using, and we, III common
with all other Editors i'll the State
refer to it, bears the imprint OF
Lippincott, GrambO K Co, a firm that
in old times, at least, took very higl
rank.
1t is possibly and very probably
perfectly true that Wheeler's s Sketche:
do not come up to the standard tina
their readers or that their writer de
sired In the very publication Of hi:
History, Colonel Wheeler made franl
confession of ''errors, omissions ant
imperfections," and anticipating crltl
cism, begged that critics would, i'll
stead of attacking his iabOrs, ''take al,
examine them carefully and improve
on them for the benefit of Nortl
Can olina, promising that no one woul'
more heartily welcome their work t.
the public, and none rejoice more sin
cerely in their success than himself
And from that day to the present time
near a quarter Of a century, ColOne
Wheeler, if we are correctly informed
has been diligently employed, eithe
+ il this country or in England, i'll col
, lecting, arranging and digesting mate
: rial for the correction of these errors am
3 omissions and imperfectiOns, of whic
, no one was more conscious than Inn
e self The fruit of all this labor it ha
n been announced, is about to be give
t to the public in the form of a ne
e edition. And what is his reward for a
y his expenditure of time and money
G No hing more nor less than the Al
y papers in the State that Colonel Whee
d er, save industry, possesses ''not
Y single qualiti cation that belongs to
is writer of history, and that all his pnl
If iications are .@ ill-compiled, lila
5, ranged, ill-expressed and ill-printed
o Surely this is poor encouragement
le the future historian whose advent "
e profess to look for SO longingly.
Is With all due respect to our coten
= porary we cannot help thinking /
t. criticism is unnecess lrily harsh unles
p indeed, 1T were better to have no hi
tory at all than to have Colonel Whee
re er's History. This certainly is n
* our opinion, nor do we understal
a. that the Sentinel SO regards Colon
Id Wheeler's labors, for it says express
SIS that ''there is information in his vt