The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-01-08
The Southern Historical Society.
GENERAL WADE HANlPTON'S CIRCULAR.

GENERAL WADE MANIpToN's CIRCULAR.
To the Editors of the Baltimore Gazette: AS
it is impracticable to approach all who take an
interest in the Southern Historical Society by
correspondence or personal application, it
seems to me that the best course to present the
claims of this institution to our people is
through the agency of such people as are IA
vorabIe to the enterprise. The attention of
those most interested will thus be called to it,
and zeal in its behalf will be aroused. The
Society was organized in New Orleans in 1869,
with the Parent Society in that city, and
Vice-Presdent was appointed in each Southern
State, the Rev. B. NJ. Palmer, distinguished
divine being President of the whole organiza-
ton. The object of the society was to collect
and preserve, in an enduring form, the rich
and abundant materials of history scattered
throughout the South, but which are fast per-
ishing for want of the proper care to their pre-
servation. 1t was proposed "that this colec-
ton of the raw material of history should, as
rapidly as gathered, be colated and digested,
and should form the basis of thorough, truth
full, and, as far as possible, a documentary his
tory of our people and of our times.
The work itself is too noble, too patriotic, too
necessary to be abandoned and the thought is
intolerable of leaving the vindication OF our
principles and of our brave and martyred dead
to the honesty of some chance antiquarian OF
the future who may mourn over the loss OF re-
cords which it should be our business to pre-
serve" DR.. Palmer, whose language is quoted
in the extract above, goes on to say why the
society has not met with the success desired,
and giving as two reasons-1st, the location OF
the Parent Society in New Orleans, which,
ftoituo o6 Of tba odro Of oDr common cOl1ntrV
is almost entirely commercial in its pursuits
with a population less stable than elsewhere !;
with fewer men of cultivated leisure, and
above all, in State so heavily borne down by
its political troubles, that whatever of public
spirit exists, is absorbed with the difficulties of
peculiarly oppressed condition. In the second
place the experience of the past few years has
demonstrated that no reliance can be placed on
a voluntary and diffuse agency, even for the
collection of the materials which lie in such
abundance around US. The work is one of too
much detail and the men who are competent
to the task are too much engrossed with their
private business to warrant the expectation of
its being accomplished by this means. 1t must
be made the special duty and sole occupation
of some one party to 60 about from State to
State and gather this scattered material wher-
ever he could find it." In addition to these
reasons, so cogently expressed by the President
of the society, which have initiated against its
success, there was one other equally grave. No
provision was made by the society for the pub
lication of its records, and our people could
not feel that vital interest in this enterprise
they would have done had the important and
valuable papers collected by the society been
regularly placed before them. All these diff
culties which beset the path of our young socl-
ETY. have been removed two of them-the hrst
and last-with complete success, for the doml-
cile of the parent society has been established
in Richmond, and it has been arranged that all
records collected shall be regularly published
in the Southern Maga=ine, of Baltimore, one of
the ablest periodicals of the country.
The Executive Committee of the Society
have endeavored to overcome the second obsta-
Gle in the way of success by doing me the honor
to ask that would undertake the task of COL
lecting the material for our future history, and
thus aiding the society by placing in its posses
sion the best vindication of our people which
eau be bequeathed to our posterity. This task
appeals so strongly to my patriotism and seems
so vital to the welfare, the safety, the honor of
the South, that have accepted it, in the hope
that though my efforts to accomplish it may
deserves, they will not be totally unavaling.
In this hope, 1 appeal to every man, and to
every woman of the South, who has pride in
our past glory or our future honor; who wishes
to place upon the record for all time to come
the vindcaton of our people; who desires to
see the whole truth laid before the august tri-
bunal of History; who cherishes amid all these
evil times love and reverence for our heroic
dead, or who hopes that our children shall not
denounce their fathers as rebels and traitors, to
mid this sacred work
To insure the success of the society, it will
be necessary to obtain a large membership, so
that the unavoidable expenses incident to its
work may be met A subscription of seven
dollars per annum makes one a member, and
entities the subscriber-male or femae-to re-
ceive all the publications of the society; to-
gether with the Southern Magazine for one
year A subscription of fifty dollars consti-
tutes life member with all the privileges. All
who may wish to assist the Society can com
municate with me, care of Messrs. Trumbul
Brothers, No. North Charles street. Balti-
more or can enroll themselves as members by
application to the State and local agents, who
will be appointed. Commencing the praise
worthy and patriotic work contemplated by
the Society to the good will and support of our
people, I ana very respectfully, your obedent
servant,
WADE HAMPTON
General Agent S. H. S.
ENCOURAGING TO YOUNG MEN.-The Staun-
~, Jy,J;cofor pi ves the anneyed strEinr illus-