The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1884-02-09
OUR LYNN CRITIC
WRITES AGAIN OF OUR CHAR.
ACTERISTICS.
4 Very ShreWd and Pleasant Letter
About Our Manners and Methodist
Ourselves as Others See Us.

ourselves as Others See Us.
Soecim Correspondence Of The Ctrortcle
lynn. MASS, February Il am sur
nrised that my little note to The CHRON
icLE should have attracted attention,
more surprised that it called forth praise
Allow me to repeat that the criticism |
made of the good people of North Caro-
lima Gf may call it criticism) was made
with tile heartiest admiration for their
proverbial good qualities-quaites which
ere historic. and which the most stupid
yister could not fail to see. l believe
that | am right when | say that there has
ALWAYS been a profound respect in Massa-
cIu,ctts for the somewhat peculiar person
known az the distinctive Southern gentle
man-ccrtainly for the genuine article.
remember, for instance, when Mr.. JET
fcrsou Davis came to Boston before the
late ittle fracas, and it was universal re-
mark then (and this would now sound
strange to many people in Massachusetts,
that lie was so polished and elegant gen.
teman. My memory is dim about Names
but am under the impression that Robert
Toombs also once within my recollection
came to Boston and set all New England
to talking about him in the same way
Certainly to me, and | am sure to any
man who has a feeling for the graces Of
life, nothing could be more pleasant and
ho-pituble than such a reception as [ had
made on my recent visit to your State.
The lightwOod fires and tales of slavery
that | heard will live in my recollection for
the rest of my life.
But following your request to write
with the utmost frankness, [ am reminded
just here of an observation [ have fre-
queutly made about Southern manners.
Southern manners II mean of your most
cultivated people, became long ago, as
they dt served to become, historical and pro-
verbal; and | had more than one provo
cation to suspect that because Southern
manners did become proverbial, certain
Southern people and Southern writers
enormously have taken it for granted that
there are no other fine manners in the
world. II this be true, | submit that this
is hardly fine manners. | speak, please
bear in mind, always subject to correction.
Indeed, my only purpose in making the
acquaintance of THE CHRONICLE, ana in
wishing to see it regularly as we'll as in
my rash consent 10 write for it, is to learn
all can about the South and your people.
| am an inquirer, not critic.
Nv own observations however. bear me
ont in my previous conviction, that slavery
brought one evil along with it, as an Incl
dent which is yet noteworthy and easily
observable. The slave owner did big
things-did things on a large scale. He
had no small farms or small things Of any
sort. He was q man of large ideas, large
plans aud large ambitions. | believe I
detected more than once this same dispo-
stion in little things that fell under my
observation in North Carolina. In the
first place, persons [ met insisted on taking
it for granted that | was capitalist, and
had not less than 100000 to invest |
had talk with one gentleman who owns
an excellent water-power. He thinks
that grain mills on his place for North
Carolina traCa EOu16 no nrOfit hlo nd
he expressed q wish to put in the water
power as stock, and to organize a company
to build gigantic mills. Now, to illustrate
nv point, why does he not build small
mill himself? If there is chance for
large mills, such he thinks there is,
there is surely a chance for small one to
grow large without danger, too, OF losing
large outlay or Of running it for time
without sufficient return.) [ asked him
this, and he replied: 1T wouldn't pay to
fool with a small concern
And have recently lit upon another
theory that, unlike the foregoing one,
claim as orig ginal-original here at least.
The common criticism made in New Eng
land (and | heard it in North Carolina.
too) of the Southern people is, that they
lack push and enterprise. | doubt it.
have taken the census and made some fig
ures on this line, and | believe it is fact
that when Massachusetts, and Connecticut
contained no more people to the square
mile than North Carolina cow contain:
1chites. these States were behind the point
North Carolina has now reachad. What
you want is more people, more working
people-the ground more thickly covered
with them; and this, it seems to me. i
your chief need. With this other an6
smaller changes will come. Allow me t
say that your critics ought to remember
that your sparse population accounts il
large measure for your large percentage
of illiteracy. The very idea of a schoo
implies at least a somewhat dense settle
ment. w.