The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-02-17
PENCIL MARGINA LIA.--FQR Sun.
DAY READING.
BY H. F. NJ.
Especial Cor. STATE CHRONIC


| BY H. F. NJ.
| Especial Cor. STATE CHRONICLE]
Speaking of writer's of the Seventeenth
| Century, those who may suppose that old
John Bunyan was a conSummate visionary,
| actually disposed. as he threatened, to let
the moss grow over his eyes, in Bedford JAIL
will be greatly surprised to find from his
pen in The Life and Death Of Mr. Bad
man." the following shlewd portraiture
Of that well-known character OF modern
days, the assignor for the ''BENEfTT" q of
creditors ''He gave" Saws Bunyan. "a
sudden and great rush into several mems
debts, to the value of four or five thousand
pounds, driving at the same time a very
great trade by selling many things for less
than they cost him, to get him custom and
! bi1nd his creditors eyes. When he had
| we'll feathered his net with other mems
/ goods and money. after little while he
/ breaks; while he had by craft and knavery
made SO sure Of what he had that his
creditors could not touch a penny. He
sends mOurnful. sugared letters to them,
desiring them not 70 be severe with him,
| for he bore towards all men an honest
mind. and would pay them as far as he
was able. He talked of the greatness of
| the taxes, the badness of the times. his
| losses by bad debts and he brought them
to a composition to take five shil!ngs in
the pound. His release was signed and
sealed, and Mr. Badman could now put
his head out of doors again and be bet
ter man than when he shut up shop by
several thousands of pounds" Though |
could not presume to cOntrOVert the scrip
/ tural assertion that the children of this
world are wiser in their generation than
the children Of light, can but think that
the observant tinker of Elstow must have
carried into his Kingdom of light some Of
/ the wisdom acquired by him in his battlings
with the Kingdom of darkness, or he
could not SO we'll have written words as
applicable to the present day as to two
centuries ago.
By the way, 1t seems 10 me that the
character and intellectual. powers Of John
/ Bunyan have been SO justly delineated and
measured by James Anthony Froude, in
his sketch of this remarkable man, con
tributed TO MOrley's Series of English Men
of Letters. that shall do a service Ito all
to whom these presents may come by
urging them to read that excellent little
work. There they will see how much of
superstition and how much of genuine re-
| lgious faith were blended in his convic-
tions. There they will also see-perhaps,
to their great surprlse-on how little and
frail foundations were built his claims to
surprised to learn that the ''Pilgrim' Pro
gress' was NOT FACILE PRINCEPS among his
| writings. For MY humble part, | much
prefer the "HOLY WAR" an allegory of
| uneXampled eXqulSlteneSs, as | conceive.
| His LIFE AND DEATH OF Mr.. BADMAN."
above referred to is also work abounding
in shrewd and just observations on human
conduct. Mr.. Froude opines that any re
Elections on Bunyan's VERSES, as being
mere doggerel, will return to plague the
asperser; that if Goethes test of poetry,
| 'how much of the substance of the thought
will remain after verse has been reduced
to prose- be adopted, then Bunyan will
stand high as a poet. Bunyan's Sermons,
| it seems to me, have not received due at
tention They strikingly exemplify the
tendency of his mind to allegory, but they
are repete with originality and impressive
suggestion His sermon on the structure
of the Temple built by Solomon is pecu-
liarly suggestive of the truth of the above
= observations. On the whole, one would
hazasd little to say, in the light of our
present or<<nation, that he was both
greater and a Smaller man than has been
hitherto supposed. Notwithstanding Nog his
great fame, he has, perhaps, beer-1>noef-
estimated as to intellectual qualities, while,
in the matter of devotion his almost insane
superstition has no little impaired the in
fluence Of a life conscentiously intended
to be an example to all striving for the
right. To all who would see more of this
extraordinary character, so worthy OF con-
temptation, l would venture to recon-
mend Froude's admirable short biography.
80. A Harnett county Teachers AsseT
bly, was organized at Dunn last SATURDAY.
The following officers were electra: ".
| T X q.
secretary; D. N. Farnall, suitor OF 10 nne
Signboard. corresponding secretary. The
, next meeting will be reid on the second
Satnrdav in March -nd the following sub
ieots viii he disc.esed: 'Books that have
helned me. ~ D. L. Ellis; How to in
terast the t,tle Ones," by Rev J. A. Camp
he1f "a Mental Arithmetic" by H. +.
Spe}Ss, The County Superintendent.
- The New Berne Oyster Game and
Fis1 Fair will be held March 18th, 14th
and 18th. Mr.. George Allen is President
| of the Association and he has the earnest
co operation of the live men of New Berne.
| The editor of the CHRONICLE has this Fair
con the list" and if business does not
prevent he will not be ''missed" when the
oysters are opened and the fish splattering
| in the pan.
| IA meeting of the State Board of
Pharmacy will be held in Raleigh on Tues
day, Feb. 21st, for the purpose of examin-
ing candidates for license te practice phar-
macy Mr.. VIM. Simpson, of Raleigh, is
Secretary of the Board, and particulars
will be given by him to all wanting infor-
| m alton on the Suhioot